United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

OK Drake FINALLY got his Tes unit. I haven't been able to keep the dang thing on the entire night yet!! He turned it off one night accidentally. The leads get pulled out A LOT, and the battery has gone dead. When the battery goes dead it does not count the time!!! And one night when i thought the battery went dead and i was having so much trouble i was messing around with the battery and there is an A and B switch. I moved that and it reset the time back to 0!!!! We lost 17 hours. So my question is do any of you have ideas of how to keep the leads from coming out and how to not get him all twisted in the cords and how often do i change out batteries? We have only had it a week and it's driving me crazy. It also itches him terribly the first 30 minutes or so, is that normal? The pads don't leave him red and the itching goes away but he is miserable for the first 30 minutes.

Thanks
Teresa

I'm sorry you're struggling with the TES unit. Do you use a "fanny pack" that your son wears around his waist to stabilize the unit during the night? Do you tape or secure the wires onto his arm to minimize leads becoming unattached? We're currently using a fanny pack (my daughter is 10 now...did TES as a young child and now we've started again) and we use a sports wrap (it's Pre-Wrap that athletes put on before they put on the heavy duty tape on an injury) on her arm to hold the electrodes/wires in place. The wrap is light weight and adheres to itself a bit. You can buy it at a sporting goods store (Dick's/Sports Authority) or get it online cheaper in bulk. You might want to try it. It isn't heavy or hot, an advantage in the summer. We thread the wire up through our daughter's pajama shoulder sleeve and down to the fanny pack in back. Once in a while something will malfunction but we're generally successful with this method. I think when she was little I taped the electrodes in place but I don't remember the kind of tape. It never irritated her though. One 9 volt battery will last for about 3-4 nights. I hope these suggestions help!
Karen

Another suggestion....some batteries are longer than others. If the battery is short, it won't stay put in its spot. We put tape at the bottom of the battery so it fits snugly inside.

We don't use TES. (yet) But I have learned a lot about it by reading Maia's site. injurednewborn.com
there are lots of tips and helpful info on there.

Best of luck- i hope it works out for your son.

Marlyn

I haven't used a TES unit in a really long time, but I do remember the redness & itching it caused, so yes it is normal.