United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I'm new to this web site. but i've talked to other moms and suggested i should try it out.

i have a 4 1/2 month old daughter who has right erbs palsy... she is currently seeing dr kozin' in Pa.
She returns in October for one last check up to decide wether or not to do a nerve graft..
i don't know much about the nerve graft? are they successful? are they worth doing? my daughter hasn't had any sort of tests ran . no mri or nerve conduction tests so I'm not even 100 percent sure how exenstive her injuries are. dr kozin is the only bpi specialist i've seen and hes told me he thinks only c5 and c6 are stretched. but i've been told that if that was it my daughter would have more function in her arm then she does.
when she was born she had no function what so ever. she didn't get any movement in her arm until she was 2 months old. but she still doesn't have much. shes moving up to about her mouth now and at times she still has trouble bending her arm at the elbow. she's always stiff in that arm.. im very confused i feel if the nerves were only strectched it would of healed by now..

should i get a second opinion? should i have these tests done before i let dr kozin do the surgey?

Hi...
I was 29 when I suffered my TBPI. OBPI I have seen and watched while I visited my Dr. years ago. I think it prudent that you get a second opinion, get all the tests that need to be done. Because your child is only 4 1/2 months old and showing significant signs of recovery from her stretch already, I would say hold onto that fact. Most likely she will make a full recovery. In saying that, no one really knows 100%. Doing the best you can everyday for her and following up for the best medical care, is all you can really do.
Stay positive, never give up and know the human body is an amazing healing vessel all by itself.

I am a strong advocate of prayer, it has helped me tremendously. It aides me in feeling there is a higher power at work and placing my challenges in the Creator's hands, brings grace & tranquility in those difficult moments.

Best of Luck & I will keep you and your child in my thoughts and prayers for a good outcome.

With Peace, Love & Light,
Mardelle

Welcome! I'm glad you found this site- you will find an unbelievable amount of information and support here. One suggestion, you might want to crosspost this question in the "General Message Board" section. That tends to be where most of the OBPI parents read and post and since many of the treatments and the best doctors are different for OBPI and TBPI you'll probably get more specific information if you post it in that section as well. Best of luck to you and your little one.