United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My daughter is LOBPI and 4 years old. She can do everything to get dressed by herself EXCEPT her shirt. She can get a few, very few, shirts off, by pulling the left sleeve down while bending her left arm slightly to get her left arm out of the sleeve hole. Then she pulls the shirt over her head and lets it fall off her right arm. This only works when the shirt she is wearing is VERY loose. This also stretches the shirts out a whole lot (not that I mind, because if it works, it works). I have tried many ways to help her figure out a way to get her shirt on. So....what works? How can I help her figure this out? Thanks---

Alisa, mom of Zadyn, LOBPI and 4 years old!

I am LOBPI too.

For putting shirt on (and coats, sweaters..) I put the Left in first, then pull it over my head, then the right arm. Or if it is looser I can do Left them right then over my head.

To take it off I take it off the right side then over my head then off my left.

It will take practice and time to figure it all out.

Marieke 33, LOBPI

I do it the same way as Marieke.
Carolyn J
LOBPI adult/71

I do roughly the same thing only in reverse because I have an ROBPI. For tighter shirts I either grab the back of the neck with my uninjured arm with both arms still in the sleeves and then look down while pulling the shirt straight off in a forward motion over my head like out in from of me, then pull my arms out. For tank tops or other more snug shirts that are too low to reach back, I get my uninjured arm out of the sleeve, pull the bottom up over the uninjured shoulder and then (with bpi arm still in it's sleeve) pop it up and off with the uninjured arm. But mostly, I wear shirts with buttons because I am a cheater.
I could draw you a diagram if that makes no sense and you want to email me. Feel free to email me.

Carrie

carrie - is there any way you could do a little video of taking off a tight shirt? Maia can't do them alone and she needs to get independent with that...

you can just youtube it or email me the video... I'm assuming your digital camera can take a short video?
-francine

Kayla does it like everyone else. As far as the tight shirts she still seems to take her left arm out first (non BPI) over her head and then off her right arm (BPI), if that makes sense. She refuses to ask for help so she does what ever she needs to do to get it off by herself. As far bra's she does not like sports bra's or the ones that hook in the front (she likes the ones that hook in the back. She hooks them before the puts it on and then puts it on like a shirt.

I seem to do it differently than most here. I dress my bpi arm first but I also undress it first. I generally wear a shirt a little bigger than I need because its judt more comfortable. for a long sleeve or short sleeve loose shirt I take the end of the sleeve and pull my bpi arm out I generally have to pull up and toward my good arm to get my bpi arm to come inside my shirt. Then I take the bottom of my shirt on the bpi side and pull it up and over my head and off my good arm. Its always been easier for me to get my bpi arm out first I dont know if I could take off my shirt if I tried to get my good arm out first.

As for tank tops I just start at the bottom and pull it up while I bend over so my bpi arm falls above my head. Or I pull my bpi arm inside the shirt and then pull the front bottom bpi side up and over my head.

Good luck finding a method that works!
Amy 22 years old ROBPI from MN