United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello everyone,
As you all know, people who don't deal with the pain of TBPI have no idea what the day in and day out pain is like.
Our insurance company is giving us the run around with pain management. It's been almost 8 years since my husband's TBPI and the pain is as intense as ever. I am hoping I can get some help from this community to back up our claim that the pain is REAL.
Would any of you be willing to write a brief description of your experience with this pain? ie: How would you describe this pain? A few sentences would be fantastic...
Thanks in advance!
Heidi

Hi Heidip,
You really have so much in posting about pain over time and these injuries at hand.
Find the posts on these sights about pain and just start printing them
Tom

You can describe the pain as "phantom pain". It is the same pain one experiences when a limb is amputated. There is the sensation of burning, cutting, numbness and pinching all at the same time.

Ok 2 things I would add
driving semis for years with Birth erbs
Winters in Chicago , frozen arm add hand a lot
Summer , arm felt on fire, Ouch
Relief , learn is a hand warmer in a glove
Relief is resting your arms and hand on arm rest to get the gravity off the hand and arm,Taking the
Gravity off helps Pain, Deep massages and warm towels , Help blood flow and numbness
Ice on wrist in summer takes the burning out
Hope this helps????
Just some things I learned including learning to be a PADI master diver and rescue diver with birth erbs, Best pain relief for me is 60 ft underwater looking at fish for over 30 yrs.
Scuba and pain relief is a 10 to learn scuba , If you like the water???
Tom

i would say it is like having your hand and arm in a deep fryer full of 375 degree oil while being viciously stabbed repeatedly with a grilling fork. and at times like being severely electrocuted. numbness like having the stuff a dentist injects to numb your face, (but it is the arm and hand) but it never, ever wears off under ANY circumstance. a hot stove can be either never felt (you could cook your arm/hand and not feel it) or so extremely sensitive you cant go near the stove while it is on. touch something cold and within a split second, the entire arm feels the cold...not aware of the exact place of where the cold actually is touching you. paralysis. weakness. limited motion. cant use good arm due to needing to hold the painful one. and this is not a complete list.....