United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello Everyone

It's been awhile since l've been on so l thought l would post a update.....BTW - l like the new board but definately confusing at first

Well where to begin, might as well start with the good. Brianna has just made her 7 month seizure free (finger's are crossed)YEAH!!! We also are fully potty trained (daytime anyway:) It was actually much easier than l had thought it would be. Boy are we glad to see those diapers go - they are soooo expensive anymore!!!

Now on a bpi level, Brianna has gotten a new therapist (her original one retired) This was not a bad thing neccessarily. Her new one has been absolutely wonderful with trying new things such as taping, alot of new ideas and experimenting lightly with e-stim. All of this has been wonderful for Brianna she is doing fantastic and continues to recover nicely. She is using her hand alot now but can still only extend her thumb (no active finger extension as of yet). Her triceps have recently been gaing some strength as well she still remains free of her elbow contracture (prior to MQ). We are trying to assist in re-training her on when/how to appropriately use them. Well l think l have made this a little on the long side but l just wanted to extend a question to all the "experts" on taping etc... Brianna has been having alot of problems with skin breakdown caused from the tape. I have recently heard of applying Milk of Magnesia prior to taping, is there any other ideas or advice out there from those who have "been there, done that" I would love ANY input on this recurring problem. TIA for all replies:)
Sorry so long winded......
Blessings,
Kathy & Brianna

HI Kathy,
It was good to see your message here and wonderful to hear the update on Brianna. I'm glad that she continues to improve. I don't have any advice for the skin breakdown, but wanted to say hello and send our love!
Give big hugs to Brianna from Joshua!
Sheri

Hi kathy and so glad to hear about brianna being seizure free for such a long time. I remember how upsetting that all was when it was happening!

I'd love to hear about the Milk of Magnesia... what's that about?

We tape Maia for her nighttime estim and since we are using 4 4" electrodes - that's as lot of tape...and skin breakdown is a MAJOR problem especially with her eczema.

When she is not taped, I wet her down in the bathtub and then while she is still wet, apply a thick coating of Eucerin cream to moisturize her skin and then use 100% cotton clothing that's been double rinsed after washing. Her skin is still bad but I can't even fathom what it would be like if we didn't do this routine daily.

So anyway - I hope you find some answers for brainna's skin. So glad to hear from you!

take care,
francine

Francine,
Josh's PT just recommended milk of magnesia for him to use prior to taping to hopefully prevent skin irritation. You apply the milk of mag with a cotton ball or Q-tip and then let it dry. You then put the tape on top (we're taping Josh's scapula). She said that we'll probably have to change the tape more often because it won't stick as well with the milk of mag, but it should help protect his skin. The last time we took the tape off, he had a little rash for a few days. I just tried the milk of mag tonight, so I'll let you know if it works when I redothe tape in a few days.
BTW, what kind of tape does your therapist use? Is it kinesiotape or Biedersdorf(sp?)?

we just tape the electrodes down...we use Nexus Ultra Comfort tape - it is beige and very very very thin

Thanks for the input on the M of M - we will check it out!

-francine