United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I AM IN MY SIXTIES AND JUST RECENTLY LEARNED ABOUT MY OWN BIRTH INJURY---IT WAS NEVER REALLY DISCUSSED----IT JUST HAPPENED--I HAVE LIMITED USE OF MY LEFT ARM BUT I HAVE ADAPTED QUITE WELL---I SKI----PLAY TENNIS WITH A ONE HANDED SERVE----I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE LIMITED----SOME PEOPLE NEVER NOTICE THAT I HAVE AN ARM THAT IS SMALLER---I HAVE ADAPTED WAYS OF DOING EVERYDAY CHORES---I WAS FASCINATED TO LEARN ABOUT ERBS PARALYSIS

Welcome Judith!

I'm 52 years old and I found this message board about a year and a half ago. Knowing that I was not alone with this injury has made a world of a difference to me.
I also have a left OBPI. Just last week-end, I met two other adults (Nancy & Kath) and several children with this birth injury at an OBPI picnic in Plymouth Meeting, PA. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, to finally see others that moved the same way as I did and had shared the same feelings and experiences as I had growing up. Very healing!
I hope that you will post often and share with us, too!

-Stephanie

Hi Judith

Welcome to the Boards. I am 62 and found these message board almost three years ago. I was so amazed to find out others shared my injurey (I thought it was rare) I never heard this injury called anything but Erb's Palsy. My Mom told me how it happened and about wearing my brace and also I had a therapy at home... it was so much a part of my daily life I did not realize it was all geared to getting my arm to move. One of the greatest healing gift I received after finding UBPN was the fact that I was no longer alone with this injury. I found others who understood and the amazing part of that statement - is that I never realized that is what I needed for healing and some closure. I finally had all the pieces to the puzzle and understood more about this injury.

Over the last three years I learned so much about this injury. Like you, I just moved on and did everything I wanted... But tennis is the one thing that beat me... LOL... I could never master the one handed serve!!! I am impressed...

I like Stephanie found all the information very healing and meeting the other obpi adult so interesting... I met Nancy, Judy and now Stephanie. I have been to several picnics and have met way to many babies who are injured like us. So now I have made it a mission in life to help prevent this injury.

Sitting with other obpi/adults was amazing. We hold our arms almost the exact same way and all of us feel that we are more aware of how we look then others are.

If you have any questions please post them. Feel free to e-mail also.

Again welcome... I almost forgot I am right obpi...

Kath

Welcome to the board Judith. I am 41 robpi. Never could play tennis.The serving part always dragged me down. Glad you found us.Any questions just ask away.

Judith:
I'm 63 and ROBPI. I found this site about 6 months ago and have developed a greater awareness of our injury particularly how it impacts the lives of the victims and their parents. I appreciate better now what my parents went through during many years of my physical therapy and finally, surgery.

Sounds like we have similar injuries. I have about 70% hand strength but can't raise my arm above my head. I've enjoyed a number of sports over the years: basketball, slow pitch, soccer, and skiing. My injury has been more of an inconvenience than a problem.

You mentioned that you are in your 60's also. Does that mean you have become the senior member of the forums? Kathleen held that distinction until I showed up. I'll gladly turn it over to you!!

John P.

Welcome to the board Judith.....

I am 45 and 11/12th (haha) and I am bilateral bpi. I found this board a while back and have learned a great deal regarding our injury. I have also found a GREAT many good friends here.

Again, welcome

Hello everybody, I use this topic to present me.
I am new here, since I found this web site today. I live in Italy, 32 years old, my name is Gabriele (male name in Italian).
I have got a BPP when I was born.
Of course, my life would not have been be the same if I were without BPP. But there's a lot to talk about this.
I found this forum while I was looking for web resources concerning sports outdoor and adaptations for single handed like me. I found nothing about that but I discovered this web site, that is quite interesting indeed.
See you soon.

Hello everybody, I use this topic to present me.
I am new here, since I found this web site today. I live in Italy, 32 years old, my name is Gabriele (male name in Italian).
I have got a BPP when I was born.
Of course, my life would not have been be the same if I were without BPP. But there's a lot to talk about this.
I found this forum while I was looking for web resources concerning sports outdoor and adaptations for single handed like me. I found nothing about that but I discovered this web site, that is quite interesting indeed.
See you soon.

Gabriele

Welcome to the board... This is the board for birth injured adults...

Many of us found this form over the last three years I started to research because I was having problems with both arms and no one seemed to know that much about Erb's Palsy or OBPI... and I landed here.

I am also birth injured - I was shocked to find so many adults with this injury as I had never met anyone before with it...

Over the last three years I met many who post on all three boards and have become active in preventing this birth injury...

If you have any questions please post or e-mail which ever you are more comfortable with.

Have you read all the material on the Awareness Page...Read the information about the babies because that is the way you were injured... much of the adult material does not apply to birth injured.
Reading the history of this injury helps to apply it to your arm today.

http://ubpn.org/awareness/A2002linkresource.html

On that page are Quick Fact sheets... Information for parents of newborn - there has been no on going research of the effects of maturing obpi/adults.

Kath

Hi Gabriele and welcome! I am not birth injured, I was 21 when I got my bpi from a motorbike accident. I'm posting because of what you said about trying to find websites about one handed sports. There is a tbpi website based in the UK with people from many countries visiting, it includes a section about the various sports and activities some of us do with one hand, check it out http://tbpiukgroup.homestead.com/Community.html the links to the activities are on the right. As well as those listed we have a one armed diver posting on the message board as well as some Italian guys (who talk in Italian on the message boards sometimes which confuses everybody!) who might be able to help you. The message board can be reached via a link from the home page of the site. I hope some of this inspires you to find an outdoor activity, I've found I can do pretty much anything with one hand if I put my mind to it. I wish my Italian was as good as your English....Good luck! Jen NZ