United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

How well do you write with your other hand now?

I know I've made a similar thread like this before, but I just want know how well people like me are doing with writing on the opposite side.

I can't afford to screw up this year at school, because I know I will not get any sympathy from my teachers this year. Right now my handwriting is very clumsy. Sometimes I write very neatly, other times it looks like a 4 year old wrote it. On top of that I write very slow, so it is very hard to take notes in class. And it really hurts my creativeness whenever I write slow because I say the sentence three times in my head before I can actually write it down.

I practised for hours and hours for 4 months when I first got my RBPI. I started off the same way that I'd learnt in school when I was 5 years old. After 5 years of left handed writing, my writing was as good as it was before. If I take a bit of time, it's better !
I can also paint, use a craft-knife, use a welding torch, and draw cartoons left handed. The only thing I still cannot do is throw a ball. My throwing skills are pathetic.
If writing is a problem, you could always use a laptop at college.

I spent a lot of my time in the hospital doing rote exercises, writing rows and rows of letters. It came pretty quickly and I write better now with my left than I ever did with my right.

You should also explain it to your college teachers. I was one myself and most of them are sympathetic if you need extra time or time after class to catch up.

As for throwing, I'm ok now but it still feels awkward. My wife teases me that I throw like a girl, but it is coming. I still lack power though. Frisbee, however, is excellent.

Hang in and work on it. You can train yourself and a year from now, you'll be a natural.

H

Hi! My son is TBPI-on his dominant arm-right, so he is learning to become a "lefty". He is in the 7th grade, and so far hes doing pretty good. His handwriting isnt the best in the world, but as long as he and his teachers can read it, its no problem. Just think of all the people that are not injured and some of them you CANT read what they write! LOL! We try to keep him in a positive way, and always brag on what ever he does, because we know its not easy. We have talked to his teachers and they are all well aware of his injury and that he needs extra time etc.. and they can see he trys his hardest to keep up, and if he has alot of writing to do, sometimes they give him multiple choice or work with him orally. Im not sure where your grade level is in school or college, but Im sure talking to your teachers wont hurt. Be patient and stay positive, it will come to you.

Oh... and maybe for the note taking, you could get a mini recorder?? Just a thought...

yeah I'm still pretty crap, I haven't really practised over the past 6 months. I'm doing IT at uni so it's all keyboards anyway. But taking notes while juggling a phone is no fun at all....

Try and find a headset for your phone or you may have to purchase a phone with a headset, this works great for my son and others who also have to write and talk at the same time.

Good luck,

Karen

Andre I can understnd this as I am in the same boat as you are, I am still in college to so I know that note taking can be hard! I just learned to write as fast as I Could, what about highlighting in the book, getting notes from classmates that you dont get, a tape recorder, a laptop to type notes? Those are just a few suggestions that i have used in the past. I am getting much faster at writing with my left hand now though it can be very messy! Dont let this injury hold you back! You can do anyhting that you put your mind too!!!! This I promise you!

Courtney

When I first lost my right arm (Sept 2001) my wife had to write checks, sign papers and other stuff. Thankfully, I was about six months from finishing my MBA at Loyola in Chicago. Eventhough the doctors prohibited me from working, they could not stop me from going to school. My writing was extremely bad at first but then I discovered that the more I wrote the better it got, easier it became and less goofy I felt doing it. I then started writing ever word the teachers said wether or not I needed the info, I just wrote it down. It got better and better and I got much faster. Although I am not writing as well as I could before, I write well enough and I think that all the practice is what made the improvement. It certainly will not get better on its own. -- Good Luck and Hang in There - YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Hi there,
I have had my bpi to my dominant hand for a year now and iam managing to write like a 5 year old very big and very slow. I have had to let the banks have a new signiture card and my debit card replaced so my new signiture matches that on my cheques and cards. Its all the little things you have to think of.
My left hand is becoming much stronger and oner day I know I will master the art of writing, I did it once when I was very young so I will do it again.