So, it's been while! Life has been challenging and I honestly haven't had any motivation to blog. But ... it's time! To recap, my motorcycle accident was on 1 March, 2015 and my nerve transfer surgery was on 4 July 2015. 4 of the 5 brachial plexus nerve roots were avulsed (ripped from spinal cord). Here's a bit of an update as to where I'm at: Pain Still horrendous all the time. I'm still taking 75mg of Lyrica in the morning and 150mg at night. My hand gives me the worst pain

I really hate asking. But I really want to make Brachial Plexus Australia an official organisation and time is running out Once registered, we can start making ourselves known. Australia needs to know about Erb's Palsy and Brachial Plexus Injuries. Then once we start raising awareness, we can get Government recognition and start applying for grants, and start helping those in need, get more research and medical information, register an Australian Brachial Plexus Awareness Da

So I've just discovered that an article about me was published in the local Gladesville newspaper (where I used to live) - The Northern District Times! I got an email from a guy asking me if I'd like to do a radio interview. When I looked up the radio station I saw that it is located in Sydney. I asked him how he had heard of me and brachial plexus injuries and he said that he had seen an article about me in his local paper ........ so I did some Google searching and stumbled

So I've been too focused on my "real" life to allow much time for my brachial plexus life ... if that makes any sense! To catch you up on me - I've been working 2 days a week in an admin role for the Australian Association of Social Workers, and also trying to get my family life organised. I've also been working on my 2 Diploma courses, though not as much as I should be! I've found that after working my 2 days, I'm exhausted! I've also discovered that I think my brain was aff

So today marks my blog's 1st birthday! 1 year ago today, I decided to share my story, search for people like me, and give Australia a presence in the brachial plexus community, What a journey the last 12 months has been! I want to thank you all for all the love and support you have shown, the strength you've given me and the community you have welcomed me into. We all need to be there for each other. Brachial plexus injuries are horrible things to live through, whether you we

‪What everyone should know about occupational therapy, including what it actually is! I love going to my OT sessions. I get so much out of it and learn how to use every day tasks to exercise and improve my arm. "The goal of occupational therapy is to improve the quality of life of people with physical and mental challenges. And to make that even more awesome, occupational therapists accomplish this by creating individualized treatments based on what activities and occupations

So small miracle today … besides the HUGE improvement in my deltoids … my supraspinatus has decided it wants to work now. It’s intermittent but Jaslyn, my OT, managed to get it on film! The snow angel movement looks a bit bizarre, amd before filming I managed to do it with a much more normal look to it, but ….. here we are! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #bra

New toy from Jaslyn Cullen, my OT … flex bar … or wobble stick lol. I have to hold it in my bad hand and pump it up and down in a really tight movement to make the ends wobble. Quite tricky but I can do it. Uses all the muscles in my arm. Doesn’t take long doing it to wear my muscles out and feel the burn. Awesome workout. xxx Brachial Girl #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer

This is a video of my bicep and external rotation doing a reach and pull action 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #nervesurgery #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #exer

This is a video of my deltoid movement 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #nervepain #bicep #recovery #rehab #rehabilitation #workout #exercise

This is a video of my deltoid and external rotation in action 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #brachialgirl #rehab #rehabilitation #workout #e

So I figured out a way to film myself. This is a video of my bicep movement 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #blog #paralysis #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #workout #exercise #recovery #australia #rehabilitation #rehab

I’ve done a heap of work on the Brachial Plexus Australia website. Design change and some new pages and features! Check it out and share with everyone! www.brachialplexusaustralia.com.au #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #traumaticinjury #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #diagnosis #avulsionnerveroot #C5 #C6 #C7 #C8 #T1 #ot #occupationaltherapy

WE HAVE LIFT OFF! So today I went to my OT session with the awesome Jaslyn Cullen, and we discussed my latest MRI and the comments my surgeon, Alex O’Beirne had about me having 4 avulsions rather than the 2 originally diagnosed. It seems impossible that I have hand movement when C5 C6 C7 C8 are all avulsed. But, I do. They’ve always said I was a confusion for them. But the MRI clearly shows 2 nerve root avulsions (torn from spinal cord) and 2 nerve ruptures (stretched and sna

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Triceps. I lost the use of my triceps as my surgeon used it as a donor for 2 of my transfers. I’m finally getting some use back. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #bra #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #brainsignal #bice

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Biceps and Brachialis. I have to bend over because my arm hits my stomach if I’m standing straight. Stupid twisted shoulder and elbow. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #brainsignal

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Deltoids and triceps progress. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #subluxation #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #bicep #brainsignal #JaslynCullen

A bit of bicep action against gravity at last! Thanks to my OT, Jaslyn Cullen for filming www.jaslyncullen.com.au #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #nervesurgery #subluxation #bicepcurl #bicep #ot #occupationaltherapy #JaslynCullen

Here’s a snippet of me doing bicep curls today with a 500gram weight on my wrist. Filmed by my lovely OT, Jaslyn Cullen. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #paralysis #subluxation #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #scared #success #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #JaslynCullen

Now that my bicep, brachialis and deltoid muscles are starting to work, I’m trying to use my hand and arm as much as possible. This week I’ve peeled and chopped carrots, made the bed, painted my toenails, opened soft drink and milk bottles, used both hands to type, written with my injured arm, baked puddings and cupcakes … and some more I can’t remember. At the moment I do things left handed and use my right hand to hold things etc, like the carrot and the nail polish bottle