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

‪I’ve finally uploaded some “How To” videos. You can view them on- You Tube, https://www.youtube.com/playlist…- My website, www.brachialgirl.com My Facebook page - www.facebook.com/brachialgirl via the You Tube tab near my profile picture. It’s just a start. There are 12 videos so far. I’ll be adding shoelaces and buttons/flys soon. Let me know if you have any requests and I will see if I can help.💟💟💟 FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS POST. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT GET HELP FROM SEE

‪So … I wanted to explain something … to look at my website or Facebook page, it may seem as though I am vain, what with all the photos of myself … But there is a reason behind it. When you have had a traumatic accident, and lose the use of your dominant arm like I did, you lose not only the use of your arm … but your self confidence, your sense of self, your dignity, your independence, your sense of future, your sense of being useful and worthwhile, and many other things. Ha

Trauma survivors often have symptoms instead of memories. Those with traumatic brachial plexus injuries are no exception. Depression Irratibility Loss of interest Disassociation Numbing Decreased concentration Insomnia Emotional overwhelm Hopelessness Loss of a sense of the future Shame and worthlessness Little or no memories Nightmares Flashback Hypervigilance Mistrust Anxiety Panic attacks Chronic pain Headaches Substance abuse Eating disorders Feeling

Lifes hard enough! STOP OVER THINKING EVERYTHING! That just makes it all worse! Accept. Get on with it! Focus on what you have. Live your life or make changes. It’s more simple than you think! xxx Brachial Girl #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #disability #motorcycleaccident #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #inspirationalquote #sadness #scared #pain #frustration #selfpity #emotion #overthinking #stress

So I thought I'd post some photos of my scars so you could see how they are healing. 1 - Across my back to my shoulder from nerve transfer 9 months ago. 2 - Down my upper arm from the nerve transfer 3 - Down my lower arm from the emergency surgery after the accident to fix broken bones. That scar also goes up to the middle of my upper arm but the newer scar is over the top. 4 - Inside of my upper arm and armpit from the nerve transfer surgery 9 months ago. I was concerned abo

Brachial Girl has her own Facebook page now. Like and share. I'll be posting personal stuff about my own brachial plexus injury journey, as well as useful links, news and everything I find that I think will be of some use to you all. Facebook - Brachial Girl #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #paralysis #scar #depr

I’ve added a comments page on my website so if you want to ask any (short) questions or leave some feedback about my site, GO FOR IT. (be nice please and no swearing) I will be approving comments personally so nothing offensive etc will be published. Leave a comment #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #traumaticinjury #brachialgirl #blog #surge

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

So … it’s been awhile. 12 months ago (1st March 2015) I was enjoying a long weekend away with my husband and some friends in Donnybrook, Western Australia. It’s inland from Bunbury. We rode all around the countryside, had an awesome lunch at a pub in Nannup, then headed for Bridgetown. I wasn’t a very experienced rider. I’d been riding an automatic 150cc scooter for 12 months or so and wanted to ride normal bikes with a goal of having my own Harley. My husband’s mate taught m

People will never truly understand something until it happens to them. They try. But no one really understands or knows the inner struggles. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #traumaticinjury #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #scar #diagnosis #loss #devastation #healing #emotional #bikecrash #inspirationalquote #emotion #sadness #pain #onearm #o

So I’ve been searching to see what nerve supplements and pain relief are available. Here’s a link to my search results. Always check with your Doctor before taking anything. Nerve Supplements #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #traumaticinjury #brachialgirl #blog #medicine #paralysis #healing #pain #supplements #nervepain #nerverepair #nervere

Well. I’ve just got no fight left. Neither has my husband. We cannot see any way possible, other than winning lotto or something, to save our financial situation. Even if we started earning great money now, we wouldn’t be able to catch up quickly enough to avoid legal actions brought on by the organisations we owe money to. Bankruptcy would get rid of most creditors, but we’d still need to pay rent, electricity, gas, water, some form of phone, some form of vehicle so my husba

So I finally got some media attention! Many thanks the Perth’s Southern Gazette, Kaylee and Jon, for coming out to interview me, and for thinking that my story is worth sharing! Southern Gazette - Sufferers Journey Leads to Answers #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #onearm #onehand #media #newspaper #southerngaz

So I received an email from a lady who has recently seen my surgeon and OT for a brachial plexus injury here in Perth. She told me her story and let me know how distraught she was about her career being ruined and what her future would be. I was so wrapped up in my own stuff over Christmas that it wasn’t until today that I sat down to respond to emails I’d received from all over the world. I re-read her email and realised that her nerve transfer was scheduled for today! I rep

Experimenting for the next week with this little item. Let’s see if it helps stimulate my newly working muscles to get stronger! I’ll post a review in a week. This is a TENS and EMS machine. I”m using the EMS program on my bicep and anterior deltoid. The TENS function is believed to provide pain relief. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #trau

RAISING AWARENESS IN AUSTRALIA FOR BRACHIAL PLEXUS AND ERB’S PALSY INJURIES Did you know … The reported incidence of birth related brachial plexus injuries can vary from 2-5 of 1000 births. Out of these around 80% or more resolve themselves. The rest will go through multi-discipline treatments, including OT and PT therapies, nerve and tendon transfer surgeries and other treatments. Besides the birth injury, other causes of brachial plexus injuries include car, motorcycle, spo

I definitely have a bone infection or osteomyelitis. I’ve had a course of antibiotics and the infection is under control but still present. I had xrays which showed the broken bones aren’t healed yet, so although my surgeon, Alex O’Beirne wants to remove the metal plates which can give the infection a place to hide, we have to wait till the bone is healed. So for now, I just have to watch my diet and stress to keep my immune system healthy. Sigh …. #brachialplexus #brachialpl