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

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

So I’ve had a check up and my surgeon Alex O'Beirne suspects I have a bone infection. Not good. I have to have some xrays tomorrow then see him again on Friday. If the broken bones are completely healed he wants to operate and remove the metal plates because even though the infection may be under control it can hide between the bone and the metal and cause huge problems later. Still don’t know what the cause of all this is. .. Looks like I’ll be heading back to the operating

We’re getting there! We now have a temporary landing page online at www.brachialplexusaustralia.com.au Won’t be too long before we have the actual site up and running! Exciting!!! I’m also eagerly awaiting the printed contact cards I’ve designed to arrive so the Australian surgeons and therapists can hand these out to patients! And of course us patients can hand them around too! As for me - I’m off to see my OT Jaslyn Cullen today for my weekly visit. 12 week post op check

My first ever vege garden! Was definitely a challenge digging up and carrying and mixing through some soil improver … but this one armed girl did it all by herself. Capsicum, Beetroot, Silverbeet, Pink Silverbeet, Lettuce and English Spinach​​​ Thanks to my OT Jaslyn Cullen for giving me the seedlings for my 40th birthday to start me off. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #disability #brachialgirl #b

I’m still working on the BPI Australia website and community. So much work involved. I’ve got the Australian surgeons on board now. Just waiting on all the therapists. Hopefully I’ll be able to launch the base of the site soon. Here’s a snap of the site. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #paralysis #facebookgroup #C5 #ot #occupationaltherapy #rei

Well, I had a great session with my OT, Jaslyn Cullen yesterday. My bicep, brachialis and …. drum roll …. my deltoid are all firing up! Apparently this is really early for the deltoid! So I’m really motivated now to get stuck into my workout routine several times a day. Considering I’ve been pretty bad and only doing it once a day - and I find it so hard doing the deltoid exercises by myself that I skip them altogether hehe. My surgeon Alex O’Beirne says in another 5 weeks I