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

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

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 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

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

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

Working out the deltoid, triceps, supraspinatus and infraspinatus - 14 weeks Post Nerve Transfer, 6.5 months post accident. Thanks to my OT Jaclyn Cullen! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #Deltoid #brachialgirl #JaslynCullen #therapy #tricep #infraspinatus

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

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’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, it’s been 5 weeks since my 4 nerve transfers. Apologies for not posting much lately. Life’s changed a lot due to my employment contract coming to an end, and my husband being made redundant. Needless to say my arm is the least of my problems right now… Anyway, I’ve got some snaps of my scars ….. and I’m happy to say I’m getting some twitching in my brachialis and bicep. I’ve lost my nice strong tricep however, as it was shared with the bicep… but hopefully it will come

Ok so my surgeon Alex O'Beirne checked me out and said everything is healing well. The glue should come off in the next week or so. He told me he discovered why I can move my hand and fingers when I shouldn’t be able to … apparently I have extra nerve bits going down into my hand. I am an anomaly, he said. Hehehe I can’t move my hand very well but I can wiggle all my fingers and recently I’ve been working on strengthening my wrist so I can now move my hand up and down. Almost

Well …. I’m about to go to bed … wake up in 4 hours at 5am to shower and wash with pre-op surgical soap and then it’s off to St John of God Subiaco hospital to meet up with my surgeon Alex O'Beirne and hang out in the operating theatre for about 5 hours! Here’s hoping he gets all 4 nerve transfers done and that they all take beautifully. Fingers crossed. Catch you on the flipside! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #ne

OK so I have 3 sleeps to go till my surgery. And next week we’re moving house. I tell you what …. everything in our lives has gone through a massive upheaval all at the same time. Crazy. But we’re almost there. I’m so busy packing up the house, working full time and organising our lives that I haven’t had time to be scared or nervous! I suppose I should be thankful for that! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #

So my surgery is coming up this Saturday 4th of July. I wanted to share the details of the nerves being transferred from and to, as well as info on the damage I have. My surgeon, Dr Alex O’Beirne (Perth, Australia) will splice about 25% of each of the following nerves and join them onto the other nerves as close to the muscles as possible to allow the shortest recovery time possible. Amazing stuff! This is what I’m having transferred - 1. I have no power to rotate my arm at t

So I’ve had my pre-operation checkup, another nerve conduction study, and now my surgeon has booked me in for the surgery. The operation will take 4-6 hours.My surgeon, Alex O’Beirne, is going to do 4 nerve transfers in my arm. This will hopefully allow me to lift up my arm, rotate my arm in and out, bend up my elbow, and turn my lower arm (roll it in and out) . I’m having the surgery on the 4th of July at St John of God Private Hospital in Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia.