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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

Today was a bad, bad day. Started out waking with the usual agony. Getting off to work was a dismal failure. So I opted to work from home. Forgot my meds till lunchtime so I was in agony, and starting to withdraw - hot and cold sweats, light headed etc. Went to my pre-op nerve conduction test and was told the 2 of the nerves my surgeon wanted to use to transfers were crap. Cried all the way home then tried to keep working. I spent the late afternoon feeling full of self pity.

Well its all happening. You’ll be able to call me Frankenstein soon. I saw my surgeon, Dr Alex O'Beirne (Perth, Western Australia) today. He’s the only Brachial Plexus Injury surgeon in Western Australia. I have to have another nerve conduction study on Monday then back to Alex on Tuesday. Then surgery will be scheduled. Eeek! 4 nerve transfers. I didn’t think I’d be scared. But I am ! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinju