Hi, I thought you would find this event of interest: If you receive this
invitation in error, please forgive.
Event:
2nd Annual Brachial Plexus Palsy Family & Friends Picnic
Date:
Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM (CT)
Location:
Creve Coeur Park
Saint Louis, MO 63146
Hosted By:
Cameron's Smile
Get more information or Register to attend
http://bpipicnic-eivtefrnd.eventbrite.com/
Bring your Family & Friends and join us again this year to spread the awareness
about brachial plexus injuries to the community, fellowship with other family
affected by these injuries and to just have FUN!
We will have special character visits for the kids, food, games for adults &
kids and more!
This is a free event, but please register so we can adequately prepare!
Email stlbpi@... for information about special hotel rates in St. Louis
near the event location.
--
BPI Connection
P.O. Box 23
Larsen, WI 54947
erbspalsy1@...
Just updated our Link Section on BPI Connection site. Please let us know if you
think we missed anything.
You help is appreciated,
Brenda
BPI Connection
http://www.freewebs.com/wbpic
P.O. Box 23
Larsen, WI 54947
erbspalsy1@...
If you received this message in error, please except my apologies.
Thank you.
Thanks for your reply. We are getting to the 4 month mark with some improvement. The doctors are talking about surgery and we are getting worried. He has movement in his shoulder but nothing in the bicep. Have you talked with anyone that has had successful surgery?
Yes! when she was 6 months old,the Md wanted to do a tendon release. I asked him,If we did the surgery , what level of function would she regain? He told me it would be a 50%-50% chance. We did not do the surgery. We went bak to the same Md about a year later for follow-up. He was impressed om how much her strenght and movement had improved . I am not suggesting not to listen to your MD. This was a decision me and my family prayed about. --- On Fri, 8/7/09, jeff1736@sbcglobal.net <jeff1736@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
From: jeff1736@sbcglobal.net <jeff1736@sbcglobal.net> Subject: [Erbs_Palsy_Support] Re: MY SON To: Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, August 7, 2009, 10:17 PM
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@ yahoogroups. com, "srra06" <srra06@...> wrote: > > --- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@ yahoogroups. com, "nikhold" <nikhold@> wrote: > > > > HI IM SO WORRIED ABOUT MY 2 MONTH OLD. HE WAS BORN WITH ERBS PALSY. HE RECIEVES BIRTH TO THREE, WHICH IS PT, AND HE SEES A SPECIALIST. HE IS NOW GOING TO BE RECIEVING OT. SINCE BIRTH HE HAS REGAINED SOME MOVEMENT , HE CAN PUSH DOWN WITH HIS ARM AND WITH SOME SUPPORT HE CAN MOVE HIS ELBOW SLIGHTLY, HIS HAND IS TURNED COMPLETELY OUTWARD AND IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO EXERCISES ON IT DUE TO IT BEING STUCK IN THAT POSITION, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH A CHILD OF THE SAME INJURY TO TELL ME IF POSSIBLE HOW THEIR CHILD IS, AND HOW THEY ARE COPING. THANX > > > Hi!Mydaughter is 4yrs old,now. She was born withRB'S Palsy. When she was born she could not move her lt arm, it was like she had a stroke. We went through OT and PT until our INS. started giving us problems, then we heard about early interventions. A therapist came to the house 2x's a week until the age of 3. She is no longer receiving therapy,we do excersises at home. Shecan move her arm,hand and fingers with slight limitations. She is unable to put her hand over her head without help of the other hand. She can't hold her palm side up. We have been through a lot over the past four years, and I know we have a lot more to endure. We are going to take one day at a time and keep on praying that she will, one day gain the most use as possible. She is very energetic and smart. She knew how to tie her shoe at the age of 2yrs old! I know very well what you and your family are going through. Continue to pray and ask the doctors and therapist alot of questions. My goal is to get a support group in our area, because alot of people are not aware of ERB'S PALSY. I have been a NURSE for 11yrs,and had not heard of it until my daughter was born. Once again may GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!! > Was surgery ever an option for you?
Yes! when she was 6 months old,the Md wanted to do a tendon release. I asked him,If we did the surgery , what level of function would she regain? He told me it would be a 50%-50% chance. We did not do the surgery. We went bak to the same Md about a year later for follow-up. He was impressed om how much her strenght and movement had improved . I am not suggesting not to listen to your MD. This was a decision me and my family prayed about. --- On Fri, 8/7/09, jeff1736@... <jeff1736@...> wrote:
From: jeff1736@... <jeff1736@...> Subject: [Erbs_Palsy_Support] Re: MY SON To: Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, August 7, 2009, 10:17 PM
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@ yahoogroups. com, "srra06" <srra06@...> wrote: > > --- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@ yahoogroups. com, "nikhold" <nikhold@> wrote: > > > > HI IM SO WORRIED ABOUT MY 2 MONTH OLD. HE WAS BORN WITH ERBS PALSY. HE RECIEVES BIRTH TO THREE, WHICH IS PT, AND HE SEES A SPECIALIST. HE IS NOW GOING TO BE RECIEVING OT. SINCE BIRTH HE HAS REGAINED SOME MOVEMENT , HE CAN PUSH DOWN WITH HIS ARM AND WITH SOME SUPPORT HE CAN MOVE HIS ELBOW SLIGHTLY, HIS HAND IS TURNED COMPLETELY OUTWARD AND IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO EXERCISES ON IT DUE TO IT BEING STUCK IN
THAT POSITION, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH A CHILD OF THE SAME INJURY TO TELL ME IF POSSIBLE HOW THEIR CHILD IS, AND HOW THEY ARE COPING. THANX > > > Hi!Mydaughter is 4yrs old,now. She was born withRB'S Palsy. When she was born she could not move her lt arm, it was like she had a stroke. We went through OT and PT until our INS. started giving us problems, then we heard about early interventions. A therapist came to the house 2x's a week until the age of 3. She is no longer receiving therapy,we do excersises at home. Shecan move her arm,hand and fingers with slight limitations. She is unable to put her hand over her head without help of the other hand. She can't hold her palm side up. We have been through a lot over the past four years, and I know we have a lot more to endure. We are going to take one day at a time and keep on praying that she will, one day gain the most use as possible. She is very energetic and smart. She knew
how to tie her shoe at the age of 2yrs old! I know very well what you and your family are going through. Continue to pray and ask the doctors and therapist alot of questions. My goal is to get a support group in our area, because alot of people are not aware of ERB'S PALSY. I have been a NURSE for 11yrs,and had not heard of it until my daughter was born. Once again may GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!! > Was surgery ever an option for you?
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "srra06" <srra06@...> wrote:
>
> --- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "nikhold" <nikhold@> wrote:
> >
> > HI IM SO WORRIED ABOUT MY 2 MONTH OLD. HE WAS BORN WITH ERBS PALSY. HE
RECIEVES BIRTH TO THREE, WHICH IS PT, AND HE SEES A SPECIALIST. HE IS NOW GOING
TO BE RECIEVING OT. SINCE BIRTH HE HAS REGAINED SOME MOVEMENT , HE CAN PUSH DOWN
WITH HIS ARM AND WITH SOME SUPPORT HE CAN MOVE HIS ELBOW SLIGHTLY, HIS HAND IS
TURNED COMPLETELY OUTWARD AND IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO EXERCISES ON IT DUE TO
IT BEING STUCK IN THAT POSITION, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH A CHILD
OF THE SAME INJURY TO TELL ME IF POSSIBLE HOW THEIR CHILD IS, AND HOW THEY ARE
COPING. THANX
> >
> Hi!Mydaughter is 4yrs old,now. She was born withRB'S Palsy. When she was born
she could not move her lt arm, it was like she had a stroke. We went through OT
and PT until our INS. started giving us problems, then we heard about early
interventions. A therapist came to the house 2x's a week until the age of 3. She
is no longer receiving therapy,we do excersises at home. Shecan move her
arm,hand and fingers with slight limitations. She is unable to put her hand over
her head without help of the other hand. She can't hold her palm side up. We
have been through a lot over the past four years, and I know we have a lot more
to endure. We are going to take one day at a time and keep on praying that she
will, one day gain the most use as possible. She is very energetic and smart.
She knew how to tie her shoe at the age of 2yrs old! I know very well what you
and your family are going through. Continue to pray and ask the doctors and
therapist alot of questions. My goal is to get a support group in our area,
because alot of people are not aware of ERB'S PALSY. I have been a NURSE for
11yrs,and had not heard of it until my daughter was born. Once again may GOD
BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!
>
Was surgery ever an option for you?
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "nikhold" <nikhold@...> wrote:
>
> HI IM SO WORRIED ABOUT MY 2 MONTH OLD. HE WAS BORN WITH ERBS PALSY. HE
RECIEVES BIRTH TO THREE, WHICH IS PT, AND HE SEES A SPECIALIST. HE IS NOW GOING
TO BE RECIEVING OT. SINCE BIRTH HE HAS REGAINED SOME MOVEMENT , HE CAN PUSH DOWN
WITH HIS ARM AND WITH SOME SUPPORT HE CAN MOVE HIS ELBOW SLIGHTLY, HIS HAND IS
TURNED COMPLETELY OUTWARD AND IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO EXERCISES ON IT DUE TO
IT BEING STUCK IN THAT POSITION, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH A CHILD
OF THE SAME INJURY TO TELL ME IF POSSIBLE HOW THEIR CHILD IS, AND HOW THEY ARE
COPING. THANX
>
Hi!Mydaughter is 4yrs old,now. She was born withRB'S Palsy. When she was born
she could not move her lt arm, it was like she had a stroke. We went through OT
and PT until our INS. started giving us problems, then we heard about early
interventions. A therapist came to the house 2x's a week until the age of 3. She
is no longer receiving therapy,we do excersises at home. Shecan move her
arm,hand and fingers with slight limitations. She is unable to put her hand over
her head without help of the other hand. She can't hold her palm side up. We
have been through a lot over the past four years, and I know we have a lot more
to endure. We are going to take one day at a time and keep on praying that she
will, one day gain the most use as possible. She is very energetic and smart.
She knew how to tie her shoe at the age of 2yrs old! I know very well what you
and your family are going through. Continue to pray and ask the doctors and
therapist alot of questions. My goal is to get a support group in our area,
because alot of people are not aware of ERB'S PALSY. I have been a NURSE for
11yrs,and had not heard of it until my daughter was born. Once again may GOD
BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!
HI IM SO WORRIED ABOUT MY 2 MONTH OLD. HE WAS BORN WITH ERBS PALSY. HE RECIEVES
BIRTH TO THREE, WHICH IS PT, AND HE SEES A SPECIALIST. HE IS NOW GOING TO BE
RECIEVING OT. SINCE BIRTH HE HAS REGAINED SOME MOVEMENT , HE CAN PUSH DOWN WITH
HIS ARM AND WITH SOME SUPPORT HE CAN MOVE HIS ELBOW SLIGHTLY, HIS HAND IS TURNED
COMPLETELY OUTWARD AND IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO EXERCISES ON IT DUE TO IT BEING
STUCK IN THAT POSITION, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WITH A CHILD OF THE
SAME INJURY TO TELL ME IF POSSIBLE HOW THEIR CHILD IS, AND HOW THEY ARE COPING.
THANX
This is a study that looks at how thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and other
people might influence how we responde to birth. if you have given birth to a
child in the last 3years and would like to take part in this study please click
the link below...
https://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/sussex/childbirthstudy
Thank you.
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "robert_diorio_esq"
<robert_diorio_esq@...> wrote:
>Im glad shes doing so much better it really helps once they get
there movement back. Thank god for his miracles and I hope all
continues to go well. Sincerely, Toysha
> She's doing better
> Surgery helps toddler, 1,
> regain movement in arm
>
>
> A mother knows.
>
> Kristina Blackburn of Decatur knew when her daughter, Kayla, was
born
> that something was wrong.
>
> "Her right arm flopped completely behind her and was still. Her
other
> arm and legs were moving," she said.
>
> Another surprise Blackburn got that day, Dec. 30, 2005, was Kayla's
> size.
>
> "She weighed 10 pounds, 9 ounces," Blackburn said. "We were
> anticipating a smaller baby."
>
> The size is probably what caused Kayla's problem, which Blackburn
> would later know as shoulder dystocia, or stuck shoulder. This means
> that one shoulder and, less frequently, both shoulders of the baby
> are not entering the pelvis during the birth as they should.
>
> According to some studies, shoulder dystocia occurs in less than 1
> percent of all births and can lead to increased complications for
the
> baby and the mother. For Kayla, it meant that in her short life she
> would travel a long road for a cure.
>
> "The next day, her pediatrician said Kayla had a birth injury,"
> Blackburn said. "A week later, a specialist said it was a brachial
> plexus injury and that her condition is known as Erb's palsy. It
> could lead to paralysis. My husband, Jesse, and I started searching
> for help."
>
> A specialist at Children's Hospital in Birmingham suggested a nerve
> transfer. The couple had previously contacted Dr. Rahul Nath,
> director of the Texas Nerve & Paralysis Institute and Nath Brachial
> Plexus Institute at Texas Medical Center in Houston. He has treated
> two other Decatur children. But the Blackburns hoped to stay closer
> to home.
>
> "Dr. Nath asked for video of her. He wanted to see what she could
and
> couldn't do," Blackburn said, "and the position of her arm. She was
3
> months old, and she was just lying there."
>
> Nath called to say he didn't feel Kayla needed a nerve transfer, but
> a mod quad, or a muscle surgery.
>
> "The doctor goes in and reattaches the muscle to another place for
> better movement," Blackburn said.
>
> Southwest Airlines donated the family a roundtrip flight to Houston
> and Nath did the surgery June 22, when Kayla was almost 6 months
old.
>
> "We waited that long to give the nerve a chance to heal on its own,"
> Blackburn said. "If a child doesn't have back almost full arm
> movement by 3 months, you're not going to get by without surgery."
>
> Blackburn said her daughter is one of the youngest children that
Nath
> has operated on and "I think she was lucky because she was so
young."
>
> Blackburn said that the day after surgery, he removed Kayla's splint
> and "she actually lifted her arm completely up. She had never lifted
> it before. We call Dr. Nath our miracle worker. Kayla's injury was
> not life threatening, but she is our baby. We wanted to give her the
> best outlook on life that we could and if this injury had not been
> treated, it would have slowed her down drastically."
>
> Kayla was in the hospital for three days and she had to wear a
Statue
> of Liberty splint to bed every night for six weeks.
>
> "It covers from the belly button to the top of the chest, and it
> holds her arm up like the Statue of Liberty," Blackburn said.
>
> Technically, according to her mother, Kayla has been in therapy
since
> she was 2 weeks old.
>
> "As a baby, she never could crawl because of her lack of arm
> strength. She started walking on Halloween, the day after she turned
> 10 months old, and never looked back," Blackburn said.
>
> Physical therapy
>
> Before Kayla was 3 months old, Tami Tubell, a physical therapist,
> began working with her in a program called Early Intervention
through
> the state Department of Rehabilitation Services. Tubell comes to the
> home weekly for up to an hour, putting Kayla through a series of
> exercises to increase her arm strength, such as having her crawl
into
> a plastic tunnel and retrieve toys, to bear weight on her arm.
>
> "She's attentive and isn't afraid to use her arm," Tubell
> said. "She'll come off my services soon."
>
> Re-evaluation
>
> Thursday, Tubell will video Kayla and send the tape to Nath for a
re-
> evaluation. Picking up where Tubell leaves off will be Sandy Groger,
> an occupational therapist who'll sharpen Kayla's fine motor skills.
> Groger will come twice monthly and could work with the child until
> Kayla is 3 years old or older, according to her progress.
>
> "I do feel Kayla will need a second procedure, a bone surgery called
> triangle tilt," Blackburn said. "It will correct deformities caused
> by lack of movement of the arm."
>
> She said at Christmas, her daughter put her right hand to her mouth
> but that she still can't supinate or rotate the hand so that the
palm
> faces upward or forward.
>
> "She went from basically having a paralyzed arm 6 months ago to
using
> it," Blackburn said. "Most people wouldn't know she had a problem,
> but she still can't open up her right hand."
>
> Blackburn said surgery costs totaled about $107,000, including a
> $5,000 upfront payment.
>
> "Our insurance paid less than $15,000. We have in an appeal to get
> more of it covered," she said.
>
> "We have had at least five benefit yard sales and raised about
> $1,200. That includes people who would come up and make a donation.
> She was important to them, too, although they didn't know Kayla. We
> will never forget their kindness."
>
> Ronnie Thomas
> THE DECATUR DAILY
> 201 First Ave. S.E.
> P.O. Box 2213
> Decatur, AL 35609
>
--- In Erbs_Palsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "robert_diorio_esq"
<robert_diorio_esq@...> wrote:
>I aree the results are diffrent for everyone. My daughter who is now
five years okld had the surgery done she could not bring her arm to
feed herslef. The surgery was done at 18 months; we went thur
therapy afterwars and she began using it to feed her slef still
prefers to use the left hand more but will use both hands to perform
things. Still has diffiulty with somethings but is veryself
sufficient with dressingand all.
> The results of a long-term study focusing on the outcome of infants
> that suffered a brachial plexus injury (bpi) or erbs palsy at birth
> were published in the January 2007 issue of The Journal of Bone and
> Joint Surgery.
>
> The study followed up on children that underwent surgery for a bpi
> (mean of 13.3 years after surgery). The researchers studied 1706
> children with brachial plexus injuries sustained at birth that
> required medical intervention between 1971 and 1997. Of these
> patients, 124 (7.3%) underwent surgery on the brachial plexus at a
> mean age of 2.8 months (range, 0.4 to 13.2 months). The most
commonly
> performed surgical procedure was direct neurorrhaphy after neuroma
> resection.
>
> The researchers found that approximately one-third of the patients,
> including all nine with a clavicular nonunion from the surgical
> approach, experienced pain in the affected limb. Additionally, all
> except for four patients used the hand of the unaffected arm as the
> dominant hand. Shoulder function was moderate, with a mean Mallet
> score of 3.0. Both elbow and hand function were good, with a mean
> score on the Gilbert elbow scale of 3 and a mean Raimondi hand
score
> of 4. Incongruence of the glenohumeral joint was noted in sixteen
> (16%) of the ninety-nine patients in whom it was assessed, and
> incongruence of the radiohumeral joint was noted in twenty-one
(21%).
> The extent of the brachial plexus injury was found to be strongly
> associated with the final shoulder, elbow, and hand function in a
> multivariate analysis.
>
> Furthermore, a significant number of the patients continued to need
> help performing activities of daily living and had pain in the
> affected arm, with the pain due to a clavicular nonunion in one-
> fourth of the patients.
>
> As a side note, I want to say that although this study appears to
be
> harsh, erb's palsy can present in wide spectrum of severity. That
> being said, these results seemed to me, to be preformed on the more
> severe cases of erb's palsy. Finally, the most determinant
> prognostic factor predicting the outcome of children affected by a
> bpi appears to be the extent of the primary injury.
>
Hi all,
My name is Rachel Harris and I am an Msc Health Psychology Student at
the University of Sussex, England. I am currently working with Dr
Susan Ayers to conduct a study into Women's memories of Childbirth and
was hoping some members of this group would be willing to take part.
The study is an online questionnaire available at:
https://www.lifesci.sussex.ac.uk/research/psylab/rch21/page1.php
I would greatly appreciate if you could take part, and forward the
link to other women who have given birth.
Kind Regards,
Rachel Harris
My name is Daryle Yancey and I have a 19 son with ERB Palsy on his
right side, He can move and use his right haand and wrist but not his
arms. He presently lives with his mom in Germantown, MD. He has just
obtain his learners permitt but is having some difficulties finding a
driving school(s) in the area that will take on the task of teaching
him how to drive.
I am asking if anyone may know of a driving schools within the area
that we can contact. Any information you can provide will be
greatly appreciated.
The results of a long-term study focusing on the outcome of infants
that suffered a brachial plexus injury (bpi) or erbs palsy at birth
were published in the January 2007 issue of The Journal of Bone and
Joint Surgery.
The study followed up on children that underwent surgery for a bpi
(mean of 13.3 years after surgery). The researchers studied 1706
children with brachial plexus injuries sustained at birth that
required medical intervention between 1971 and 1997. Of these
patients, 124 (7.3%) underwent surgery on the brachial plexus at a
mean age of 2.8 months (range, 0.4 to 13.2 months). The most commonly
performed surgical procedure was direct neurorrhaphy after neuroma
resection.
The researchers found that approximately one-third of the patients,
including all nine with a clavicular nonunion from the surgical
approach, experienced pain in the affected limb. Additionally, all
except for four patients used the hand of the unaffected arm as the
dominant hand. Shoulder function was moderate, with a mean Mallet
score of 3.0. Both elbow and hand function were good, with a mean
score on the Gilbert elbow scale of 3 and a mean Raimondi hand score
of 4. Incongruence of the glenohumeral joint was noted in sixteen
(16%) of the ninety-nine patients in whom it was assessed, and
incongruence of the radiohumeral joint was noted in twenty-one (21%).
The extent of the brachial plexus injury was found to be strongly
associated with the final shoulder, elbow, and hand function in a
multivariate analysis.
Furthermore, a significant number of the patients continued to need
help performing activities of daily living and had pain in the
affected arm, with the pain due to a clavicular nonunion in one-
fourth of the patients.
As a side note, I want to say that although this study appears to be
harsh, erb's palsy can present in wide spectrum of severity. That
being said, these results seemed to me, to be preformed on the more
severe cases of erb's palsy. Finally, the most determinant
prognostic factor predicting the outcome of children affected by a
bpi appears to be the extent of the primary injury.
She's doing better
Surgery helps toddler, 1,
regain movement in arm
A mother knows.
Kristina Blackburn of Decatur knew when her daughter, Kayla, was born
that something was wrong.
"Her right arm flopped completely behind her and was still. Her other
arm and legs were moving," she said.
Another surprise Blackburn got that day, Dec. 30, 2005, was Kayla's
size.
"She weighed 10 pounds, 9 ounces," Blackburn said. "We were
anticipating a smaller baby."
The size is probably what caused Kayla's problem, which Blackburn
would later know as shoulder dystocia, or stuck shoulder. This means
that one shoulder and, less frequently, both shoulders of the baby
are not entering the pelvis during the birth as they should.
According to some studies, shoulder dystocia occurs in less than 1
percent of all births and can lead to increased complications for the
baby and the mother. For Kayla, it meant that in her short life she
would travel a long road for a cure.
"The next day, her pediatrician said Kayla had a birth injury,"
Blackburn said. "A week later, a specialist said it was a brachial
plexus injury and that her condition is known as Erb's palsy. It
could lead to paralysis. My husband, Jesse, and I started searching
for help."
A specialist at Children's Hospital in Birmingham suggested a nerve
transfer. The couple had previously contacted Dr. Rahul Nath,
director of the Texas Nerve & Paralysis Institute and Nath Brachial
Plexus Institute at Texas Medical Center in Houston. He has treated
two other Decatur children. But the Blackburns hoped to stay closer
to home.
"Dr. Nath asked for video of her. He wanted to see what she could and
couldn't do," Blackburn said, "and the position of her arm. She was 3
months old, and she was just lying there."
Nath called to say he didn't feel Kayla needed a nerve transfer, but
a mod quad, or a muscle surgery.
"The doctor goes in and reattaches the muscle to another place for
better movement," Blackburn said.
Southwest Airlines donated the family a roundtrip flight to Houston
and Nath did the surgery June 22, when Kayla was almost 6 months old.
"We waited that long to give the nerve a chance to heal on its own,"
Blackburn said. "If a child doesn't have back almost full arm
movement by 3 months, you're not going to get by without surgery."
Blackburn said her daughter is one of the youngest children that Nath
has operated on and "I think she was lucky because she was so young."
Blackburn said that the day after surgery, he removed Kayla's splint
and "she actually lifted her arm completely up. She had never lifted
it before. We call Dr. Nath our miracle worker. Kayla's injury was
not life threatening, but she is our baby. We wanted to give her the
best outlook on life that we could and if this injury had not been
treated, it would have slowed her down drastically."
Kayla was in the hospital for three days and she had to wear a Statue
of Liberty splint to bed every night for six weeks.
"It covers from the belly button to the top of the chest, and it
holds her arm up like the Statue of Liberty," Blackburn said.
Technically, according to her mother, Kayla has been in therapy since
she was 2 weeks old.
"As a baby, she never could crawl because of her lack of arm
strength. She started walking on Halloween, the day after she turned
10 months old, and never looked back," Blackburn said.
Physical therapy
Before Kayla was 3 months old, Tami Tubell, a physical therapist,
began working with her in a program called Early Intervention through
the state Department of Rehabilitation Services. Tubell comes to the
home weekly for up to an hour, putting Kayla through a series of
exercises to increase her arm strength, such as having her crawl into
a plastic tunnel and retrieve toys, to bear weight on her arm.
"She's attentive and isn't afraid to use her arm," Tubell
said. "She'll come off my services soon."
Re-evaluation
Thursday, Tubell will video Kayla and send the tape to Nath for a re-
evaluation. Picking up where Tubell leaves off will be Sandy Groger,
an occupational therapist who'll sharpen Kayla's fine motor skills.
Groger will come twice monthly and could work with the child until
Kayla is 3 years old or older, according to her progress.
"I do feel Kayla will need a second procedure, a bone surgery called
triangle tilt," Blackburn said. "It will correct deformities caused
by lack of movement of the arm."
She said at Christmas, her daughter put her right hand to her mouth
but that she still can't supinate or rotate the hand so that the palm
faces upward or forward.
"She went from basically having a paralyzed arm 6 months ago to using
it," Blackburn said. "Most people wouldn't know she had a problem,
but she still can't open up her right hand."
Blackburn said surgery costs totaled about $107,000, including a
$5,000 upfront payment.
"Our insurance paid less than $15,000. We have in an appeal to get
more of it covered," she said.
"We have had at least five benefit yard sales and raised about
$1,200. That includes people who would come up and make a donation.
She was important to them, too, although they didn't know Kayla. We
will never forget their kindness."
Ronnie Thomas
THE DECATUR DAILY
201 First Ave. S.E.
P.O. Box 2213
Decatur, AL 35609
Hello and welcome to the group. If you have any questions or there is
anything I can do to help please do not hesitate to call or e-mail
me. Also, please feel free to join our online discussion regarding
the legal aspects of a birth injury every Thursday at 7:00pm at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/DC_erbs_palsy/
Best regards,
Robert A. D'Iorio Esq.