Wow!!! I can not beleive that this disability that I have suffered with for 36 years has finally been given a name! My mother tells me that I was a very difficult birth, long labor, large baby...over 8.5 lbs. The doc obviously pulled my head (?) too hard? I'm not sure but my arm was totally lifeless for nearly 6 months. My mother was concerned right away that I didn't move my right arm at all and asked the doc what was wrong. He told her I would be fine (jerk!) and to do range of motion exercies daily to help maintain muscle movement when the arm healed. This finally started to happen at around 6 months of age. I moved my arm and Mom was thrilled. She never took me to another doc or therapist or anyone else after that. She feels very guilty, but I don't blame her anymore, I used to, when I first found out about it and that it could have been helped had she sought out the right person. She forced me to use my right hand all throughout my childhood eventhough it was very difficult and painful. I can
remenber being in such terrible pain as a child and a teenager and never getting any relief. I was told I was having growing pains, until one day I was looking at my painful arm and hand and noticed all the things that I couldn't do with it, all the movements that my left arm could make: like turning my palm upright and bending my elbow all the way out. I couldn't do these things with my right arm and I asked my mother why. She was so shocked...she had no idea that I had residual damage from my birth trauma that would stay with me my whole life! So I was very angry with her when she told me about it and when we went to the hospital and the told us i was too old to have ant surgery to correct it. i now realize that she really helped me by forcing me to use it. I have fairly good use of it , but the problem I am faced with now is that my good arm now had tendonitis,bursitis and CTS from trying to compensate for the weaker arm. I was Dx almost 3 years ago with lupus adn the meds that I am on for it have r
eally helped the pain a lot. I take Mobic (have used Vioxx in the past) and Elavil. Please let me know if you are an adult that has had this since birth like me. I feel very alone.
I am so happy I found this website...sorry for rambling on :0)
Kerry

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