IamA guy with a paralyzed arm who's hoping to regain full movement within 2 years, AMA!

Does your mum help with stuff?

Yeah, she honestly helps me a lot. Jokes aside, she helps me in whichever way she can, and I appreciate it. For example, she does the dishes whenever she can because she knows I hate doing them.

I nearly lost an arm to injury the summer before starting high school. Shoot out to mom for tying my shoes before school.
I had no extension in four of my fingers for two years. Then it took another year of therapy to make them useful. Keep on that grind.

Thank you. Congratulations on your recovery!

Will you continue being a rider?

Yes, definitely.

I see motorcycle riding in a completely different light now, but at the end of the day I know that someday I'm going to get back on the bike in one way or another.

My son was born w a brachial plexus injury from birth. We have been to specialists most of his life and they say nothing can be done. How severe are your nerve injuries and what kind of surgery are u having

I had a nerve transposition surgery, and my nerve damage was pretty severe, according to the doctor.

I'm not sure how similar it is to a birth defect, however. I'd be glad* to put you in contact with my doctor, if you wish. PM me.

My sons nerves they say are completely pulled from his spine. It's his left hand and arm also. His left diaphragm is also paralyzed due to the injury. I will definitely PM u later so I can get more info

I'll be waiting!

What light do you see it in now?

Tail light

/r/imgoingtohellforthis

nice

I see how pointless and stupid it is to ride one. There are minimal benefits to be obtained and a substantial amount to be risked by riding one. You'd have to be crazy to want to get on one despite knowing all the risks.

But I fucking love it, and I don't know why. I've come to accept that.And I don't mind being an idiot if it means I can ride again.

I would disagree that the benefits are few. I can go the same distance on 16L of fuel in my bike as 70L in my truck. I am glad you plan to ride again though. I just got home from work and 20minutes on my bike in stifling heat beats 20minutes in my truck with AC.

There are many benefits, but to many critics these are not enough to outweigh risking your life every day.

I get what you mean though, I live on the border and crossing is a breeze on the motorcycle. Believe me, I miss it.

Do you mind me asking where you are?

I'm currently in FL, a state with no helmet laws (as far as I'm aware, it might've changed, but I've seen helmetless riders since ive been back ).

I've actually been witness to seeing a guy get scraped off the pavement, for not wearing his helmet, both here and in South Carolina, where itm not sure of helmet laws for the latter.

In both cases, it was heartbreaking. In SC, I saw the EMT give up on the rider, her look of desolation and sadness in her eyes won't ever leave me.

More power to those who try to stay safe, and for the love of God, anyone else, you should try too, as a rider, and those in cars, be fucking careful of the ones on any kind of bike!

I'm in Texas, and yeah I totally get what you mean. Riding without a helmet seems insane to me.

[removed]

I can't argue with you because I get what you're saying. It takes a moron to want to keep on riding, despite everything. That being said, why the rage? You mention that you don't understand it or respect it yet you voice such strong judgement of derision based on how I want to live my life? Chill, man.

Regardless, I don't necessarily have to go back on the streets. I've been thinking about getting a track bike and starting to ride again that way. And while it is dangerous, it's a fraction of the danger of riding in traffic.

Did removing nerve tissue from your leg result in impaired function in that leg at all? It seems like a lot to take out.

What do your physical therapy exercises look like, if you're willing to share? I'm currently doing vestibular rehab for chronic motion sickness, and have progressed from slowly turning my head from side to side, to doing the same with my eyes closed. It sounds unimpressive as heck, but it's actually really exciting and useful progress for me. I'm wondering what the paralysis recovery version of that is.

That was my main concern too, but no, not at all. The only effect is that I kind of can't feel my ankle and right side of the foot. Just a weird, tingly feeling.

I go to 2 physical therapies: The first, at a hospital, consists of exercises and electroshock therapy to stimulate various crucial movements of my arm as well as the accompanying nerves. The second is a a gym, when I perform exercises using more common equipment, to trigger bicep and triceps growth, specifically. I have a physical therapists help me do the exercises I can't complete on my own.

If you want more info, PM me :)

I gave myself radial nerve palsy in my left arm just from passing out inebriated in my computer chair for just a couple hours, if that. I had to wear a cock-up wrist brace for a little over a year and it was agonizing how slow of a recovery it was.

I remember being so ecstatic when after a few months I could lift my thumb a couple solid millimeters.

The estimated average recovery for nerve damage I read is about one millimeter a day.. applied to the entirety of what's damaged. Do you think this is about right, considering the damage you've sustained to your nerves?

Don't be alarmed at the loss of strength, it will come back when you can do what you can do. Thanks for doing the ama!

Yep, that's what all the doctors say. That's why the recovery is 3-4 years. And yeah, it is excruciatingly slow, which is why it's so taxing on the psyche, so I completely understand.

Thanks!

I just did my radial nerve and it was a solid year. Also I fell asleep wrong at one point just after getting out of the brace and I reaggravated the injury, putting myself back about two months recovery-wise. THAT was a mindfuck.

Hope you have an eventless and sane recovery!

Thank you!

Hi, thanks for sharing. Do you resent the truck driver for the things you've struggled with? Has it changed your attitude towards living and dying at all? What was the one thing that kept you going during the worst moments?

Cool questions!

It was a car driver, and he(she?) fled the scene. They never caught him. No, I don't really resent him. I mean I know he caused the accident, then drove past me as I lay unconscious, but I never really gave a shit about him. Poor bastard. Do you think he wonders whether I'm dead or alive? I would...

Yeah, it has a little. I feel like I appreciate how fragile everything is, which is something everybody knows but we don't really feel it most of the time. All of a sudden I really get that I'm just a chunk of living meat waiting to die at any moment. But in a way, that's liberating. Sobering even. I'm in pain now, but I also feel very happy with my life. If I died today, I would die content.

My girlfriend probably. We were seeing each other before the accident and started dating a few months after. Of course, my family has always helped me and supported me, but she's the one who was with me during the worst moments. I really don't know where I would be without her, or in what kind of state of mind. She makes me feel normal again, and I thank her for it.

They could be plagued with guilt. Or they could be an alcoholic that doesn't fully remember what happened.

Or he could legitimately not give a shit.

We'll never know, so why bother thinking about it?

There were no cameras or anything to track the car?

There was one witness, who wrote down the plate number. Unfortunately the registered owner was long dead.

Literally a dead end.

Does that mean it was a stolen car? Is it common to find cars with outdated registration in the US?

Yes, they said it was probably stolen.

OP I have brachial plexus injury since birth. It was very hard to deal with and my hand has atrophy. I know it was a huge shock for you but at least you will get better whereas I have to live with it my whole life. Pm me if you want to talk or need advice.

I am sorry about that. I have often wondered "if I had been born this way, what would be different?"

Lucky you..

I worked very hard for it, my friend...

Can you pick up your other arm to touch yourself?

Um

What do you mean?

:) Naughty stuff

I usually just use my left hand.

Never was a fan of spanking in two-handed anyway.

I think he was meaning more of a dutch rudder style approach.

:0

I'm going to try it

Hey man its great you are seeing results, even when they are small. Have you tried rehab with Augmented - Virtual Reality? Ive read some good things about it, and it served as a base for a thing i did for a patient in nyc (you can check it at ourkidscandoanhthing in fb)

No, I haven't but I'll check it out. Thanks!

Does it get frustrating having to write with the left hand? Or were you already left handed?

I was right-handed, so yeah it was annoying having to learn to write with my left hand.

Although since I was forced to use my left hand all the time immediately after the crash, it didn't seem so frustrating. Just necessary.

It sucked when I had to take written exams, though...

How much has the use of your left arm/hand improved? Is it up to where a dominant side would be or still not as much? I'm curious about how the non-dominant hand learns when it is put into regular use.

Since I used to write like shit with my right hand anyway, it's hard to draw a good comparison.

In terms of handwriting quality, I think my writing is a little better now than before but that's because I have to focus a little more and pay closer attention.

Because of this and also because I can't hold the fucking paper, I write somewhat slower than before. If I have a stable paper and surface, I write almost as fast as I used to with my right hand, I think.

Can you just plop your dead arm down on the paper to hold It? When I paralyzed my left hand and still had to count money i would stuff the stack of bills in my lame hand and it at least helped a tiny, little bit because it was clamped into a useless fist otherwise.

I didn't lose the use of my dominant hand though so I couldn't have been nearly as frustrated as you've been.

Haha that's exactly what I do! The problem is that whenever I put my arm on a surface, it immediately starts sweating, which wets the damn paper.

I'm sorry that happened to you. How did it happen?

I was an idiot and got black-out wasted and then fell asleep in my computer chair. My arm was pinned between the chair arm and my body for a couple hours and when I woke up I tried to shake the blood back into my sleeping hand and it was what I can only relate to having a phantom limb.

I was wiggling both hands and my left one just slowly curled up into a fist. Fortunately when I called my dad he immediately knew what it was and my research began that very morning to recover.

It's so exciting getting that first little wiggle back into your thumb. I remember showing everyone I could that I could wiggle my thumb just a tiny bit.

Haha I bet! Congratulations on your recovery!

Hey, first off, I'm so so sorry about what happened to you. My family was in a really bad car accident almost 14 years ago, and both me and my sister had this same injury. I'm mostly recovered (if you know to look for some kinda derpy stuff on my left arm, it's definitely noticeable, but I can function pretty normally in day to day life), but my sister's arm is still totally paralyzed, nearly 20 surgeries later.

This brings me to my question - what led you down the path to seek out this specific treatment in Mexico? My family has tried countless things to help my sister recover at least some function in her arm, including transferring an entire muscle and all the accompanying nerves, blood vessels, and whatnot from her leg into her arm, but it didn't work. If you find that this surgery actually gets you to a mostly functioning arm, I'd love to get more information about what exactly you had done, as well as your doctors. Wishing you the best of luck in your recovery!

I will PM you with the details!

EDIT: To answer your question, it was because my parents are Mexican and my insurance is through them. I went to several doctors who all pointed me in the direction of my current doctor.

I know you're getting a lot of questions and appreciate you doing this. A friend of mine had almost the same injury to his arm from a motorcycle crash where a car crossed his path illegally. He has never regained use a decade later. Did the Mexican doctors use any techniques not accepted in the United States?

No nothing like that, but the cost of a nervous surgery is a fraction compared to the price in the US.

Does it take a lot of willpower to get in the work for the rehab? is it hard? How do you manage it?

I'm in a similar situation in some ways but I'm neglecting the work I should do for it.

God, yes...

Just the sheer amount of "free" time I dedicate to therapy is really frustrating. I think I use the fear of being paralyzed along with the hope of regaining full mobility to help motivate me.

I know how that feels...to be honest, one of the reasons I'm doing this AMA is because I've been kind of falling into a slump recently. This week I've barely gone to therapy at all, which is really rare for me. I just feel exhausted of this all. I'm tired all the time and I just wish things were easy again. Sometimes I just want to send it all to hell and just fucking quit...

But I can't afford that. And I assume you can't afford that, either. In the end we only have this one life, this one body, and one chance. If we fuck it up, it's over. So I know that if I slack right now I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. You and I both know what we need to do, we just need to suck it up and just do it.

I can relate so much it hurts. How much time do you have to dedicate to therapy? I have SO MANY other things I need to do . . . all important, and I don't use that word lightly.

Well, I wish you the best of luck. Show that arm who's the boss.

Usually about 2 hours every day, with short 10 minute exercise bursts throughout the day.

Thank you, likewise!

In similar situations as you (not that bad though). I get overwhelmed at the time spent in rehab and then the time after I recover to keep my muscles and nerves healthy. Consistency is a problem when your emotions vary from day to day. I'm also failing at time management so feel you bro. Need to eliminate time wasters so I can rehab 😅

Consistency is a problem when your emotions vary from day to day.

Man, I should print this out and frame it for how true it is.

Good luck with your rehab, we can do this!

Will $100 won through a certain spinner contest pay enough for your surgery?

Yes

May 13, 2005. The day my entire life changed forever. Motorcycle crash. C-4/C-5 fusion. Bracial plexus injury. Right bicep, right deltoid paralysis. Ended my naval career. I have the exact same injury. I wish the best for you. If you want to talk about it, feel free to PM me. It gets better. I have to ask a question. Can you tell me how you found out about the surgery in Mexico?

Edit: brachial, not biracial.

I'm sorry about your injury.

My doctor had just given a conference about his nerve transposition technique in several cities around the world, and my previous doctor attended of these. He along with several other doctors, advised me to go see him immediately, as my injury was his specialty.

Have you tried masturbating with that arm? If so what's it like?

To my shame, yes I have. It was ineffective, to say the least.

Driver & Rider here. So sorry it happened to your Triumph btw. What a perfect machine. It's my dream bike and I hope you get another when you're ready.

Post-accident, do you ever feel yourself now having a fundamental lack of trust of others on the road?

I've been the victim in two crashes that totalled my cars. one exactly like yours where they made a left like they didn't even see me and I t-boned them, and a worse crash where I was just driving along on a single lane 40mph road, and someone drifted across the center line and hit me head on and totalled my car.

Sold my bike between crashes to help with finances so I don't even have one now, but honestly I've lost all trust in other drivers and as much as I want to ride, just the thought of it gives me anxiety.

Thanks for the good vibes.

Umm, no not really. I mean, all of the trust I had evaporated pretty quickly after I started riding. Now I'm just totally stoic when other people do stupid shit on the road. What's the point in complaining? It is what is it.

I'm sorry that happened to you, and believe me, I know what you mean!

What exactly about music are you pursuing? Do you write songs or play instruments (with one hand)? I hope you do well with your rehab.

I was mainly a bass and guitar player all my life. After the accident, I stopped playing entirely. I didn't even want to move my instruments, so I just left everything kind of as is.

Fortunately, I signed up for a music technology class that semester and I picked up the keyboard (which I already owned), while at the same time learning to use DAWs. Soon after I bought a synth, a MIDI controller, and a good looper pedal and starting getting into production kiinda.

Right now, I mainly practice making simplish songs/loops using the looper, the synth, the keyboard w/presets, and the controller, though I rarely write or record anything. I was also gifted a trumpet recently and have been relearning how to play, and it's been a lot of fun!

Damn. Haha I do hope you can play your guitar again! I wish you luck. Thanks for the AMA, I hope you can give hope to the other patients you go to rehab with.

Thanks! :)

Sorry still curious, doesn't it hurt from time to time or don't you get random twitches/spasm of your arm?

No worries, ask away!

I have like a general soreness. Imagine how you arm would feel the day after you did a bunch of exercise after a long time of doing nothing. I feel about 50% of that feeling, all the time.

Then I get random flashes of nerve pain that vary in intensity and duration, but usually don't last more than a minute.

And yeah, I also sometimes get twitches or spasms, though more frequently now than before.

Wow, how much did the synth + controller run you? Hoping to get new ones of my own when The Budget allows. Got a soundcloud I could check out?

Synth was a Roland System One (~$300) and the controller was a maschine mk1 (~$70). I got them both on ebay.

Haha I don't have one! But I'll make one in a bit and upload some stuff.

cool man don't give up keep making that music

Thanks man!

How r u managing finances?

I work and I live with my family is the short answer.

What kind of work do you do?

I worked at tech support at my university for a while, and right now I'm in the middle of an internship for the summer.

Once this is done though, I'm not sure what I'll do.

What's your dream job?

Pro arm wrestler

ayy

One where I can pay the bills.

I'm studying Environmental Science in the US soo...I'm not extremely optimistic.

Not to make light but have you given yourself "the stranger"?

To my shame, yes I have. It was ineffective, to say the least.

Do you often find yourself in social situations (e.g. handshakes) where people don't realize your arm is paralyzed?

Handshakes are incredibly awkward now. A lot of people even know I'm paralyzed and still offer their right hand to shake, so I have to shake it like a lady. Whenever a person shakes my hand with his/her left hand, I feel immediately grateful for helping me avoid that awkwardness.

For the most part I think people notice, though sometimes I manage to hide it well.

Was it your fap arm?

Yes T__T

I have a similar problem. May I ask how much it was for the surgery?

I will PM you!

What kind of physical therapy are you doing? Any electro-stimulation? I'm currently in the process of fixing my half paralyzed face. Best of luck to you!!

I go to 2 physical therapies: The first, at a hospital, consists of exercises and electroshock therapy to stimulate various crucial movements of my arm as well as the accompanying nerves. The second is a a gym, when I perform exercises using more common equipment, to trigger bicep and triceps growth, specifically. I have a physical therapists help me do the exercises I can't complete on my own.

I've done extensive electroshock therapy, and it has helped. Good luck on your recovery!

Do you think you will be able to get your right arm to a strength level anywhere close to the left one at any time in the future? I don't really know what your current situation and progress is, so I am quite curious if the doctor has told you anything! Best of luck with the recovery!

The doctor hopes for a 70-90% recovery, supposedly. The end game is to have a fully functioning arm, with limitations of course. So yes, I hope so!

Alright! I wish you all the best, keep us updated from time to time!

Thanks!

What was the most difficult thing you had to adapt to after your arm was paralysed?

The most difficult? That's hard.

Sex, writing, and playing music was the hardest for me at first. After a while, you get used to everything.

Anything you'd recommend to new riders? Taking my license in about a month or so, and will be doing ATGATT as well, having been in two minor solo wipeouts so far(once on a illegal 6 gear moped, second during first riding lesson, rider in front braked, I misread the situation and braked too hard on the front brake, and since I was an idiot on the only bike without ABS, down I went. It was very wet and slippery both times).

Locking up the front wheel in pouring rain isn't fun, that's for sure.

Well since you've already taken riding lessons and are ATGATT, I don't have much else to say except good luck!

Watch a Twist of the Wrist 2, if you haven't already.

Find a place to practice if you can and do it every once in a while. Buy a good backpack. Sweatproof stuff for summer and thermals for winter are a must. Don't take passengers until you've ridden 6 months or 1,500 miles. Don't die...

Stay alert, be safe, have fun!

Glad you lived and are making a recovery! Drove past this same type of accident yesterday morning. Unfortunately the motorcycle driver yesterday did not make it. Were you wearing a helmet?

Full gear, ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time).

I'd be dead if I hadn't.

How's masturbation?

Very well, thank you!

Hey man had a very similar accident when I was riding. Lost my arm for about a year or so and now have full movement. The doctors told me I had a 50/50 chance of regaining my arm, what was your percentage?

Wow, congratulations!

The doctor said he wasn't sure how much I was going to recover, but how much I advance these few years will tell. He said that the goal was a 70-90% recovery.

I can't even imagine. I'm happy that you're going to physical therapy though!! I've never been paralyzed but I can imagine it's like trying to move something you naturally can't, like your ears for example? Is this true? I've heart it somewhere before. Wishing you the best~~

No, it's more like not remembering how to move something. Like if you suddenly completely forgot the mental mechanisms to do so, and you're trying to figure it out.

Thanks!

When/if you regain movement in your arm, what is the first thing you will do with your newly restored limb?

Learn to play the bass again. Hug my girlfriend. Start benching. Play basketball again.

Feel normal.

I am rooting for you. I know a guy in wheelchair from an accident (decades ago) and told him to hang in there -- he said even if they figured out a way to deal with the paralysis his muscles would be too weak for rehab but I am optimistic about that too and I suspect you have an opinion about this?

Muscles can be rebuilt. That's exactly what I'm doing right now. Granted, it's not the same as both legs, but in the end there's always hope for improvement. Always. Even if it's just a tiny bit better, if you do something, anything, you're definitely not going to get worse.

What's your favorite tropical fruit?

Pineapple

How hard did you find it to carry out everyday tasks without the use of your right arm?

How hard? It depends on the task, really. I am surprisingly dexterous with my left arm and hand now so I can manage my way through most tasks. Though some, like dishwashing, are infuriating and I can never really manage well.

Honestly it is a little frustrating most of the time, but like everything, you get used to it and get better at it.

Was it hard to type this with one hand?

Yeah, a little

How fast were you going during the crash?

About 40 mph. I probably smacked into him like at 35 with the braking.

Do you have one of those cool one handed keyboards?

Haha nope, just a regular laptop.

Although something awesome like that once happened: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/4dnt35/a_few_days_ago_i_made_a_post_about_an_accident_i/?ref=share&ref_source=link

Unfortunately I never built the PC, but I plan on using the mouse when I do.

Seeing your title, I immediately wondered if you were CG, then reading his reply to your original post seems like it was really helpful for you. I’m so sorry that you’ve been going through this, but happy that you’re fighting to get back to fitness!

Anyway, do you have any sensation in your arm now? If you can’t feel anything with it, do you keep it in a sling or anything? Also, did you have to go to Mexico because no US hospitals would attempt the procedure?

Thank you! I feel somethings in some areas, and in others I feel almost nothing. In some areas I can feel pain/wetness/hotness/electricity, and in some I can't. It's really weird and interesting sometimes. The other day I burned my skin completely off by accident and I didn't feel a thing.

No, I went to Mexico because it was cheaper and my parents are Mexican.

Shoutout to u/CG_Ops, the badass one-handed rider who helped me with kind words and advice!

Do you find yourself more focused on your interests (music specifically) since your accident? And if so, how, if at all, has your approach to your craft changed?

Interestingly, yes! I find that I value much more the things I enjoy doing. Since everything is a little more difficult, it's feels like the things that I enjoy struggling to do are the things that are worth it.

I kind of answered that question in another comment:

I was mainly a bass and guitar player all my life. After the accident, I stopped playing entirely. I didn't even want to move my instruments, so I just left everything kind of as is.

Fortunately, I signed up for a music technology class that semester and I picked up the keyboard (which I already owned), while at the same time learning to use DAWs. Soon after I bought a synth, a MIDI controller, and a good looper pedal and starting getting into production kiinda.

Right now, I mainly practice making simplish songs/loops using the looper, the synth, the keyboard w/presets, and the controller, though I rarely write or record anything. I was also gifted a trumpet recently and have been relearning how to play, and it's been a lot of fun!

Do you ever use your paralyzed hand during masturbation?

To my shame, yes I have. It was ineffective, to say the least.

What's the best way to convince a parent who brings up the "it's not you I worry about, it's the other people on the road" (in your case that's exactly what happened) when it comes to getting a motorcycle? Also, what changed your viewpoint about motorcycles after the crash?

Wish you a speedy recovery.

Thanks!

Haha I'm kind of the last person you'd want as an example. The honest truth is that they're right, and you should let them see that you know they're right and that it means something to you. Show them that you're taking that into consideration, that it's not just about you riding safe but also about being aware of everything that could happen.

But at the end of the day they're going to have to cave if it's what you really want, or you're going to have to cave if it's what they really want. In my experience the best way past these struggles is to just do it and own the consequences. Unless they kick you out...

Awesome! As a person with my own nerve damage and hand/arm weakness for two years, post trauma - did you have muscle wasting and did the muscle mass build up again after your surgery?

I am still trying to recover muscle mass, and it has improved substantially. It used to be literally just skin and bone.

Oh my god. My dad has the same injury from a bike crash, a braquial plexus thing he had a compound break. He's lived with it for over 30 years now his arm is basically dead. Anything he can do?

If he hasn't seen a specialized doctor, he might want to start there. However, from what little I know,nerves tend to lose functionality and recuperability as time progresses, and 30 years is a long time...

Regardless, there's hope for improvement in any case, and some form of therapy could help your dad.

So, looking at the sketch, it looks like a truck turned sideways and hit you? Am I correct?

It was a car driver, and he was waiting to take a left turn into an adjacent street. He took the turn just as I approached it, leaving me with a split-second to react, thus slamming into him. He didn't stick around.

For someone caring for you in particular, what are things you'd recommend they do- and what would you recommend they NOT do? My father's in a similar predicament and it's just looking like a long road to recovery.

Talk to him about being clear on what he would like you to help him with. Often I struggle with the paradox of wanting to do something for myself even though it's hard, and at the same time wanting someone to just help me with it.

For example, when I first got hurt, my girlfriend would always watch me closely when I was doing something and as soon as I had difficulties she'd either offer to do it or just do it herself.

I appreciated her help, but I also felt completely useless. I talked to her and ask her to not help me unless I ask for it, with the promise that I would suck up my pride and ask instead of try to do everything myself.

It's very kind of you to worry about his needs, and I hope he appreciates your attentiveness!

Have you heard of Pfrimmer Massage? If not, Therese Pfrimmer's story and work might be of interest.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pfrimmer+massage&ia=web

No I haven't, thanks!