Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPAHere is space for OUR and YOUR STORIES:
Not every traumatic plexus paralysis is the same or happened in the same way. On the contrary, the consequences of the injury are also very different.
On this page you can share your stories, anonymously or under your own name, just as you like!
If you would like to take part and help others with your story, please write to us.
Contact:
Veronika Hofmann M.Sc. (veronika.hofmann@ipa.fraunhofer.de)
Project manager Veronika
I'm Veronika and I don't really belong in this category, because I don't have a paralysed plexus. But I would like to take the time to briefly introduce myself. As a medical technology engineer, I ended up in the "Biomechatronic Systems" department here at Fraunhofer IPA and have been working on the topic of plexus paralysis since 2023. This project involves the development of a technical aid known as an exoskeleton. This is intended to support people with traumatic plexus paralysis. It was particularly important for us to set up this page because we not only always have calls and requests to the community, but have also noticed time and again in the course of the project how little help there is for those affected - especially in terms of contact with each other. With this in mind, a personal hello from me once again, I look forward to everything that is yet to come! Feel free to get in touch!
Project member Nadja
My name is Nadja (27), on 05.07.2019 I had a serious motorcycle accident because my motorcycle went out in a curve due to a technical defect, which is why I drove straight in this curve and ended up in oncoming traffic and hit an oncoming truck. I was put into an induced coma for five weeks due to the polytrauma, which included a severe traumatic brain injury. After my life was saved, I woke up again and slowly became more and more lucid. Fortunately, no central neurological damage was found, which means I have no problems with my head.
However, three out of five nerve roots were incompletely torn out, which means the wall oft he nerves was still intact (brachial plexus C6/7 - Th1). The nerve damage means that I can no longer fully move my left arm. Because the nerve roots were "only" incompletely torn out, some function was able to regenerate over time. However, due to the overall complex pattern of paralysis, I can only use my left arm for simple supportive tasks. The left hand can hardly be used functionally, only a slight flexion of the fingers and wrist is currently visible, but this enables simple tasks with a light grip. From the shoulder, I can raise my arm a maximum of 45° and cannot bend my elbow, but I can stretch it very well - I can even do simple push-ups.
A year after my accident, I started studying medical technology (B.Sc.) at the University of Furtwangen in Villingen-Schwenningen. Because of my first research project, I stumbled into a research group at the MEG-Center at the University Hospital of Tübingen, which was working on quantum sensors. The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart is researching this topic together with the MEG-Center, among others. Through this connection, I was able to complete my practical semester at the IPA last year, where I was involved in the project led by Veronika Hofmann and Dr. Urs Schneider. Together, we came up with initial approaches to improve the care of patients with plexus paralysis. Not only by providing more accessible acute and follow-up care through this community, but also by developing a technical support system for people with traumatic plexus paralysis. Because of the personal connection, I was able to give an insight into the patient side, which can have an important influence during the development process. I helped compile the tips and tricks on this website and assessed whether they were helpful for me from my own perspective. I have also added a few personal tricks. The most important insights are almost always provided by those affected themselves; as an outsider, you can't think of everything.
My approach to the major change of only being able to use one arm was rather avoidant at the beginning. My motto was "nothing has happened, I'll just carry on as before". After two years, a burnout made me realize that my tried and tested strategy was probably not so strategic after all. Repressing your unprocessed feelings may be helpful for the moment and maybe even for a while to cope with everyday life, but it doesn't work out well in the long run. Over time, I have had to learn a few lessons that life goes on and that you can decide for yourself what you want to do with the time you have left. Regardless of my expectations of my new life, up until then I was convinced that I could manage everything on my own and that I wanted to manage everything on my own - but I couldn't do it. What I first had to learn and accept was to ask for help when I needed it! That was a huge blow to my independence and I found it particularly difficult to accept this new "weakness". People are generally rather friendly and gracious, especially when they are asked for help.
Another big adjustment is that everything takes longer now. This is a frustrating and tiring fact, but there are two sides to this medaill: this is how I learned that if there's a will, there's usually a way - at least with a good dose of patience, sensitivity and creativity.
And most importantly: you must not give up, the road is hard and exhausting. But it is worth going through this valley, afterwards you will be a happier person and can enjoy your new life. Change always brings advantages and disadvantages, don't let the negative get you down, if you want to, you can always move on.