How long do it take regain strength on a weak arm (no movement)?

[Desire2004]

My husband Randy was shot in the head on New Years Eve 12/31/16 after someone robbed him for his wallet. He can't move his leg arm and it's been 4 months already. He also had a Craniotomy and he's going to have his skull put back in on Monday. I wonder if that would help.

[Kirk5w7]

Hi Desire,

I've thought long and hard about a reply for you, you may notice we are a bit slow in replying here, that's because this is a very hard one for us, we don't know exactly what you have been told by your specialists, and we are not medically trained so can only advise you of our experiences.

I doubt that replacing the skull is going to make a huge difference but it will help reduce further damage to your husbands brain.

Now, the most difficult part, your husband will gain strength back in his arm and leg only when he can move them and build up muscle tone. Lots of physiotherapy can help this but it will be a long process and may only have limited success if any at all.

As an example, look at Andrew Marr, he had a stroke and lost the use of his left arm, he pays for extra physio therapy and has even travelled to the USA in search of treatment, but he still only has limited use, and he has trouble with walking also, but he still has a productive life and is very driven.

So, you see, everyone is different, we cannot give you time scales or definitive outcomes, no one can, everyone is different and their recoveries will be different, it depends on the individual.

What we will all say is don't give up, never give up, it was thought I would be in a permanent vegetative state and that isn't the case, far from it, but it is 5 years now and I've put a lot of hard work into those years, and I can see me spending the rest of my life doing it.

I could ramble on here for ages, saying look how a baby grows and develops, but enough for now.

Come back for any support you need, contact the Headway helpline they have professionals you can talk to.

Look after yourself, that is important too.

Love

Janet xx

[TiredNan in reply to Kirk5w7]

Hello Desire and welcome.

I'm really so sorry to hear of what's happened.

I lost the use of one side and after years of constant physio I've got a lot of use back but it will always be weak.

The craniotomy will be to do with your partners head injury and I've been through this.

While no medic, I would say that the craniotomy is no help at all in improving movement in the limb sorry to say.

Kirk5w7 advice above is excellent and I think that is the way forward for you also.

It takes a long time to try and get movement back but it can be done bit by bit if he sticks with the physio.

Please look after yourself also and we are always about for a chat .

best wishes

Nancy

[cat3]

Desire, first let me say how sorry and appalled I am at the attack on your husband.

In terms of progress after such an injury there are so many variables, such as the severity of the injury, which area if the brain has been damaged, your man's age & general health etc.

As Janet has explained, brain injury is a very individual issue because of the complexity of the brain compared to any other organ. So unfortunately it's a wait & see situation for which there are no short cuts.

For specialist, printed information on traumatic brain injury, please phone the Headway helpline on 0808 800 2244 during office hours. Calls are free.

And as Janet also said, please don't lose hope ; we regularly hear of people defying all the odds to return to a decent quality of life.

All best wishes for better days ahead............. Cat x

[Desire2004 in reply to cat3]

Thank you so much. I know it's to soon to tell he's only 4 months in his recovery and the he had infection was a set back. He's 33 years old. We have four children and it's hard to adjust to our new life. I feel like I lost him that day.

[cat3 in reply to Desire2004]

Yes desire, 4 months is very early days for Randy considering the invasiveness of his unjury and treatment.

And forgive me if this appears negative, but you probably did lose the man he was on New Year's Eve, because everyone here has been changed by their injuries. We often refer to the 'old me' and the 'new me'.

So, depending on the extent of the damage, you may or may not see him as the 'new' Randy with whom you have to familiarise yourself over again. There could be marked changes in his behaviour or just subtle ones, but no one, not even the specialists, can foresee the long term outcome.

It'll have been a scary & uncertain time for you, but try to avoid overthinking what MIGHT be and focus on what IS. Human nature is such that when faced with trauma our survival instincts kick in and we develop our own unique coping strategies. You will too Desire.

Don't ever feel alone m'dear ; come here for emotional support, as well as helpful ideas from those who've been where you are right now. Love Cat x

[randomphantoms]

Hi Desire and welcome.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I'm guessing that you are in the USA.

If that is the case you can also look at the biausa.org for advice and support.

As has been said we are here when you need us.

Love n hugs

Xoxo

[AlexBee]

Hi Desire,

From my own personal experience, my neurosurgeon had to remove/damage part of the "Motor strip" in my brain's Motor Cortex in order to operate on a tumour. This was on the right side of my brain and as such affected the left side of my body. (This was compounded by damage to my sensory strip too, meaning I was unable to feel anything on that side of my body if it touched something)

The motor cortex plays a large part in our movement and the control of our muscles, so it can feel a lot like 'weakness' even if the actual arm or limb being moved isn't damaged.

It's just over a year since my surgery. Before I was discharged from hospital an occupational therapist had me perform basic tasks in a 'pretend kitchen' such as make tea, toast, wash the dishes, bend down to open a fridge etc. One very helpful suggestion was that if I was having difficulty carrying things like a sandwich or a flask with drink in, some patients use a backpack or bag to transport them from the kitchen to the living room without having to struggle with their hands).

When I first left surgery, I found I had little to no fine motor control on my left side at all. I tried to scratch my nose and poked myself in the eye, I picked up a pouch of orange jelly in my left hand, squeezed too hard without knowing and it went everywhere! Frustrating but very funny too.

The brain not only needs to repair itself and recover from any damage (Which will take a long time), but it will also need 'therapy', if that's the right word. I personally found that the more I walked, the more I used my left hand (Whilst making allowances! Don't do anything too soon, gradual steps. Tying shoelaces again, typing on a keyboard, eating with cutlery in both hands - My fiancée was very good at reminding me to use both rather than the 'easy' way of just using my fork in my right), and my friends would often pass me things in such a way that I would have to use my left hand) Randy may find, like me, that his dexterity isn't as good when he/his brain is tired, which is entirely natural.

As everyone else has said, we're here for you if you or Randy have any questions.

Alex.

[Desire2004 in reply to AlexBee]

Thanks for sharing your story. I guess I have to wait and see.

[AlexBee in reply to Desire2004]

No problem at all, don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions 😊