5 Weeks

Today marks five weeks since I picked up the temporary leg. Of course there was an adjustment period, but it seemed like I was making progress every day. Within the last few days, however, I've started getting some soreness from the tibial crest. It's pretty astonishing how quickly the volume of my leg has changed over the last few weeks. The downside is that the relatively sharp edges of the tibial crest are visible, which is an indication of how little soft tissue there is between the bone and the skin.

Here's a picture, showing how the leg looks today, versus post-operatively:




My prosthetist has been trying to adjust the socket by heating it and having me step into it -- this allows the plastic to conform to any bony prominences. Unfortunately, whatever is causing this soreness is probably not from the pressure against the socket. Even with the adjustments, I'm still getting those "whoa" moments. Best guess is that I was over-socking, causing me to "hammock." This probably put a lot of shearing forces on the skin over that sharp bone. Luckily, I still have plenty of percocet left for this sort of thing.

I'm going to be re-casted Feb 8th for the next socket, so I'm optimistic that a new socket will really solve this. I think the basic problem is that I've lost nearly 1.5 inches in circumference in my leg since I started wearing this socket. Too much walking with an ill-fitting prosthesis is always a bad idea, so I imagine most of my pain right now is residual.

Things will get better.

One Mile

Everything's coming up Milhouse today. I was able to walk a mile at the Vestal rail trail without a cane or crutches!

Three more weeks until I can have a new socket made. My prosthetist wants to wait until my daily swelling is less volatile. I'm currently starting the day at around 8 ply, and ending around 13.

It would be awesome if I could wear shorts to work -- it would make sock maintenance a lot easier.

Professional Cycling Career in Jeopardy

Since it's -34 degrees out, and since I really could use some exercise, I put my road bike on the stationary trainer. No dice... I don't have the range of motion in my knee to make it past top-dead-center in my pedal stroke, even with the neoprene suspension sleeve rolled down. It's a combination of the back wall of the prosthesis coming up too high, the fact that my roll-on silicone liner rolls up over my knee, and the fact that I have about an inch-thick layer of socks over my silicone liner. I know that BK amputees can ride bikes just fine, so I'm not going to panic just yet. It's just frustrating, because the only exercise alternative is the elliptical machine, which isn't quite as low-impact as a bike. The goal is to get blood pumping without stressing my leg.

On the bright side, I was able to go grocery shopping without a crutch (although I did use the shopping cart as a walker, I suppose.) Still, I'm slowing increasing the distances I can walk unassisted.

The issue now (which will be addressed on Wednesday, when I have my next appointment with my prosthetist) is that I'm starting the day with about 8 ply of socks, and ending up at about 13. By the time I reach 13, I'm way too tight in some places, and still not tight enough in others.

Waiting Game

I've had a temporary socket for two weeks, and I've got an appointment on Monday to decide whether to proceed with the permanent carbon fiber socket, or make another temporary.

My leg is far less swollen now than when this socket was made, so I'm leaning toward another temporary socket. I can walk a few miles with one crutch or a cane, but this socket is not where it needs to be. The problem is that I can't tell if my leg simply hasn't healed enough, or whether the socket fit isn't quite right.

That last x-ray is burned into my mind, and I worry about that bone bridge becoming dislodged. It just looks so tenuous in the image. From what I've read, it takes about 6 months for the bone bridge to consolidate. During that time, high-impact activities should be avoided. Hopefully, as long as I abide by those instructions, I should be OK.

I can't really tell much about the Fusion foot. I guess it feels slightly springier than my last foot (which was an Otto Bock Lo-Rider, and really had no shock absorption) but I haven't exactly gone for a spirited walk yet.

Two annoying things:
(1) I didn't anticipate the onslaught of "So, are you in the military?" I get that ALL the time now, if I'm wearing shorts. I never got that before, I guess because my prosthesis was far more cosmetic. I wasn't planning to make this one cosmetic**, but it looks like I might have to, just so I'm stealth once again.

(2) Having to adjust socks all day long, and having a neoprene sleeve that comes halfway up my thigh. Thus, I much prefer to wear shorts (even if it's cold.) It's super annoying at work, because I can't roll my pant leg up high enough to be able to add or remove socks at my desk. So, I have to jam a few different socks into my pockets, and hobble to the restroom. (No, that's not a First World Problem. This is a First World Problem.)


**Some uppity, so-called journalist posted something a while back complaining about amputees sporting carbon-fiber-and-titanium prosthetics. He said it's disgusting, and that an amputee should go out of his way to conceal his prosthesis. Well, dude, the reason is that it adds unnecessary weight and doesn't benefit the amputee at all.

Incidentally, there are those who say that a bel0w-knee prosthesis is a lot heavier than a Symes prosthesis. I guess that might be true if it's made out of cast iron, but I weighed my old and new legs last night: 3.6 versus 4.2 lbs, respectively. And that's the big, clunky temporary plastic socket. When I finally get a slimmed-down carbon fiber socket, this might actually weigh less than my old leg.