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.