A Real Good Day
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Today I went to MK Prosthetics and had the final fitting for my prosthetic leg. This, of course, involved walking on the prosthetic to make sure it fit properly and was height-adjusted correctly. So, for about 20 minutes or so today, I got to walk for the first time since the end of September.
Words are just not able to convey how great I felt taking these few steps! Its like, in a few minutes’ time, I got my self-reliance and self-confidence back. I was practically giddy while I was walking between the bars so the prosthetisist could watch and make adjustments for better fit and less irritation. I also found that keeping myself balanced was a little easier than I thought it would be (this was probably due to the bars).
Final delivery of my prosthetic is scheduled for next Tuesday afternoon, after which I will have further therapy to learn all of the ins-and-outs of caring for it and my residual limb. At first, I’ll only be wearing the prosthetic a few hours a day until my residual limb gets accustomed to it and toughens-up a bit. Also, during this time the size and shape of my residual limb will change so I’ll need to go back to the shop for adjustments now and again.
This has been a real good day for me today, and I would never have gotten here without the love and support of my family, friends, and co-workers. There really isn’t anything I could say which would adequately thank them for all they have done, so instead I’ll just promise to work as hard as I can to make this work and to make them proud.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
A very good day, indeed!
And, you look so healthy and happy. Many best wishes to you as you begin your upright adventures again. You have certainly earned some peaceful days.
Good luck from Sandra in Florida
May 29th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Thanks, Sandra. Unfortunately, this was not to be so easy. On the Sunday before I was to go and get my prosthetic, I went into the hospital with a massive amount of fluid buildup between the outer walls of my lungs and the sack which encases the lungs. This made it hard to breathe and gave me pneumonia. I ended up in the hospital until Wednesday, which was just long enough to miss my appointment for the prosthetic. So, I’m rescheduled for next Tuesday (June 2) and I hope all goes well.