Kick Ball... Kick Leg

I guess I need to first explain that I use a seal-in liner suspension system. I absolutely love the seal-in system because I am able to literally step into my prosthetic and go. I don't need to worry about pins clicking into place or pulling up a suspension sleeve. For me, the liner has been
a Godsend.

I rarely have problems with my liner with the exception of it rolling down my thigh and creating an unsightly fold just above my knee. Although it is an extremely rare occurrence, the seal has failed to hold on my prosthetic on a few instances. The failure was due to my neglecting to wear a sock to combat volume fluctuations in my stump.

For whatever reason, today is a "small stump" day. I briefly flirted with the idea of putting on a three ply sock before going outside to play with Robby. I got distracted, and never got around to it.

Kicking a ball is a thrill for my little three year old. Kicking a standard soccer ball could damage the computer components of my Proprio ankle and I don't want to take the risk. We play with light bouncy balls.

Robby and I were in the driveway, happily playing kicking the ball back and forth. Because the ball is so light, I am able to kick it over his head and up a hill. He chases after it and I hope that the exercise tires him out and will force him to take a long nap. Sometimes this theory materializes and I am blessed with a long nap.

In the middle of our game, the UPS driver started down our driveway. Talk about exciting! Robby kicked the ball towards me and took off to greet the truck. In an attempt to move the ball all the way up the hill so that it wouldn't roll into the path of the truck, I kicked it harder than normal.

As my leg was in mid swing, I felt the seal in my liner fail. The driver opened his door in time to see my leg whizzing past his very surprised face. I then lost my balance and fell. Robby was jumping up and down and pointing to the "big truck."

Thankfully I wasn't hurt when I fell. I managed to manipulate my body so that I would fall on my hip. Other than my hip and ego being a little bruised, I am fine. My leg emerged from the flight a little dirty but no worse for the wear. The UPS driver was shocked, but I'm sure he now has a great story for his coworkers.

The excitement of seeing the "big truck" paired with running up and down the hill, Robby finally took a nap. I used this time to dig through my drawers to find my prosthetic socks. I am now keeping some by the door and bed. I was lucky that nobody was hurt. I am also very lucky that my prosthetic wasn't damaged. Despite the hassle, I am now vowing to wear a sock when I feel like I might not have a great seal on my leg. If I don't, I am worried that I'll need to put up a sign warning visitors of the possibility of flying legs!