Ready for Cold Weather...

Wow! It is hard to believe it is already December. Suddenly the air is cold and the winds are busy whipping our previously neatly raked leaves. There is no doubt that winter is approaching.

Every season creates unique issues for me. In the winter I struggle to keep my residual limb warm. Many nights my leg becomes so cold that it is painful and frequently begins to cramp. The tip of my stump often develops a purple hue during cold weather. Through trial and error I've developed a small arsenal of "stump warming tools" that I rely upon to get me through the cold months.

When I take off my leg and liner at night, I immediately slip on a large tube sock. I have found that the socks that tout an absorbent liner feel softer. I prefer to use tube socks because they tend to stay on throughout the night and don't roll off.

Sometimes the sock doesn't provide enough warmth. Frustrated with a heating pad wrapped around my leg and tired of being tethered to a single position, I decided to experiment. Searching through a sporting goods store, I stumbled upon disposable hand warmers.

I have come to love disposable hand warmers. Once activated, they stay warm for up to eight hours. Now when it is extremely cold, I pull on a tube sock, hold a warmer on the tip of my covered limb and then slip another sock on top to hold it in place.

I learned the versatility of hand warmers during my first winter as an amputee. The packets are thin enough to sit in the bottom of my socket so my leg is kept toasty warm for hours after I don my leg. When playing in the snow for hours on end with Robby, I have come to appreciate keeping at least part of my body warm!

A word of caution: it is imperative that the hand warmer never be placed directly on the skin. Because the residual limb has nerve damage (a natural result of the surgery) the skin may not react normally to burning heat. When using heat or cold therapy, always utilize a barrier.

I despise being cold. Because of the decreased circulation, my residual limb is the first to feel the effects of the chill in the air. I am now ready for the frigid temperatures. I have a pile of soft tube socks by my bed and, thanks to Ebay, I am now fully stocked with a case of hand warmers. Bring on the snow. I'm ready!