Ouch!

Since I became an amputee I have learned that, in many ways, my life is lived by a series of contingencies. I will make plans to attend events etc., but my friends and family realize that my attendance is dependent upon how my leg is feeling. Thankfully my "bad leg days" are few and far between, but I live with the reality that it can happen at any moment.

Nerve and skin issues can flare seemingly without cause, making walking painful and laborious. In addition to physical breakdown, my mobility is dependent upon manufactured devices. At any given time, one of my prosthetic components can fail rendering me unable to walk without pain.

Over the past few days I have experienced one of the dreaded amputee monkey wrenches. I am currently experiencing a prosthetic malfunction. To be more accurate, we suspect liner issues are to blame. My stump has formed a large purple/ red bruise on the tip, and it looks like I have a giant hickey on my residual limb. If being ugly and discolored wasn't enough, it hurts.

Much of treating prosthetic/ limb issues is a system of trial and error. The socket is still comfortable and I have not experienced volume fluctuations, but I suspect that my leg is pistoning which is causing changes in the vacuum pressure. Basically, I feel like the liner is not grabbing onto the side of the socket, and I am now subjecting my limb to being sucked down with each step.

Yesterday morning I put my "to do" list on hold (it was cleaning so I have to admit that I was not exactly heartbroken) and went to see Elliot (my prosthetist). We tried a larger liner, hoping that the extra material would create a firmer hold. I was only able to wear the liner for a few hours before my leg began to cramp and hurt. Looking at my limb I quickly realized that the larger liner made the situation worse.

We are back to trial and error, one of the most frustrating parts of living as an amputee. I need to wait for my leg to heal before we make another change. I can't go without wearing my leg, so healing will take longer. In the meantime I am wearing my running leg instead of the Proprio (the Proprio is heavier which may be contributing to the problem) and my original liner.

I know that in the scheme of limb problems, mine is minor. However, it is these small inconveniences that serve to irk and annoy me. Sometimes, being an amputee requires a lot of patience. Unfortunately, patience is not one of my attributes!