Seasonal Precautions

I try to enjoy every season. After all, there is nothing that my complaining about the cold, heat, leaves or rain will accomplish, so I might as well try to enjoy myself. Robby loves playing in the snow and going sledding. Because I love watching him so happy and playing with him, we have both been anxious for snow. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to take his new sled on a test slide yet.

But with the frosty temperatures I have no doubt that the fluffy flakes will soon be falling. My house has been weatherized for maximum efficiency. Unfortunately, living in a home comprised primarily of windows the term "maximum efficiency" does not equate warm; it simply implies "less drafty." In the process of winterizing, I managed to unlock a hidden talent. It seems that I have a knack for putting up plastic sheeting without wrinkles or tears!

With the house sealed, yesterday I turned my attention to my leg. The plunging thermometer always causes an increase in phantom pain! When my stump is cold, I am simply miserable. As Robby says, "When Momom is hurting, nobody is happy."

I began by digging through Scott's sock drawers and pulling all of his tube socks that have holes. I discovered the first winter after my amputation that his tube socks fit perfectly over my limb. The sock is snug enough to stay in place but isn't tight enough to be uncomfortable. I seek the ones with holes as a courtesy so I don't stretch out his good socks.

With my stump socks identified, I rummaged through the closet until I found my heating pad. It took me 20 minutes to find something that should have been easy to locate. I really need to clean my closet! Despite the clutter, I kept looking because when I come inside from playing in the snow, my stump often needs to be warmed quickly. Wrapping it with a warm heating pad feels heavenly on extremely cold days and was worth the hunt.

While I was in the closet, I spied my box of hand warmers down from the top shelf. Incidentally I also dislodged 20 rolls of toilet paper, a fish tank filter and a set of hot hair rollers which had been precariously balanced next to the warmers. Another reminder that I really need to clean my closet!

The air activated little hand warmer pads have been an integral part of my winter arsenal since I discovered that they work inside my prosthetic. Each morning I toss one in the bottom of my socket before I put on my leg. Because the warmers are flat and don't require a lot of space, my prosthetic fit isn't compromised. The hand warmer heats my socket for up to 8 hours!

With my socks, heating pad, and hand warmers secure, I am ready for winter. Jack Frost can hit us with his hardest shot in the coming weeks, but my leg will stay nice and toasty. And if we do happen to have a blizzard this winter, I now know how I'll spend my time waiting out the storm-- cleaning my closets!