Rest?

My leg is improving, but the progress has been excruciatingly slow. I was hopeful that the sores would be closed and healed by now, but they are certainly taking their time. At this point, I need to be satisfied with the fact that they are not infected, and that they are slowly starting to shrink. Although the healing is slow, the fact that it no longer hurts to don my leg and walk is a victory I will embrace.  The absence of pain has been liberating, leaving me feeling energized and happier. 

I have no doubt that the sores would be completely healed if I could go a few days without wearing my leg. Each morning I vow to take it easy and to remove my liner as much as possible. Then Timmy starts running around the house and the chaos of life with a toddler begins. I shutter to think of what would happen if he had the advantage of my being slowed with crutches or my knee scooter.  Because I continue to wear my leg, my healing time has been extended from a few days to a few weeks. 

This weekend will be spent trying to strike the nearly impossible balance between resting my leg and entertaining Timmy. I am tiring of worrying about the sores and constantly checking for size and infection. I'm looking forward to being normal again.

Podcast

After the news of the LCD (Medicare) proposal being pulled from contention, Dave and I immediately scheduled our next podcast. I know that his schedule is hectic, but I also recognize that he is a leading expert on this issue and his perspective would be valuable to document.  We typically try to record when we know our houses will be quiet, but this time we felt that being timely trumped delaying because of ambient noises.  We did our best to create a quiet recording environment, but despite our efforts you will hear Timmy screaming in the background, Robby squawking about a video game and Dave's wife talking.

Despite the audible contributions from our families, this podcast provides a concise explanation of the complex issues. We discuss what happened, decipher the carefully worded response from the White House, and offer predictions of what we expect to happen in the coming months. Enjoy!


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Early Morning

I used to love the first few days after turning back the clock. I remember basking in the extra hour of sleep and how the benefits were felt for days until my body fully adjusted. Then I had kids, and the days that I had previously enjoyed turned against me in the most ironic manner.

Children, especially toddlers, have no concept of time or the clock. My little tireless Timmy has woken at 3 AM every morning this week. The fact that it is pitch dark outside and that the house is quiet, seem to be irrelevant. I've been trying to keep him up later in the evening to encourage a later wake-up time, but so far our efforts are in vain. Where he is alert and ready to play at an obscene hour, I find myself struggling to function. A steady stream of coffee has become my faithful companion as I try to wrangle an energetic and mischievous toddler. 

Sitting in the dark and quiet room, trying to rock a wiggly and energetic Timmy, my mind begins to wander.  This morning I envisioned my future, visiting him when he is grown and settled with a family of his own. I was reminded that these long and exhausting days will not last forever. Before I am ready, my house will be quiet and I will again have the luxury of sleeping. Soon, this will be nothing more than a memory.  When I am visiting a grown up Timmy, I plan on reminding him of these special hours we spent together. 

Thinking about my future, I couldn't help but smile as my mind concocted the perfect scenario.  I plan on waking him up at 3 AM by frantically demanding breakfast. I will throw the scrambled eggs on the floor, his windows and his cat. I'll stomp and squawk when he fails to read my mind, threatening to wake up everybody in his house with my tantrum. When he thinks that I am calm and happy, I am going to sneak into his bathroom and unravel an entire roll of toilet paper through his hallway before I disrobe and pee on his floor.

I know that these early morning wake up calls won't last forever. In the meantime, I will probably continue to spend the wee hours of the morning imagining my revenge.

We Did It!!

Friday morning I received news that left me absolutely overwhelmed with excitement. Although my first instinct was to log onto my blog to share, I knew that I needed to wait for the official announcement or risk being cut out of the information loop. I was assured that the announcement was imminent, so I eagerly refreshed my inbox and constantly checked my phone throughout the day.  By nightfall I finally received word that the announcement was being held until Monday morning because the powers-that-be didn't want to bury good news over the weekend. 

Yesterday, around 2 in the afternoon, the White House finally issued a follow-up response to our We the People petition.  In short, we won! Although the wording stopped short of using the term "rescind" the White House response indicates that the current draft policy will not be finalized. Instead, a "multidisciplinary Lower Limb Prostheses Interagency Workgroup" will be convened in 2016 to draft a policy that makes sense. Upon reading of the formation of this group I immediately reiterated my offer to serve on the committee. I am hopeful that they will include "real life" amputees in this workgroup, but the membership requirements was deliberately vague in the issued statements.

The statement did ensure that whatever the workgroup proposes will be subject to public response and input.  The opportunity for input was not guaranteed until this statement was released. Rest assured, I will closely monitor the situation and provide updates throughout the process.  Hopefully the new draft policy will be fiscally sound without restricting prosthetic care.  If it is lacking, I am fully prepared to respond.

Although I know that the battle to ensure quality prosthetic care for all amputees is far from over, today I will celebrate this victory.  The community rallied, and we were able to thwart Medicare from adopting an atrocious policy.  With professional groups, manufacturers and a small army of grassroots advocates working together, we were able to effect meaningful change. I am so incredibly proud to have been part of this effort!

Halloween Round-Up

Another successful Halloween is in the books. Scott and Robby took off on the scooter in search of the "good candy." The pair scouted our area in the summer with the theory that the bigger the house, the bigger the candy score. For Robby, the joy of Halloween lies in the pursuit of candy. He still doesn't eat it, but has created a game out of getting as much as possible in the two hour window. 

With Robby and Scott trolling for the good candy, Timmy and I went trick-or-treating up our street. My little eaglet thoroughly enjoyed prancing down the street flapping his wing but seemed ambivalent about approaching houses. I finally convinced him to go to two doors, but by the time he was finished, an hour had elapsed. I picked up my now screaming eagle, his pumpkin carrying the two pieces of candy and schlepped him home.

After tucking Timmy into his crib, I settled in for a night of welcoming trick-or-treaters. I waited until the boys returned at 8:30 before shutting off our lights, disappointed that we only had one group of trick-or-treaters all night. Robby fared far better, bounding up the stairs with two grocery bags full of candy.  His hypothesis of the bigger the house, the better the candy had been tested and proven correct. The amount of candy he scored borders on obscene. 

Robby will probably spend the next few days organizing, sorting and admiring his candy haul. By the end of the week the novelty will be gone, and we will send the loot  with Scott to give to his students. I'm sure that they will appreciate his efforts.