Saturday, January 3, 2015

Saturday (1/3/2015)

Update:

A few days ago, my prosthetist had me slightly alter my foam liner.  It is complicated but my style of prosthesis has several parts.  From the inside out, they are the silicone liner that rolls directly onto my leg.  Then there is a foam liner that goes on top of that.  It’s job is to cushion and help fill in the irregular empty spaces between my leg and the hard outer shell, the socket.  Usually between the silicone liner and foam liner, various ply (thickness) of socks are worn as my leg changes volume throughout the day.  Normally 1-3 ply of sock is considered a good fit.  The prosthesis has to fit snugly on the leg so there is no rubbing or movement, etc.  Think about how painful a shoe that doesn’t fit well can become as you walk in it.

My foam liner has a cup-like piece in the bottom of it.  The bottom of my stump shouldn’t ever touch it as the weight is supported in other areas of the leg.  Although there hasn’t been any evidence that I am “bottoming out” (redness on my stump, or the foam showing signs of compression, etc.) the bottom of my stump has been sore.  So my prosthetist had me remove the cup a few days ago.  I have to say that so far I haven’t had that painful soreness.  That’s a nice improvement!

While I haven’t had pain, it has changed the number of ply socks that I am wearing.  Prior to removing the cup I was wearing 3-7 ply during the day.  Now I am wearing 5-10 ply.  This is the first time I’ve comfortably worn 9 or 10 ply.  I should be cast for a new socket next week, which will be smaller in size and fit more snugly without so many socks.  Meanwhile, I always carry an assortment of socks with me and make numerous adjustments to what I am wearing throughout the day.

Thought for the Day:

What one or two words come to mind if someone mentions my name to you?  What about you?  What words would someone use to describe you as a person?  Your close friends might have a vastly different perception of who you are than your casual acquaintances or co-workers.  If you are feeling brave maybe you should ask some people, “When someone mentions my name, what words come to mind that you think best describes me?”  You might be surprised at what you find out!

A good follow up question to ask ourselves is, “What words do I want people to use to describe me?”  I think that we can agree that words like “rich, famous, powerful, beautiful,” and those like them, should not be our primary goal.  I’d rather words like “faithful, loyal, dependable, a man of faith” and those like them, describe me.

The next question we should ask ourselves is, “Do the words that people use to describe me match my list of most desired words?”  If so, wonderful!  If not, what do I need to change in my life so that those desired qualities are evident to everyone?  Sometimes different groups of people see us in a different light.  Sometimes that is unavoidable.  Your spouse and children will know you more intimately than anyone else and probably get to see the “real” you.  Other people will often see another side of you.  That’s not altogether bad, unless you are purposefully attempting to hide who you are or to present yourself as something you are not.

Don’t erect a façade to hide behind.  Let’s be honest and forthright.  Let’s be ourselves; but the best version of ourselves that we can be.  Let’s be the kind of person that we can be proud of so that when people think about who to describe us, they mention only positive and inspiring qualities.  Let us be the kind of people that reflect the goodness and glory of God. 


2 Corinthians 3:18   “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

No comments:

Post a Comment