Update:
Tuesday (11/8): On Tuesday, I drove 500 miles by myself. I had a follow-up appointment scheduled with
my surgeon in Indianapolis. He wanted to
see me face-to-face, so I made the trip.
This is the first long drive that I’ve done by myself in over two
years. Normally my sciatic and lower
back pain won’t let e ride in a vehicle for more than an hour. With the pain meds that I was on for that
issue, I would never think of driving that distance. But my sciatic and lower back pains have been
dormant since the surgery, so although I was a bit nervous, I gave it a
shot. I was uncomfortable, especially
for the second half but I made it! That
was a victory!
Wednesday (11/9): I had a great
appointment with my surgeon in Indianapolis today. I knew that I was doing
well, but I was surprised when the doctor told me he was approving me to be
immediately fitted for a prosthesis. It's only been 6 1/2 weeks since the
surgery. Usually it's 8-12 weeks before approval is given. I was expecting to
be approved in early December. There is
a picture of me, my surgeon (Dr. Ertl), and his nurse (who I email or call
weekly).
After that appointment, I went for my research appointment. They are tracking my ability to put pressure
on the end of the leg (an ability unique to an Ertl amputation). I was able to push 66 pounds. I still have a ways to go (eventually I will
be able to bear all my weight on the end of my stump), but that is real
progress!
Then I drove down to Cincinnati (another 100 miles) to have a
consult appointment with my prosthetist, Rob. We were just going to talk today about my
activities, interests, etc. Instead with the doctor's script, he started fitting my prosthesis! He took a cast of my leg for the socket that
afternoon.
I originally was planning to drive home on Thursday. But with the potential of having a leg built,
I'm staying for a few days. Not certain for how long yet. It all depends upon
how the fitting goes and you can only do so much each day before it’s too much
and the skin breaks down. Since this was
unplanned, Rob is graciously squeezing
me in between other clients since I'm already here in town. I’m very thankful for his willingness to help
me get as much done in a single trip (It’s a 600 mile trip one-way from home to
his office).
I am just overwhelmed that this trip has changed from a couple
hours follow-up with the surgeon and Rob to beginning to build my leg. There is a high probability that I will be
going home with a working temporary prosthesis!
I really didn’t see this happening until December so this has blown my
mind!
There are so many little things that had to fall into place for
this to even happen. My leg has exceeded
expectations so that the surgeon gives the okay. Rob does his own fabrication (instead of
sending it off to a lab) so there is an overnight turn around. Rob was willing to squeeze me into his busy
schedule at the last moment. My wife and
I had discussed the slim possibility of this happening so I brought extra
clothes with me just in case. With that
in mind, I also brought all the parts and pieces of my previous sockets down
with me so I have the foot, foot shell, elevated vacuum pump, etc. so that
Rob didn’t have to order parts for this trial version. Rob "just happened" to have a liner
that fit the dimensions of my leg in stock (this part would normally have to be
ordered). I definitely see the hand of God in what is
happening. I'm thankful for all those who have been praying for me.
Thursday (11/10): This turned out to be a
very productive day! The picture is me standing in a check socket. It fit well right off the bat that Rob immediately
made a test leg with it for me to try. And I WALKED!!!! Walking back and forth
in the bars, we got it pretty well aligned, etc. It felt kind of strange and
scary, but much more so exciting and wonderful all at once. Some discomfort but
not painful. After a couple of hours
work (walk a little, adjust and tweak a lot) it was enough and we called it a
day. I took the leg off and climbed back into the wheelchair.
Today's my birthday and I treated myself to dinner at Outback
Steakhouse. Yum! I even had leftovers for Friday’s dinner.
They say that the best gifts are things that you've made and
that reflect the individuals likes and dislikes. If that's the case, Rob is
making me one of the best gifts for my birthday that I could get!
Friday (11/11): Friday morning, I went back to Rob's
office to walk some more. Walking allows problems to show up so the leg can be
adjusted. So I'll walk a few hours tomorrow and we'll evaluate if it's good to
go or if I need to stick around for more work.
I had a slight bruise on the end of my tibia. It’s kind of sore and something that must be
closely monitored to ensure that I don’t damage my leg. With some adjustments, I was still able to
walk some in the morning. I’ve made excellent progress getting this far! There is a
video of me walking in the bars.
After talking with Rob (and with
my wife’s approval) I'm staying over the weekend in Cincinnati. I've got some
slight bruising, so I'm icing and resting the leg over the weekend so we can
start again on Monday. I was walking pretty well by the time we quit at noon.
We're on the right track, just can't force it or push too hard without causing
a serious setback.
The Future: I’m not certain
how long I’ll be staying. Right now it
is one day at a time as we work to make the leg as comfortable as
possible. There is the reality that my
leg still needs additional time to heal (so it’s less sensitive) and my leg
will shrink some as I walk in this prosthesis.
So when I am back at home, I will slowly be increasing my time and
activity. I’ve got a lot of muscle and
stamina to rebuild, so it will be a process.
And I know that I will be back to Cincinnati for a smaller socket as I
shrink (Rob thinks that will be in December).
Making a prosthesis at a distance is a big investment; but nobody in my
area has an experience in working with Ertl amputees, so I’ve got to make this investment
in time, money, and travel.
And even with the discomfort I currently have, it is OBVIOUS that the
revision surgery was a complete success!!!!
Even right now at this early stage, this is a monumental improvement and
reduction in pain.
Humor: And on a final humorous note, for the
most part here if I hear an accent, it’s a slight southern drawl. But there are also folks with more of the
east coast “fast talk” than I am used to hearing in Wisconsin (or Missouri). I’ve had a couple of people ask me if I had a
“baloney” amputation. I was confused at
first until they explained, “Is it an above knee or ‘baloney’ amputation?” Ohhhh!
I had a “below knee” amputation.
Ha! Ha!
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