Walking Spirit

Sorry this is late. Today has been a busy day. In fact, it's been a busy week! As I mentioned last week the left leg doesn't feel very good. After working with it over the weekend the pain was steadily increasing. On Saturday I noticed a lot of bruising. On Sunday some of the skin that is grafted onto my left leg had begun to break down.

So, on Monday I went to the Prosthetist's office and they made some adjustments to the socket and the height of the left leg. It's still a little uncomfortable but most of the pain is gone. With the distraction of the pain gone, and Renee's pushing (sometimes literally), I've finally been able to figure out how this new leg works! And, as a direct result, walking is starting to get easier!

So, here's how it works. My right leg, when I'm standing, is locked in a straight position. The left leg has a hydraulic knee which bends with a lot of resistance (which is very helpful when I want to sit down). However, for walking purposes, the hydraulic resistance gets in the way when I'm trying to step forward. It basically causes my toe to drag and I look like I'm walking in molasses. So, there is a particular hip movement that will release the hydraulic pressure and allow my leg to swing forward in a more natural movement. Up until today I was not able to get this motion! Whenever it did happen it was completely unintentional and I couldn't duplicate it.

Today was my first day back in PT (Physical Therapy) since Friday. Also, my first day really working with the leg since the adjustments were made on Monday. (So I took Tuesday off. Renee wasn't happy about it but I think I deserved it!) Renee of course chooses this day to make me perform in front of an audience. Sarah and Liz (the PT and the OT from the ARC) stopped by to watch. (Remember them, without them I wouldn't have made it home for Christmas.) I had stopped by to see Sarah and Liz last Friday but Liz wasn't there. So Liz demanded that I walk for her.

After a couple laps along the parallel bars Renee and I took our weekly walk down the hallway to the OT gym. Normally what happens at this point is we take a break, I drink some water, and a young lady named April gives me a cool damp rag to mop my brow. Then we get up and walk back to the PT gym. This time Renee sent April off on an errand while we took our break. When April returned she had a pair of crutches.

Let me put this in perspective. I've been using a walker with one leg for about three weeks. Last Friday was the first time that I walked with both legs and a walker. And here's Renee with a pair of crutches! Her pushing hasn't failed me yet so I gave it a shot. It certainly wasn't as stable as the walker but once I got moving I was finally able to control the knee movement!

Getting up and sitting down with the crutches are much more difficult than with the walker. In fact, I wasn't able to stand up with the crutches. But, with practice hopefully we will get to that point. Only time will tell.

That's it for now. Before I go, I should also tell you that these last two posts have been from my home. I spent most of last week here and am spending most of this week here as well. Have a great week!