So, I haven’t put up a blog post in a while, and today is a boring day, so I figure writing is a good thing to kill some time. Trust me, I have a lot of time on my hands.
First, let me get some news updates out of the way!
My legs have been approved by insurance. The problem was apparently, any expensive leg is assumed to be an electronic leg with a built in knee. I, of course still have my knees, and a bit of leg left below each.
The reason I need a rather complex and extensive setup is because of the length of my residual limbs. After I got out of the coma my Behcet’s disease flared horribly on my legs. It left large ulcerated areas on my calves. Although my legs were alive all the way down to my ankles, the ulcers required shorter RLs. They didn’t have enough good skin left to sew up, so they had to go higher with the amputations.
Bummer, right?
So, any who, my legs are expensive. My prosthetics people re submitted to my insurance, noted every single nut and bolt, grommets and pins, socket and feet. I got a letter from insurance stating that they indeed think I need this kind of prosthetic. I kid you not, the paragraph describing the legs was five lines long!
So, anyway, my legs won’t be repo’ed. Yea me….. ( honestly, I think my prosthetics people would fight forever for me on this, they are really great people!)
Now, on to a day in the life……
My morning usually begins with a cup of coffee, mostly brought in by my mother, occasionally brought in by my father. Depending on how I slept the night before, I might be up with the sun, or up a little later. I don’t have a clock in my room, there are not enough plug ins for one. Mom got me a nice clock the other day that runs on batteries, but the stupid thing doesn’t keep time!
Anyway, as I have to scrounge for my phone to see the time, I often just instead wait until I hear movement in the house. Then the morning ritual of hollering for mom and asking for coffee. I once hollered for my folks only to realize it was not yet daylight! Glad they didn’t wake up!
So, I get coffee, and then usually toast with pb&j on it. Why not get up and get it yourself, you might ask? Well, mornings are the best time for me to enjoy no sensation in my legs. The moment I climb out of bed and start moving my legs get all buzzy and tingly. Imagine being able to feel the blood flow in your veins, but the blood is carrying and pulling along tiny marbles, which are rolling and bouncing around!
Very frustrating. After coffee and toast, I usually hang out in my bed, checking emails, cruising facebook, or reading for a bit. I usually don’t put my legs on first thing, and my first outing out of bed is in my chair. When you have to go to the bathroom, the chair is much faster than a walker!
After that first outing I might come back and put on my legs, and I might also crawl back into bed. What I have done today, for instance. When the folks are home, I have more of a reason to be out in the house. Today my folks are working, and the house is empty, so the most comfortable place to be is sitting up in bed.
When I get hungry, I fix my own lunch. Usually microwaveable food, as I can’t reach the stove to cook. I have fixed only one meal since I got sick, and that was a pot of chili. My son had to bring everything to the table and put the pot on a chair so I could reach it! My mother had to cook the beef and other things, so I didn’t make everything on my own.
After lunch I might go to the living room and watch TV for a while. By this time I usually have my legs on. I have probably already had a short walk with the walker. I normally can’t sit for more than an hour or two without my knees starting to ache. I am still getting used to having the prosthetics on.
When putting on my legs, there are a lot of things involved. I have urethane liners that are nearly half an inch thick in some places. They look like this:
I have to turn them inside out, then roll them up my leg. Not a problem for some, but with not much in the finger department on my left hand, this is a chore! After I get the liners on, I have to add some spacer socks over the liners, then put on my legs. The whole process now only takes me about ten minutes, and would take less if I asked for help, which I don’t. I like to be self sufficient in some things. 🙂
After I watch some TV, I might go back to my room and hang out. When I get bored I write, such as today. I have been outlining a short story I am going to work on with a friend of mine, and that project will keep me occupied for a bit. (hint, hint, Jenny Jenny!)
I do most of my writing with my iPad. Most all of my blogs are written with a wordpress app, and I have a really good word processor app that I use for other things. The keyboard on my net book computer is uncomfortable to work with now, and I can’t seem to tap the keys properly with my left pinkie. The virtual keyboard on the iPad does very well for me, though.
I spend a lot of time surfing the web on my iPad. This thing is so convenient for lots of stuff, I rarely use my computer anymore. I do a lot of wikipedia reading, as I have always had a love for expanding knowledge. Especially my own! I have no great love for school, bit I love to read!
I am currently researching motorcycles. I love to ride, but am afraid I won’t be able to ride the one I have now. I looked into the spyder reverse trike, but I have found something better. I have found a bobber style bike that is the size of a HD Sportster. It has a smaller displacement motor, so it has a very low center of gravity and is very light. It has a dry weight of less than three hundred pounds, so I think I will be able to handle it without wrecking or laying it over!
Speaking of wrecking, that put me on a search for something else. See, I had a very scary thought. What if I get into a car wreck? In my time in fire/rescue service, I have seen plenty of accidents involving dash board movement. You would be surprised how many times someone has been able to get their legs out from under a dash by wiggling their feet around and squirming out.
I won’t be able to wiggle my feet if I get into a wreck! What if I get into an accident and my prosthetic legs get trapped, in turn trapping me? I went looking for a solution. There are plenty of personal rescue tools out there. I wanted something that would be more tailored to my needs. This is what I found:
If I have on pants, I won’t be able to take off my prosthetics! I have to roll down the rubber and spandex to release the vacuum pressure, and that is impossible with long pants on. This tool would go straight through my pants with a the zipper hook, and also through the rubber vacuum liner. It could also cut through a seat belt.
I could free myself if need be with this if I needed to. Also, it is just a really cool knife. I have always been a pocket knife carrier, they are great tools to have. I now don’t have as much pocket real estate as I once had. I won’t have much use for my left hand pockets, as I can’t grip much with my left hand.
The big finger hole in the middle of this tool is a blessing as well. It assures me a firm grip with my non dominate hand. It comes with a locking belt sheath that rides parallel with the belt. No pocket required. Also, did I mention it was cool? 😉
There is not a fire/rescue operator out there that doesn’t have a million tools, flashlights and knives. We see cool stuff like that and convince ourselves we need that! Whatever “that” may be at the time. 🙄 FedEx says it is out on a truck for delivery today! 
Wow, that was the mother load of all getting of track, wasn’t it? Back to my average day…
By the time my folks get home, I am ready for dinner. I usually do a little more walking after dinner and then hang out with the parental units. We have a center island with bar stool high chairs, and I can sit on those now with my legs on.
Afterwards it might be TV watching or off to my room, as I have an xbox 360 and television there, as well. Sometimes I play games, but I mostly use it to watch movies or listen to music. The last.fm blues and jazz channel is one of my faves. My xbox ID is Smoakeater, add me if you want. I play a mean game of modern warfare, even with only one good hand!
When I finally bed down for the night the prosthetics come off. They are uncomfortable to lay out in. I generally read until I fall asleep, that is if my legs let me. I have had plenty of nights where they kept me up all night long. It is like trying to go to sleep with someone constantly tapping you on the shoulder. Doesn’t hurt, just irritates the hell out of ya!
My legs had settled down for a long time, but lately they are bothering me. My prosthetic guru tells me my nerves are regenerating, and looking for places to connect, and the feeling will fade over time. I hope so!
So, if I get to sleep, I start the process all over again in the morning…..
And that is a day in the life…….
My life 😉