Chronicle of a Prosthetic Limb.....PART TWO

My initial prosthetic consultation was with a prosthetist who is new to me, recommended by my orthopedic specialist. So here we are, me, my husband Duane and two of our kids. I really love having Duane come along with me to these important appointments, because he is a better advocate for me than I am for myself and because we each catch different things. During and after the appointment, we mull over what is being discussed and usually end up with a more complete picture, and make better decisions as a result. The prosthetist is a very energetic, positive, friendly man. I like him. He's personable, a good listener. My current prosthesis is a dinosaur. It's one piece, with a Seattle foot, which is....functional, but that's about it. I am an active person and I need to keep up with four children ages 4 to 11. My main reason for my initial consultation was to relieve the pain I have had on my knee due to pressure and friction.

Echelon Foot

Right away, after looking at my current prosthesis, the CPO (prosthetist) is sure that he can fabricate a new prosthesis for me that will allow me to be pain-free and more fully functional. He recommends a socket that utilizes a gel liner (no more socks) and is suspended with a gel-lined knee sleeve; he wants to try to use the Echelon foot, which has a multi-axis ankle joint with hydraulics to aid with hill ascension/descension and stairs and is more comfortable for walking on uneven surfaces. So, I am feeling very excited. If I can do all of those things without pain, I will be a happy lady! He tells me he will have me running! I'm thinking, "I just want to to walk without pain." He casts me for the gel liner using conventional plaster. I have memories of claustrophobia feelings when one of those casts gets stuck, he used cellophane before applying the plaster, and when the plaster was dry, it slipped off with no problem.                                                        

        

My amputation is called a Syme amputation which basically separates the ankle from the tibia (I do not have a fibula). For me, this leaves a long residual limb and a limited amount of clearance between the end of my stump and the floor, into which space the prosthetic foot and its mechanics must fit. It's going to be tight, so my CPO will research this and let me know what he finds on the next visit.

One last important part of this visit was a temporary fix for the pain I am experiencing with my current prosthesis. For this, the CPO applied a gel-lined knee sleeve over my prosthesis. I was amazed at the immediate relief I felt as a result. When I went to bed that night, I was amazed at how light my leg felt right up until I removed the prosthesis for the night. We left that day with great hopes for this new prosthetic limb to help me with removing pain and increasing function.

My next appointment was one month later because I could not make it in over the Christmas holiday what with our having company in and out over a three week period. During that month, however I have a couple of anecdotes to share. First, I developed a pretty severe rash on the skin above the knee sleeve, red, extremely itchy and raised. I thought I must be allergic to the sleeve material. I called my CPO. He said that it is quite unusual to have an allergic reaction to the sleeve, and to try washing it with mild soap and water. As a long-time amputee and prosthetic user, I have learned that I am very skeptical. I do not like new things. But right now, the thing I have is not working. So, I have to fight the urge to argue. I try washing the sleeve, knowing that this was an allergic reaction and washing it is not going to help. So this is step one towards trusting what the CPO tells me. After washing the sleeve, I have had no more problems. I figured out a couple of days later that sometime during the night, our cat would come into our room and rub up against my prosthesis as it was leaning on my night stand. So, of course that was causing the allergic reaction and when I washed the cat dander off.....no more problems! My second lesson was learned when I called the CPO about two new pressure sores on my knee. He told me to try cutting the top and bottom off one of my 3-ply socks and wearing that between the sock layers to build up the center a bit more. That should relieve my knee. Not quite so skeptical this time, when I gave it a try, it worked like a charm! Trust in your health care professional is very important and mine just earned huge points with this stubborn, doubting old amputee.

Venture Foot

At the second appointment, the CPO revealed the fabricated gel liner. We applied that to my limb and he used a fiberglass plaster to make a cast over the top of the liner. That will be used to fabricate the socket, which will be fitted at my next visit. He also shared that the Echelon foot would not have enough clearance with my limb and we would have to go with the Venture foot. This foot has multi-axis motion, but no hydraulics. Still a big improvement over what I have currently. Post Script.....after further measurements are taken, we are going to give the Echelon a try first. It will be close, but it just may work. Here's hoping! I sure was looking forward to taking those hills and stairs with some hydraulics in my ankle! And did I mention that I can also wear different heel heights? Right now, my shoes all have to have exactly a 5/8-inch heel height to accommodate the foot. Hmmmm. This new foot may feed my shoe fetish. Well, at 5 foot nothing, I could use a bit of a lift at the heel. Next installment....the socket fitting.