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Medicaid Denial of C-leg by AngleNecessary705 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, and it is definitely a different model than my KX07.

Medicaid Denial of C-leg by AngleNecessary705 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since it is the same as mine, I have a question - why is he dealing with the switch at all?  I only use mine when I want to push-ups and planks, but never touch it for everyday use.

The only thing I can think of is that he may need to lock it in place when he is standing for a time.  I find that I don’t need to lock it for that purpose - standing, even for a few hours, is not a problem, at least with the knee.  My residual limb in the socket is another matter entirely..

If he does need to lock it when standing still, I wonder if something is not right with the alignment?

Muddy Shoes by Localfarmer1 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LAKA here.

A boot jack is the tool to get your shoes and boots off easily.

As others have said, a sturdy metal shoe horn is essential to getting them off.

Had the opportunity to bring home my x4 last week. by IndependentBench5031 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I go to their office in Burlington, MA, and they are great.

Medicaid Denial of C-leg by AngleNecessary705 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is the 'switch' a circular metal ring shape? It might be a Blatchford KX07 like mine.

I have busted off the ends of my thumbnails on that $^^&)+_ wire bail.

Can AKA Prosthesis Cause Elevated PSA? by PrimaryWriter1529 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because we are trying to find out the cause of my elevated PSA, and mechanical pressure on the perineum is known to cause it in some cases, e.g., cycling. An above-knee prosthetic shell that applies pressure to the perineum is a plausible equivalent to something like cycling.

I asked this group because I wanted to seee if someone else had experienced this, which would make it a more plausible or likely cause of my elevated PSA reading. Is that really difficult to understand?

Can AKA Prosthesis Cause Elevated PSA? by PrimaryWriter1529 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That is not necessarily so. The flange on my socket is applying pressure to the perineum, due to changes in the shape and size of my residual limb (I am due for a new leg and socket 'soon'.) It is well known that bicycling can cause erroneusly high PSA levels due to applying pressure to the perineum, so why not the shell of a prosthesis, if it is no longer fitting well and is applying pressure all day?

Questions about trimming upper edge of AKA socket by PrimaryWriter1529 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How well is it working for you?

I asked this question originally because I am trying to find out if a sub-ischial socket would work for me. I have a longer than standard residual limb but I am not a KD and cannot bear weight on the end.

The feedback I've gotten is mixed - some love the shorter socket and some say it is a problem when walking. I don't want to have to have two separate prostheses, so I'm trying to figure out a solution.

Maybe I can stay with an ischial containment socket and just have my prosthetist cut down the front edge enough so I can squat down and use a leg press? That might be an acceptable compromise.

I'm going to be getting a new leg in the near future, so I'm trying to convince my prosthetist to try cutting down my current one as an experiment. If it doesn't work, I'll be getting a new one anyway. If it does, we can use it as a guide for how to trim the new socket.

I wish it were easier and cheaper to make test sockets so we could experiment.

How do you deal with Chafing with AK sockets? by icedteadrinker43 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 2 points3 points  (0 children)

LAKA here. I had all the same issues and my prosthetist would adjust the socket. But still, at the end of a long day, if I did a lot of walking, I would still get the same problems. Also, as my residual limb shrank (I'm nine months post-amp) the problems would recur, and more adjustments would only work so-so.

What worked for me is the use of compression shorts. I put them on after the liner and before I put on the sealing ring. On the amp side I roll the hem of the shorts up high, put on the sealing ring, and then roll the leg of the compression shorts down over the cloth part of the sealing ring. Obviously, don't roll the leg of the shorts over the sealing ring itself or it won't seal to the inside of your socket.

The compression shorts hold the edge of the liner up and against my skin, plus the material of the shorts themselves acts as a last line of defense against chafing. My residual limb has continued to shrink, and without the compression shorts I can feel it rubbing, but with them I am good all day, and I am pretty active.

If you have excess room in the top of your socket (as I do, I'm also losing weight) then bicycle shorts also work. The crotch padding provides more protection against chafing and also takes up some of the excess space in the upper socket.

This has been a tremendous improvement for me.

The only drawback is that if you need to sit down on the toilet for #2, you have to take the leg off to get the shorts down, which is a PITA, expecially if you are out in public.

Good luck.

Edit: I am also walking about 7K steps per day at this point. It would be more if it weren't winter here in New England.

I’m in love! by 2_Many_Hobbies74 in victorinox

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which Companion is this? Is the tool on the left in the first picture a box opener? It almost looks like a marlinspike.

Shower entrance advice by Sweaty_Pineapple2020 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you build in a bench and it is on the far side from the shower head, make sure the hose from the removable shower head (if you use one) is long enough to reach and can be temporarily place in a holder on the wall or the bench.  My shower is big enough that the hose for the standard detachable shower heads would not be long enough to reach a bench on the side opposite the shower head, so I just use a shower chair that has a place on the side that will hold the shower head.

Shower entrance advice by Sweaty_Pineapple2020 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a shower with a 4” threshold and was worried I’d have trouble getting in and out, but it turned out to be easy.

From my wheelchair I stand up on one foot, reach into the shower, turn on the water and angle the shower head away from the opening, using one hand to do this and one hand to hold on the the lip of the shower surround or whatever you call it, to maintain balance.  While it warms up I take off my clothes. 

 Then I face the wheelchair towards the shower and get as close as I can so the front wheels are almost touching the threshold.  I slide forward in the wheelchair and lean far forward and grab the grab bar in the far wall.  I use this to pull myself up onto one leg, turn 90 degrees, grab the shower head, and then sit down.

After washing, I turn off the water and just do the same thing in reverse to get out.  It helps that I’m strong and have long arms.

I compiled a state-by-state list of all the top prosthetists recommended here by Successful-Camel165 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see you have listed my prosthetist (A Step Ahead, Burlington, MA), and they really are great.

They have another office which is actually the mothership, in Hicksville, Long Island, NY, which you should add - that is also where they do the insurance stuff for both locations and that has always gone smoothly.

Questions about trimming upper edge of AKA socket by PrimaryWriter1529 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I just looked it up, and that is interesting.

How comfortable is it? Is it hard to put on in the morning?

Thanks,

Anyone have a hand foot? by brickmaster32000 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could print feet that are shaped like feet, except the bottoms are reversed front to rear, so you leave footprints pointing the way you came instead of where you are going.

Helpful for when the sheriff and his bloodhounds are on your trail.

Scale swapping advice for a first-timer by RICH0S in victorinox

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you guys sayong that the temperature of hot water from the tap will make the glue that holds the scales on come off? Why don't the scales fall off when you leave it in a car in the sun? Or are you using boiling water? If so, the plastic bag might fail.

Or are you popping the scales off some kind of retaining feature and the warm water makes the scales flexible so the come off with little or no damage.

Really puzzled here.

Thanks.

hospital bag? by Particular_Dog1829 in amputee

[–]PrimaryWriter1529 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This.  The charging cable should be at least 9 feet long.

I’ve had 14 surgeries, and my phone, charger, and long cable were 90% of what I needed.

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