We slept well and I got up late. Maddie was waiting to make breakfast.
I still have lots of Phantom Pain. It causes my legs to spasm and shake. The Phantom Pain seems less if I am real busy, or asleep. That again makes me think it is mental, not physical.
We decided to do some shopping. We are low on veggies. Maddie drove us to a nearby shopping center. It is laid out like a huge strip mall. It is about 1 km long and on 3 levels.
She dropped me at the lowest end, and we would meet at the car near the top end. She would shop, and I would crutch.
I started at the lowest end of the mall, and climbed up the stairs, then went down the stairs, then back up the stairs. The stairs are right next to the escalator, so few people were using the stairs.
An old man stopped and asked me if I was practicing. I said yes. He said that my technique looked good, but I need to work on strength. Then he walked off.
The next obstacle was an escalator that was out of service. There were no elevator or stairs visible. The downward stream of people coming down the escalator made it hard for the up people to push past. Me going up would jam the whole thing for a few minutes.
I stopped a guy that collects the used shopping trolleys from the parking lot. I greeted him in Setswana, hoping he wasn't Zulu. We traded pleasantries, then I asked him where the stairs were. He walked and showed me. When he left he parted with the phrase. "Hamba Gahle N'Kosi". That is Zulu for "Travel well my King". That was nice. :-)
Another level of stairs and I was on the final level. I found the beetle and sat inside. I was tired, and my good leg was tired.
Today is a dry, windy, clear, hot day. Temp is 32C (90F). The dark green beetle heated up quickly. When Maddie got to the car we both decided to head home, and do veggie shopping another day.
At home I got the shakes. I took a muscle relaxer, and 2 pain pills. Maddie massaged my stump for awhile. The phantom pain stays away while the stump is being massaged. This proves that phantom pain is physical.
I went to bed and slept for an hour. I awoke to no Phantom Pain. Maddie had lunch ready, and we sat down, Then the Pain started up. It has to be mental if it stops when I sleep. Maybe I just need to be unconscious the rest of my life to remain pain free. There has to be a trigger to start the pain. There also has to be a mental state of mind that tells the pain to take a break. Then there must be a trigger to start the pain.
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21:00
I am getting ready to shower. Showers are nightmare.
On Monday morning a Handyman is coming to quote on redoing the shower. He will also quote on putting up bed rails, and more grab bars in the bathroom. I want to replace all towel rails with grab bars, and use them as towel rails.
I need to work on the mental aspects of Phantom Pain. I am sure that somewhere is a switch to stop it. I have read many good articles on Phantom Pain .
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/126/3/579
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140708-the-man-who-treats-phantom-pain
It seems that when I am unconscious, that there is no pain. It does not wake me up. Some times physical stump pain wakes me, but not the Phantom Pain. When I awake, there is no pain for up to a minute, then it starts. Sometimes when I am very busy doing something, there is no Phantom Pain. Like today on the stairs.
Now to shower....
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