01:10
I haven't been blogging lately.
All my friends are doing exciting things, and I am doing nothing exciting at all.
I have friends going on an ocean cruise to Alaska.
I have friends receiving awards, and traveling America.
I have friends going to Ireland with family.
I am trying to get off Lyrica and Cymbalta. Boring!
After 6 weeks of gradual reduction of both Lyrica and Cymbalta, I am now taking neither. This may sound like a big deal, but here I sit at, one in the morning with itching all over, and just enough PLP to not be able to sleep.
I fear that it will take a long time to get over the Lyrica withdrawal symptoms.
Last week I tried to take no pain killers, and no muscle relaxers before bed. I found myself itching all over at 2 in the morning. Then a few pain killers and a sleeping pill finally took the itching away after a few hours.
Last night I tried to take no pain killers, and no muscle relaxers again. Here I am again, itching all over, and not able to sleep. Doing this means I finally get to sleep around 4 or 5, and sleep till noon. My whole life is out of sync with the rest of the world.
I have been wearing my leg every day for about 5 or 6 hours. One problem I have now, is that the stump has shrunk enough that I have to put 3 thick wool socks over the stump to make it fit snugly in the socket.
Wearing thick socks, seems to reduce the sensitivity of feedback while walking. It makes the whole experience even more un-enjoyable than normal.
I do seem to be able to easily walk about 2 to 3 kilometers with out stress. My walking speed is slower than a few weeks ago. A more leisurely pace, but more sustainable. Not really exercise as much as just going for a walk. If I just go for a walk, I seem to do about 2.7 or 2.8 km/hr. When I walk fast I can do 3.2 km/hr.
I have had a few scares lately, but I can't call them falls, as I never got to the ground. But they were loss of balance enough to make me fall toward the ground. Both times something stopped the fall.
My stump starts to chaff between the silicone liner and the stump after a few kilometers. Before I walk I smear glycerin around the top of the liner in the groin area. This helps, but does wear off. I tried some stuff called BodyGlide. It is an anti chaffing "solution" that comes in an applicator like deodorant. It is used for runners and fat people to lubricate the skin where ever it rubs.
What a waste of money. Some people on the internet rave about how it is like Teflon for the skin. It feels more like contact cement to me. I will still use glycerin until I can find something better.
The anti chaffing gel/cream/liquid must not get wiped off, and must be sweat and water resistant.
My prosthetic guy, Bradly, called yesterday. He found a loaner "Total Knee 2000". The knee I am using now is a loaner, while my knee is getting repaired. But it is the exact same model as my own knee is.
I am looking forward to trying another type of knee. The Total Knee 2000 is a whole different philosophy and engineering design from my normal knee.
The Total Knee 2000 should be a better knee for around the house, where my knee is more a walking knee. Most of my falls, or scares have been taking small little steps, or just shifting my body around.
The Total Knee 2000 is best when walked at a specific cadence and gait.
I am anxious to try the Total Knee 2000. Not because I want to own one, but because one of the best knees available (KX06) is a combination of my Mauch Knee and the Total Knee 2000. That combination "sounds" like the best of both knees.
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