Up early getting things done. I am still waiting for authorization to get 6 months of medicines from the medical aid people. I fear I'll be going for 6 months, with only one month of drugs.
I just did laundry.
I should be at the prosthesis place in an hour. For a last check and tightening of everything.
I am finding the air bladders to be more uncomfortable than using stump socks. Stump socks distribute the weight all over the stump, where bladder only press where the bladders are. It is far easier to just pump the bladders when the socket becomes loose, or my stump goes down inside to far, than it is to put stump socks on, but there is more discomfort. The bladders are great for when I am in a store, or someplace that is inconvenient to put on another stump sock.
If I give a pump every hour or so, then the stump never gets too far into the socket, and when the bladders get uncomfortable, I release the bladders, and put on a stump sock.
Of course the whole bladder/stump sock thing is for when I am just walking short distances. On a long walk it would be different. If I plan my day for only short walks, then I can manage quite well. I have not used a cane for 2 days, and have been wearing the prosthesis for about 10 hours a day.
Every evening when I take off the liner there are blisters on the stump. The blisters go away over night, and by the morning they are usually gone.
Blisters can have many reasons for forming. But they form easier in hot and moist conditions. Like inside my silicone liner. I am paranoid about any chemicals inside the liner, and I wash the liner every time I take it off with special bacterial soap that has no added chemicals, and I rinse the liner well.
I don't think the majority of my blisters are caused by friction. Some are caused at the edge of where I put slippery lubricant. The skin gets a shear force where the lubricated area ends, and the sticky silicone begins.
Little blisters on the end of the stump are caused by the suction sucking water out of the skin. Those go away in a few hours when the suction is reduced.
The worst blisters are at the edge of the air bladders. It is like the increased force of the bladders makes that skin slide less than the skin right next to the bladders, and that shear force causes blisters. They don't go away so quick, and can sometimes still be there the next morning.
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Nov 15 2016 - Tuesday 08:10
I got up early, and re-re-rechecked my suit case. Made coffee, then checked online for mail. First thing was a letter from Delta Airlines saying my flight for today has been canceled. The incoming flight didn't happen because a truck hit the plane while loading the baggage in Atlanta.
They rebooked me, but there is no "wheel chair" accessible flights available this week.
I sent a mail to my travel agent, making it her problem. Now I wait.
Yesterday I spent 4 hours with the prosthetic people. They were great. I got tons of spares and foam, and tape, and glue, and screws, and bolts. They showed me how to do every thing to repair the prosthetic leg if necessary.
The Medical aid came back saying that since my medication was on their Oncology plan, I could not get advanced medication. I can only do that on "Chronic" medications, so they are transferring all my Oncology medicine to Chronic. This can take a week, so I was leaving today with only one month of medicines.
I will have to eat out till the next available flight, because I ran my house out of food, planning on leaving the fridge off and open from this morning.
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In the old days, the only thing in life, that was out of your control, was nature.
It used to be that a person worried about the weather, getting eaten, volcanoes, meteorite strikes, and earth quakes. Now a person's life is affected by SWAT teams, legislation, traffic congestion, bureaucracy, and corporate greed, in addition to nature.
I guess that is why some people prefer to live in Northern Alaska or Canada. There you only contend with nature. What a refreshing thought.
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16:30
Delta just called and said they will give me the same seat and wheelchair access tomorrow. So maybe I'll only be a day late.
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