July 26 2016 - Back in Pretoria

16:00
It has been a cold and rainy day. High was 12C (53F).  It is currently hailing.
I am SOOO much a hot and dry kind of guy!

After my latest fall and the resulting hurt back, I have been using way to many drugs. While sitting in the wheel chair in George, feeling sorry for myself, and wanting to take pills for my back,...and pills for my stump,...and pills for my PLP, it is very easy to just take lots of pills, and let the body sort out what it needs.

I have been thinking a lot about how some guys on the internet are playing with open source hardware prosthesis. They are not trying to make a leg or arm replacement, they are trying to do better than that.
 One guy has BBK (Bilateral Below Knee) amputations. That is both legs amputated below the knee. He is a semi-pro rock climber. His prosthesis have multiple shapes on the prosthetic foot for jamming in crevices, and standing on tiny ledges. He also made both legs much longer so he can reach far away stepping points. He now has climbed some routes that are humanly impossible.
On the TV show Bionic Builders they have a lower leg prosthesis that has a strong spring in the pylon to allow the user to dunk a basketball.
Maybe trying to mimic a knee is a small step. Why not do much more?
They have prosthetic hands with led lights in the fingertips, and sharp knives that come out of the fingers.
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I had planned on driving back to Pretoria from George, but a friend had a son that wanted a ride from George to Pretoria on Monday, so I came back a day early, but then he could drive the whole way. I could take pills that may not be best while driving.

My "chauffeur" was an interesting guy. He gave me a good feeling about the world future. I have met so many young people that are useless, and a waste of air. (I consider anyone under 50 to be young.) Talking to a good person, that is also young, was a pleasure.

About a third of the way into the drive back, we ran into snow. Snow in the Karoo desert.

Fortunately I talked my chauffeur out of throwing a snowball at me. I held the Padkos (Road Food) that Maddie had made us for the trip, as hostage. Included in the Padkos was some excellent meatballs that he wouldn't want to give up.

The trip took about 4 hours less than when I drove it last. But then, I stopped to nap lots. My driver just drove straight through with only stops for fuel.

I miss Maddie. I'm sure she is busy getting ready for her trip to Ireland. I am not sure when we will be together again. Maybe in September. As usual, everything depends on the prosthesis guy, and the Oncologist. Not only do I feel I have little say in my future, but sometimes I feel that I am not even consulted.

One thing I do think about is whether I want to try to get the prosthesis working again. I am relatively pain free right now, and the risk of hurting the stump and increasing the PLP just doesn't seem like it is worth the price. Absence of pain is a wonderful thing. But walking with a prosthetic leg is also a good thing.

What do I do?

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July 14 201 - Stump trouble, and a visit to Maddie

I am in George visiting Maddie for about 10 days.

Last week I was supposed to go for an Oncologist visit. She called me the morning before, and said that she was cancelling my appointment, and could I come on the 29th of August. That was on the 5th of July.  I can't believe the next available date was 7 weeks later. So...I did not make an appointment. That will teach her. If I die before then, that would show her. I can't be made to wait 7 weeks. I'll just die, so there! I have a feeling that it wouldn't bother her at all if i died before the next available appointment date.

On Tuesday I spent many hours at the prosthetic place. Bradley was busy, so I was attended to by a cute Serbian lady. She did everything right, and had a new socket that was hopefully going to allow me to be able to walk, while the torn muscle in my stump has time to heal.
This socket also was not using a silicone liner, but had direct contact between the socket, and my skin on the stump. We got the socket on, but the skin was stuck to the socket. e couldn't get the socket off. it would not slide on the skin.
This socket was able to take the full weight of walking. I was pleased with how the alignment of the leg made it very easy to walk.
We finally got the socket off after 20 minutes of pouring soap down inside the socket to release the skin to socket grip. We then washed out the socket.
She went to correct a small place that was hurting me, and returned. We again put on the socket. It felt good, and would take my full weight without any pain. She asked me to go to the parallel bars to re check the alignment. I used the crutches just in case of a problem, and when I went to swing my leg forward on the second step, I got a sharp stabbing pain in the stump. I collapsed and fell, But the Serbian lady caught me. It hurt so bad I had tears.
It hurt exactly where it hurt a month earlier, when I initially hurt the stump. About at the end of the femur, where it comes into contact with the folded over muscles from the amputation.

We all agreed that I should just go visit Maddie, and be totally in the wheel chair for a few weeks, and try to let the wound heal.

I drove down yesterday from Pretoria To George. About 1300km (800 miles) I stopped a few times to nap, and the whole drive took me 19 hours.
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July 16
I am a terrible blogger.
Very little happening in George. The licence plates on the cars registered here all start with CAW---. That stands for "Cold And Wet"....How very true.

All we do is sit around staying warm, and watching TV...It is great :-)
My stump is getting better, but it really must have took some strain, as it still is painful.
later
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