21:45
I am in a very lackadaisical mood. I don't know why, and I can't blame drugs.
I am doing a good series of exercises for all stump muscles and range of movement of the stump. Trying to get the stump muscles and skin stretched so not to cause pressure on the sore spot.
My brother mentioned shoulder exercises to strengthen my shoulder so I could use the crutches better. I used some old weights laying around and did five sets of right shoulder exercises. Then I tried the left side. I couldn't even do one set. My left arm and shoulder are so weak. I was shocked.
At first I thought I must have had a small stroke, and didn't know it. Then I started noticing how many actions around the house use my right arm. The toilet grab bars use the right arm. The bed brace for getting in and out of bed is also right arm. I don't ever seem to use the left arm. Now I have added shoulder exercises to my daily routines.
I have been trying to "invent" a way of getting the silicone liner on without pain.
My latest invention is a string of round beads on a piece of wire. The two ends of the wire are held together with a rubber band. I put the liner against the stump end, then insert the beads against the inside of the liner. When I pull the liner, it rolls over the beads. It causes much less pain, but still not near zero pain.
Next I want to make a tube, of PVC that the liner is stretched over, and when the liner/tube is put over the stump, the tube takes all the strain, and the liner is then slid off the tube onto the stump.
So today I went shopping for a 185mm PVC pipe. All PVC pipes are 160mm or 200mm. One plumbing place gave me great deal in 1 meter of 160mm PVC pipe. I bought it, even though it is a bit to tight. The only 200mm pipe was sold in 4 meter lengths. R600. Shriek!
I got very tired crutching around. I was being very gentile on my shoulder, and that was hard work.
I went to a hamburger place for lunch, and just sat in the car. The hassle of crutching into the restaurant was not worth the getting to eat. I finally just drove away.
--
Showing posts with label crutches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crutches. Show all posts
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
Monday, 15 August 2016
Aug 15 2016 - Doctor visits....Again, and an MRI
10 Aug --
I'm just back from a lot of running around.
I crutched a lot today, and my left shoulder is complaining.
First to Bradley's. We chatted lots, and decided that anything we do now may be good for learning about making sockets, but not so good for getting me walking.
This stupid pain MUST stop first. I wore the liner all day yesterday, but after showering this morning, I could not get it back on because of the pain.
We talked about the Paralympics, and the latest prosthesis inventions and techniques. We think alike in a lot of ways. He says the problem isn't building a prosthesis for me, but building the best prosthesis possible within the constraints of pain and comfort.
Next I went to the Pharmacy to get some pantyhose. The nylon stockings I wear now start rolling down my stump, and then form a tourniquet. So I am thinking maybe pantyhose and cut out the crotch and the right leg, and leave only the stump and waist. That way it shouldn't roll down any.
When I got to the pharmacy, I didn't have a clue about pantyhose, so I found the most fashionable white lady there and asked her to help me chose pantyhose. The chosen lady was very nice and we chatted for about 10 minutes. She said I would be better off going to Woolworth's, and buying woman's tights. The closest thing at the pharmacy was pantyhose, but they are thin and wouldn't last long with me using them. They had some long underwear that might have worked, but too much $$.
Then to the Hospital for lunch at the cafe. I had a Feta and Spinach trammazine. Then I went to the surgeons office, and got an appointment for Monday. Since this stupid pain is not going away, I think he may have to go in and see what the problem is. I dread that something fierce.
Then 14:30 for the Oncologist lady. She says that the blood report showed phosphates, which the kidneys should remove. My kidneys took strain with the chemo and drugs.The normal limit is .75 to 1.2. Mine was 1.23. She said that she is glad that it is so low after chemo. Some of her patients after three months have 5 to 6 phosphate. She says that the phosphate level is high, but so much lower than she expected. Everything else was good. She poked all my lymph glands. No pain at all. She made an appointment for 8 November. X-rays and scans. Also another blood test.
Then to Woolworth's. I saw some customer ladies standing around chatting. Customer ladies are usually much more knowledgeable than the store staff, and friendlier to talk with. I asked them if they could help my select tights or pantyhose. They all suggested tights. Tights are supposed to last longer, and they don't fray as easily after cutting. They said to smear silicone or fingernail polish where I cut them, to stop fraying. I bought a pair of Ladies large black tights.
At home I just tried on the tights. I might not need to cut them. they are quite comfortable. Of course to pee is a big deal. I mainly wanted them to stop my compression stockings from rolling down.
My shoulder needs a rest. Crutching hurts it.
--
15 Aug --
Today was a visit to the surgeon. This pain in the stump has only got about 10% less in the 63 days since the stump pain happened. I have been without the prosthesis all that time. At this rate, I will be wheelchair bound my whole life.
He poked, twisted, and pushed all over my stump to identify where the sore areas were. He narrowed it down to the area between the stump end, and the bone end. Right where we knew it was. Nothing learned from that.
He said that because of the denseness of a stump, it is impossible to use less invasive surgery to work in there. He said it requires a major opening, similar to the original surgery. He wants to avoid that at all costs. So do I.
Without something definite to fix, he would be wasting time cutting. The only thing that indicates something is wrong, is me saying I have pain. We have done x-rays, sonograms, and we have the results of the old PET scan and an old CT scan. There seems to be no physical reason for the pain.
He prescribed another blood test. This one for gout. Gout sometimes forms in stump ends.
He also told me to get an MRI of the stump.
I crutched to the MRI place to book an appointment. The ladies there were very nice. They said they are booked so solid it would be weeks till they could squeeze me in. Unless I did it tonight. There is a doctor that examines the MRI as it is done. He approves the MRI, or orders it redone. The MRI place is getting a new MRI Doctor. He and the old doctor will be there training tonight.
I said yes, I will wait almost 3 hours till their day is done. Meanwhile, I went and did the blood test. My shoulder was limiting my mobility on the crutches.
I started the MRI at about 17:30 and I was in that stupid machine for over an hour. Near the end, the Doctor said to the nurse to now include my spine, in case the pain is a spine related pain like sciatica. Good thinking that.
After that was done, the doctor ordered a shot. That shot hurt, and then back in the machine. The shot was to emphasize any cancer tumors that may be growing in the stump between the bone and the stump end.
I hadn't thought of that. Scary stuff.
At the end I asked if they saw any tumors. They said they are not allowed to talk about the MRI results ever, so don't even ask. They asked the name of my oncologist, so they could send her the results in addition to the surgeon.
I'll call first thing in the morning to find out all the results from the Oncologist and the surgeon.
When I tried to leave the hospital, my shoulder was really bad. I didn't think I could crutch out to the car. Along came a porter pushing a wheelchair. I asked if he would give me a ride to the car, he said sure get in.
At home I battled to get from the car to the front door.
Pushing the wheel chair is even hard on my shoulder.
I have ordered online food shopping. The food should be delivered tomorrow at 14:00. Good thing I did that, I could not go shopping with this shoulder.
It looks like another few days of wheelchair, and playing computer games.
--
I'm just back from a lot of running around.
I crutched a lot today, and my left shoulder is complaining.
First to Bradley's. We chatted lots, and decided that anything we do now may be good for learning about making sockets, but not so good for getting me walking.
This stupid pain MUST stop first. I wore the liner all day yesterday, but after showering this morning, I could not get it back on because of the pain.
We talked about the Paralympics, and the latest prosthesis inventions and techniques. We think alike in a lot of ways. He says the problem isn't building a prosthesis for me, but building the best prosthesis possible within the constraints of pain and comfort.
Next I went to the Pharmacy to get some pantyhose. The nylon stockings I wear now start rolling down my stump, and then form a tourniquet. So I am thinking maybe pantyhose and cut out the crotch and the right leg, and leave only the stump and waist. That way it shouldn't roll down any.
When I got to the pharmacy, I didn't have a clue about pantyhose, so I found the most fashionable white lady there and asked her to help me chose pantyhose. The chosen lady was very nice and we chatted for about 10 minutes. She said I would be better off going to Woolworth's, and buying woman's tights. The closest thing at the pharmacy was pantyhose, but they are thin and wouldn't last long with me using them. They had some long underwear that might have worked, but too much $$.
Then to the Hospital for lunch at the cafe. I had a Feta and Spinach trammazine. Then I went to the surgeons office, and got an appointment for Monday. Since this stupid pain is not going away, I think he may have to go in and see what the problem is. I dread that something fierce.
Then 14:30 for the Oncologist lady. She says that the blood report showed phosphates, which the kidneys should remove. My kidneys took strain with the chemo and drugs.The normal limit is .75 to 1.2. Mine was 1.23. She said that she is glad that it is so low after chemo. Some of her patients after three months have 5 to 6 phosphate. She says that the phosphate level is high, but so much lower than she expected. Everything else was good. She poked all my lymph glands. No pain at all. She made an appointment for 8 November. X-rays and scans. Also another blood test.
Then to Woolworth's. I saw some customer ladies standing around chatting. Customer ladies are usually much more knowledgeable than the store staff, and friendlier to talk with. I asked them if they could help my select tights or pantyhose. They all suggested tights. Tights are supposed to last longer, and they don't fray as easily after cutting. They said to smear silicone or fingernail polish where I cut them, to stop fraying. I bought a pair of Ladies large black tights.
At home I just tried on the tights. I might not need to cut them. they are quite comfortable. Of course to pee is a big deal. I mainly wanted them to stop my compression stockings from rolling down.
My shoulder needs a rest. Crutching hurts it.
--
15 Aug --
Today was a visit to the surgeon. This pain in the stump has only got about 10% less in the 63 days since the stump pain happened. I have been without the prosthesis all that time. At this rate, I will be wheelchair bound my whole life.
He poked, twisted, and pushed all over my stump to identify where the sore areas were. He narrowed it down to the area between the stump end, and the bone end. Right where we knew it was. Nothing learned from that.
He said that because of the denseness of a stump, it is impossible to use less invasive surgery to work in there. He said it requires a major opening, similar to the original surgery. He wants to avoid that at all costs. So do I.
Without something definite to fix, he would be wasting time cutting. The only thing that indicates something is wrong, is me saying I have pain. We have done x-rays, sonograms, and we have the results of the old PET scan and an old CT scan. There seems to be no physical reason for the pain.
He prescribed another blood test. This one for gout. Gout sometimes forms in stump ends.
He also told me to get an MRI of the stump.
I crutched to the MRI place to book an appointment. The ladies there were very nice. They said they are booked so solid it would be weeks till they could squeeze me in. Unless I did it tonight. There is a doctor that examines the MRI as it is done. He approves the MRI, or orders it redone. The MRI place is getting a new MRI Doctor. He and the old doctor will be there training tonight.
I said yes, I will wait almost 3 hours till their day is done. Meanwhile, I went and did the blood test. My shoulder was limiting my mobility on the crutches.
I started the MRI at about 17:30 and I was in that stupid machine for over an hour. Near the end, the Doctor said to the nurse to now include my spine, in case the pain is a spine related pain like sciatica. Good thinking that.
After that was done, the doctor ordered a shot. That shot hurt, and then back in the machine. The shot was to emphasize any cancer tumors that may be growing in the stump between the bone and the stump end.
I hadn't thought of that. Scary stuff.
At the end I asked if they saw any tumors. They said they are not allowed to talk about the MRI results ever, so don't even ask. They asked the name of my oncologist, so they could send her the results in addition to the surgeon.
I'll call first thing in the morning to find out all the results from the Oncologist and the surgeon.
When I tried to leave the hospital, my shoulder was really bad. I didn't think I could crutch out to the car. Along came a porter pushing a wheelchair. I asked if he would give me a ride to the car, he said sure get in.
At home I battled to get from the car to the front door.
Pushing the wheel chair is even hard on my shoulder.
I have ordered online food shopping. The food should be delivered tomorrow at 14:00. Good thing I did that, I could not go shopping with this shoulder.
It looks like another few days of wheelchair, and playing computer games.
--
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Day 93 - Stairs at the mall
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.
--
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....
--
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.
--
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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