At Least I Have Hands: a thread for therapy and amputee jokes

What’s the general timeframe that you’re expected to be fitted and used to the prosthesis? Just curious if they have a prediction as to when life can return to some sort of normalcy for you.

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The average timeframe is 2-3 months for fitting and beginning what I guess is sorta like training. Hopefully we’ll be discussing that stuff Monday!

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Hopefully the time goes by quickly and painlessly for you man.

Good luck man. You should know we are all interested to hear how this goes. I’m thinking about you a lot as I’m tempted to feel sorry for myself over the (self inflicted) tragedy of my pinky finger and my slow rehabilitation.

I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of prosthetic you are looking at and how we can get some of the artists who haunt the forums to make badass Fulgore leg art that we can stick on it.

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Whoa, life has been hectic this last week. Psh, last week, who am I kidding? Life is just hectic… But that’s a good thing! Stuff is happening and I’m getting out and doing things and living!

Stitches came out, stump is healing up well. Was a lil gooey still on the rightmost side at first, but has since knitted back nicely into a big, wide, sorta flaky purple grin of a scar. How the infrastructure of the leg is coming back together is interesting. I don’t know what all is going on under the surface, specifically where/how the tendons are rigged to operate the musculature, but when I flex my quadricep, the right (inner) side of my stump-face twitches; when I flex my hamstring, the left (outside). There is also this weird little fold on the left, looks like a tiny lil buttcrack. I’ll post a pic when I get around to taking one, it’s pretty hilarious.

I think the weirdest thing is how far the incision has moved. It was at first centered on my leg, as if it’d been cut clean through and stitched across the middle. Now, all of two months later, it runs along the back of my thigh, almost 4 inches from where it started. Can’t even see it from the front.

Been having a little trouble getting in for an evaluation with the prosthetic company. First the prescription got lost in a shuffle of paperwork, now my insurance company isn’t sure if a prosthetic is considered “necessary medical equipment” and it turns out that titanium peg-legs are goshdarned expensive. I have worked out some of the contracture in my hip, and have been taking steps to prevent it from getting worse, and in doing so have just been working out a lot more, almost passively throughout the day. If I’m sitting, I’ll do ankle pumps or toe raises or leg lifts; if my hands are free, I’ll grab the free-weights and do curls or shrugs or half-presses, et cetera. I feel better than I have in months. I am, however, ALWAYS hungry. Calories are units of energy, after all.

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That’s great man! Sounds like its working out well! Keep up the weight lifting and now might be a good time to pick up the guitar?

I know that while insurance companies tend to want to be helpful they’re ultimately in it to make money rather than lose it, but that is some grade-A equestrian fertilizer right there.

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Glad to hear you’re doing well. Like I said, I’ve been thinking about you a lot as I rehabilitate my stupid finger. It’s pretty impressive how you are handling yourself.

Definitely cool that you’re getting in shape and eating. Keep us posted on the insurance situation. This is the kind of thing that we could definitely slap up on gofundme or whatever. I am a pretty pro-capitalist guy, but insurance companies make me want to scream.

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Glad to hear your doing well mate.

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Glad to hear you’re in good spirits! I know a lot of people that would be down in the dumps for months just because they stubbed their toe let alone losing a limb.

Any update on the mirror therapy?

Well thank you! But Im guessing this was directed to @MDMMORNING lololol

HAHAHAHA it’s the way you said it though. I know what you mean but still

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Yes it was curse my apsentmindedness

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How’s things been going lately? Well, I hope.

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Busy busy busy, unfortunately making very little progress on things I’d like to. Exploring alternate options on the prosthetic front, talking with other contractors in the area while I sort out a lapse in insurance at a very inconvenient time. I have started stepping back into life though, gradually taking on more of my former household responsibilities, testing myself w yardwork, etc.

The short story: no matter how much I don’t wanna believe it, one leg is almost never as good as two. On the other hand, for the interim, floor seating at concerts for balcony prices.

I thought I had posted to this thread a few times since last, each time I end up backspacing the last full text box that didn’t get sent, so fingers crossed. Not that there’s much to say, hallelujah beauracracy.

I did celebrate my 27th successful lap around the sun this past weekend, that’s sorta neat. My sister’s bestie crocheted me a lil foot, my baby sister baked her first angels food, good times, good times. Today IS Monday, though, so that could be productive. Here’s to hoping. :blue_heart:

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Glad things are better than they were at first…please dont go so long with out updating us… if a week goes by it feels like a month on here lol!

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I’m not gonna lie to you, life is going to be more difficult with one ■■■■■■■ foot. Pretty hard to imagine it’s not. But the challenge to you, good sir, is to identify every God ■■■■ Thing that IS better with one foot. You’re off to a good start with the floor seating. Handicapped parking. Tell all your friends “ride with me, I get to park up close.” Or tell women at a bar “ride with me, I park up close…” In the meantime I’m going to get you a “once you go stump, you never go back,” t-shirt.

Edit: I want to hear you say you’ve been working on your “did I ever tell you how I lost this foot?” Stories…

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…would you say…
…that you’ve been taking things…
…one step at a time?

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Truth? I have been slacking on storytime.

I did recently meet my sister’s bestie’s sister’s three-year old son, who decided we were friends. Damien really likes one of the local Halloween stores, Spirit. He talks about it all the time, how he wants to work there, live there, he DOES work there, he loves the aninanimatronics, and on and on, you know how a childs enthusiasm is. So we all went on a field trip to Spirit, where we he took us on a full guided tour of the store, with a lengthy demo session of the aninanimatronics and their press-it plates… Long story short, I got to regale him with the tale of how I used to work with animatronics until the fateful day when I stomped my leg right off. Yes, it was gross. Yes, it bleeded a lot-lot. Yes, it hurted. No, you sure don’t want to stomp your leg off. Let’s go get supper.

So, that’s one?

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It took forever and a wink, but I sat on hold and huffed until the insurance company concurred w my stance on the necessity of a prosthetic. First appt for evaluation this Thursday! It’s a Halloween miracle, Charlie Brown!

Also, Happy Halloween y’all! Be safe tonight, whatever ya may be doing.

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