The Amputee

Two achievements in one day!

theamputee — Mon, 28 May 2012 20:40:41 +0000

Yes today has been a good day. I managed to get my prosthetic leg on (couldn’t get it on at all yesterday) but ended up with a massive hole in my Donning Sleeve, I will have to try and get another one when I am physio on Wednesday. The day started buy driving roughly 10 miles to a nearby town with my leg on. Dad came with me and we walked to a pet shop near to the supermarket car park to get some goodies for Cody (My Labrador), we then walked back to the car. I didn’t do that much walking while we were in the supermarket itself but it was all good practice, especially after the drive. The drive back was actually slightly better than the drive there but still not great. I am a little concerned with the prosthesis/car situation and not sure how far I would be able to drive for. I will have to see if I or my physio can come up with any other suggestions or ideas to make it easier.

The second part of the morning was even better. I made the decision that I wanted to go for a walk up the track again, more importantly I had made the decision that today was the day I was going to do a 1km walk. Mum came with me this time and thankfully carried a bottle of drink for me, it was really hot again and I knew the walk was going to be hard work. As normal the pace out was slow but as I got a bit further than Saturday the camber did subside a lot. I got to the point where it said 0.05 km but I wanted to carry on a little further to the telegraph pole so I could use it as a marker. I used MapMyWalk+ today instead Walkmeter just to see if it was any better/worse and to help me decide which one to continue using. We turned at the pole and headed back where the pace once again picked up. I certainly felt the difference in the distance as we were getting closer to home, I was much more tired than Saturday. That said the fact that I had already been out and about this morning probably had an impact on my legs and stamina, I used both sticks all the time today. There was only one really dodgy moment close to the end of the track. My legs were tired and there was a slight hump in the track, I didn’t quite lift my prosthesis high enough and my foot scuffed the track. Thankfully the knee didn’t break as I would have ended up face down, as it was I ended up grappling about with the sticks to keep myself upright. I was pretty chuffed with today and my 1.24 km, especially as I am still having issues with the prosthesis. My next aim is to walk a mile, how long before I smash that goal too?

Evidence of a tough walk!

An epic walk

theamputee — Sun, 27 May 2012 14:53:17 +0000

The other day I fiddled with the car seat to see if I could get it in a position to be able to drive with my prosthetic leg on. When I had a Peugeot 207 and you raised or lowered the seat it changed the pitch of the seat, in my Peugeot 5008 it does not change the pitch at all. This is a disadvantage for my as my physio says it is best to have a flat seat and not one that pitches rearwards, like all car seats do. We had taken the foot rest out and I messed about with the steering wheel height, backrest and moving the seat forwards and backwards. I think I am going to have to compromise a little in order to get a position that works, all I can do is try it where it is and see if it works.

Yesterday, after two attempts, I managed to get my leg on and decided I would try and tackle the track near us using the walking tips from my physio. Dad came out with me as there is still the potential for a fall at the moment. Walking up the track is definitely the worst way as it is slightly uphill and cambers to the right, not that noticeable in the picture but I can feel it when I walk. My goal was to walk out to 0.40 km as that would give me a new distance record. It was exceptionally hot, Dad was just sauntering along but I was giving it my all as I was racing along at the speed of a…..snail. I kept checking my phone and eventually hit 0.40 km so I turned around and headed for home. Everything was now in my favour and it showed straight away as my pace was faster. Dad was now doing a slow walk, I was still giving it all at the pace of a…….Elephant. I was quite pleased with the pace and feel on the way back and used just one stick for much of it. I was still making sure that I didn’t get complacent and concentrated really hard, because of the unpredictable surface. I was puffing and panting away as we got back to the road where we crossed over and arrived back home. The official Walkmeter distance was 0.78 km which was 0.02 km short of my goal but if you looked at the map I walked through houses and back gardens so I am not sure how accurate the distance was. Regardless of the distance I was really pleased with the walk and we can only progress from now on and that is my aim. My first major goal is 1 km which I have in my sights already and I am sure it won’t be long before I achieve it. I have been unsure whether to continue using Walkmeter or MapMyWalk. Walkmeter seems to give more details but I am not sure if MapMyWalk is not more accurate. If anyone has been using either, or both of these, then some feedback would be most appreciated. From the title of this post you were probably expecting me to be writing about some expedition trek I had done, not a walk up the road. Trust me it felt like some epic trek but I am really please I did it and looking forward to walking more and going further.

A walk in the real world

theamputee — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:05:32 +0000

Off the back of the ‘inspiring’ physio session on Wednesday, yesterday gave me the opportunity to go out with my prosthetic leg on. Don’t get too excited by this news, it was only to a local Supermarket. I was a little sore/aching from yesterday but thankfully it only took a couple of attempts to get the leg on. As I needed to spend some time sorting out the seat in my car we went out in Dads. I have to say it was pretty uncomfortable on the bone in the bum and the tendon but after enough fidgeting I managed to get to a tolerable position. Getting in and out of the car is a challenge that will be conquered with practice, the knee has a habit of bending at the least opportune moment and gets wedged in/on the door sill. The Supermarket we went to is a no Carbon generating one and is different to most in many ways. One of these differences is the shelves, they run from the front to the rear of the store like any other but instead of having two sets of shelves in a row, broken in the middle by an aisle, their rows are one long continuous one. This means you end up walking further while you are shopping as you can’t cut through aisles, it possibly also means you end up buying more as you pass things you probably wouldn’t in another supermarket, oh I’m such a cynic. This worked in my favour (the aisles that is, not being a cynic) as it was a good work out on a flat surface which I needed after yesterday’s exertion on cambered surfaces. It wasn’t the first time I have walked out in public but it was the first time I have walked around a reasonably packed shop. I found it all OK and the prosthesis was not too bad either, just a slight problem in the car really. In fact the biggest issue was pain in my hips and knee from yesterday’s physio session but that is to be expected. It was a good experience which felt like a little achievement (which I haven’t felt I’ve had in ages) and has given me more confidence walking in flat environments, it’s all good!

Slightly inspirational physio session

theamputee — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:52:13 +0000

I know, the words inspirational and physio in the same sentence, hard to believe. It has been a hard week with the leg and yet again getting fed up with it. I found out on Monday that I can’t drive with it on, so need to try and sort the car somehow and the camber on the pavements make it difficult to go out for a walk from home. It was the first physio session for a couple of weeks and it can be hard to get back into it. I was on my own this week but it turned out to be was just what I needed.

I jumped on the rowing machine for my warm up and unlike the pathetic 5 min effort last time, I did 10 mins and lots of metres. I have to say lots of metres as we were talking when I finished, the screen went blank before my physio got a chance to write my session details down. Moving on and stretches where next, probably my least favourite activity but it does me good so I just get on with it. With a struggle the leg went on next and walking with one stick was fine. With no sticks it felt strange, almost like the prosthetic leg was too long. We tried an insole in my trainer to try and make the other leg longer. This turned into a real hamstring stretch as I couldn’t reach the laces without resting my stretched out prosthesis on a chair. After getting the leg on and off a couple of times too, we eventually went back to how it was before.

The best part of the session was next and what I have needed the most. As it was such a nice afternoon my Physio took me out for a bit of a walk. Out the physio block to a stair well at the end of a corridor, where we went down two flights of stairs. This was OK and I was using my sticks only slightly. We went through a small corridor chicane, through the double doors and out into the big wide world, well the outdoor Addenbrooke’s Hospital world. I was immediately faced with a flight of steps or a steep ramp, you guessed it I had to go up the ramp. It turned out to be a good move as I have been tackling ramps wrong and was given advice on the right way to walk up them. Next we walked up the small hill and round a corner to the oncology entrance. Although it was uphill the camber was in my favour and the pace was quite good and only using the sticks slightly still. On the way back it should have been easier going downhill but the slight camber the wrong way and my pace was reduce, to less than half of what it was before. I was told that although it may not look as good to try walk with my legs slightly further apart when the camber puts the prosthetic leg higher than my real leg. This may help to stop the inside of the prosthesis from digging in the tendon, I gave it a try and it may have been a little easier. I was using the right stick much more to help me on the way back, amazing how much difference a small camber can make. It was down the steep ramp, up the stairs and back to the physio gym where I was totally knackered but really pleased with the walk. It has inspired me to try and get out and persevere with the horrendous pavements that we have where I live (pavements on both sides of the road camber the same way). It was another great physio session and if the weather is nice again next week we will get out for another walk, here’s hoping for good weather!

Employment & Support Allowance Stopped

theamputee — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:54:07 +0000

Before I went away on holiday I had to go to Cambridge for my medical assessment as part of my renewal claim for ESA (Employment & Support Allowance). When I got home from Wales there was a letter waiting for me from the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) dated the 3^rd May, it told me that they had stopped my allowance from the 1^st May. Their main reason for stopping my ESA was the fact that I could propel a manual wheelchair, no consideration for how far or any other issues I have at the moment which I was really hacked off about.

So the next step was to phone and apply for JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) where an interview was arranged for me at my nearest Job Centre. The guy there went through my Job Seekers agreement and then made an appointment for me to see a personal adviser. Yesterday I saw my personal adviser for the first time and I have to say she was excellent and very supportive, which is a complete contrast to my experience there in the past. An appointment has been made for me at the end of June to see a Disability Adviser which I hope will be of further use.

I can appeal against the decision to stop my ESA but to be honest I have had enough and fed up with fighting for everything. Since my surgery I have had to fight and appeal for all my allowances and equipment. I am almost convinced they deliberately stop benefits in the hope that they will save money by people not appealing against decisions. Talking to a previous adviser I met again yesterday she said that I should appeal as there are many they see on ESA that should not be in receipt of it. She gave me the phone number for the Village Benefits Advice Service who could help me with the appeal process. After I got home I thought a lot about the situation and where I go from here. When I first got my letter I was angry and felt that I still needed some time before I return to work. Don’t get me wrong I want to return back to working and living a life as normal as possible, in fact before I had the surgery one Consultant told me that if I had an amputation I would never work again so I have to prove him wrong. Since I saw my adviser yesterday I am now thinking differently and may be this is what I need now. The biggest issue I have is what I want to do and what I will be capable of doing. My plan is to try and get a part time job first and build up the hours, as my rehabilitation progresses and I become stronger and able to use the prosthesis, till I can handle a fulltime job.

The end of the break

theamputee — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:22:22 +0000

Friday was the last day of my time in Wales and a sunny day it turned out to be. We visited one church which was high up in the mountain, so high in fact it felt like we were on top of the world. All that was there was the church on one side of the road and a pub on the other. The headstone of our relative was no longer there but I did have the original inscription wording. At the second cemetery the headstone had also gone after asking a worker to help us find the plot. On the way back to the hotel I did manage to get a few photos of the view but nothing outstanding. When we got back to the hotel it was time for the last meal, pack and chill.

Saturday was a nice drive home with glorious weather and jam free roads. In the evening we picked up Cody from the breeder, I had missed him while we had been away. I suppose I had better try and sum up the Holiday really, I have mixed thoughts about it. The Hotel was very wheelchair friendly, the staff were great and the room was too. Photography wise I didn’t achieve what I set out to do but it was an eye opener and highlighted the issues I have with that at the moment. Family History wise I achieved a lot and have some new things to work on which is all good. On the whole I found the holiday really hard work and suffered for it to. I hurt everywhere but the main reason for that is I have been so inactive for such a long time. It would have been better to go to somewhere warm and have a chill break but that would have created a different set of problems. I don’t think I will be looking to go away again for at least a year and I am more settled. I have Annual Camp with Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force at the end of July, if I am honest I am not looking forward to it at all. If I can get out more and work with the leg and wheelchair to build up some strength and stamina it may make the Camp a little easier for me.

Good use of a bad day

theamputee — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:29:58 +0000

I had done a lot of research on Dads side of the family before we came away so I was glad he had a U-turn and decided to try and find out more while we were there. Thursday was the second and last bad weather day so that gave us the perfect opportunity for a research day. We set off to see a couple of places where our relatives had lived that we missed the other day. We then went on to the main village where the majority lived & worked and called in at the local Library. The Lady there was extremely helpful and there was disabled parking and wheelchair access. She sorted out some books showing and explaining what the village was like in years past. Unfortunately that was all she could help us with, for more information and records we had to head across to a bigger Library at Treorchy, which we did. The disabled facilities were again excellent and the lady in the research centre was brilliant. She helped us find out when and where more relations died and were laid to rest which also confirmed other details for me. The weather remained abysmal and the drive back was slow due to diminished visibility on the mountain roads. By the time I was driving back I had already thought of a couple more questions for the lady at the research centre but could always email her when I got home. Although it was another rough day weather wise we made excellent use of our time in the Rhondda Valley.

Wet weather and swimming

theamputee — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:43:40 +0000

Although I kept my fingers crossed our luck with the weather didn’t hold and Wednesday was the first bad weather day. The low cloud covered the tops of the Mountains, it was drizzling and looked set in for the day. Thinking it may not turn to really heavy rain we decided to travel along the coast, visit some Castles and an Abbey (which was supposed to be wheelchair accessible) to see if we could get some good photos. As we progressed along the coast so did the rain and the further West we went the heavier it got. All of the first few Castles were inaccessible with a wheelchair and some you couldn’t even see as you had to park so far away. We eventually found one that did have wheelchair access but with all factors taken into account i.e. weather, cost to enter and how much was accessible we decided to give it a miss. Not envisaging many amputees running over ramparts, in there time or ours, I didn’t expect the Castles to easily accommodate disabled people. The next place on the list was the Abbey, which was the place we wanted to visit the most but decided the weather was too bad and headed back to the Hotel, a wash out.

At the Hotel we decided to go for a swim in the small 12 metre pool which was nice and warm. The stump started to cramp straight away so I stayed down the shallow end for a while doing some stretching and gentle movements. After a while I tried to swim again and it was fine so I stated doing a few lengths. After only a couple we all ended up with blood red, stinging eyes from the overdose of Chlorine in the pool. I am so bloody unfit though and found it hard work but I thoroughly enjoyed swimming and being in the water. We spent a long while in the pool and then then finished off in the heated spa to relax my aching muscles. We finished all that off with a drink in the bar so I promptly put back the small number of calories I had just burned off, note to self don’t replace the calories. Although I didn’t get any photos we had a nice drive out and the swim was great so it wasn’t a wasted day.

A stunning resting place

theamputee — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:23:46 +0000

Today was a semi productive day really. The weather was OK so we headed straight for the Rhondda Heritage Park close to where an ancestor lived and worked. We really wanted to go on the colliery tour but it was cancelled as the earlier tour was running late. We had a quick look round at the displays, gallery, shop and outside but it felt like a bit of a wasted trip. There was wheelchair access throughout and even though we didn’t get to the pit it is fully accessible on the tour. I just wanted to mention now, as I forgot yesterday, the National Waterfront Museum was totally wheelchair accessible and friendly, i.e. text was at a level to read from a wheelchair etc. For free the Museum is more than worth it and very interactive.

Following the Heritage Park we went off to see some of the houses where our ancestors lived and took some photos. There were a couple of ladies outside their houses opposite where my Grandma (Dads Mum) was born. My Dad started chatting and one of them took a photo of Dad outside Grandma’s house which I thought was quite sweet. We headed to the cemetery where I know loads of the family would have been buried but when we got there it was massive and we had no idea where they would be. Some workmen gave us a number to call and the lady was extremely helpful, the first enquiry was free but to find any other plot number was £15. I only knew the date that one person died so we got the plot number and location in the cemetery and had a look. The headstone was quite impressive and better than I thought they would have been able to afford. My great great Grandma and Grandad were in the same plot but some of the letters on the headstone had been removed because they were lead (worth stealing for cash). I had to get to it with crutches which was a bit precarious in places, the vista was absolutely stunning and I certainly wouldn’t mind being laid to rest there. The sun was shining, we were high up on the valley and you could see for absolutely miles.

Traffic was a nightmare from then on and in Aberdare it was gridlocked, that ate into a massive part of our afternoon and I didn’t feel like going out for a walk by the time we got back to the Hotel. We had another lovely meal tonight, they have all been fantastic, and now I am chilling before putting my weary bones to bed. It was a shame that the Heritage Park was a bit of a let down or we could have used that time more constructively on the Family History. Nothing really planed for tomorrow as it is supposed to be raining all day. We have been really lucky with the weather so far so I am hoping it will hold out again for tomorrow so we can get out and about.

A better day

theamputee — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:09:33 +0000

Yesterday was tough and I have to admit I had a blip in the afternoon. We had been out for a drive over the Black Mountains, which were stunning, but the weather was not great for photography. We went by some reservoirs looking for places to stop and get some photos and the more we went on the more frustrated I got. The problem is I can’t just stop the car and walk about to get a shot or climb over a fence to get a view over a hedge or tree line. I have to try and find a place to park, get the wheelchair out, make sure I can push the wheelchair where I want to go etc. etc. We did stop at a parking place but the wheelchair was no use there so I tried using crutches with the small camera but I wasn’t happy with the shots. All the best pull in places were on the other side of the road and then it rained. It felt like a total waste of a day to be honest but the day just got worse.

When we got back to the Hotel my Dad was on at me about going for a walk with my prosthetic leg on. I had very little sleep the night before I ached from the wheelchair pushing from the day before and yesterday and the driving. I tried to get it on but it wasn’t right the first time so I tried again which was better. I walked out the Hotel and off to the right a little way, turned around past the Hotel and up the road to the left where was trying to fight back the tears until I could fight them no more. Finally we went back to the Hotel where my Dad said that he was not trying to pressure me about the leg. This is the same person who ask me at dinner the night before “when are you putting your leg on tomorrow?”, then at breakfast asked “when are you putting your leg on today?”, then when we got back to the hotel “are you going to put your leg on and go for a walk?”, trust me that felt like pressure. When they left I just sat in my room and cried, my thumb, wrists, arms, back and shoulders hurt from using the wheelchair and my ankle, knee, stump and groin hurt from the walking and I felt so tired and run down, this is a holiday? I had not been looking forward to coming away at all as I knew I was going to find it really hard going and not a nice relaxing holiday.

I still didn’t get a great sleep last night but I felt a bit better in myself this morning. I could hardly move my arms as they ache along with my shoulders and wrists. We went to the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea which was really interesting and then on to Bracelet Bay, Mumbles. I managed to get a few good photos today which made me feel a bit better and we went into Swansea where I managed to get some quality wrist supports. I will try the supports tomorrow but I am hoping they will make a big difference and ease the pain a little. What we do tomorrow depends entirely on the weather but we are hoping to go to a mining museum in a location close to where my ancestors lived and worked. Fingers crossed for some nice weather and plenty of photo opportunities.