I visited Hanger Orthopedic last week down in Pleasanton (Bay Area), my first visit in the process of getting fitted for a prosthetic. I meet with Richard Sire and went through what I hoped to get out of getting a prosthetic.

I’ve actually been pretty functional up until now, I’ve got full flexion back in my elbow, through the physical therapy I’ve been doing at Kaiser and at home with my wife. It certainly makes things a little tricky, only having one hand, but it doesn’t stop you getting on with life and my biggest concern is that a prosthetic would be more awkward than useful. I do miss the ability to put weight on my arm and I’d like to be able to ride a bike, do yoga and play guitar again, so I’m going to need some form of prosthetic.

I’ve started to compile a Kaboodle page on my research into upper limb prosthetics (better practice what I preach), as it turns out upper limb amputations aren’t that common, so whilst there’s a host of information on lower limb prosthetics there’s much less for upper ones. I was quite encouraged when I found the website for TRS, Inc., they offer specialist attachments for upper limb prosthetics that allow you to do aerobics, play guitar, ride a bike and much, much more. So there’s hope for me yet!