Take Two

It’s been about 10 months since I was fitted for my prosthetic and my stump has shrunk about an inch in diameter, as you can see from the photos (I took the first back in August last year). This means my prosthetic is now a little lose, to say the least…it’s a bit embarrassing having your arm keep dropping off as you walk along…I have to keep pushing it back on since otherwise the suction slowly gives way and off it pops!

So it’s back to the shop for a new arm. I used to be with Hanger, but, Rich Sire, who I worked with has since left and started his own company, Diablo Prosthetics and Orthotics. I really liked the way Rich worked with me and was willing to try things to meet my needs so I stayed with him and of course wanted to help support a new business. So now it’s take two as I get fitted for a new socket.

Based on my experiences with the suction based suspension system with my current socket and liner Rich has been looking for a different solution that might work better for me. The the suction system makes it easy to take my socket on or off, but, it doesn’t hold when I’m in the gym and slowly releases over time. This type of solution probably works better for lower limb prosthetics where there is constant body weight pushing into the socket, the problem with upper limbs is the socket is always weighing down and over time the suction just seems to give way…so I can’t say I’d recommend this for anyone.

This time we’re going to try an Otto Bock Silicon Arm Liner, this uses a lock pin in the end of the liner to lock into the socket…so no problems with it dropping off. It also has the added benefit that it’s much thinner than my current liner, so shouldn’t restrict my elbow movement as much and hopefully will result in a more streamlined socket.

Also this time around I’m going for a carbon fiber, high-tech look. I didn’t really know what to expect last time and so opted for a ‘pink’ coloring to be added to my socket, quite frankly the color looks like a dolls arm. Since I’m really not worried about the cosmetic look of my prosthetic (I’m not looking for something that looks like a real arm) I plan to go for something that looks more sporty this time! This has the added benefit that the socket can be thinner and more streamlined and of cause lighter weight.

I’ll share some pictures with you once I get it, it’ll probably take a couple of weeks to get it made and fitted.