Melissa
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    What Was I Thinking This Morning???

    Monday, January 14, 2008, 04:06 PM EST [General]

    I woke up and decided to try on my prosthesis again. I haven't put it on in many months, so I decided to see how it felt, would it feel any better, maybe somehow I could walk in it. And the truth is, I really wanted to wear a pair of JEANS. I LOVE JEANS and the only jeans I wear now are jean skirts. I really wanted to see how I'd look in my old favorite pair of jeans!

    After five minutes I was ready to rip it off and throw it across the room, which is pretty much what I ended up doing. The only good thing was that it confirmed what I already knew, there is NO WAY that I could wear that huge thing.

    You have to realize that I don't have anything to move it along. I am amputated at the hip and there is no bone anywhere, no hip joint, nothing. So basically, the way I describe it is like dragging around a piece of furniture. It weights a ton. At first I tried to walk with a cane and when that didn't work, I tried my crutches. I almost fell a few times in the short five minutes that I had it on. It was so hard to get down the one step that I have to my living room (which, of course, I never have trouble when I'm not wearing the leg). I was so frustrated and annoyed from wearing it for five minutes, I seriously doubt that I will ever put it on again.

    It also looks so weird when I am sitting. There is a foam cover on it, but it does not look real. It looks so stiff and unnatural. And it also looks stiff and unnatural as I walk. I think I look so much better without it. I KNOW that I feel so much better, that is for SURE!

    How does anyone do it? Jo? Cacsmy? Josh (I know you used to wear it)? Jason? I know there are other hips & hemis here. How do you do it? Am I not motivated enough? The bottom line is this, I really don't care, I can't do it, I don't want to do it. I am happy just being me, the pretty girl with one leg!!!

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    Hey Melissa, Hope things are good there. I think if you are happy and comfortable without it and you don't have any trouble getting around than sell it on E-BAY. I think it's great that you aren't insecure without it. Good for you!!!!
    Dave

    Dave
    January 14, 2008
    06:18 PM EST

    Melissa,

    I'm reading your blog and thinking you took the words right out of my head!! I got my C-leg in November and tried to force myself to wear it on and off for about a month and a half. But I always hated it!!! I am much better with my crutches and frankly don't see a reason to wear it either. I did talk with another hip disartic who did give me a good reason to try. In several years time, our shoulders and hands may become arthritic from using crutches...So does that make me want to try and use it...Not really. I was told that 65% of all hip disartics don't wear a prostheis. Maybe there's a reason. Maybe they don't want to drag a peice of furniture around either! I haven't really decided whether I will give it another try or not when the weather gets warm...but to be perfectly honest, I don't see the benefit either.

    As far as Jeans go, I just took mine to a seamstress and had her hem them just below what little stump (or if you prefer, residual limb) I have left...I have done this with most of my pants. I like you have no trouble going out in public with my crutches and one leg...Sometimes I think others wish we had two legs and prefer to see us using our prosthesis for that reason.

    Hopalong55
    January 14, 2008
    09:22 PM EST

    I wore my leg for about 10 years. unfortunately about 18 months ago I started having some kind of nerve-damage flare up from the amputation and can't do it anymore. Bummer.

    I actually like wearing it, mostly (as you alluded to) for aesthetic reasons like pants. There are also just other nice things, like how it's awkward to hug people when you're on crutches (they always fall down on the ground), and how people always ask if they can help you carry that/get on the airplane/find an elevator if you are on crutches.

    Yeah it was difficult to walk with, but I would still wear it if I could.

    As for the pants issue, I feel you. But I found a great tailor who cuts of the pant legs for me on all my pants. Doing that really (this is only a slight exaggeration) changed my life. It's soooo much better than tucking the pant leg up. Sort of like your jean skirts, I always wore shorts without my leg until like 1.5 years ago when I started doing this. It's great.

    I'll post a blog with a photo so you can see what it looks like.

    Josh
    January 15, 2008
    12:19 AM EST

    Hi Melissa

    I have my pants leg cut and sewn up (closed) - I do this for my winter pants. In summer I usually just roll them up and leave the end open
    Not sure if you remember seeing my pics on here, but you can see what my pants look like
    Love
    Valerie

    valerie
    January 15, 2008
    03:37 AM EST

    I have read a few stories about people not wearing their legs and I always have mixed feelings. Let me start by saying I have it so much easier because I am a bk. Having said that it would have been pretty easy for me to just say I would use my crutches when I first got my leg. It was hard work at first, and it hurt like a bitch when I first started wearing my leg. Now 18 years later I do things that most people with 2 legs don't do. If you are comfortable with not wearing your prosthetic than maybe that's for you, but it would seem to me that there are things that you can't do because you don't wear it. I guess what I'm saying is maybe it's frustrating but you should probably give it more than five minutes. Wearing your leg would probably open up opportunities for you to do things that you can't without it.

    paul
    January 15, 2008
    11:50 PM EST
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