How is everyone doing? I have been very reticent on my posting here, I have always been around just haven't posted anything in a while. For that I appologize to my friends. Life has been up and down, sideways a few times, and forward.
First really big update is that as of a week ago at my Lap Band doctor's visit I have lost 112lbs, in little over a year. WOOHOOOOO!!! Pardon me while I do a happy dance.
Another big event is that I am still here and still loving life. While I may not like being an amputee I have accepted it and gotten over it. My prosthetic is now as much of my life as my good leg. I noticed that when I had that epiphany that life got a lot easier to deal with.
Now that there is a bit less of me to move around, I am trying to get more in shape (not that barrel was not a shape). I want to be where I can get around a lot easier and keep up with my wife a bit more, right now she runs me into the ground. I have noticed that women seem to have tons more energy while shopping then men ever will. But I am striving to keep up with her as I try to enjoy being with her. So if you are somewhere and see a very tall and large guy crawling by, it is probably me so just cheer me on and give me some water.
Well don't want to completely bore you all to tears so I will sign off for now.
Well on 29 July my wife and I will have a major celebration. We will have been married for 15 wonderful years and it will be my 2 year anniversery of my amputation. Haven't decided yet how we are going to celebrate but we are going to.
I am particularily a blessed person that I have such a wonderful woman that not only stands behind me to help hold me up at times but stands beside me as an equal (did I say that right love?) No matter what I have put her through she stands by me. Knowing some of the women I dated before her, she truly stands out by no small margin.
I have also come to a sort of epiphany recently. Most of you may just roll your eyes at me but others will just smile and say "it is about time". I totally feel now that I have come to complete terms with being an amputee. Not just the fact that I have a prosthesis, but that it is part of who I am now. I accept that now. And if you really want the truth I am now happy with it. Don't get me wrong I like others wish it had never happened, but oh well it did. Life is too dang precious to get hung up on this stuff.
I am having just as much if not more fun now as I ever did before the amputation. This experience was truly a life changer and eye opener, and I accept it and that which comes with it.
Before I get too far into speach making I also wanted to give everyone an update on my weightloss. Since my lapband surgery in October of 2008 I have lost nearly 85 pounds. WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!! Pardon me while I do the happy happy joy dance.
You are all my friends and I love each and every one of you. Big Bear Hugs to all.
This is sort of an after the fact (couple weeks) blog post. Couple weeks ago while at my prostheticist, I was trying on a new socket on my leg and was taking a few steps when the leg literaly fell off. Can you guess what happened next? Yep I hit the floor and even better landed on my stump.
Well actually the pin on my liner actually hit the floor first, then the bone nob in my stump and then my knee hit the floor. Can you say "DANG THAT HURT!!!!!!!!!", well I actually said something using a few more colorful metaphors but you get the picture.
My first big worry was that I had busted my stump open, I hear that is always a big possibility when falling like that. My prostheticist slowly rolled my liner off, he was figuring the worst too. Luckly no blood poured out on us, WOOOHOO!!! Now came the concern of did anything break in there?
Well after some grunting and groaning I did get up off the floor and into a wheelchair he had brought into the room. I must say that I am quite proud of myself for doing that on my own with no help. Couldn't walk but atleast I got up. Off we went to the X-Ray machine and after a few tense moments the results came back that I had no broken bones, WOOOHOO!!!
This all happened 3 weeks ago, and basically I have been confined to my wheelchair due to either leg too swelled to get on or leg being too painfull to walk very much. I bruised the muscle pretty bad and think I jammed my knee too. The muscle in the stump isn't as painfull as it was but when I walk (using my walker) the knee can hurt and make me rely too much on my arms for support.
If anyone has any advice please pitch it. I am scheduled to go on a business trip in a couple weeks and I have to be walking to go.
But I am doing better and starting to walk again it just feels like I am starting all over again from scratch on walking and it really really frustrates me to no end.
Well as of a week or so ago I have lost 61 lbs according to the doc's scales. I look in the mirror and see the same guy staring back at me, little more gray hair but still the same guy. Everyone else goes ape over my weight loss and I am still wondering what they see that I don't. I go back to the doc in a few days for next checkup, need to go jog around the building a few times prior. :-P
I have noticed the cloths not fitting the same. Some things that were tight on me last year are now falling off of me. I have went cloths shopping some in the last month and I am wearing cloths now in sizes that I wore in High School. That I guess is the most impressive part of this as far as self image goes.
Another very big thing that has happened is that I seem to be more at ease with the movement with my prosthetic now. It doesn't bother me near as much as it used to. Actually mostly now it is almost completely pain free. Think it boils down to my excisive weight caused a lot of pressure on my leg and stump area and now that it has lessened considerably the force isn't as bad.
Just wish now my balance would get better. Hate having to occupy one hand with my cane but till I get more balance back and strength in my leg area, will just have to carry it. Gives me something to swing at all the whipper snappers. :-D
Something else I want to ask y'all about and see if you have an opinion/answer for. With my weight loss and buying new clothing I have found that I am buying cloths based on things not directly related to the clothing purchase. For example in buying pants, you normally buy pants by looking at the waiste size and pant length. I can't do that now, I have to buy pants in relation to how they fit my legs. My right leg has gotten rather muscular and thick and normal size pant legs in a waiste size for me are way too tight and I most times start doing the Incredible Hulk transformation with them just bending my leg. So now I buy pants based on the leg size and fit resulting in some baggy saggy seats in the pants. Anyone experienced this have any advice beyond what I already do? I know it doesn't help being 6ft 9in tall with a 30-31in inseam either, but nothing I can do about that.
Well I have just noticed I am about to start writing a book so I will cut it off here before I have to start asking for an advance.
Y'all have a good one and remember we are only limited by our desire and deviousness.
50 lbs total weight loss since October!!!!!!!!!! I was sweating bullets waiting in the waiting room for my weigh-in. But after getting off the scales the nurse told me that I had lost more weight and was up to a total of 50 lbs total weight loss. WOOOOOOOT!!!!!!
I was worried that I had gained weight, but NO!!!!! BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
