Leg Work

The month of August has been one of intensive physical therapy, EEPAH!

With them trying to get my leg to reduce in size so that I can fit into the socket for the artificial leg, all sorts of goodies are used on poor Mr. Stumpy!

To me, the weirdest is this special tape they use which runs from my crotch, down the inside of the leg, then is cut to splay out over the area to be reduced in size.  The tape has an interesting adhesive pattern on the back of it forms waves across the width of the tape.  The idea is to lift the skin as you walk, causing a flow of the abundant liquid from the swollen area to the lymph system higher up the leg.  And it works! In the past two weeks, Mr. Stumpy has gone from 49.9 cm in circumference, to 38 cm yesterday!  Too weird.

Compression I understand and poor Mr. Stumpy has been having the squeeze put on him since this weirdness first erupted back in June, but I had not yet figured out I had a problem yet!  So, I have shrinker socks of varying sizes to compress the whole of the leg.  Then the physical therapist started to wrap the leg with varying kinds of cloth strips.  That works okay, except the leg shrinks so much that it falls off during the first night, everytime.

And of course, no walking, because you can't.  Sigh ...

So, it is now mid August, have not been able to take a step since mid June - which means my great treasure hunt now must be cancelled.  :(  I will not be able to walk well enough by the time of the trip, especially with the terrain being steep.  And I really was looking forward to this.  Oh well.

Here is to hope and prayer, that my leg will be small enough in the very near future!  I am really tired of using my knee scooter for 100% of my travels ...