Today the object to be repaired is…Joel.
Call me a wuss, but after 42+ years this still kinda creeps me out.
Of course in that time styles in prosthetic feet have become substantially less humaniform. And substantially improved. This one was installed in 2008 or 2009 and did marvelous things for my mobility over rough ground. But lately it has been doing weird things.
Turns out, having now had opportunity to study how a modern foot attaches to the prosthesis, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the main body of mine at all.
This piece has been clattering around in there for some time, and I was terribly afraid it had broken off from the keel. But as far as I can tell it forms a sort of base for the, um…Okay, I don’t know the name of the foot-shaped object that slides over the keel like a macabre sort of sock. I’ll just call it the FSO for now. Anyway, as far as I can tell this thing is supposed to be on the bottom of the FSO.
So I thought maybe I could swap out this new FSO from one of the donated feet. But damned if I can get it off of there. What always worked for mine, doesn’t work for this one at all.
So I put the old one back on. So far this has been educational but not all that helpful.
Oooh, but here’s something I didn’t know I needed…
The stump socks I’m familiar with are either made of wool or a stretchy poly/lycra mix. The wool socks wear like iron but can be hell if they shrink after machine-washing. And after a while they get hard and somewhat hairshirt-like. The polyester socks stretch and are comfortable but don’t wear particularly well.
This is something I never saw before: It’s a gel-sock! Oh, baby. This care package contains six of them, and I believe we’re going to enter into a married relationship.
Oh, I’ve got to try this. I got my leg back together and went for a hike just to check out the improvement.
This rope gives me a quick way up the ridge, toward the old travel trailer I use as a reloading shack.
Then past the shack to what is essential my big back yard. And this gel sock is sooo niiice…
I doubt they’ll wear very well, and I bet they cost like gehenna but oh. Oh. I’m gonna save them for working days, and follow washing instructions very carefully. Oh. Yes.
I’m so glad you got some things that will help you, guy. I absolutely understand about the gel stuff. I have neuropathy in the toes of both feet, and any kind of shoe can be agony sometimes. I suffered endlessly until I found some serious gel innersole pads. Then, when I retired, I stopped using them and put them away. I could just sit down if my feet hurt. But last year I bought some new boots – mail order, which I’ll never do again – and they hurt like hell just to stand up! I found some of my old gel things and those boots are at least bearable for short periods. They look wonderful, but they were made in hell, I’m positive.
When I and the guy next to me in a power wheelchair saw the first photo (the creepy inside-foot pieces) we both commented about hearing Arnie Schwarzzenegger’s voice “Ah’ll be baack”.
Wait, what are you going to do with those socks? Ewww!