Okay, the only bad thing about today is that I downloaded the new iphone software and in doing so, lost all of my pictures. It is super super sad. I am trying my best to not think about these things and still trying to recover them. I backed my phone up last night so I should be okay, but I took photos of my finished leg today and I think they are lost forever. Sad :(
But of course the amazing part of that sentence was that I finished my leg today!! Yea!! Hurrah!! A huge relief and a great way to end a long week! We had a 3 hour research lecture this morning - exhausting. I feel as though research is bad enough on its own, but to then talk about how to do it for 3 hours is just that much more painful. I think it is fairly obvious that I am not interested in the research aspect of this field - alas, I have to do a whole big research problem anyway. Something to be put off for another day...
I started working on finishing my leg immediately after lecture. I was able to draw my trim-lines and cut it out of the plastic. I had to break my cast out of the plastic socket (picture a hammer and a chisel and me beating away at the big plaster mold), it is the least fun way to have to free a socket. I believe that was one of the worst things I had to endure today. I managed to grind my check socket down to smoothness rather quickly - quickly for me, anyway. I could not stop running my fingers along the smooth edges and admiring my own handiwork! I think I was just relieved after the fiasco earlier in the week and having to present a terribly rough piece of plastic. I think Buddy will be really pleased that I had enough time to get this one patient friendly.
After the grinding and smoothing, I was feeling really excited about my progress. I skipped lunch to make sure I was going to finish before the end of the day and it was only 1:30 at this point and I had almost convinced myself I had time to go eat. I decide to go ahead and do the gunking and fiberglass reinforcement before taking any breaks because I just wanted to make sure and get it done before I ran out of time. I have a new enemy at school - its name is "bench alignment." This is when we place our legs in a jig (I had taken a picture of it to help out my explanation, but it is gone...) and place the socket in the correct position to attach the components of the pylon and the foot. It means flexing it a certain amount of degrees and tilting it and moving it all around to fit the patient's needs. I got mine in the position we were instructed to place it in and just went ahead and used the gunk and put on my pylon. My instructor asked me if I would like him to check my bench alignment before making it permanent, but I declined. I decided that I have to learn how to do this on my own - and it took me over an hour to get it right (hence why it is my new nemesis) and if it was not right, it was my mistake to learn. I know it is safe and I followed all of the instructions so I am just going to have to see how it works on Buddy when I see him on Tuesday. It might be a huge "failing forward" moment for me, but I am feeling pretty good about it. I then attached my foot (another Ossur branded product, of course) and I was done. I capture this moment on film...a triumphant me holding up my beautiful second leg....again, sad. I will just have to take a new picture next week. At some point, the pictures of my legs will all run together and probably not be that exciting, but I feel like a second leg is still a pretty big deal so it is definitely photo worthy.
I am thankful it is Friday and this long week of school is over. I cannot believe I am down to only 13 weeks until I am finished with Prosthetics. I am planning on doing as little school work as possible over the weekend and resting my brain to get geared up for what is looking to be an even longer week next week.
I just realized that both of the legs I have made have been left legs...I have yet to even make a correct set! Hopefully I will get a right leg on the third try :)
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