Being chosen to provide prosthetic care is a privilege. Everyday, we strive to provide the best care for our patients. Every person who comes through our doors has a story behind his limb loss and a list of goals. Our job is to build prosthetics to help them move forward and to achieve their dreams.
Libby is relatively new to the OPC patient family. She became an amputee in 2006 when her knee replacement surgery resulted in blood clots and complications. She was rendered an above knee amputee after an artery was nicked during a revision surgery.
In an effort to regain her mobility and to get out of her wheelchair, Libby embraced using prosthetics. She sought care at a facility that was recommended by her physical therapist.
Unfortunately, Libby's first experience with prosthetics was not favorable.
"After several meetings I finally had my first leg. Very intimidating. As I was currently doing physical therapy I was able to work with the physical therapists to learn how to walk first with a walker, then crutches and then a cane. With this leg I found that I was falling all of the time. When you step on the toe it triggered the knee to bend and I just couldn't get the hang of it without falling constantly."
Between the mechanics of her prosthetic knee and the uncomfortable socket, Libby found her spirit quickly deflating. She was frustrated both with her progress and with the constant setbacks she was experiencing.
"I made a lot of trips to my prosthetist but never could seem to get a good fit. It irritated my residual limb a lot. I found when I would lose some weight it wouldn't fit. I would slide around in the socket. I had the lanyard system and the leg wouldn't completely fall off but it was very uncomfortable. I was told last year, 2010, that there was nothing that could be done"
Unwilling to accept the prosthetist's warning that nothing could be improved, Libby refused to settle. Her friends and family urged her to seek care elsewhere. After a series of failed attempts by prosthetists to manufacture a device that was both functional and comfortable, Libby received a referral to OPC.
Libby is relatively new to the OPC patient family. She became an amputee in 2006 when her knee replacement surgery resulted in blood clots and complications. She was rendered an above knee amputee after an artery was nicked during a revision surgery.
In an effort to regain her mobility and to get out of her wheelchair, Libby embraced using prosthetics. She sought care at a facility that was recommended by her physical therapist.
Unfortunately, Libby's first experience with prosthetics was not favorable.
"After several meetings I finally had my first leg. Very intimidating. As I was currently doing physical therapy I was able to work with the physical therapists to learn how to walk first with a walker, then crutches and then a cane. With this leg I found that I was falling all of the time. When you step on the toe it triggered the knee to bend and I just couldn't get the hang of it without falling constantly."
Between the mechanics of her prosthetic knee and the uncomfortable socket, Libby found her spirit quickly deflating. She was frustrated both with her progress and with the constant setbacks she was experiencing.
"I made a lot of trips to my prosthetist but never could seem to get a good fit. It irritated my residual limb a lot. I found when I would lose some weight it wouldn't fit. I would slide around in the socket. I had the lanyard system and the leg wouldn't completely fall off but it was very uncomfortable. I was told last year, 2010, that there was nothing that could be done"
Unwilling to accept the prosthetist's warning that nothing could be improved, Libby refused to settle. Her friends and family urged her to seek care elsewhere. After a series of failed attempts by prosthetists to manufacture a device that was both functional and comfortable, Libby received a referral to OPC.
"I made an appointment with Elliot Weintrob and let me tell you....it was like night and day. Elliot took the time to talk to me and let me explain what I had gone through. He told me to take my prosthetic leg off so he could see what I had. He immediately said, "That is a train wreck."
After casting for a new socket and changing the suspension system, Libby's new C-Leg was ready within days. "I have not had any falls which is in itself awesome. I truly love my C-Leg. I have also learned so much from Elliot and Ben as they take the time to explain things to me that were never explained in the past."
Libby is slowly adapting to living with an amputation and is returning to activities that she enjoyed before her limb loss. She attributes her success, in part, to her prosthetic. She is becoming physically active and is determined to lose the pounds she gained during the five years of immobility that followed her amputation.
After casting for a new socket and changing the suspension system, Libby's new C-Leg was ready within days. "I have not had any falls which is in itself awesome. I truly love my C-Leg. I have also learned so much from Elliot and Ben as they take the time to explain things to me that were never explained in the past."
Libby is slowly adapting to living with an amputation and is returning to activities that she enjoyed before her limb loss. She attributes her success, in part, to her prosthetic. She is becoming physically active and is determined to lose the pounds she gained during the five years of immobility that followed her amputation.
Libby has an infectious laugh and exudes positive energy. We are honored that she allowed the practitioners at OPC to provide prosthetic care. We are looking forward to watching her achieve her goals in the coming years.
Why was it suddenly “necessary” to strip search and sexually assault passengers staring 10/30/10 when there had been no terrorist attacks from 9/12/01 through today? Americans have an incredible ability to be completely ignorant or reality and allow Government to strip them of their Constitutional rights so long as there is a perceived interest in “safety”.
ReplyDeleteI had flown over three hundred round trips between 9/11 and 11/1/10 with no fear of a terrorist attack since we all knew that we would have too intervene if there were an attempt. The “underwear bomber“ attempt occurred in December of 2009 yet TSA didn’t enact any changes until eleven months later. The explosive that he used, PETN, is undetectable even by the scanners, the gropings and the Explosive Trace Detection to this day. The material is like Silly Putty and can be spread over a bone protrusion such as a shoulder blade or hip-bone and none of the TSA methods will identify it.
Besides, the Al Qaeda documents recovered in the Bin Laden assassination revealed that they are targeting trains, not airplanes, so why focus on the last threat? TSA costs taxpayers over $8.2 billions per year and our taxes pay TSA an additional $10.00 over the $2.50 TSA fee on the fare every time someone goes through airport security.
TSA is nothing more than a jobs program for the otherwise unemployable. Who will protect Americans from TSA? There have been twenty-six screeners arrested in six months for job related crimes, including drug trafficking, theft, two for raping minors and one for distributing child porn. Twenty six criminal acts, twenty five security failures, over four thousand groping complaints and dozens of lawsuits, all in six months, yet TSA hasn't stopped one terrorist attack in nine years. Yet these are the people that TSA hires to fondle your children’s privates.
TSA has proven completely incompetent, posting a 70% failure rate, yet is allowed to continue to jeopardize passenger safety while inflicting countless indignities on a daily basis. Based on TSA statistics a recent article calculated that they grope 1.8 million travelers each month!
Anyone so afraid to fly that that they would consent to having their family strip-searched and their privates groped by a stranger in a public place shouldn’t fly. These people are obviously ill equipped to manage the risk that life entails and should stay home.