... One Giant Leap into the world of Prosthetics!

 As many of you reading this will already know through social media, this week we were lucky enough to be called in to pick up Rory's very first prosthetic leg! A moment we've looked forward to for a long time. From the day we were told by the Plastics team that the damage to Rory's growth plate was too severe and that he would need to rely on a prosthetic in order to walk, everything has just been a countdown to this moment. And as much as the last six months have been exhausting in so many ways, the last few days have shown that the hard work is only just beginning. 

One thing is for sure; all of these milestones dates are going to be easy to remember; his amputation happened on my Mum's birthday, and the day we received his first prosthetic was my birthday! Now if we can just get him walking by Pete's birthday (December) to keep everything nice and simple...

Light-heartedness aside, we are enormously grateful to the team at Blatchford for all their hard work creating the prosthetic, which certainly wasn't easy because of the complex shape of his limb. 

Does anyone else 'save' champagne for a special occasion and then find that it's been in the cupboard for years? We decided this occasion was special enough. 

Although we'd talked about having a printed design on the leg, at this stage with his rate of growth plus the need for a foam base material to allow for adjustments to the size & shape, it wasn't appropriate for this first prosthetic. Later down the line it's definitely an option though, which is another thing to look forward to. 

First photo with his new leg

This photo was taken when he first tried on the leg. It was a really emotional time for Pete and I, and a moment we'll both remember forever. Rory didn't really know what was going on, but he did clock the straps that did it up and as a result, swiftly worked out how to undo it. 

Our instructions are to make sure he spends lots of time just having it around him while he plays, so that he gets used to it. He's to wear it for about 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day, so really not long at all. This is partly for him to get used to it but also so that we can keep an eye on his skin and make sure it's not being irritated (although he does have a stump sock to wear beneath the prosthetic). As such, he's only had it on for a very minimal amount of time since we brought it home earlier this week. 

It's a learning curve for all of us, and we are only on day three. Pete and I are having to learn, as quickly as possible, how to correctly put it on him. Plenty of times it has slipped off as he's crawling around, so we are figuring out the knack to getting it pulled on high enough, in the right position and also securing the straps tightly enough to keep it in place. It's definitely not straightforward, and we haven't quite got it down to a tee yet. 

But most of the learning is obviously Rory's. At the moment he's just getting used to the sensation of wearing it. He's still not putting weight on that leg, but he's crawling around as normal and dragging it along with him. Basically he's acting normally, as if it isn't there. It's a good thing in a way, because he has stopped trying to pull it off and is fine with the concept of it being there. We are trying not to put too much pressure on him 'using' it yet, because it's only been a very short amount of time, but we do try and encourage him to put weight on that leg. He is able to put weight on it, because we've helped him get into that position, but it's not something he's doing willingly by himself yet. 

 

Here are a couple of short videos of him in action:

In that last video, we aren't quite sure if the leg is currently a little bit too long to allow for growth, or if we just haven't put it on properly! Lots of learning, every day. 

I will keep this blog updated with how he progresses. In the meantime, if you see us out and about it's likely that he won't have his leg on, because for now it's practise practise practise at home.