What A Bummer....

   Well....I know some of yall are wondering how my appointment in Nashville went. An for me personally it wasn't the best. The night before my appointment I blogged about my whirlwind of emotions and anticipation for this day. I was not even able to sleep all night. I mean I tried not to expect too much just in case this was to happen. After driving two hours we arrived in Nashville at Hanger Prosthetics. During the appointment I met a total of three prosthetist. I had been in contact with Bill Limehouse from the Hanger in Texas, he travels along the southern region. Through Amputee Coalition of America I had got in contact with him since he travels to Nashville, TN. Bill is an upper arm amputee specialist therefore it seemed like a great idea to give Nashville a shot, especially since it is within driving distance. Bill is a very knowledgeable prosthetist, he has experience of about forty years and at the appointment I did learn a lot. I came prepared and brought with me a list of questions and he was able to answer most all of them, which was very helpful. Now at least I have something to compare other appointments to. 

    For those of you that have been reading and keeping up with me, one thing that I found out that was a relief is that my scapula bone that sticks out, he did say that he didn't think it wouldn't be a problem; with the silicone padding they would be able to line it where it would be protected. During the appointment he mainly just shared information which to me felt more like a salesman. He did feel of my arm and test my strength to see how far I have come in physical therapy, an he was impressed, Of course! I Got Guns! HA! But I have loved physical therapy even if my arm doesn't. :) Strength and a healthy lifestyle now is very important! After a physical assessment he addressed how I would be able to control an arm. He brought out a myo-electric tester to find the best sites for electrode placement. This was to see if I was a good candidate for a myo-electronic arm or rather use an electrode pad to move the arm. To sum it up both use electronic signals from muscle contractions to move the arm. In a later blog I will go over different kinds of arms right now its all still new to me. Anyway the tester showed I had could be a candidate for either one, which is good considering my level of amputation, but he believed the electrode pads would be best.

Tossing and Turning...Awaiting A New Change

     So it's 2am and I can't sleep, I have so many thoughts running through my head. I should be sleeping because I have to get

up and leave for Nashville in a couple of hours. 

    The day has finally come to check out a prosthetist, or as I like to call it go arm shopping! Woohoo! Those that have been keeping up with me the plan was to go to Dallas, to Advance Arm Dynamics.

    Well airfare is expensive and we just had to buy me a vehicle and I like to use the saying, since I aint going to Dallas now so far, the vehicle "cost me an arm luckily not a leg!" :) Any who! The reason why I was going to Dallas and not Nashville or locally to begin with is due to the prosthetist lack of experience with upper extremity cases. It is not their fault but it is just typically they may see only one or two cases a year as oppose to legs which are more common, not that their any less severe. An Dallas was strictly an arm institute, an they were very caring and on their website you can see all the things they have done for people. I also am a little bias because I know two people, Lauren Scruggs and Jason Koger, who have gave the up most positive report as well. But as of now Dallas isn't in the cards, but when posting on Amputee Coalition of America, on Facebook I was put in contact with Bill Limehouse, a prosthetist who travels to Nashville luckily, and his specialty is upper amputees. He has been in the field for 40 years. As much as my heart is set on Dallas I hope this works out, since its closer and we can drive so it will be cheaper. Now we just got to pray God will work it out. 

It's Okay To Laugh At Yourself

 "A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.(NIV)"  

Proverbs 17:22 

    What I have learned from this experience is that you can either live you life crying over your new life or learn to laugh at yourself. Being an amputee is definitely an adjustment and has definitely made me humble. Since my accident I have had several experiences where I wished I had it video taped! Or a helmet one would have been nice to ha! Your brain is just so used to having a limb that it is easy to act before you think.

Got Guns! How To Load & Unload a Revolver One Handed!

    I know that concealed weapons and right to bear arms is a huge topic right now. And after my accident that was one of my first things on my to do list. I was determined to figure out ways to be able to hunt and to be able to use firearms comfortably as an upper arm amputee. My boyfriend had bought me a Ruger snub nose 38 sp for my graduation present before my accident. A Couple months after my accident I successfully got my concealed weapons license with my boyfriends whole family it was a great day! I was so happy! I cant wait for hunting season! Everything feels so new again!
    Anyway I was finally able to shoot some videos of me with my revolver. These three videos will help you in showing how you can load and unload the gun easily with one hand. Just practice loading and unloading and you'll get quicker. Just find which way is most comfortable to you and quickest. Again I really recommend for loading using the speed loaders. Being an amputee it saves time, instead of messin around with individual bullets. But everyone has their own preference. Remember just because your an amputee doesn't mean you can't be licensed!

My Baby Girl - Part 3

By: J. Suzette Frick

    It's time to go back home to Paducah. I felt so comforted as professionals in the medical field touched base and assessed Allie's condition before releasing her from Vanderbilt. I was comforted that the ambulance would be taking good care of her transporting her from Vandy to Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, for rehabilitation.

    Allie got checked into Lourdes and one of the first things they did was roll a large scale into her room at Lourdes wanting to see how much Allie weighed. She got up on the scales and was so disappointed that even after losing an arm she had not lost any weight! I could not believe the humor coming out of her mouth at such an early stage in her traumatic event. From that day on she has made us laugh!

Fashion! Bras & Coats

   When it comes to fashion I'm no expert by any means. I just have never liked to shop! I knowww sorry girls to disappoint you but I'm just more of the Hunting type. I have just always dread shopping. But this accident has made me try to be a little more fashionable. I think it is just me trying to compensate for the lack of an arm. I believe it is the mentality that if I look good then maybe people will look at me and not the lack of an arm. But at times the way some stare I think I could be on fire and they would never know it. They would just be like, "did you just see that one arm chick!", not "OMG that girls on fire!"ha! Being an amputee and shopping can be difficult to find clothes that you feel that is flattering. I hope to bring you some helpful ideas to make you feel more confident in what you wear. Feel free to let me know what you like to wear and what ideas you have as well.

     Lets start with the basics. After my accident I wasn't able to wear a bra for a while due to the incision and broken bones. My healing time took longer then expected therefore I needed some type of loose bra, a sports bra was too tight and I couldn't wear anything with under wire, under wire just cut into my incision line. I stumbled upon these bras at Victoria Secret they feel amazing and are adorable! They also make a cute under shirt as well. They worked well with my incision line because the bottom was lace, this allowed some give where it would just lay comfortably on top of my incision as oppose to a tight band in a regular bra. This bra also has the adjustable straps which is important so you can loosen the band up enough so that there is not pressure applied to the incision. The down side is I did feel like I was back in a training bra due to lack of support but hey! better than nothing right? 

     ttp://mobi.victoriassecret.com/bras/wireless/lace-bralette- pink?ProductID=50912&CatalogueType=OLS 

     They make other sports bras with the adjustable straps that would also be good as well you just have to make sure it is not too tight. That way you can loosen the straps up so it's not tight on the side they amputated. Now if they amputated below elbow you may not have the same issues except for with trouble fastening your bra. Still today when wearing bras I can only tolerate them for so long due to the pressure on my scar line, an I am four months post op. When I wear a more fitted sports bra working out, comfort is really important. I went and did some cardio for 30 min the other day and the pressure from mine was killing me by the end. So you never can tell.

    What I have learned is to fasten my bras first, before I put them on. Then I will put the bra on and take it off like a shirt. Then I will just leave it fastened for ease for next use. Comfort is key don't rush yourself in getting back into a bra trust me! I did it and it aggravated my incision and hello infection! At least the doctor was nice enough to send me home for a two day vacation before I came back to the ER for surgery :).  So listen to your body and take care of it!
   

Coats!

      I know that spring time is coming, but I would like to address dress coats. Now is the time to get some bargains for next year. With light coats I normally just tuck the sleeve in the pocket, but with heavy dress coats it doesn't work as well. My aunt told me about cape coats and which I tried one on and fell in love! It was perfect for me! The coat to the right is a Kenneth Cole Reaction cape. 


     Other than the cape have fun with other types of jackets such as the different lengths of the sleeves. Here are two more examples.

 

 Have fun with it and most of all be confident! And remember your beautiful!