Acknowledging Reality

[Nueces]

Good on ya, I'm pleased for you.

Mark

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

More good news...thanks for sharing

[Bulldogger]

Glad for the update and good news. Keep at it.
BDGR

[theperfessor]

Just got back from prosthetist. Tried on a clear plastic test socket to check fit-up. Everything looks and fits fine, I had a chance to stand up on both legs (between some parallel bars) and put weight on left leg. No pain, even pressure on stump, all is well so far.

Next Tuesday (9/30/14) I get fitted with real socket. Wife will roll me in to prosthetist's office in wheelchair, I will get to push my wheelchair out when we are done. Looking forward to returning wheelchair and crutches to rental agencies.

Eight days to a more normal life.

[Nueces]

Hooaah!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

that's great !

[guywitha3006]

Good to hear!

[Just Duke]

Saw Doctor yesterday. The cavity inside my left heel is not healing, it is getting bigger. I have to acknowledge the reality of the situation. I am nauseous from taking antibiotics, my pain level has gone up, and now I'm bleeding more and more. Time to end this. I have to see Doctor again in three weeks, we both agreed that if there isn't significant improvement by then that we will schedule an amputation. He is running about three weeks behind, so six or seven weeks from now I could have the operation.

He says surgery would take 1-2 hours, then 3-5 days in hospital. Normally folks would go to rehab for a while but he will send me directly home since I have proved to him I can use a walker and one leg to get around. I can also get wheelchair for rental for a while. Several months of home nursing care plus the excellent care I get from wife and I will be ready for fitting of prosthesis. Doctor claims I could be walking in three months and would barely notice it in six.

Found out I have enough sick leave to take the Fall off and since I am retiring this year and would get a free sabbatical semester in Spring anyway. End result is that I will never have to go back to work at University. I will get full salary until end of next July. And I may get a little better pension if I retire under a medical disability, plan to talk to HR folks Friday about that.

I've been training nephew to run machine tools, by the time I go under knife I should have a good inventory of standard items and hopefully can get him to make nose/top punches.

If all goes well I plan to buy Haas CNC mill in Spring, a year from now I could be in real good shape both physically and commercially, and have a well trained assistant I can count on.

I've been wanting to do another lead hammer site benefit sale, but I haven't felt good enough to do it. Maybe next Spring.

No regrets, no sorrow, I'm really looking forward to ending this part of my life and moving on to something better and far more satisfying.

Heal well Keith and enjoy your golden years. Do you still have my number?

[ph4570]

Sounds good.

[obssd1958]

Just got back from prosthetist. Tried on a clear plastic test socket to check fit-up. Everything looks and fits fine, I had a chance to stand up on both legs (between some parallel bars) and put weight on left leg. No pain, even pressure on stump, all is well so far.

Next Tuesday (9/30/14) I get fitted with real socket. Wife will roll me in to prosthetist's office in wheelchair, I will get to push my wheelchair out when we are done. Looking forward to returning wheelchair and crutches to rental agencies.

Eight days to a more normal life.

Keep it up Keith!!

[dragonrider]

That's good news Keith, glad to hear it.

[Catshooter]

That is right on. Ain't it grand when a plan comes together?


Cat

[MtGun44]

That is great news. Best wishes for a smooth transition to the
next phase. It seems like you are having as good as this sort of
thing can be.

Bill

[Wayne Smith]

Humm, Keith - methinks more than a couple of days to establish your stamina. I'm sure you have some muscular rebuilding to do. That may take a week to a month to accomplish. Then you can look at long term ability.

[theperfessor]

Yes, rebuilding muscles that have gone a little slack as well as building up muscles that will be used more to compensate for different physiology. But I don't HAVE to do anything, I am effectively retired, so I can stop and sit down (or even take a nap) any time I want to.

I have a nice comfy tractor-seat stool out in shop and an apprentice that is more than happy to do almost anything that needs to be done. One of the first things we will do in shop is clean up the place. I am still planning to buy CNC mill after first of year and there are a lot of changes that need to take place to shop before then. I DO NOT plan to lift much of anything, just give directions and get out of the way. My apprentice has a good friend that I can hire to help out on anything that needs two strong backs. My apprentice is all in to cleaning up the shop and making our work environment more comfortable.

The medical people have all indicated that it will be about a year to get back to something approaching 100%, and I can appreciate that. I don't intend to overwork myself, but I am extremely motivated to succeed. One more week until I find out.

[Fishman]

If your health insurance covers it, you probably should consider attending physical therapy. Nothing quite like an expert helping you who has seen your situation dozens of times before. Hopefully one or more of our members is a PT and will weigh in on this.

[theperfessor]

Woo Hoo! Got fitted today with my prosthetic foot. Next week I start therapy for "gait training", which will help me learn to walk properly. I'm using a walker for stability, and with therapy they will move me to a quad-cane and then my regular fighting cane. I've already run several errands - mailed a package at the PO, got a soft drink and a snack at a drive-thru, stopped to see my friend Jeff at his machine shop. All boringly normal and absolutely wonderful things to do.

Tomorrow I have a whole list of things to do, None require I stand up or walk for very long, most just require being mobile and reasonably self-sufficient.

I'll know within a week when I should formally reopen my business - I'll post something and change my sig line.

Thanks to everyone who thought to include me in their thoughts and prayers over the last year and a half, your concern is appreciated. I hope to pay back the collective Castboolits fraternity by doing what I can to help make this the Golden Age of bullet casting.

[Smoke4320]

I am glad its starting to look up for you.. heres to a speedy recovery

[Ramar]

Great news! Great guy!
You're still my hero!
Ramar

[smokeywolf]

Spectacular Keith. Every update from you just gets better and better.

smokeywolf