tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4962311756842088932024-03-05T08:52:41.702-05:00Snowboarder vs. TreeIn February 2010, I snowboarded into a tree. After five reconstructive surgeries to salvage my ankle, I decided to get a below-knee amputation.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-81940045904357630382019-04-21T18:27:00.002-04:002019-04-21T18:27:39.731-04:00The Moth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last week I told out story at a Moth StorySLAM event in Washington, DC. The theme of the night was blunders. It was a great audience. Brooke was in the crowd. <a href="https://medium.com/@snowboardvstree/snowboarder-vs-tree-c33995d014a5" target="_blank">You can read the story here</a>. If it makes it on the air I'll let you know.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-42296934126229712222014-10-13T22:17:00.002-04:002014-10-13T22:17:25.651-04:00Army Ten Miler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday was a milestone in my amputee life. For the first time ever I ran 10 miles. Consecutively. Without stopping. In under two hours.<br />
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I owe much of yesterday's success to my wife, Brooke. She's been running these races for years while I've been the spectator. This was our first time to race together. </div>
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We kept a good pace throughout the race and got an enormous outpouring of support from other runners. High fives were easy to come by at every mile. We even had a group of runners ask if they could pace with us for a few miles.</div>
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At the end of the race I felt strong enough to keep going another three miles. So next March I plan on running my first half marathon with Brooke (the Rock 'n Roll USA Half Marathon). </div>
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The leg felt amazing throughout the entire race. I couldn't believe how great it did. Mark, Elliot, Megan, and Ben at Orthotic Prosthetic Center all did an amazing job getting this leg to fit and perform the way it did.</div>
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The race ended up being a moment to reflect over the last four years. We've endured pain, suffering, recoveries, glimmers of hope, and eventual setbacks. This amputation was absolutely the best thing we could do to improve our lives. I am so glad I did it. And I can't thank you all enough for the love and support over the years. I'm not sure where we'd be without it.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-88862946619991585892014-07-10T23:47:00.001-04:002014-07-10T23:47:09.779-04:00Joey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Brooke and I first met Joey the day after Dr. Jeng told him he was out of options. Ankle fusion was the last card in the deck. The last choice he had to get rid of his severe ankle arthritis. Worse, there was no guarantee that the fusion would work. Joey suffered from a rare disease called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigmented_villonodular_synovitis" target="_blank">Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS)</a>. Over time it destroys the bone and synovial membrane surrounding the joint, leading to debilitating ankle arthritis. Arthroscopic surgery and radiation treatments didn't help.<br />
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Over dinner, that night we first met, I told Joey to cut his leg off.<br />
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Two weeks ago, Joey cut his leg off. He even made it easier for Dr. Attinger with a new tattoo. You should <a href="http://imgur.com/a/TOEKR" target="_blank">check out all of his ridiculous pictures</a>. You may have already come across them. The album made the front page of <a href="http://reddit.com/">reddit.com</a> earlier this week, and has sense spread to other websites and news outlets.<br />
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Joey is still only two weeks into the recovery, but he's doing great. He has an amazing support group in Johnna, his girlfriend, his family, and his friends. We chat regularly about the recovery process. The first year sucks. But on his one year ampuversary, we're going for a run to reflect on our decision. That will be a good day.<br />
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A prosthetic design company called <a href="http://unyq.com/collections/prosthetic-covers" target="_blank">UNYQ</a> came across Joey's story and started a <a href="https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/awesome-prosthetic-leg-cover-for-rightfooted" target="_blank">crowd funding campaign </a>with Reddit users to raise money for a prosthetic cover for his new leg. With just a few day's left, the campaign is a couple hundred dollars short of meeting the goal of $2,000. If that goal is reached, the company will add in another $2,000.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu6SZOpcUGATnZIIiNY8HVgO8Q0REGDdR74vFD7Oksqb2NJyCoGDuxZrckYvaLVss8EWmVXLpM4Yr1J8q5a51pwPGMPgsrKf6n6bOv0NGXQonOSuzFLXw6Qxzko32ZZe9jdbbEILIlpD2/s1600/Cycle_M_B_1_1024x1024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOu6SZOpcUGATnZIIiNY8HVgO8Q0REGDdR74vFD7Oksqb2NJyCoGDuxZrckYvaLVss8EWmVXLpM4Yr1J8q5a51pwPGMPgsrKf6n6bOv0NGXQonOSuzFLXw6Qxzko32ZZe9jdbbEILIlpD2/s1600/Cycle_M_B_1_1024x1024.jpeg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Joey gave me a call today. He spoke with UNYQ and, if the goal is reached, they will give me a prosthetic cover as well out of the company's matching contributions!Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-78418528467825907732014-07-08T21:36:00.001-04:002014-07-08T21:36:27.009-04:00Running like its 2014You've seen this apology before. Guy creates blog. Shows you gross pictures. Then, like that, disappears. Never to be heard from again.<br />
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I'm sorry.<br />
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I'm still here. And I'm still dominating. <br />
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Last night, I ran over 5 miles in my new running leg. From my apartment to the Washington Monument and back with my wife, Brooke. We haven't run that far together since 2007.<br />
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I cannot begin to tell you how amazing my life has been since I cut my leg off. But I know that I need to take the time to document our lives in the last few months. There are so many of us out there that need to know there's more for us after debilitating ankle pain.<br />
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So please stay tuned!Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-85392337465981698102013-12-14T17:17:00.002-05:002013-12-14T17:17:54.639-05:00Running like it's 2009<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NXX-wSVtogI" width="450"></iframe></center>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-35121251441415344172013-12-12T23:37:00.001-05:002013-12-12T23:37:05.867-05:00A RunEarlier this evening I ran over half a mile. It was awesome. A much overdue update is forthcoming.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-76588749898666245612013-09-18T16:37:00.005-04:002013-09-18T22:41:04.187-04:00The Tweet Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hMXcleR3MWwwLT5YFPOkhrVPGfHGJoN-21HqHQbSns36Labhy2k6E3R5IMZm-NnuZjy6oYu5YGjRqw_xgNoaWz6T52HHOyicHSMmNkCbxWeVMHkJB8wnOh7gFktujR9z6UHk3Kj1OpoI/s1600/university+of+tulsa+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hMXcleR3MWwwLT5YFPOkhrVPGfHGJoN-21HqHQbSns36Labhy2k6E3R5IMZm-NnuZjy6oYu5YGjRqw_xgNoaWz6T52HHOyicHSMmNkCbxWeVMHkJB8wnOh7gFktujR9z6UHk3Kj1OpoI/s320/university+of+tulsa+001.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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I graduated from The University of Tulsa in 2005 as a Master of Science in Computer Science. Tulsa has an excellent computer science school <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> <a href="http://www.utulsa.edu/academics/colleges/college-of-engineering-and-natural-sciences/departments-and-schools/tandy-school-of-computer-science.aspx">the Tandy School of Computer Science</a>. There are many things that make it a great place to learn computer science.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73q15hX0LoYhU_cEzBTNvq2fxY7OYukoN6DGCyEF8d22IEn16B4SzJN8BvFRs3tksmLkRvNLodsX3c1rQ-QJcLruZxcqoni1hsc0N7pVO1RkFmJgnD_mb0nDcRs0fxMMBJ6lWtoErf735/s1600/Dr+John+Hale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73q15hX0LoYhU_cEzBTNvq2fxY7OYukoN6DGCyEF8d22IEn16B4SzJN8BvFRs3tksmLkRvNLodsX3c1rQ-QJcLruZxcqoni1hsc0N7pVO1RkFmJgnD_mb0nDcRs0fxMMBJ6lWtoErf735/s320/Dr+John+Hale.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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Here's one of them. Meet <a href="https://louisville.edu/liberalstudies/team/dr-john-hale" target="_blank">John Hale</a>, Ph.D.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoVmAGJGb4WMsVW2NsYcTOJrfYLByDNv5BieRK0GOhdtgBd8UfMdgNAaaMPRRYrTzQ8ysPR1YHbp_UhX7FjSCsd85a5EbZGBXokiUQhwP6zqfESB6sBntmvtK5Ff-fH0fKRkd_5-mq8Un/s1600/mystery-science-theater-3000-collection-volume-7-the-20050427044827206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoVmAGJGb4WMsVW2NsYcTOJrfYLByDNv5BieRK0GOhdtgBd8UfMdgNAaaMPRRYrTzQ8ysPR1YHbp_UhX7FjSCsd85a5EbZGBXokiUQhwP6zqfESB6sBntmvtK5Ff-fH0fKRkd_5-mq8Un/s320/mystery-science-theater-3000-collection-volume-7-the-20050427044827206.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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Dr. Hale dabbled in "<i>comedy acting</i>" early in his career before fulfilling his destiny to become a Professor of Computer Science. You may recognize him from his role as Joel Robinson on the popular cult comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He departed after the 100th episode because he wasn't very funny anymore.</div>
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But his quietly surprising sense of humor, the kind where he feigns shock when you laugh at him instead of take his funny story seriously, was perfect for the classroom environment. Students won't leave the classroom and they feel compelled to laugh at him all from tacit fear Dr. Hale will strike them where it hurts <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> the grade point average.</div>
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All of this is true. Ask any of his current and former students.</div>
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This sets the stage for last week, when I received an unmarked and unsolicited package from a UPS Store in Oklahoma.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Rf0wTg4D6A/Ujntvtsku7I/AAAAAAAAbvk/iYlQQBOQF2U/s1600/20130915_115803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Rf0wTg4D6A/Ujntvtsku7I/AAAAAAAAbvk/iYlQQBOQF2U/s320/20130915_115803.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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Inside I find this contraption. My Computer Science Radar kicks into overdrive. <br>
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<i>"This is a <b>thing</b>. I must find out what this thing is."</i><br>
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I recognized the board was a <a href="http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi</a>, a computer the size of a credit card. Attached to the top was a small LCD screen. And in the USB port there appeared to be a Wifi adapter. Several minutes passed before I noticed a card. I was too busy to notice it as I analyzed what this thing was and when I must have ordered it.<br>
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The card reads:<br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Tony, </i></blockquote>
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<i>Please enjoy this Tweet Machine, which students in the Tandy School of Computer Science created for you as a get well card (hopefully the coolest get well card you've received!) </i></blockquote>
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<i>Using the hash tag #snowboardervstree, family and friends can tweet you their get well wishes. I have enclosed a brief set of instructions from Dr. Hale, should you need them. </i></blockquote>
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<i>Please let me know should you have any questions, and best wishes on a speedy rehabilitation! </i></blockquote>
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<i>Sincerely,</i><br>
<i>Lisa </i></blockquote>
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<i>Director of Development</i><br>
<i>The University of Tulsa</i></blockquote>
<b>Lisa, this is the coolest thing I've ever received, let alone coolest get well card!</b> How awesome is The University of Tulsa and the scientists they've got down in their labs these days?<br>
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Dr. Hale included some instructions for setting up The Tweet Machine to my wireless network. I sent him a note to let him know the machine was plugged in and ready to go.<br>
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Suddenly, The Tweet Machine comes alive and begins to flash that I've received a new tweet from the Internet. The Internet, via The Tweet Machine, wants to tell me something.<br>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xw45_t9c3RU/Ujnt_MTwpSI/AAAAAAAAbv0/-dhVL88hH74/s1600/20130911_184501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xw45_t9c3RU/Ujnt_MTwpSI/AAAAAAAAbv0/-dhVL88hH74/s320/20130911_184501.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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It's Dr. Hale, welcoming me to The Tweet Machine.<br>
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Welcome to the Tweet Machine. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23snowboardervstree&src=hash">#snowboardervstree</a><br>
— John Hale (@JohnCHale1968) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnCHale1968/statuses/377925466088542209">September 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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I discover two students, burdened by the constant struggle to make their laughter sound real in the Hale classroom, created The Tweet Machine as a course project for Dr. Hale.</div>
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Seriously. Where were these cool projects when I was around?</div>
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It wasn't long before I received Tweets from the creators.</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23snowboardervstree&src=hash">#snowboardervstree</a> good luck getting that damn thing to work<br>
— James Johnson (@James_Johnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/James_Johnson/statuses/377934703896297473">September 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Glad I could help build the tweeting device. <a href="https://twitter.com/James_Johnson">@James_Johnson</a> did the hardest part. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23snowboardervstree&src=hash">#snowboardervstree</a><br>
— SixVolts (@Six_Volts) <a href="https://twitter.com/Six_Volts/statuses/378105323631833089">September 12, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Thank you to both of you for your awesome work! This is an amazing gift. It worked right out of the box. That sounds like a passing grade <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> whether or not you laughed at Dr. Hale's jokes.</div>
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In addition to The Tweet Machine, the new leg is also working nicely. Since my last carbon fiber socket in August, we've continued the process of creating test sockets about once a week until we see my leg shrinkage stabilize. Today we created my seventh test socket. On Friday I'll get my eighth test socket (today's test socket did not end up fitting as well as we had hoped). Because I'm able to manage my normal leg shrinkage throughout the course of a day with one long sock and one cut sock, I'll likely get my second carbon fiber socket next week.</div>
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As we've gone through this test socket process I've had the chance to be more active now than I have ever been in my entire life. Two weeks ago we spent some time at the beach in the Outer Banks. I wrapped my leg with plastic wrap so sand wouldn't get into the carbon fiber foot. I didn't get into the water, but me and my pale skin had a great time.<br>
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This Sunday is the <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">Super H 5k race</a>. I won't be running in it, but I'm prepared to walk. Our team is in second place for overall fundraising, which is great! I'm looking forward to hanging out with all of our friends in support of a great cause.<br>
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The race will be an important milestone. I signed up for the race before I took my first steps as a new amputee. It was a goal I set early on, before I even had a new leg, to keep me focused and motivated. <br>
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The recovery has gone incredibly well so far as a result. I am going to dominate these three miles.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-91108129389544548152013-08-15T22:30:00.001-04:002013-08-15T22:30:11.531-04:00The Most Awesome Post Ever (#NSFT)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Before you scroll down, I have to warn you. <b>These pictures of my June 14th amputation are extremely graphic.</b> And totally awesome.</div>
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As Dr. Attinger described these pictures, here are steps one through a thousand on how to perform an Ertl amputation.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">My sweet epidural. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Go TU!</span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Measure twice, cut once. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">It's like we're dissecting something in biology class. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Please tie off that artery before I bleed out.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bonesaw! Aubrey, if you made it this far, I am proud of you.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Another artery worth saving.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Measuring the length for the fibula bone bridge.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just a quick game of tic-tac-toe. Inside my leg.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">It looks like a trauma. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I like how they're treating my foot like a chunk of freshly caught fish with that massive hook in my fibula.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Peace out, dude. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm being filleted.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">My leg is starting to swell.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The med student that did this is awesome. He tried to show us what my ankle looked like. Read my mind. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">If they dug deeper they'd find some broken screws sticking out down there. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cutting off the remaining fibula to form the bone bridge.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The fibula bridge keeps all of its blood vessels to keep it alive.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Perfectly beveled edge for a smooth and comfortable contour.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">My leg is starting to look like a stuffed sausage.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I will be framing this picture. Amazing.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Footloose!</span></b> </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Securing the headless screw to hold the bridge together.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Reattaching the functional muscles underneath the bones to form additional padding.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This JP drain is gigantic! </span></b></div>
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If you made it this far, I must say I am impressed. Of all of the pictures I've ever posted on this blog, these are the most gnarly. Congratulations on making it all the way.<br />
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These pictures make me appreciate the work surgeons like Dr. Attinger do. This surgery gave me my life back. I'm so thrilled it was all captured with such amazing pictures!Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-81729626679604422222013-08-14T21:21:00.000-04:002013-08-14T21:21:33.075-04:00Surgery Pictures Have Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is one of the best pictures I've ever had taken of me.</span></b></div>
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Dr. Attinger, seen here cutting my leg off, sent me about 350 pictures from my June 14th amputation today.<br />
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The pictures are extremely graphic. It's awesome! I'll start posting them later this week.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-80344175796150682882013-08-13T22:04:00.001-04:002013-08-13T22:19:23.229-04:00Two Months of Learning the Amputee Lifestyle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFCOg5wik8WtefDxy55th_oje1EtO7CeZ0exhTtWZ_QBHHX9wXMGeZqL3Gai34rNdrjFI9YYPYqA41Ns4K6v2WLzkd39rTwzdJqCjch6kbRPYTbe0D4WrAvpEsxJgnyXoab3wRUXZhki4/s1600/Jeremy-Clarkson-In-Ariel-Atom-AHHHHHHH-bbc-america-top-gear-10491170-480-331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFCOg5wik8WtefDxy55th_oje1EtO7CeZ0exhTtWZ_QBHHX9wXMGeZqL3Gai34rNdrjFI9YYPYqA41Ns4K6v2WLzkd39rTwzdJqCjch6kbRPYTbe0D4WrAvpEsxJgnyXoab3wRUXZhki4/s320/Jeremy-Clarkson-In-Ariel-Atom-AHHHHHHH-bbc-america-top-gear-10491170-480-331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson knows what it's like to go zero to 60 in a heartbeat.</span></b></div>
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Tomorrow marks two months since I amputated my leg. I've tasted what it's like to have a normal ankle. It's awesome. My famous and distinguished pre-accident Tony stride has already made an epic comeback. </div>
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While I'd love to dust off the old cliche and say never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be this far along at this point in time, I can't do it.</div>
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I expected to be here.</div>
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It was this stupid confidence that kept me perfectly calm, dude, just hours before my leg was amputated. It's what will put me back on my snowboard this upcoming season.<br />
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It's also these high expectations that make going from 60 mph to zero so challenging. I've been told by other amputees to expect a roller coaster ride for the next few months. I live in DC. I live and breath stop-and-go traffic. But I had no idea how abruptly I'd come to a complete stop after dominating walking for three weeks.</div>
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I mentioned signs of a problem in last week's post. I was losing suction as I walked. This indicated my leg was continuing to shrink after the final socket was created. I was unable to maintain a seal around my residual limb because my leg was smaller than my socket and liner.</div>
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My prosthetists have a tough job balancing this issue with keeping me active. If you want to plan for a shrinking limb, you stick with a test socket. But test sockets are fragile and can break, so you have to limit your activity. If you're an active patient like me, this can be difficult medicine to take. If you're in a carbon fiber socket, you can safely and dramatically increase your activity. I was working out every morning in my final socket. I was quickly up to 100 lbs squats. It was great.</div>
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But I continued to shrink. Over three days we tried to plug the holes and keep me in the socket, but on Friday we realized it wasn't going to happen. I was wearing 12-ply socks to stay comfortable in my socket. We planned on meeting Monday to create a new mold of my leg to start the process over again.</div>
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In the meantime, we had an awesome wedding to attend in Philadelphia in my now gigantic socket. I was given explicit instructions not to walk all over the city.</div>
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I <i><b>only </b></i>walked one mile in the city, but it was enough to open up a superficial wound on top of my incision over the distal end of my tibia. Because my leg shrank, it was banging around the socket during the swing phase of my gate. Every step I took hammered this thin section of skin.</div>
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I also ran into an interesting swelling problem with my calf muscle. Because I was no longer using the entire residual limb to bear weight due to the shrinkage, my calf muscle picked up the slack. After walking for a mile, my calf muscle got very swollen. I tried to balance out the weight distribution by shoving in cut-off socks around the distal end of my residual limb, but that ended up acting like a tourniquet and helped my calf muscle swell up. It also made the distal end of my limb go numb.</div>
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These are all things that scream, "stop!"</div>
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So I was forced to attend the wedding without my leg. It was heartbreaking. My friends Lauren and Phil have been so supportive over the years. Lauren is working on her doctorate in physical therapy with a specialization in amputees.</div>
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I desperately wanted to show up wearing my leg. But Brooke and I decided that would be a bad idea.</div>
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The next morning, my leg felt better, so I was able to attend the morning after brunch without crutches in my sweet new leg. Lauren immediately told me how happy she was to see me walking. That was my single goal for the trip.</div>
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Yesterday morning I had a follow-up visit with Dr. Attinger. He claims that the pictures from the surgery will be sent to me this week. I plan on emailing him every night until we get them. The x-rays of the leg look great. You can make out the early stages of a bone bridge forming between the tibia and fibula.<br />
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Dr. Attinger commented on the wound and asked that I not overdo it. I requested more specific instructions on exactly what he meant by not overdoing it.<br />
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After my appointment with Dr. Attinger, Brooke and I dropped by 6 Main to visit with a new below-knee amputee. Walter had his surgery on Friday as a result of an infection from an ankle injury in May. Walter had an awesome attitude. He couldn't wait to get into his new leg and get started on the new chapter in his life. We told him to keep that positive outlook. It's exactly what will lift him and his family through this ordeal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGIApG_ffDHbv-Uzut4YwsqCOfgFlf8NKwFzvgwPtHzDfL26-6E6TFIS76yNk16SrNiXBn2FoTGZHBgY7JRcBmDKw9o9qUkhg2MeMmtzJP4rS0ItCy4BjQSwrbQ7R7BE4jDUAvAVZs6nV/s1600/tricia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGIApG_ffDHbv-Uzut4YwsqCOfgFlf8NKwFzvgwPtHzDfL26-6E6TFIS76yNk16SrNiXBn2FoTGZHBgY7JRcBmDKw9o9qUkhg2MeMmtzJP4rS0ItCy4BjQSwrbQ7R7BE4jDUAvAVZs6nV/s320/tricia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tricia presenting me with my certificate of kicking ass at being a patient.</span></b></div>
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We ran into a bunch of our nurses while we were on the floor, including Allison, Lindsey, and Tricia. It was a nice impromptu reunion, getting the band back together like that. We all agreed it would be better to meet over beers than in the hospital again.</div>
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Later yesterday afternoon I had another cast of my leg made. Today I picked up my third test socket. It feels so much better to have a socket that fits. I go back in Thursday to make more tweaks and possibly have another cast made. We're also going to try an even smaller liner. I'm currently at 28cm. The game plan will be to go through a couple of test sockets before casting another carbon fiber socket the last week of August.</div>
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The last eight weeks have been a rush. And while I've had setbacks, I couldn't be more pleased with my progress.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-67310734430778489362013-08-05T21:33:00.000-04:002013-08-05T21:37:24.169-04:00Test Driving My New Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuzmYotLiio/Uf59V8DHsSI/AAAAAAAAae4/J_mVepj_dwA/s1600/DSC_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuzmYotLiio/Uf59V8DHsSI/AAAAAAAAae4/J_mVepj_dwA/s320/DSC_0109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last Thursday I received my final socket. It was an exciting moment as a new amputee. I finally get to overdo it without worrying about breaking my socket.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twjQR0t7x4Q/Uf59FaQyUhI/AAAAAAAAaew/4n9EZuXxgoc/s1600/DSC_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twjQR0t7x4Q/Uf59FaQyUhI/AAAAAAAAaew/4n9EZuXxgoc/s320/DSC_0108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It initially felt pretty good, but subsequently I've noticed I'm having issues maintaining the vacuum seal, even with socks. We noticed it when I first started walking in the leg. It comes and goes, but each day I've noticed it gets a little worse. Today I went most of the day unable to maintain the vacuum in the socket.<br />
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When I walk around it sounds like I'm farting with every step as air escapes the one-way valve. While that's awesome, I'm unable to keep an airtight seal with the addition of liner socks. I've even tried adjusting my liner without any luck.<br />
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But, it's still been awesome. Yesterday I walked just shy of two miles in my new leg.<br />
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Let's take a quick tour of my new ride.<br />
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Prosthetic legs are made of four basic components: 1) a liner that goes between your skin and the socket, 2) a socket, 3) a pylon, and 4) a foot. My foot and pylon are essentially the same system.<br />
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My foot has a pump inside it that sucks air out of my socket. This creates negative pressure between my liner and socket and better adheres the foot to my residual limb. By using this system, we're taking advantage of the large amount of surface area in my residual limb to bear the weight of my leg. This makes the leg feel lighter and more like a part of my body.<br />
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I have no idea why they make the foot shells realistic.<br />
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On the side of the foot is this shock absorber made by Ossur. It's called the Re-Flex Shock. This will help me with running later. The pylon, which is the thing that connects the foot to the socket, telescopes in on itself, allowing the shock absorber to do reduce the energy transferred to my knee from each impact.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXkxJAeT9KY/Uf5_DqH8S5I/AAAAAAAAagA/TugbUtL3RRo/s1600/DSC_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXkxJAeT9KY/Uf5_DqH8S5I/AAAAAAAAagA/TugbUtL3RRo/s320/DSC_0131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The carbon fiber foot is always covered with a thick sock. This helps prevent the foot shell from wearing down the carbon fiber foot.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TAdl_WiWm90/Uf5_L8ZJOKI/AAAAAAAAagI/7P90el2G42Y/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TAdl_WiWm90/Uf5_L8ZJOKI/AAAAAAAAagI/7P90el2G42Y/s320/DSC_0133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The foot is awesome. It's a new system built by Ossur that contains a pump in the heel. Each time I walk, my heel strike pushes a pump that sucks out air from my socket.<br />
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Here's the end of the pump over my heel.<br />
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The bottom of the foot is lightly padded. This is usually the first thing to wear out in a prosthetic limb.<br />
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I really like this system so far. It feels really comfortable when I've got a good fit in the socket. I'm already walking better than I ever have since my accident, and I've got a long way still to go.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P6CnBAXh8nk" width="450"></iframe></center>
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I took my new leg out for a test drive in the parking lot. After a few attempts at running I actually had a good quick run. I haven't done that since 2009. When I woke up from surgery, I was told I'd be walking by August 1st. On August 1st, I ran instead.<br />
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Also, I'm pretty happy with the random thumbnail YouTube picked for me.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-30726983231938511322013-07-29T23:38:00.003-04:002013-07-30T00:33:21.688-04:00Snowboarder vs. Awesome Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-RNRKCozx1Dx4y2HdFEKFWLo72lE6dvE7j7YkM5MnNcEuy_pa4FdhRGB7thhHBiJn-7rgtRUz4w9zLeQmpX4ITWCoGqf4SEbfuJkjBKzX1FAmW1gNsfSFkmxrYzWxQCiIDytlWx4kgTK/s1600/1374809301078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-RNRKCozx1Dx4y2HdFEKFWLo72lE6dvE7j7YkM5MnNcEuy_pa4FdhRGB7thhHBiJn-7rgtRUz4w9zLeQmpX4ITWCoGqf4SEbfuJkjBKzX1FAmW1gNsfSFkmxrYzWxQCiIDytlWx4kgTK/s320/1374809301078.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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I've only been back to work a few days. It's been awesome.</div>
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First, my co-workers picked a theme. Amputee pink flamingos. There were 100 of these amputee flamingos scattered across my building. I still haven't found all of them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CRPevvsmRgGXnLSW6ZHDQQAto86QOlHgb3TSEtV74x4XRuSEeyQUICVAvZQLpl6E6bb7uod5xIXZbyKGXDJDgAk7I2XwPkY3FTcD_aM5tVr0xEu3atAJsQWBY0QxxBOk-6Qf5YCawiyJ/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CRPevvsmRgGXnLSW6ZHDQQAto86QOlHgb3TSEtV74x4XRuSEeyQUICVAvZQLpl6E6bb7uod5xIXZbyKGXDJDgAk7I2XwPkY3FTcD_aM5tVr0xEu3atAJsQWBY0QxxBOk-6Qf5YCawiyJ/s320/photo.jpg" width="240"></a></div>
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Crocheted snow hat, check. Custom t-shirt with my nickname from coworkers, check. Yes, this is my tough face. I constantly look like this.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2SXYS_XgkG3il_1EbicgxHC_TocbcoeFw_ptYOXrkuTTyti-3QIoktokx-2UGRZRgBZXYC_Vo9bjF_cHd7aPFqpy7wtU4cTXiRrg7PvUYV6vsPNaqC46D8KNzw_DA5ZWRClmFd8MW9Ww/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2SXYS_XgkG3il_1EbicgxHC_TocbcoeFw_ptYOXrkuTTyti-3QIoktokx-2UGRZRgBZXYC_Vo9bjF_cHd7aPFqpy7wtU4cTXiRrg7PvUYV6vsPNaqC46D8KNzw_DA5ZWRClmFd8MW9Ww/s320/photo.jpg" width="239"></a></div>
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The back of the shirt continued with the amputee flamingo theme. Pretty rock solid, except he's clearly wearing a ski boot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQg4-vrcLeJz8iUZgkFwXkcoNNaAnX7WDKDgROb-soGQ-_W0XA9xLX53bGUp_H_Rmj3-DpsrdKh6Kc5IxqAViDQhfAQom4PJ3aww_v0UPu4BK3EgOTQNgL__G_gkZcwFuCJi_rlscKeH-/s1600/1375150133701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQg4-vrcLeJz8iUZgkFwXkcoNNaAnX7WDKDgROb-soGQ-_W0XA9xLX53bGUp_H_Rmj3-DpsrdKh6Kc5IxqAViDQhfAQom4PJ3aww_v0UPu4BK3EgOTQNgL__G_gkZcwFuCJi_rlscKeH-/s320/1375150133701.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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This afternoon I was presented with with this amazing trophy. Yes. That is bark from the tree I hit. <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2011/03/memorial.html">A friend of mine captured it from a ski trip to Breckenridge in 2011</a>. There's a button on the side that, when pressed, plays <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBktYJsJq-E">this song from Karate Kid</a>.</div>
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Last Wednesday I had the chance to meet another amputee at OPC, Chris. It was an arranged date by our prosthetists, Megan and Elliot. I've been exhausting them with too many questions.</div>
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Chris is a personal trainer. In 2010, a few months after my accident, he was struck by a drunk driver head on while on a dirt bike in his neighborhood.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKpGs9jV-adVl4Mk9MnlDiQaoxynWjW9V5kWA2jdFfZlQfjROpQLm8Q5lIRlL8urMgbGjYXH06njVgTNrax6I3b11rJjlw7Cijbg_1LfEUCd7VpOD-jDgQsfamtbN6LbwOZFz1Q8bPSYn/s1600/1085422_10201588843749974_1297630917_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKpGs9jV-adVl4Mk9MnlDiQaoxynWjW9V5kWA2jdFfZlQfjROpQLm8Q5lIRlL8urMgbGjYXH06njVgTNrax6I3b11rJjlw7Cijbg_1LfEUCd7VpOD-jDgQsfamtbN6LbwOZFz1Q8bPSYn/s320/1085422_10201588843749974_1297630917_n.jpg" width="221"></a></div>
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The doctors were able to salvage his right lower leg with this giant bar.<br>
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I honestly have no idea how this femur healed. Seriously, look at this! This is from his left leg, which was amputated below the knee. Chris didn't have a choice. He was in a medically induced coma because of how bad the injury was, so his wife made the decision for him.<br>
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Remember, Chris is a personal trainer. Can you imagine how tough of a decision this must have been?<br>
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Two things. One. When Chris woke up, he said he'd run again. Two. When doctors told him he had a 50% chance of his femur healing, he said not to worry, it would.<br>
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That attitude is inspirational.<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhIiNTgj83hf52jlkRbrvPvMpM2f8WL0xl2AEAdcbZNFHxGve6b8pxuCGYH6d4wWvF14-Vuvw6FSo9PaIZcorm6gRS850DC6t9-jq2IySW6_j_vyrHu9UP8pulVTpbfyCQUhsnrC5CUGO/s1600/1081333_10201588777028306_1140052107_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhIiNTgj83hf52jlkRbrvPvMpM2f8WL0xl2AEAdcbZNFHxGve6b8pxuCGYH6d4wWvF14-Vuvw6FSo9PaIZcorm6gRS850DC6t9-jq2IySW6_j_vyrHu9UP8pulVTpbfyCQUhsnrC5CUGO/s320/1081333_10201588777028306_1140052107_n.jpg" width="213"></a></div>
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See Chris run for the first time on a cheetah leg outside OPC.<br>
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See Chris box jump three feet.<br>
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See Chris dominate the kettlebell. Without a leg. Instant source of inspiration. He continues to personally train people with two perfectly good legs. I suspect they are not allowed to quit any exercise. Check out <a href="http://donate4christate.com/">Chris's 2016 Paralympics website</a>, he could use your help!<br>
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I go into OPC tomorrow morning for another test socket process. My stump has shrunk some more in my new test socket, so I imagine we'll consider a smaller liner and another casting tomorrow. I'll try to get some video walking in the parking lot with the new fit.<br>
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Dr. Attinger emailed me today. The operation pictures will be here this weekend!<br>
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Sorry for the long cliffhangers on the last two parts in the Sixteen Things Series. I'm off work tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'll have some time to finish those up.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-71091308109354805952013-07-24T02:52:00.001-04:002013-07-24T03:09:00.058-04:00Adversity, Women's Deodorant, a Stumpdate, and I Will Hunt You Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0tB_jmOFQm61darvYv47ZX-XAVLdz4ZPuV5nxqLkOh1cAhSzMFf8P_q9uoFv46Gf6TXj44NBfpDyDs-nQOyeUf2kz9rbkIVntvJWqBx7uaP5fnHpclvGQ00j7kJ-nGo5MZQ9TjPv-0Ob/s1600/flobots-no-handlebars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0tB_jmOFQm61darvYv47ZX-XAVLdz4ZPuV5nxqLkOh1cAhSzMFf8P_q9uoFv46Gf6TXj44NBfpDyDs-nQOyeUf2kz9rbkIVntvJWqBx7uaP5fnHpclvGQ00j7kJ-nGo5MZQ9TjPv-0Ob/s320/flobots-no-handlebars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">No Handlebars</span></b></div>
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About a month ago, I had one of my two legs removed below the knee. It was my right leg. An important leg. I used it to smash homeruns during my short but storied kickball career. The amputation was easy, <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-sixteen-things-parts-two.html">but these are things you already know</a>.<br />
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When I woke up from surgery on June 14th, I was told I'd walk by August 1st. I grabbed that milestone with sixteen days to spare. But I didn't just grab it.</div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;">I no-handlebarred it.</b></div>
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Growing up on the streets as a kid, that was a crowning achievement. And you had to make it obvious no hands were touching your Huffy. This move <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> or even better, the no-handlebars/no-look combo <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> relinquished control, impressed friends, but increased the risk of a crash. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Perhaps the kind of crash that ends with a faceplant into your parent's sweet 1991 Buick Regal Sedan.</b></span></div>
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Taking my first steps a month after cutting my leg off without using the handlebars is an achievement. I recognize this. And yet I walked out of Orthotic Prosthetic Center frustrated, angry, and sad.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was in a glass case of emotion.</span></b></div>
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My stump was sore. But my emotions were even more sore. It was frustrating to not understand why I felt bad when I knew I should have felt awesome. I told Brooke later that night I envisioned running immediately. But that was not my problem.<br />
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The problem was I had let go of the handlebars <b><i>and </i></b>I had stopped looking ahead. It was the dreaded no-handlebars/no-look combo. I crashed. My amputation had been too easy. And now, finally, it was hard. It was painful. I have a recovery in front of me.</div>
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Here's a brief excerpt I edited out from the sweet montage I put up last week. This was my first attempt to remove the socket from my freshly trimmed leg. In this clip Megan, my main certified prosthetist and orthotist, explains to me for the first time how the socket works and how to get out of it. As you can see, it was a challenge for my massive biceps and triceps to remove.<br />
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This went on for hours. Not so inspiring. So these clips were cut from the montage. It's the same reason I haven't updated the blog since last week. I don't write unless I've come through the other side of the problem with a reason to have a positive attitude, some unique insight, or <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/an-amazing-blog-post-comment.html">suppository jokes</a>.<br />
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The reality of the situation was I lost sight of just how big of a decision this was. I knew it was big. I knew it was final. But I hadn't been on the other side until now. Now I was swimming in the consequences. I have a leg that shrinks faster than the test sockets can be made. It's frustrating. And every amputee goes through this. I've fortunately got an awesome team and network of amputees to talk to about this process.<br />
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Earlier today, I met with Elliot and Megan to make a new, smaller test socket. Because my leg shrank one centimeter in circumference in the last few days, we switched to a smaller liner and recast my leg for a new test socket. Elliot expects the stump to shrink even further in the next few weeks.<br />
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Tomorrow I return for another test drive. I have high hopes. As this process improves, my confidence grows. As my confidence grows, I pay more attention to LivingSocial emails.<br />
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In the meantime, I've had to <i>"sock up"</i> to make my now large test socket comfortable to wear.<br />
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That's every sock Megan hooked me up with last week just to prevent the bottom of my stump from bearing too much weight in my socket.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Static electricity and sweat.</span></b></div>
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The stump is doing well. The picture above was taken the day after first-walk day, so you can see some of the bruising that's since dissipated. It's still sore, but most of that pain is caused by the large socket banging against my tibia. The soreness I have now will be resolved with a tighter fit tomorrow. <br />
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The liner is very comfortable. I've started wearing women's deodorant on the stump and leg to prevent sweating.<br />
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Apparently this is one of only a few products that actually help prevent liner sweating. It works like a champ. And I finally smell light and fresh. Finally.<br />
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Earlier this evening I had dinner with some good friends I hadn't seen in years. My friend Luke mentioned he had heard that a stand-up comic is using this blog in his routine. Specifically, he's taken the second paragraph from <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/p/story.html">The Story page</a> and converted it into a joke.<br />
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He's stealing my laughs!<br />
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I did stand-up in college. Briefly. Like, maybe five times. I had one great show. Bombed the rest. It's always been a dream of mine to do stand-up, or at least do something funny. It's the leading cause of my obnoxiousness (I try out material on people non-stop to see what sticks).<br />
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In fact, I had a friend tell me that I probably got this amputation so I could make penis jokes. That is 5% accurate.<br />
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Those laughs are mine. I'd like them returned. I now have a new mission to discover this stand-up comedian.<br />
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Finally, I have not forgotten about the Sixteen Things Series. A video is coming soon that continues that series. Soon!</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-50215797251007667532013-07-17T20:38:00.001-04:002013-07-17T20:38:08.850-04:00One Step Back to Snowboarding<center>
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Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-60068008277896669492013-07-15T19:33:00.000-04:002013-07-21T13:59:22.909-04:00Walking Day Approaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Brooke right after Elliot said I am walking <i><u>this </u></i>week.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Megan, a <a href="http://www.abcop.org/certification/OrthotistsProsthetists/Pages/Default.aspx">CPO</a>, explains something to me that I knew I'd forget. I forgot. Too excited.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">My negative casting of my residual limb. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here's what it looks like inside.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just making sure there weren't any Skittles in the mold. There were not.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here's how the mold was created.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">No blog post is complete without a gross video or picture.</span></b></center>
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Today was such a uniquely awesome day that I had to put the pictures and videos first.</center>
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This morning, Dr. Attinger quickly removed my sutures and cleared me for take-off. He said if I had a leg today I'd be walking today. With respect to the pictures from the surgery, he hasn't had any down time to get them ready for me. He asked that I pester him through his home email address to get copies.</center>
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Easy, I dominate at that.</center>
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After the sutures were out and we were cleared to work with Elliot, we headed over to <a href="http://www.opc1.com/">Orthotic Prosthetic Center</a> to squeeze into his schedule to see him. He had asked us to try coming earlier during our last visit. After looking at the limb, I asked Elliot about the immediate timeframe. How soon will I be able to walk? I was under the impression it could take up to a week or so to make my new temporary leg.</center>
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Wednesday.</center>
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It blew both Brooke and me away. Words cannot describe how excited we are about this week. My walk day all depends on when my foot arrives in the mail. We're scheduled to see Elliot again Wednesday morning assuming the foot's sitting in a UPS box that day.</center>
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What an awesome week this has been for both Brooke, who just passed her Family Nurse Practitioner Boards, and this guy.</center>
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I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for the donations so far <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TonyMeehan/superh5k">for the Super H 5k in September!</a> I was also blown away by your generosity. The last few days has been a rush, and it looks like it isn't going to stop, but I will make sure to write each and every one of you individually a personal thank you. Because you rock. If you live in the DC area, expect an email from me shortly asking you to join the team, because, let's face it, you have no excuse.</center>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-1767610812374003232013-07-14T22:25:00.000-04:002013-07-14T22:25:24.136-04:00Stumpdate #NSFT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This will be a quick update. The stump's continuing its domination of healing. Early tomorrow morning we see Dr. Attinger to get the sutures out, hopefully get our approval to work with Elliot, and really really hopefully, get my hands on those operation pictures.</div>
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This post is definitely Not Safe For Troy (#NSFT).</div>
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I'm planning a video edition of Part 3 of The Sixteen Things. It's taken some time to come up with ideas for it, but hopefully I can pull it together quickly.</div>
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We're excited about tomorrow! I'll <a href="http://twitter.com/snowboardvstree">update you all on Twitter</a> as soon as we find out how things are going tomorrow.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-10273603918914999782013-07-12T14:39:00.000-04:002013-07-12T15:49:38.004-04:00Amputee Support Group and "Super H"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>I'm enjoying these introductory picture teasers. Runners?</b></span></div>
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Last night I attended my first amputee support group and this morning, because of that meeting, <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TonyMeehan/superh5k">Brooke and I have put a team together for a 5k race on September 22nd</a>.</div>
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I don't even have a leg yet! Here's how it happened.</div>
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Rebecca Dean, from <a href="http://www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org/body_dept.cfm?id=556873">Dr. Attinger's Center for Wound Healing</a>, is the group's organizer. She just returned from the <a href="http://www.amputee-coalition.org/events-programs/national-conference/">Amputee Coalition of America's National Conference in Florida</a> with fresh enthusiasm and ideas to expand the group beyond a monthly meeting in a hospital.</div>
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Before the meeting she asked if I would speak to the group about my story, why I decided to get an amputation, the blog and ultimately how Brooke and I have tried our best to make snowboarding into a tree a positive and humorous experience.</div>
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It was an easy sell. Of course I was in!</div>
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I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with everyone individually after speaking to the group <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> amputees, nurses from Dr. Attinger's office, new and old amputees, and even <a href="http://www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org/body_dept_fw.cfm?id=556772&action=detail&ref=3205">Dr. Steinberg</a> and some of his med students (who were either required to attend, seeking extra credit, or were hunting for the free food). Dr. Steinberg is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Georgetown and Co-Director of the Center for Wound Healing.</div>
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I was blown away by how diverse the group was and realized every single person in that room had dealt with an insane amount of adversity. I'm talking about the <i>"you had better be sitting down for this"</i> type of adversity.</div>
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I tried to speak with as many people as I could one-on-one. But there was one couple that Rebecca introduced us to, Joe and Jenny, that I've continued to think about since last night. Like me, it was their first time to attend the support group. I can't remember how long we spoke to one another. I was enthralled with their story. Joe's had thirteen surgeries to salvage his left heel. It was destroyed in a work accident two years ago. He's in pain. All day. Every day. Do you remember me telling you how happy I was to be taking 600 mg of Gabapentin (Neurontin)? He takes 2100 mg a day, along with morphine. Joe can't walk. He rocks out in a wheelchair.</div>
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The good news? He's a Redskins fan.</div>
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Joe doesn't have an amputation yet. He's only considering it. And you could tell an amputation was a more frightening prospect for Joe to consider than continued years of surgeries, hospital stays, and life in a wheelchair.</div>
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It's that classic <b>Hard Decision</b> many of us have had to face.</div>
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Joe, Jenny, Brooke and I hung out well after everyone else had left and kept sharing our experiences with one another. We exchanged information so we could stay in touch. As a couple, it's tough to go through recoveries like this. It's even harder to do it alone!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Harry "Super H" Freedman</span></b></div>
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I also had a chance to meet Harry Freedman, also known as Super H. He's an above-knee amputee and sees Elliot at <a href="http://www.opc1.com/">Orthotic Prosthetic Center</a> as well. In fact, Harry mentioned he'd heard about me during one of his visits at OPC. </div>
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In 2004, at the age of 54, an 18-ton front loader backed over Harry's leg. Up until the accident, Harry was extremely active <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">— </span>biking, running, and swimming. According to <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-09-17/news/36807348_1_spina-bifida-aerobics-classes-wheelchair-basketball-and-tennis">this Washington Post article</a>, in response to his accident, his awesome friends and family <i>"raised $40,000 to defray the cost of prosthetic cycling and running legs by organizing a five-kilometer race, dubbed the Super H in honor of Freedman's Superman-like recovery."</i></div>
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The race is called the <a href="http://www.nrhrehab.org/Ways+to+Give/Events/Super+H/default.aspx">Super H 5k Run Walk & Wheel</a>. Proceeds from donations to teams go to the Washington chapter of <a href="http://www.blazesports.org/">BlazeSports</a>, an organization that runs free sports leagues for adults and children with disabilities.</div>
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What an awesome event! So to officially kick-off my life as an amputee, this morning Brooke and I signed up for the race. If you'd like to join our team, <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TonyMeehan/superh5k/team">you can sign up to race with us here</a>. Or if you can't walk, wheel, or run the race, but you'd like to contribute to the cause, please feel free <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/TonyMeehan/superh5k">to make a small contribution</a>!</div>
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I know I don't have a leg yet. But there's a dude that crutches the entire Super H 5k every year! And Harry said <a href="http://nrhrehab.org/pages/superh_2009_coursemap.htm">the course is not easy</a>.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I hope I get to meet this guy!</span></b></div>
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I have no idea how well I'll be able to walk by September, but I was inspired by the support group and all of the stories I heard <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> including Joe's and Super H's unique stories. So I had to take the plunge!</div>
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Not to be disrespectful to the Super H 5k shirt, but the Snowboarder vs. Tree team is totally going to have our own awesome and custom racewear.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-62061441866370771902013-07-09T00:12:00.000-04:002013-07-09T00:30:11.580-04:00Snowboarder vs. Medical Science Paywalls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Medicine Art</span></b></div>
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Before my accident, medicine appeared to be part science, part chance. Science led to a medical procedure with some chance of success. This chance depended on a number of risks and was measured as a percentage <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> a number. </div>
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Since the accident, I've learned medicine is also part art. You'll probably hear this word when things go wrong. We heard it when we <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2010/04/snowboarder-vs-bacteria.html" target="_blank">discovered an infection</a> and found out later that year the <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2010/07/bad-news-team.html" target="_blank">ankle enjoyed staying broken</a>.</div>
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When most doctors tell you medicine is an art, they're actually talking about that chance of success <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> that number. The statistical chance to medicine. There are a number of factors, forces outside of their control, that decide where the chips fall in your recovery. It's their way of saying medicine is not an exact science.</div>
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Unfortunately, the phrase, <i>"art of medicine,"</i> is misused like this frequently. There are no external factors in the art of medicine. When a surgeon leverages his unique intuition and experience to deviate, react, and invent in service of a patient's best interest <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> that's art. In the operating room, the surgeon is an artist. He's picking <a href="http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp21article1/CadYelMedvsHanYelMed.pdf" target="_blank">Hansa Yellow Medium</a> over <a href="http://www.goldenpaints.com/justpaint/jp21article1/YelOxvsTrYelOx.pdf" target="_blank">Yellow Oxide</a> (please find a new surgeon if he spends his time painting you yellow).</div>
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Medicine is an art. Each surgeon has unique intuition and experience. No two artists are the same. The art of medicine is why you get a second opinion. In fact, as a patient, it's your distinct privilege. But as with all privileges, this one comes with some baggage: <i>responsibility</i>. </div>
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Your biggest responsibility as a patient is to be informed.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Paywalls</span></b></div>
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Unfortunately, it is scary-difficult to be an informed patient. I've been a patient and a writer for this blog for over three years. Both duties require that I spend much of my time on Google and <a href="http://scholar.google.com/" target="_blank">Google Scholar</a>. But those resources only go so far. Most of modern medical science sits behind a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paywall" target="_blank">paywall</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/amayyasi" target="_blank">Alex Mayyasi</a>, a writer for the <a href="http://blog.priceonomics.com/" target="_blank">Priceonomics.com blog</a>, <a href="http://blog.priceonomics.com/post/50096804256/why-is-science-behind-a-paywall" target="_blank">wrote this great piece</a> on science paywalls in May. He highlights the enormous costs of obtaining access to scientific knowledge and also calls out the egregious profit margins publishers like Elsevier make <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> in the neighborhood of 36% <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> on scientific research they didn't even fund. It's nuts.</div>
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For a few years, while my wife was in nurse practitioner school, I had an insider behind the paywall. I had access. Her university paid hefty annual fees to these publishers so that students like her could have access to the information. I used Google to find interesting abstracts and asked her to download the full-text versions. I'd use that information to do the research and <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-of-ankle-arthritis-literature.html" target="_blank">keep you informed on the latest developments in ankle arthritis medical science</a>. Now that she's out of school, I'm an outsider again. Like most of the American public. There is a significant paywall between us and the medical science we need to be informed patients. And it's not going away anytime soon.</div>
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Let me give you an awesome example.</div>
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Dr. Attinger and his residents published an article this year on his unique below-knee amputation technique. The title of the article, a mouthful, is, <i>"Below-Knee Amputation with Vascularized Fibular Graft and Headless Compression Screw."</i> It was published in the <a href="http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal</a>, owned by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (a publisher like Elsevier).</div>
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A full-text version of this article is not freely available on the Internet. It sits behind a paywall. You'll only find the abstracts and tiny thumbnails of the pictures in your Google searching. If I want to get a legitimate digital copy of the paper, I could pay $873 a year for access to the journal. If I'm not willing to shell out a grand a year (which if it isn't obvious, I'm not), I could download a PDF of the paper from the journal's website for only $62.54. There's no way I'm paying that much money for a digital copy of a paper that is <i>only five pages long</i>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfn1dTom87nVnKpJDtG4QuepreqziTBQAuVX5HIlVIxf70FU2r9MMBECPIqArsQvoCJ4c1zx8r7vcU8rLQI3PrerNiAH0Yit53KeeVbIExn4Q01DgkIql6GlE2md0SLLm73pnag6TTkQ_/s1600/football_play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfn1dTom87nVnKpJDtG4QuepreqziTBQAuVX5HIlVIxf70FU2r9MMBECPIqArsQvoCJ4c1zx8r7vcU8rLQI3PrerNiAH0Yit53KeeVbIExn4Q01DgkIql6GlE2md0SLLm73pnag6TTkQ_/s320/football_play.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">I need a chalkboard to diagram how this works.</span></b></div>
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However, there might be a way around the paywall. Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a convoluted ride.</div>
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First, I went to the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23357993" target="_blank">National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCIB)</a>. Again, I only saw the abstract, not a full-text version of the article. But with this website, I have the option of ordering the article through a service called <a href="https://docline.gov/loansome/login.cfm" target="_blank">LoansomeDoc</a>, sponsored by the <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/loansomedoc/loansome_home.html" target="_blank">National Library of Medicine</a>. This service allows users to obtain full-text versions of medical articles from participating libraries across the United States.</div>
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The signup process for LoansomeDoc is arduous. To use this service, you must be sponsored by a university library that's willing to serve the general public if you do not already belong to it. The only library listed for Washington, D.C. was the <a href="http://hsl.howard.edu/" target="_blank">Howard University Health Sciences Library</a>. And I couldn't just automatically select this library and continue with my LoansomeDoc registration. No. I first had to contact an administrator at the Howard library to obtain an authorization code. I left a message for the admin asking for my LoansomeDoc authorization code. Twenty bucks says the guy has no idea what I'm talking about. If and when I get the authorization code from Howard University, I can complete my LoansomeDoc registration and request the full-text article.</div>
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The article orders are not free. Each library charges delivery and processing fees for LoansomeDoc article orders. And that's only if they have access to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal. I have no idea if these fees will be close to the $62.54 the journal was going to charge me for the full-text version anyway.</div>
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It's not just a paywall that stands in our way. There's another wall between us and the information caused by the convoluted process to obtain the information we need as patients. I'm totally expecting this process to fail. I wasn't even going to try to use this workaround until I wrote this post. </div>
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It's an unfortunate situation. And while I wish concepts like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_science" target="_blank">open science</a> could work, the incentives just aren't there. If you make the journals free, the costs get shifted down to the researchers. When's the last time you saw an affluent doctoral student?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7VJAz6IRaBbbI8M8Y4MZxEz92vRVA7Rqm6NYyGQvazKLdS0-UiUHtj8lqn3mYHxj4iolW2RBz9ARmzfbq0BS03XzzA6wzf2xchj6GQN-DeXQr22PmXtvCnAnmc4b-qHSKlM2yezMge70/s1600/ankle+break+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7VJAz6IRaBbbI8M8Y4MZxEz92vRVA7Rqm6NYyGQvazKLdS0-UiUHtj8lqn3mYHxj4iolW2RBz9ARmzfbq0BS03XzzA6wzf2xchj6GQN-DeXQr22PmXtvCnAnmc4b-qHSKlM2yezMge70/s320/ankle+break+1.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Chris's Ankle Explosion</span></b></div>
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I started writing this blog post after talking to a couple we met through the blog. Chris fell 27 feet in a rock climbing accident and destroyed her ankle. I mean destroyed it. <a href="http://www.acrazykindoffaith.com/2013/06/reality-check-update-on-my-gimpy-little.html" target="_blank">She's been writing about her recovery on her blog</a> since the accident. Two years later, her tibia at the articular surface of the joint still has not healed. Now she's at a crossroad in her recovery. Does she get a replacement or start the difficult process of considering amputation?</div>
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We've been talking back and forth over the last couple of days about our situations. It's a unique struggle. The most important thing we can do is stay informed. That lets us weigh the risks, document the tradeoffs, and ultimately make the right decision that's in line with our goals.</div>
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But as Alex shows in his article, scientific paywalls stand in our way as patients. When facing the decision of a lifetime, such as amputation, without this information, we're less empowered and lay at the mercy of our doctor's opinion <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> of his unique art and experience. And I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, you just have to hope his artistic style aligns with your goals.</div>
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In spite of these roadblocks, do your best to be informed on the <i>science </i>of your disease (not the Dr. Oz shows). Recognize that any one specific scientific article does not represent a proven and viable medical option. Exercise your patient privilege to get second opinions. But don't, for one second, think you know more than your doctor.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-71159036229035897752013-07-06T12:06:00.000-04:002013-07-08T13:38:00.836-04:00The Sixteen Things, Part Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zs7Rkv44M5vMk6GetXDo4xtFt1n11SvLDvN9RJLdgfLPZGuZa_Mvd6XghS3daFh8giifIZBGlFD9OgmfT1KTHL7wMx62PLVrCW-cIjIW1APPSe8_3VJQgS7DTsYUwsRibGmnHgJm_pZO/s1600/angrybird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zs7Rkv44M5vMk6GetXDo4xtFt1n11SvLDvN9RJLdgfLPZGuZa_Mvd6XghS3daFh8giifIZBGlFD9OgmfT1KTHL7wMx62PLVrCW-cIjIW1APPSe8_3VJQgS7DTsYUwsRibGmnHgJm_pZO/s320/angrybird.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Angry Birds and Amputations. Give me a second, it'll make sense.</b></span></div>
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It's been a week since <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-sixteen-things-part-one.html" target="_blank">the first post in this series</a>. The idea was, now that I've cut my leg off, come up with things I miss, I love, I hate, and things I cannot wait to do with my new life. Part two is all about what's awesome with this amputation. </div>
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We're now sitting at three weeks since the operation. And guys, seriously? This is still too easy. And before we dive into the five things I'm loving, I wanted to understand why this amputation seems so easy. Because I am telling you that an amputation below the knee and the first level of Angry Birds are equally challenging. Actually, if I recall, it took multiple bird slings before I got to the next level. </div>
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So that means I am wrong! Angry Birds, level one, is more difficult than an amputation.</div>
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Also, as a side note, just throwing this out there, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w25Ob_pfzs" target="_blank">this guy made a video</a> on how to beat level one of Angry Birds. It's a whole production, too. It isn't just a five second video of a guy saying, "<i>slingshot the bird.</i>"</div>
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Why have the last three weeks seemed easy? It all comes from <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/p/story.html" target="_blank">the last three and half years</a> of surgeries, recoveries, setbacks, and pain. It was some of the hardest stuff my wife and I have had to endure. And it culminated in one of the easiest <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/03/taking-plunge.html" target="_blank">decisions I've ever made in my life</a>. </div>
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Anyone that goes through this experience will be emotionally prepared for an amputation. Salvage makes no sense when you have pain and no function. And after a moment of clarity, as I wrote in the <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-sixteen-things-part-one.html" target="_blank">first part of this series</a>, I improved my diet and found out what a gym was. That hard work better prepared me to handle the physical demands today of working out with only one leg.</div>
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No wonder it all seems so easy. We need to make a video on how to beat the first level of an amputation. We just need to remember there are more challenging levels to come.</div>
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But I am totally owning level one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7Cw340Pm9vf2dWL0AsIjtkkHWOkEEUzWGs7TYcq1csTYYEaeWQVIkEAyBMAXzILCwTq_607ms-K3nPJ-W1YwgA3VQYdX7Oc2ER23S7GRE_lj3GYFl37feuDlO5Ye1z6utn8OdC_KSLVQ/s1600/daisy-love-me-love-me-not.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7Cw340Pm9vf2dWL0AsIjtkkHWOkEEUzWGs7TYcq1csTYYEaeWQVIkEAyBMAXzILCwTq_607ms-K3nPJ-W1YwgA3VQYdX7Oc2ER23S7GRE_lj3GYFl37feuDlO5Ye1z6utn8OdC_KSLVQ/s320/daisy-love-me-love-me-not.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">She loves me, she loves me not.</span></b></div>
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Five Things I'm Loving</h3>
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The last three weeks have been some of the happiest moments I've had since my accident, and not all of it is drug induced. If this recovery has a plateau or ceiling, I'm not seeing it. I'm back in control of my life. And I'm loving it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuQ5qacjYs7nI6BLYpEVe_PbDSUWDUttBBr_lBDE7JhZjFt79ise15J_7Qf2hWZDKZb__d_-fBjuYPo-B7lQj73aEP38VlobYe8m_zufnTk3Nm9D1TtVD8y1ZIJHk2qITUFbpSfoEA7Zw/s1600/biglebowski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuQ5qacjYs7nI6BLYpEVe_PbDSUWDUttBBr_lBDE7JhZjFt79ise15J_7Qf2hWZDKZb__d_-fBjuYPo-B7lQj73aEP38VlobYe8m_zufnTk3Nm9D1TtVD8y1ZIJHk2qITUFbpSfoEA7Zw/s320/biglebowski.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Perfectly calm, dude.</span></b></div>
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<b><i>1. Bye-Bye Stress</i></b></div>
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The great thing about sitting at home with all of my attention on healing has been a dramatic reduction of stress from my life. I'm not working. I'm not <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/04/worst-traffic-cities/2127661/" target="_blank">sitting in DC traffic</a> with an average commute of 34.5 minutes (2nd highest in the United States behind New York). I'm not worrying about <i>anything </i>except healing. And though I have managed to develop some anxiety over it, I'm growing more comfortable with my healing progress every day. I'm perfectly calm, dude. And, of course, I have Brooke to thank for much of this. She took <a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/" target="_blank">family medical leave</a> to be home with me every day since my surgery.<br />
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It's been nice to be without stress. It's given me space to re-prioritize what's important to me in life. One day we're all going to wake up and wonder where did the time go? How'd it go by so fast? Stress will do that to you. It diverts your attention. I'm glad I don't have it.</div>
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<b><i>2. Copious Amounts of Sleeping</i></b></div>
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I don't have a bed time. I don't set my alarm. I sleep like a teenager. Like it's my job. I've been working out hard every day since I started physical therapy at home. Those workouts and the massive trauma to my leg has slapped the sleep button in my brain. And in spite of the phantom pain, I've put in some serious hours on the pillow. It's allowed my body to repair what's left of my leg. It's prepared me for walking possibly two weeks ahead of schedule. In fact, after I finish writing this blog post, I'm going to sleep. And it's going to be awesome.</div>
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<b><i>3. Exercise Enthusiasm</i></b></div>
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I've never looked forward to a visit to the gym. But recently I've started seeing the gains in my core, legs, and upper body. I'm doing things I thought would destroy my lower back only a few months ago. My back has never been stronger. No more back pain. I'm leaving the gym in an exhausted sweaty heap <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> a sign of a good workout. With my physical therapist I've pushed my body into the best shape it's ever been in.<br />
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On one leg.<br />
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The enthusiasm I'm developing for working out is absolutely critical to the long term success of a below-knee amputation. I have to stay lean for the rest of my life. If I don't, the amputation will work against me. It will become harder for me to bear my heavier body weight. An amputation will become no better than a bad ankle.<br />
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And as a side benefit, the exercise reduces stress.</div>
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<b><i>4. Thinking About What I Will Do</i></b></div>
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I cannot stop thinking about what I'm going to do once I've got a leg. I think about walks with Brooke and Spunky. I envision late night walks on the National Mall to see the monuments at night. I wonder what it's like to walk more than a few blocks without dying of ankle pain. I can't remember what it's like to stand at a bar and not worry about finding a seat ASAP. I dream about sprinting to catch a metro train just as the bell rings to signal it's leaving. I'm always thinking about what I can add to my list of things I cannot wait to do. It's constantly growing. <br />
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When I'm not sleeping, I obsessively think about what I'll do with two good legs.<br />
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Kickball league, anyone?</div>
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<b><i>5. No More Ankle Pain</i></b></div>
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I'm not in pain. My ankle does not hurt. I don't have an ankle. I haven't crawled to the bathroom on all fours because my ankle hurt so bad from standing earlier in the day. I haven't gone to bed icing my ankle. I haven't gotten up the next day and feared the first few stiff steps of the day. I couldn't tell you where my canes are. I'm actually beginning to forget what it felt like. The ankle pain. I remember it was bad. But I haven't felt it in almost a month.<br />
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One of the pain management doctors I consulted before my amputation told me I shouldn't get the amputation to treat pain. Let's ignore the fact he was forgetting I also lacked function. I'm starting to think he was wrong, at least in my case. He tried to scare me with discussions of phantom pain. And to a certain extent, that did scare me. Phantom pain is definitely real. And many amputees go on to experience pain from a previous traumatic injury that led to the amputation.<br />
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I didn't get the amputation to treat my pain. I got it to get back function. To get back my life. It's just turning out that it may also have helped me with my pain. And that's freaking awesome.</div>
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Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-45121557794881480752013-07-05T20:35:00.003-04:002013-07-05T20:35:49.764-04:00Stump Flexing #NSFT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don't worry, I was just tired. This isn't the result of too much Percocet.</span></b></center>
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I told a friend of mine I'd put together a video displaying how my reattached lower leg muscles now work in the residual limb. While Brooke and I were changing the dressing and cleaning the limb, I put together this video to show off my stump flexing. If you'd like to see another recent amputee's similar video, check out my friend Christina's stump flexing video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK9Lcg3jGjM" target="_blank">here</a>.</center>
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The video may or may not end abruptly because I was tired and in a rush to wash the limb. </center>
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The phantom pain continues to improve every day. I'm really liking the 600 mg of Gabapentin.</center>
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Yesterday was my first time to get out of <strike>prison</strike> the apartment for something that wasn't a visit with Dr. Attinger or Elliot. It was awesome! We spent most of our time celebrating America outside grilling by the pool. I was worried about a few things, like sweating too much, not being able to keep my limb elevated, and offroading with the crutches, but it all ended up being absolutely fine.</center>
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To feel like I was a part of the team and joining in on the festivities, I had a few non-alcoholic beers. <a href="http://www.odouls.com/" target="_blank">O'Douls website</a> cracks me up. You still have to be over 21 to enter. It also plays music. No one on the Internet finds that annoying.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvCPnc1ccXo/UdY80y4QowI/AAAAAAAAYXI/vexPs1Wj_pE/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QvCPnc1ccXo/UdY80y4QowI/AAAAAAAAYXI/vexPs1Wj_pE/s320/DSC_0073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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At 6'3", I guess I'm a little taller than most people. My buddy Matt is a hobbit and also does not know how to use my awesome <a href="http://www.millennialmedical.com/" target="_blank">Millennial Medical crutches</a> correctly. They're backwards, Matt. Backwards.<br />
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Troy snapped this picture with my GoPro and caught me with my legs crossed. I've discovered that it can be done with a stump, but it's just not the same. I miss my ankle leg crossing.</center>
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Below are the pictures we took of the wound last night.</center>
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Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-74494435229473819082013-07-03T14:51:00.005-04:002013-07-03T14:51:44.764-04:00Shrinker, Sedation, and a Sidekick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elliot vs. Stump Shrinker</span></b></div>
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This morning we met with my prosthetist, Elliot, at <a href="http://www.opc1.com/" target="_blank">Orthotic Prosthetic Center in Fairfax</a> to get my stump shrinker. It was a simple and easy visit. </div>
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Elliot was impressed with how the residual limb looked. He also made use of the word, "<i>textbook</i>," to describe how happy he was with the progress. The limb, with respect to its shape and volume, is very close to being ready for a prosthesis. Elliot was expecting the leg to be much bigger.</div>
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I took some pictures below to demonstrate how to put a shrinker on.</div>
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The shrinker is very similar to a sock. It's lined with hundreds of rubber bands to help constrict and shape whatever goes in it. It's open at both ends. I <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/07/snowboarder-vs-tweezers.html" target="_blank">explained on Monday</a> why this thing is necessary.<br />
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One end goes on over the stump. I no longer have to wear an Ace bandage wrap. I can put this right over the cotton wrap for the wound dressing.<br />
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I have to pull it up snugly all the way over the knee.<br />
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Once that's done, I pull that ring down as close as I can to the bottom of the stump.<br />
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Then I pull the remaining part of the shrinker back over itself.<br />
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Here's what the bottom of the shrinker ends up looking like. You have to be careful that the two ends of the shrinker aren't too close together. Otherwise that could create an uncomfortable tight spot. I will wear this constantly to keep the limb size down.</div>
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Because the residual limb looks good and is close to its final shape, Elliot scheduled me to see him again just a few hours after we see Dr. Attinger for our four week follow-up. Given everyone's excitement at how quickly it's healing, I'm hopeful that I'll return to walking in July instead of August. Elliot's plan is to begin the process of taking a mold of my leg for a <a href="http://www.oandplibrary.org/cpo/1985_03_011.asp" target="_blank">test socket</a> that same day I see Dr. Attinger. </div>
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I could be walking on a test socket that week, two weeks ahead of schedule! Whether or not that happens depends on me not falling and whether Dr. Attinger releases me to Elliot for good.</div>
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So that's some good news for today. We also heard a funny story from the surgery from Elliot since he was invited to help measure the cut (measure twice cut once). <br />
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Apparently I'm a hard guy to knock out. At the time I was a very anxious and highly strung 6'3" and 198 lbs dude. The patient anesthesia team, through tremendous effort, could not knock me out and struggled to get the epidural to work. At one point, when it looked like they'd finally given me enough medication to knock me unconscious, I sat up on the operating table and started cracking jokes again. This led Dr. Attinger to proclaim they'd all be there until midnight. The wonderful anesthesia team eventually got all the bugs worked out. <br />
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They said I wouldn't feel my butt for weeks.<br />
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I thought that was hilarious but also not unusual. It took multiple attempts to consciously sedate me right after my accident in Breckenridge in order to remove my boot from my dangling leg.<br />
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On final thing I'd like to point out before concluding this post. Notice in the first picture of this post above that Brooke is sitting in a chair against the wall waiting patiently. She's been the most awesome, loving, caring, and patient sidekick a guy could ever ask for!<br />
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I went back through some old photos of our ankle battles and found very similar images.<br />
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I know I keep ending these posts with how awesome my wife is, but holy crap she's awesome. I love that woman!<br />
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Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-27933501431352154652013-07-03T01:49:00.001-04:002013-07-03T01:49:05.996-04:00Recent Awesome Tweets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You might remember <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/04/snowboarder-vs-viewers-like-you.html" target="_blank">Meg from one of my earlier posts</a>. She's a fellow ankle arthritis sufferer and used to enjoy jumping five stories to break, like, basically every bone in her body. And by enjoy, I mean she did not enjoy it. She's very lucky to be alive!</div>
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And I'm lucky she found me and the blog. Meg's been a big supporter. Us ankle pain sufferers need to stick together. She's currently seeing the same <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2011/07/time-for-some-sweet-ankle-distraction.html" target="_blank">orthopedic center up at Mercy that I saw when I was working with Dr. Jeng</a>.</div>
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Earlier today she had her external fixator removed at Mercy in Baltimore. She sent me some awesome tweets that just made my day! In case you don't <a href="http://twitter.com/snowboardvstree" target="_blank">follow me on Twitter</a> (what are you, crazy?), here they are.</div>
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Sometimes I'm just amazed at how special and amazing nurses and professional caregivers can be. But then again, I married a nurse, and I see how awesome they are every day. It was really cool of Meg to update them on my status (though, seriously, they need to keep up to date on the blog!). <br />
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Thanks, Meg!<br />
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I also got an awesome Tweet from another person I admire. <a href="http://www.amypurdy.com/amys-story" target="_blank">Amy Purdy</a>. She's a bilateral below-knee amputee snowboarder, motivation speaker, and top ranked world adaptive snowboarder. I'm sure she knows the <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/04/original-gimp.html" target="_blank">Original Gimp</a>. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard about her in all these years trying to fix my ankle and get back to snowboarding. <br />
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Anyway, a few days ago, after reading her story, I sent her a Tweet to let her know I was a big admirer. She sent me this Tweet earlier this evening.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8lZEKczDb8KvJcmFzfyASS2WR5vqphWNL4vhLopJ6FD_LJdLZh79tHmEGtvVT2tVYjvsjZRXJEfuSdmlivnzeOgZHBKaFyAlzZKHv7_OhElpNV6xMu5TkKoQ_mQSUKUqU-dfg554oz_Z/s470/tweet4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8lZEKczDb8KvJcmFzfyASS2WR5vqphWNL4vhLopJ6FD_LJdLZh79tHmEGtvVT2tVYjvsjZRXJEfuSdmlivnzeOgZHBKaFyAlzZKHv7_OhElpNV6xMu5TkKoQ_mQSUKUqU-dfg554oz_Z/s320/tweet4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of course Brooke and I would love to! However, while I was in the hospital, I also sent these Tweets to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Anner" target="_blank">Zach Anner</a>. For those of you that don't know Zach, he's a TV and Internet comedian with cerebral palsy, the sexiest of the palsy's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_35KKa3b1c" target="_blank">as Zach would remind you</a>. The guy is hilarious and I'm a huge fan.<br />
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In case you're wondering if my initial Tweet was tasteless, his profile said he's back on the Internet and more disabled than ever. I was really pumped he reached out to me.<br />
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Just between you and me, I hope Amy and Zach aren't just being nice to me on Twitter and humoring me. Brooke and I would love to get a chance to meet these inspiring individuals and hang out with them and our friends on our first return trip back to snowboarding.<br />
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I broke the news to Amy and let her know that I've been seeing other people on Twitter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51j8TfJdIE7gl00EEVT2i-bTOwTltA-0ctGKnyKZp-nCoEbz_3kyeiG7L0yiIlaqFyU6ED6RkF9t-7v0h9WfXgvgWSwLyNXq0lAMM2UxnAZaZ7Ps9PFqVFvXxhlyBm75M7ovEHj4ED3HQ/s459/tweet7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51j8TfJdIE7gl00EEVT2i-bTOwTltA-0ctGKnyKZp-nCoEbz_3kyeiG7L0yiIlaqFyU6ED6RkF9t-7v0h9WfXgvgWSwLyNXq0lAMM2UxnAZaZ7Ps9PFqVFvXxhlyBm75M7ovEHj4ED3HQ/s320/tweet7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hope she's cool with it!<br />
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We should seriously start thinking about turning my first trip back to snowboarding into an event that helps others somehow. Not sure how yet. Going to need to brainstorm on that one.<br />
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In the meantime, I need to keep healing! Tomorrow we get a stump shrinker to shrink this stump!Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-57828797395325603742013-07-01T19:33:00.004-04:002013-07-01T19:33:38.846-04:00Snowboarder vs. Tweezers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">No suture removal today. Just a cleaning. Like going to the dentist.</span></b></div>
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Good news and bad news. The good news is Dr. Attinger, nurse Katherine, and our NP, Margaret, all thought the limb, incision, and recovery was going excellent. They said it looked "<i>textbook</i>." I'm on board with that. I love books.</div>
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The bad news is we didn't get pictures from the operation. The anticipation is driving me nuts! I can't wait to see them. According to Dr. Attinger, they're "<i>still under development.</i>" He's a busy dude, so it was understandable. Hopefully in two weeks we can get our hands on those precious files.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-PsUoDI1aQ/UdHidzv97UI/AAAAAAAAXj4/EvRk2VoO7Cc/s1600/DSC_0799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-PsUoDI1aQ/UdHidzv97UI/AAAAAAAAXj4/EvRk2VoO7Cc/s320/DSC_0799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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His team takes almost as many pictures as I do. In this picture you can see that the nurse tech placed a clear and sticky ruler on my leg to provide a sense of scale to the image later. She also used the blue backside of a wound dressing mat to get a better picture, "<i>on Dr. Attinger's orders.</i>"<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFZ7AJtgjR0/UdHinOhPfvI/AAAAAAAAXnQ/dGWqASAOo_Q/s1600/DSC_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFZ7AJtgjR0/UdHinOhPfvI/AAAAAAAAXnQ/dGWqASAOo_Q/s320/DSC_0826.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We'll have the sutures removed in two more weeks. Dr. Attinger's team likes to play it safe and keep the sutures in as the wound continues to heal. If for some reason the incision broke open and <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dehisce" target="_blank">dehisced</a>, I'd be in a bad situation without them.<br />
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You only want to take sutures out once.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TTDujRZYLc/UdHis-MQMcI/AAAAAAAAXpg/yhcmPLVSN_4/s1600/DSC_0846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1TTDujRZYLc/UdHis-MQMcI/AAAAAAAAXpg/yhcmPLVSN_4/s320/DSC_0846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We handed Dr. Attinger <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOLEFkoEl2E/UdDJ8sd4JAI/AAAAAAAAXd8/klyzEuFAPf4/s1600/20130627_152826.jpg" target="_blank">our thank you card</a> for him and his team. When he saw the picture he burst out laughing and thought it was a great picture. That's high praise. <a href="http://www.chrisattingerphotography.com/-/chrisattingerphotography/galleryindex.asp" target="_blank">The dude's an awesome photographer</a>. Seriously, check out his pictures on that link. They're displayed all over the hospital.<br />
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Dr. Attinger took the thank you card and taped it to the front of his office door to show it off to everyone. I need to remember to get a picture with him and Brooke. We love this guy!<br />
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Now that things look good, I'm allowed to starting wearing a <a href="http://www.cornelloandp.com/prothetics/applying-a-stump-shrinker-instructions/" target="_blank">stump shrinker</a>. This will help reduce the size of my residual limb and get it close to its final shape and volume. Without a shrinker, my limb would be like a water balloon with two bones in it. As the day goes on, the amount of water in that balloon changes, which makes it difficult to fit snuggly into a prosthetic socket. With significant changes in limb volume, I'd end up wearing several layers of stump socks just to fit snuggly into a prosthesis. <br />
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So the smaller your limb, the smaller the fluctuations in the volume of the limb throughout the day. That makes for a better fit and a happy amputee. I see Elliot on Wednesday to pick one up.<br />
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I asked if I could start doing quadricep exercises on the stump by placing stretch bands over the front of the tibia. They were cool with it as long as we don't put any pressure on the bottom of the stump. I was happy to hear that.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D1a1-bvGWoE/UdHizqyczuI/AAAAAAAAXsE/8MgcnQVgddA/s1600/DSC_0866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D1a1-bvGWoE/UdHizqyczuI/AAAAAAAAXsE/8MgcnQVgddA/s320/DSC_0866.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before we saw Dr. Attinger, we ran into <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/04/snowboarder-vs-viewers-like-you.html" target="_blank">Tricia</a>. She had her amputation about two weeks before me and has been a great source of information for me. I've asked her a lot of questions to see what's on the horizon for the recovery.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHnSMeD96gw/UdHi03-AlTI/AAAAAAAAXsY/a1FqPtDjI8g/s1600/DSC_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHnSMeD96gw/UdHi03-AlTI/AAAAAAAAXsY/a1FqPtDjI8g/s320/DSC_0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We increased my Gabapentin (Neurontin) dosage from 300mg to 600mg three times a day. I was happy about that, too. It definitely helps with my phantom pain. Charlie Crone dropped in, too. That was awesome since he's not my prosthetist. He recommended I massage my good foot when I run into phantom pain. </div>
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It's all about tricking the mind.</div>
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I also met with Rebecca Dean, the coordinator for the <a href="http://www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org/body_dept.cfm?id=556873" target="_blank">amputee support group at Dr. Attinger's center</a>. They offer educational and motivational speakers at monthly meetings. I'm really looking forward to getting involved with that group.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6jYeK8qYfsQ/UdHi2G8Rb_I/AAAAAAAAXs0/qbJMDI5tzNA/s1600/DSC_0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6jYeK8qYfsQ/UdHi2G8Rb_I/AAAAAAAAXs0/qbJMDI5tzNA/s320/DSC_0872.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Still a weird, but awesome sight.Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-59846043286950082832013-06-30T20:36:00.000-04:002013-06-30T20:36:01.434-04:00Appointment with Dr. Attinger Tomorrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUtbF-TqcO0/UdDG1r2jK0I/AAAAAAAAXbc/B9sKJuN-4FQ/s1600/DSC_0762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUtbF-TqcO0/UdDG1r2jK0I/AAAAAAAAXbc/B9sKJuN-4FQ/s320/DSC_0762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Amputee thank you cookies!</span></b></div>
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Tomorrow morning is our first follow-up appointment with Dr. Attinger and his team at Georgetown University Hospital. The objective? Look at the stump. We'll likely get x-rays, remove a couple of sutures (which I will record, of course), and determine whether I'm still on target for that August 1st inaugural walk with a new leg.</div>
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One thing I'm <i>really </i>looking forward to is finally getting my hands on the pictures that were taken at key moments during my amputation. One of Dr. Attinger's residents was equally pumped about the shots he got when he described them to us during one of our dressing changes at the hospital. The blog post with these pictures will more than likely not be safe for Troy (#NSFT). </div>
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If all goes well, I'll get these pictures, along with detailed descriptions, on the blog tomorrow evening.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Brooke ran in the rain and then got her bake on. She rocks.</span></b></div>
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Since this is our first return trip to the hospital, Brooke and I are working on a gift basket for the nurses and other awesome caretakers. We're using the one-legged cookie cutter we got from the <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-legs-going-away-party.html" target="_blank">leg's going away party</a> to bake some cookies for the small group that took care of me during my stay.</div>
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It's become a tradition that after each surgery I create Thank You cards for everyone that's provided awesome support to us during the recovery. The rest of my evening will be spent writing notes to the nurses, doctors, nurse techs and aides.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-496231175684208893.post-9836593181755954882013-06-30T02:41:00.001-04:002013-06-30T03:17:45.761-04:00The Sixteen Things, Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivixyLKlG5mxln5d7atAHxBfp6s-TA0K0OMt8gOIeL_A8gsVV5lgFLMnK9WcgCP5nBqPXv_2lfrTIA3TlFMewHhHChJZnaytQT-9fqFGfjxHnNdgQn87-eIbuaZ-ot0htGls1oJCJ6qO8s/s1006/icecream1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivixyLKlG5mxln5d7atAHxBfp6s-TA0K0OMt8gOIeL_A8gsVV5lgFLMnK9WcgCP5nBqPXv_2lfrTIA3TlFMewHhHChJZnaytQT-9fqFGfjxHnNdgQn87-eIbuaZ-ot0htGls1oJCJ6qO8s/s320/icecream1.jpg" width="254"></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">This ends in a brain freeze or a melted mess.</span></b></div>
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We're two weeks out from my below-knee amputation. It's supposed to be a life changing event. But up to this point it's felt more like a routine tonsillectomy without all the ice cream <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> seriously, where is all of the amputation ice cream?<br>
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Since we've <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-legs-going-away-party.html" target="_blank">said our goodbyes</a> and <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/x-marks-spot.html" target="_blank">cut my leg off</a>, I've had an opportunity to contemplate, ruminate, and other words that mean think about the permanent changes you get with the loss of a limb (I could have also gone with brainstorm, ponder, or even muse).</div>
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I enjoy brainstorming <strike>while taking opiates</strike>. And I also enjoy lists. I've classified my amputation pondering <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> my amputee ponders <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> into four categories. </div>
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The four categories are as follows:</div>
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<li>Things I'm Going To Miss</li>
<li>Things I'm Loving</li>
<li>Things I'm Hating</li>
<li>Things I Cannot Wait To Do</li>
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As I was writing down my musings, I realized how ambitious this thing had become. I'm a <strike>slow</strike> methodical writer and <strike>even slower</strike> meticulous editor. To buy me some time (I started writing this eight hours ago), I've broken this whole concept up into a four part series <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> a first for this blog. Four parts for each of the four lists.<br>
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But don't allow yourself to think I'm planning ahead here. I walked several blocks into this post before I realized I was lost. Here's part one.</div>
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Five Things I'm Going To Miss</h3>
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In the last few weeks I've been longing for some things that I'll never do <i>for the rest of my life</i> (a phrase I now find myself using <a href="http://grammarist.com/spelling/a-lot-alot/" target="_blank">a lot</a>). Walking in sand may have shown up here if it wasn't for our good friends <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-legs-going-away-party.html" target="_blank">bringing us a box of sand to the leg's going away party</a>. Here are five things I'll miss.</div>
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<b><i>1. Quick Showers</i></b></div>
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I no longer stand in the shower. With my <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-life-since-february-13th.html" target="_blank">previous surgeries</a>, we Amazon.com'ed a temporary shower chair and threw it away once one of my external fixators was removed. But our last purchase was not temporary. If I really wanted to stand with a below-knee amputation, there are expensive <a href="http://www.360oandp.com/technology-water-leg-prosthesis.aspx" target="_blank">shower legs</a>, but hygiene is an issue. My residual limb must stay clean and infection free. Shower legs cover it up. And insurance has a hard time seeing these special purpose legs as <i>medically necessary </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> another phrase I'll end up using a lot for the rest of my life.</div>
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Travelling is also complicated. Specifically, hotels (or <a href="http://www.diffen.com/difference/Hotel_vs_Motel" target="_blank">motels</a>, if you're my Mom). According to the <a href="http://www.ada.gov/hsurvey.htm" target="_blank">Americans with Disabilities Act</a>, hotels built after 1993 are required to provide a small percentage of rooms with roll-in showers. The roll-ins provide handheld showerheads but may or may not have a bench. </div>
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One leg, plus no shower chair, plus no handheld showerhead adds up to a bad idea. The days of convenient travel or waking up late for work and jumping in the shower are gone. </div>
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<b><i>2. Laziness and Eating Bad/Awesome Food</i></b></div>
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There's nothing I loved more than a lazy Sunday. Sitting on the couch. Interneting and ESPN-ing. Somewhere between the end of the second and beginning of the third Sports Center I'd decide to investigate the refrigerator situation for some Chinese food, a leftover reminder of a detour I'd taken while returning home from last night's bad decisions.</div>
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With my amputation, I cannot afford lazy Sundays. And let's be honest, I couldn't afford to spend almost every night of my life as if it were a lazy Sunday. This cost me days living on Earth. That's slightly more expensive than leftover Chinese food or <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/06/amputation-complaints-and-dc-burger.html" target="_blank">a good burger</a>.<br>
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This is a dramatization, of course. Before you get upset, Mom and Dad, I didn't actually live like this (after around 2008). What I'm trying to say is I ate poorly and I rarely exercised.<br>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Moments of clarity: Aaron Hernandez is on my keeper league team.</span></b></div>
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Like everyone else, I've had moments of clarity before. They never lasted long. Laziness is easy. But earlier this year, <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2013/05/surgery-six-scheduled.html" target="_blank">I had one of these moments</a>, and it wasn't just a realize-and-forget-it moment. I acted. Along with my awesome wife, we revamped our diet. After I lost some weight, I added regular gym visits. Over five months I dropped 27 lbs <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> 225 to 198. </div>
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I've told this story a few times already. And I don't want to wear it out by repeating it. But I've never told you why I <i>really </i>changed my life five months before my amputation. <br>
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It was a test.<br>
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I wanted to prove to myself I was serious about my decision to remove my right leg below the knee for the rest of my life. If I couldn't make such a <i>small </i>change to become healthy, then I clearly wasn't ready for the hard work, pain, and emotional challenges shipped with an amputation package.<br>
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I never doubted my decision. I just doubted whether I'd be responsible for my decision.</div>
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<b><i>3. Dominating the Dance Floor</i></b></div>
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I love weddings. The artisan dinner menu, assigned seating, the nuptials <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> the pomp and circumstance of it all, really <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> it's all butterflies and warm fuzziness. But after the newlyweds dance, and Mom and Dad finish warming up the dance floor with their son and daughter, it's time for this snowboarder to shred in his suit and dress shoes. This is why I love weddings.<br>
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Granted, most of my moves these days are above the waist, though I did whip out an awesome push-up move at my most recent booking. I used to rely heavily on my elbows, but my moves have matured. I've got the lasso, the elaborate two-shooters-blow-the-smoke-and-holster move (something I've featured on not one, but two different stadium jumbotrons), and a bow and arrow. While that sounds like a complete repertoire, I used to have more in my satchel. <br>
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My accident and amputation may very well put an end to my razzle/dazzle days. <br>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q3HFR3dX_WI?list=PLB40548849F846868" width="450"></iframe></center>
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Fortunately some of the epicness has been recorded for all of history to remember on YouTube. A talented friend of mine, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thinkpierce" target="_blank">Jonathan Pierce</a>, choreographed an intricate Riverdance-style caper where I exhibited my moves as one of the three main dancers <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">—</span> all for a football pep rally. At the 18 second mark you'll see a picture of me on the right. That's me as we march out to the center of the court. Jonathan's impossible to miss. He's the main event.<br>
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We worked hard on this dance for several weeks. I remember wearing ankle braces on both feet after a few days just to keep up with Jonathan. That man is a machine. But in all seriousness, I'm not going to miss dancing. I just wanted to show you this video.<br>
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<b><i>4. Crossing My Legs</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqIcdgB0eeGVuDxJqr585hEC2QDh9jUUuk72QNjt8ZREL9ApAo6ZnKqYYOZVurPJlZp2I0UydLBb8SWLje2nxSxeWrUkWzDRQDK-TysWGkFmqJa_dam_qnikCGD88KtebEaOF30AI90h0/s455/legscrossed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqIcdgB0eeGVuDxJqr585hEC2QDh9jUUuk72QNjt8ZREL9ApAo6ZnKqYYOZVurPJlZp2I0UydLBb8SWLje2nxSxeWrUkWzDRQDK-TysWGkFmqJa_dam_qnikCGD88KtebEaOF30AI90h0/s320/legscrossed.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just one of many leg crossing techniques.</span></b></div>
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This one is very simple but so satisfying. Do me a favor. During a typical day, count how many times you cross your legs. I did it all the time, usually when I was trying to relax and take it easy. I'd even cross my legs at my ankles in bed when falling asleep. <br>
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Right over left. It was a huge <a href="http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/1999/A/199900724.html" target="_blank">source of comfort</a> for me.</div>
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<b><i>5. The Last Three Years</i></b></div>
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I had my accident in February 2010, a few days before my 28th birthday. Much of the last three years was spent recovering, crutching around in a <a href="http://snowboardervstree.blogspot.com/2010/08/bear-trap.html" target="_blank">bear trap</a>, or walking in pain. It was difficult to be a good friend and a good husband. My ankle kept me anchored at home on my butt.<br>
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I stopped going to several annual trips with some good friends. I stopped answering text messages and phone calls because I was tired of having to decline on account of my arthritis. I ended up missing out on many opportunities to enjoy my awesome friendships. This was a big contributing factor to my decision to get an amputation.<br>
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And while I'll always miss those chances to be with friends and loved ones, I still wouldn't change anything. Snowboarding into a tree ended up strengthening my marriage with my amazing wife, Brooke. It happened only two years after we got married and added additional stress to our relationship. It obviously continues to do so, I depend on her for so much right now. But we somehow ended up in a better place because of all of this.<br>
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I owe Brooke so much. Like, at least 40 bucks.</div>
Expert Snowboarderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17588262712067406501noreply@blogger.com0