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Pugwash's peg-leg

No limit on being a fool.

When the crew arrived to take me to physio I proceeded to impress them by falling down the (2) steps, landing in my well padded backside.
A quantum leap.
Nothing hurt but my pride, fortunately.

Once at the clinic 'Mel' took me straight to the stairwell, where I promptly zipped up and down 10 steps, twice with no issue.

We figured I'd tangled the prosthetic and the crutch on that side.

More practice on a step in the gym, again no problems.
No problem when returning home.

One step at a time.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Hmmm... View attachment 545301 Pugwash's peg leg thread is longer than most build logs on this forum... and we haven't seen how to construct a peg leg yet! Post blueprints, please...
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I'm pretty sure Kurt's comment is meant to be humorous, not critical. In any case that's how I see it. Personally, Pug's thread has been of great inspiration and comfort to me, encouraging me to stand up to and face down (and up to) my own daily challenges in what is increasingly a downhill slide (or uphill climb) depending on how I'm feeling, or which way I'm looking at any given moment. My life would be greatly diminished without this encouraging input. Thumbsup ;)

Pete
 
Peter Gutterman said:
I'm pretty sure Kurt's comment is meant to be humorous, not critical. In any case that's how I see it. Personally, Pug's thread has been of great inspiration and comfort to me, encouraging me to stand up to and face down (and up to) my own daily challenges in what is increasingly a downhill slide (or uphill climb) depending on how I'm feeling, or which way I'm looking at any given moment. My life would be greatly diminished without this encouraging input. Thumbsup ;)

Pete
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Here I am... Until now I've been struggling to come up with an update; now here it is!

Becoming 70 last Monday was a little sobering, but passed without further damage.

Had a very long day at physio Friday; got there too late for the booked gym time, then my prosthetic began to fall apart which curtailed what we could do.

Ambulance transport cocked up, so I was also the last one to leave, getting home by 5pm, too late to ring Sheffield for an appointment to fix the prosthetic (another trip there).

We had a long chat; it looks like I'll always be dependent on crutches and wheelchair as I have knee, hip and spinal issues which limit what I can do.
Very frustrating and disappointing.

I seem to have come so far, but not without effort.
As I was saying to the physio, 'yes, I have important, additional secondary physical issues, but still have the fortitude to explore ways which may bring rewards'.
Where there's a will...

I'm just beginning to get used to walking a short distance using only one crutch and can vaguely see there is a way to move on.
It's all about posture and weight distribution.

A bit like the period before finding you can ride a bicycle for the first time.
After all, how long does it take a child to learn how to walk?

It's not the difficulty holding one back; it's not minding the difficulty.

Again, my best wishes to you all.
 
Peter Gutterman said:
I'm pretty sure Kurt's comment is meant to be humorous, not critical. In any case that's how I see it. Personally, Pug's thread has been of great inspiration and comfort to me, encouraging me to stand up to and face down (and up to) my own daily challenges in what is increasingly a downhill slide (or uphill climb) depending on how I'm feeling, or which way I'm looking at any given moment. My life would be greatly diminished without this encouraging input. Thumbsup ;)

Pete
Click to expand...
I was kidding around, of course. It is so important to keep a sense of humor in adverse or challenging conditions. We have enough absurdity in the adversity we experience to launch a million comedy shows. It's what keeps us going, and provides hope.
 
Keep your spirits up! I’m further down this aging path than you, although nothing as life changing as losing a limb. For me things have been gradual but there are a number of things that I used to do that I have had to give up. The good news is the the mind seems to adapt to these changes. Give it time.

We can both still build ship models!

Roger
 
Another good day at physio... pushing the envelope.

Astonished everyone by covering about a quarter of a mile outside on all sorts of surfaces.
No hint of a wobble.

Considerably more than I'm used to.

What I do find rewarding is the social contact with other 'broken ones' and sharing our 99.9% positive experiences.
 
A bit at a time.

Last Friday's physio included successful exploration on how to cope with pavement camber and slopes/ramps.
Rounded the session off using just one crutch.

At one point I remarked it almost felt like 'walking'; Mel, my guide then removed the crutch.
For the first time I took 3 short, tentative steps.

A eurica moment to be savoured.

just enough to open the flood gate of potential (like, I didn't become a heap on the floor!)

Each of those brief faltering steps were full of future promise.

I feel blessed and hope my words share the same with others who may have their own struggles to overcome.


EDIT
Plucked myself into a few moments of activity...

for the first time, using both stair rails I've just climbed my stairs easily and without incident (13 steps including the corner at the top).

Turned around and climbed back down.

A lot less effort than the same journey on my backside,

Another box ticked :)
 
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