Day 5

I'm coming home today!!!!

Yay!

Still waiting on my other digits to switch out. I just signed my life away in media release forms. I did this to further science. Haha! But seriously, I want to try and help others find out about this technology that maybe don't know about it. It seems like the majority of amputees that come here are men so they will need some examples of women with prosthetics.

Anyways I'll be here until a little after lunch time and by then my hand should be finished and then it's off to the airport!

I can't wait to get home to see the hubby and the fur baby!

Day 4 continued

Ok I am just a little bummed. The hand/arm is too big to try and wear a coat over it without some modifications . So I may have to have some of my coats tailored. The processor and batteries are situated on my forearm and they won't pass through my coat sleeve. Bummer! Well the silver lining is that maybe I will be able to improve my seamstress skills. :) Steve took some pictures of me trying to put on my coat and he is going to send these to the boss people to address my "skinny people problems". LOL

One of the other patients and myself are going to play games later. Connect 4 and Jenga. I am so nervous about this! #1 I'm not good at these games anyway. #2 I'm pretty sure I will knock the Jenga tower down immediately. I asked if I could have a coach for both games and they said yes! :)

Later on...

Another patient and I played Jenga. I lost of course, but we both did pretty well and played longer than we thought we would.  I may need to buy the Jenga game now as it is really good practice using the prosthetic hand.

We worked on a few things like how to hold shopping bags and heavier items. This seemed much easier today.

Steve let me take my prosthetic back to the hotel so I could practice using it and so I can let them know tomorrow if they need to make any changes. It comes with a special case that looks like something James Bond would carry.  I'm sure I will get some looks in the airport tomorrow!

Tomorrow...I can't believe I will be going home with my new hand tomorrow.  It has all gone by so fast!  I will definitely need to find an occupational therapist when I get home to help me figure out how to use my hand more efficiently.

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, prayers, encouragement and love this week!  It really helps to know that people are rooting for you!

Love to you all!

Day 4

It's been a waiting game this morning. They are currently putting my device back together so I can try it on before lunch. And then there will be more OT after lunch.

Here I am waiting with my goofy face.


Finger update!!!
2 of 5 of my fingers came in today.  The other 3 are currently in Cincinnati. Not sure if they stopped to get some chili or what. But they should be here by tomorrow. So I'm told that 2 of my fingers today will be the natural color and 3 will be black. Today I will have a bi-racial hand. :)

Here it is...my bi-racial hand:

Sweet!


Here are a few pictures of the office:

This is the workshop where the limbs are built, fingers are attached, etc.

This is the limb oven...kind of how I pictured the witch's oven in Hansel and Gretel to look like. Don't ask me what the hanging ropes and wires are. I have no idea.

This is where they shape and add the pigment to the limbs.

More to come later on...

Day 3 wrap-up

Day 4 Kids!

1/30/14
Day 4 (and a summary of day 3)

What I'm wearing since it is currently 10 but will be in the 30s today! Yippeeeee!
~Denim shirt from NY&Co
~Black skinnies from NY&Co (sensing a pattern)
~riding boots for the ice and snow
~houndstooth hat from Target that was on sale (score)
~warm jacket, gloves, and scarf

Yesterday was probably my hardest day...and I'm so glad Sam was here to talk me through it.  My frustration level was really high. It's funny to think of all of the things I can sort of do now...and then having to learn a totally new way to do them makes me want to revert back to the old way. For example, I could not zip up my cheer jacket with my new hand.  I couldn't quite get a grip on the zipper. In my defense, the zipper is quite small  and kind of the perfect size for my "little hand". I kind of felt like a big ogre trying to pick up a smurf. I will learn in time, but it is going to take a while. Here is a picture of me using the hand to clip my nails. This has always been a somewhat scary task for me. I am having to learn different grips that maybe are not the normal way, but it will work for me.

My fear is that everyone will be expecting me to be able to fully use my new hand with no problems when I get back...like I've always had it or something.  Maybe I am projecting my high expectations onto others when they don't really have these expectations...I realize I am pretty hard on myself. I am a recovering perfectionist LOL...but I hope others will learn to have patience with me. And I hope I can have patience with myself.

So we went to the Ohio State game last night and it was fun! Although we did not emerge victorious (70-71) it was an exciting game. We lost in overtime to Penn State. Since I coach cheerleading I am always trying to get new ideas for stunts. Here is one cool stunt I saw...not sure if it is legal for middle school though.

Here is a pic of the arena. Pretty nice place!

After a stressful day, it was nice to let loose at the basketball game with my sweetie. He left this morning on a jet plane.  Sad face :( Somebody's got to take care of Millie Belle the shih tzu! But never fear! Mr. & Mrs. Wright will be reunited tomorrow evening :)

So I have no idea what to expect for today other than more OT. My final device won't be ready until tomorrow because...get this...they are shipping my fingers from Scotland!  I will have Scottish fingers. And they will be plaid. (Just kidding about the plaid part)

So I will keep y'all updated today as I continue in this prosthetic adventure.
Enjoy the snow for me! :)

Day Three

Day Three:

1/29/2014

Game Day!

What I am wearing:
Ohio State burnout baseball style tee
Gray cords
Leggings (for warmth)
Fake Uggs (for warmth)
Layers of coats, gloves and a hat :)

It was a balmy -6F this morning and it will be a heat wave of a day at a high of 18 degrees. I am so excited for the game tonight!

So I didn’t sleep that well last night and I’ll tell you for why:
My sweet hubby likes to mess with electronics to see how they work. There is a handy dandy MP3 clock radio in our bedroom at the hotel. He was fiddling with it before bed. I was not using said alarm clock because I like the alarm on my phone.  So when the classic rock station started blaring at 6am (my alarm is not supposed to go off until 7), I knew what had occurred. 
Sam finally got the radio shut off and then the fire alarm went off. (Not our fault,  but someone was probably burning breakfast in their room)

So needless to say, I did not go back to sleep. So I am a wee bit tired this morning. I think a nap may be in order before the game.

When we arrived at Touch Bionics this morning, I started the study that I signed up for yesterday. It is a study for amputees to measure overuse in the dominant hand. So I immersed my hand in water to for edemic measurement (don’t ask me...I have no idea). Then the lady measured my flexibility in my wrist and fingers.  Apparently my wrist is very flexible but my fingers...not so much. She said she sees carpal tunnel syndrome in my future...but gave me stretching exercises to help with that in the future.  Then I stacked blocks and flipped over checkers (timed activities). I feel like I’m back in kindergarten again. My left hand is very tired! LOL
Now Sam is doing the study even though he is not an amputee. Everyone has a dominant hand.  He is so competitive though. He is trying to beat my time with everything. I have never heard of block stacking trash talking...but he created it. 

So we have some downtime before lunch as they are tweaking my device currently. Then after lunch I will be doing more OT.

Hope all y’all in VA and NC are enjoying the Snowpocalypse!

Day 2 continued again!

Even later on...

Hubby got here this afternoon! Yay! So glad he was able to fly out before the Snowpocalypse that is happening in Virginia Beach at the moment. VB schools are out tomorrow. I'm sad that I'm missing a snow day. Oh well, I'm sure there will be some snow left when we get back.  And let's face it...there is plenty of snow here in OH to go around!

Sam met me at Touch Bionics this afternoon and got to see the prototype hand and got to ask all kinds of questions about my device. We loaded the biosim software on my iPhone and his computer. They are also giving me an iPod touch with the software on it. Lots of technology going on here.

I did more OT with Steve Martin today. I stacked things on a shelf, used the broom again, picked up items of varying weights.  One problem I kept running into was that my middle finger kept getting stuck.  LOL! They will be tweaking it to make sure the final device works properly.

I'm meeting an OSU student in the morning to take part in a research study for hand mobility. Sam might take part too.  Then more OT and a waiting game for the fabrication.

I walked by the fabrication shop and saw a model of my hand fresh out of the oven with the pigment added. Pretty cool!

So tonight Sam wanted to walk to Skyline Chili. Our friend Matt told us we had to eat at this place. It is only 0.4 miles away from the hotel...but it was 0 degrees F outside... so I really thought we would take a cab. But Sam insisted we walk. I will forgive him later :)

Skyline Chili was pretty dang good.
The waitress gave us a sample before we ordered.  I ended up having a 3 way baked potato which is basically a baked potato with the Skyline Chili on top and lots of cheddar cheese.
Here is a pic:

Sam had the 5 way chili and coney.  Our waitress asked if we needed bibs....of course we needed bibs!  She even tied them around our necks.  See here:

It was a great experience and I'm glad we went! We walked back in the 0 degree temps and almost froze. We stood in front of the fireplace in the hotel once we returned, picked up some snacks from the hotel store, and then hurried to the room where Sam warmed his hands over the stove top and I stood under the heat lamp in the bathroom. That's how we roll.

Tonight we will try to ward off indigestion and stay inside, warm, while watching movies.

Until tomorrow...

Day 2 continued

This post is dedicated to food and fortunes.

This was my lunch. Tai hao le! ( too good)

This is my snack basket in my fitting room. Well it's not MY snack basket per se but I would like to think of it as mine.

This is my fortune from lunch. I really don't feel like it's for me so I'm posting it for one of you.

Laters...

Day Two

1/28/2014

Day Two:

Temp when I left the hotel: -15 degrees F

What I am wearing:

Pink skinny jeans from NY&Co (hubby calls them my sparkle pants)

Cuddle duds AKA long johns for girls

Cream sweater NY&Co (also with sparkles)

Riding boots to trudge through snow and ice

Really warm coat, gloves and hat

My friend Laurie Beth let me borrow her Columbia jacket which is mucho warm and I am so grateful!!!! (She also let me borrow matching gloves and a matching hat. She is a fashionista and my go to for fashion advice!) :)

We arrived at 9:03 at Touch Bionics and I started some more OT this morning, stacking cones. It’s interesting because depending on where I’m reaching to pick up the cones, it can be easier or harder to control the touch pad. When my palm is facing down, it is more difficult for me not to touch the touch pad that is between my fingers which means that if I am holding something, if I accidentally touch the touch pad, I will drop that item.  A way to get around this is to grab the item and then turn off the device. But the OT says the goal is to learn how to relax the hand and not touch the touchpad. I feel like I have so much to learn!

Last night we went to Carabbas for dinner. I had Lobster ravioli...yum! We all talked about how our new hands were going to be life changing for us. It is interesting because I am the only one here with a congenital birth defect. One gentleman lost his arm in the service. The other lost his fingers in a work accident. So we all have very different perspectives and I am learning so much about the human spirit and how others learn how to deal with what life has dealt them.

In a way I feel blessed that I was born with my “condition”. I’ve had 37 years to adapt to it whereas the other 2 guys have only had a short time to adapt. I don’t really know anything different whereas they have had to relearn everything. I admire them for their courage and for not giving up.

It’s nice to have people with you cheering you on. Speaking of that...my husband flies in today!!!!!!!!!

I am sooooooo happy that he is getting to come! I know he will be amazed at the process here and the fabrication. It is so high-tech...like out of a sci-fi movie. I can’t wait until he gets here!

Back to OT...the socket is really pushing on my knuckles this morning which is hurting so they are going to shave it down so it won’t be uncomfortable.  So I am waiting for them to do that and then I will work more with the OT on basic functional tasks.

It's starting to look more like a hand.

Later...

So I just finished my pre-fitting assessment. This is a questionnaire that I will be filling out every 3 months to assess the effectiveness of the hand.  Basically they want to make sure that the hand will be helpful to me and is functioning properly. When I complete these questionnaires, they will send me new finger covers, which is nice because I’m sure I will need them.

So my husband is on the plane now from Norfolk to Dulles.  I posted on Facebook this morning that the temperature was -15F and he said he was canceling his flight. Thankfully he decided that I was worth seeing so he is on his way :)

So Tim has been working on adding pigment to my silicone glove this morning to more closely  match my skin. It won’t be an exact match, but he said he can get it pretty close. Such a crazy process!

Until later friends....

Day One

1/27/14

Today was the official first day of training at Touch Bionics.  I went to the lobby for breakfast at the hotel but I was too nervous to eat. So I just drank my peppermint mocha via coffee and waited for the cab to arrive.

Well apparently  since the temperature dropped last night, there was a lot of black ice on the road so the cab was late getting to my hotel. But not to worry...there were 4 others waiting for the same cab: one patient, one OT, and the area manager Lorraine who I met last night.  So we all finally piled in the cab and arrived at the Touch Bionics office about a half an hour late...but it really wasn't a problem because they couldn't start without us! :)

This is me with my anticipatory face:

So everyone greeted us at the door. It's a pretty cool place, Nathan gave us a tour of all of the fabrication rooms and get this: ALL of the rooms have snacks of some sort!  Sweet!

Brian Monroe, my upper extremities specialist was there and had me try on the test socket.

After trying it on they had to make some modifications to it because it was rubbing and pinching my skin in some places.  It's pretty cool that they can do all the mods on site immediately!

Then they attached electrodes and fingers to the test socket:

This looks kind of like a science experiment!

There are touch pads between my 2 fingers, so when I squeeze, the hand/fingers close. And when I squeeze again, they open.

Here is a video:

Then they used epoxy to attach each finger and the thumb.  My OT's name is Steve Martin, like the actor. (That's how he introduced himself). But he is much taller than Steve Martin and probably much more knowledgeable at occupational therapy. :)  He was also a jokester which is nice.  He had me picking up cups, cylinders, stacking blocks, etc.  He told me to pick up a cylinder and put it on my head. I picked up the cylinder and put it on my forehead. He said "now you're a unicorn". And I said "of course, everyone wants to be a unicorn". 

Tim Hahn is fabricating my hand. He will be putting pigment in the silicone so it will look more natural. 

They ordered lunch for all of us from Jason's Deli...yummy!  I sat with Brian and Steve at lunch and we talked basketball.

People keep asking me "how do you feel" or "is it everything you thought it would be?"  I am having trouble answering these questions because I feel like it won't really hit me until I see the finished product.  But let me tell you, when I picked up a plate with my right hand and put food on it and it didn't fall to the ground, it was pretty awesome. BBQs will now bow down to me!

After lunch, we did more occupational therapy. Lindsay, another OT, helped me hold a knife and fork, take things on and off shelves and sweep.  I told them that I would not be doing housework for free. :)

Everyone kept telling me how great I was doing and I thought they were just being nice.  But Lorraine came in and watched me stack blocks and she said that usually people aren't able to do this until day 3 or 4.  Wow!  I feel blessed!

Tonight the whole gang is going out to dinner.  Not sure where yet, but free food is free food!

Love y'all! Thanks for being part of my journey!

I have arrived!!!

1/26/2014

I am finally here! After almost missing my flight from Dulles to Columbus, I still made it here! I had to run to my gate though as they were calling my name over the loudspeaker. A lot of running just to sit beside a lady that took up part of my leg room due to her over sized bag that would not totally fit under the seat. Good thing I don't take up much room. haha

Airplane rides are awkward...just awkward. I try to say hello and smile to the people I'm sitting next to and they act like they don't speaka de Engrish. :) I'm just trying to be polite...not talk your ear off the whole flight. But I digress...

I have arrived in Hilliard Ohio. The airport roads were covered with ice so I am surprised that we were able to land. I called the cab company to pick me up and they told me that someone else from Touch Bionics would be riding with me to the hotel.  Her name is Lorraine and she works out of NY for Touch Bionics.  We stopped at Chipotle on the way to the hotel and she bought my dinner. Sweet! We got to the hotel and I unpacked and watched some HGTV while I ate my dinner. Not much different than normal, other than I am in a totally new place without my hubby. :(

Tomorrow morning I will ride with Lorraine to Touch Bionics and get the grand tour. This is my schedule:

Pretty packed schedule, but Lorraine said I should have some downtime on Wednesday.

Well kids, it's time for bed so I can be up and at em early tomorrow.

Until then...

Like a Glove!

1/21/14

Hi everyone!

I had another appointment at the Hanger Clinic this morning. Mr. Monroe had the initial silicone mold for me to try on. Here it is:

As you can see in the next picture, my skin was zipped up in it initially, OWWEE, so they are going to adjust the zipper.   It felt like it fit perfectly other than the zipper.

 

Check out the electrode thingies!

 

 

So they will use this mold to design the glove to go over my existing hand.  I can't wait to see what it will look like!!!!

 

The hubby is coming to Ohio for a couple of days so he can meet the folks at Touch Bionics and check out the facility with me.

We will also be going to the Ohio State vs. Penn State basketball game on Wednesday 1/29 at 7pm.  Look for us on TV!

 

Five more days...

Go Bucs!

I finally got my plane ticket information as well as my hotel registration and transportation info!  YAY!!!!

I will be staying at the Homewood Suites which is a Hilton hotel. The suite has a full kitchen, king size bed, living room...much swag! They are paying for my meals as long as I eat at the hotel restaurant which sounds good to me.  They are also paying for my cab rides from the airport and back and forth from the hotel to Touch Bionics.  I will be getting the rock star treatment! :)

So I looked at the map to see what is around the area and guess what is only 6.5 miles away????? OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!  And the best part is that there is a game on Wed 1/29 there. Ohio State vs Penn State. I love college basketball. Those of you who really know me know that Duke is my team...but I root for Ohio State as well due to our friends Matt & Laurie.  It was part of our buddy friends contract...something like this: "In order to hang out with the cool kids, you must cheer for Ohio State always. If you choose to root against them, our friendship will be null and void." We really wanted to hang out with the cool kids so we are now OSU fans (but always Duke fans first!) LOL

So I am going to go to a game.  My hubby may be able to come to Ohio for a few days to see Touch Bionics and go to the game with me. But if we can't work it out, I will cheer for the Bucs all by myself! :) Look for me on TV 1/29 at 7pm. I'll be wearing red!

Now I need some WARM OSU gear. The temps are supposed to be in the teens and 20s. Brrrrrrrrr!

Emails from Heaven...or Ohio

So yesterday I got a call from a 617 area code and I knew immediately who it was! It was Danielle at Touch Bionics!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So she sent me 2 flight options last night:

OMGEEEE

It is all starting to feel real now. You know why? I had my first dream last night about going to Touch Bionics. I was in their facilities doing initial testing and answering questions. The doctor was John Lithgow from 3rd Rock from the Sun (remember that show?). He was asking me what my plans were once I went home with my new hand. And then I started crying as I explained to him that I was going to be wearing those long black satin gloves just like Audrey Hepburn... And then I woke up.

My dreams are coming true....well except for the John Lithgow part.

Oh Happy day!

Yesterday

So this is my cast drying yesterday.  It felt like cold silly putty slathered on my arm and then it dried and Brian pulled it off my arm.  Don't worry! My arm hairs are still in tact thanks to a little Vaseline!
I'm getting more excited.
Hopefully they will call me with an itinerary today.
Fingers crossed!

Casting!

1/7/14

I just got a call today from the Hanger Clinic asking me to come in tomorrow for an appointment. I will be meeting Brian Monroe, the upper extremities specialist who has worked very hard on my hand.  They will be "casting" my hand...I guess that's kind of like a making a mold of my hand?

Anyway...I am so excited to meet Mr. Monroe and continue in this process!  I hope to know my itinerary soon.

Waiting...

Happy New Year everyone!

I had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family in VA and NC. We are back in VA now and back to work. (Boo)

Since there is not a lot going on at work right now, I have been surfing the Touch Bionics site, finding out everything I can about my new prosthetic hand.

On December 26, I went to my "fitting" appointment which was really different than I thought it would be.  The doctor came in the examination room with a prosthetic hand/arm that had electrodes attached to it.  He placed the electrodes along my right hand and had me do certain movements so he could "measure my electrical signals". He told me to close my hand and when I did, the prosthetic hand that was laying beside me on the exam table closed into a fist.  Whoa. Then he asked me to open my hand and when I did the prosthetic hand opened as well. Double whoa.

So apparently I have "good electric signals"!  Yay!

So now I am just waiting for my itinerary for Ohio.  They are going to fly me to Hilliard, Ohio and take care of my hotel accommodations as well.  It still hasn't fully hit me yet, but I'm pretty sure I will be a blubbering mess when they show me my new hand for the first time.  I can't wait!

So I have to keep myself busy while I wait so I don't go crazy, so I have been checking the weather.  It will be in the teens during the day and in the negatives at night. So you know what that means??? New clothes! :)  I am not very prepared for the freezing temps that I will encounter so I am researching "how to dress for winter temps" and here is what I found:

1. Wear a base layer (long johns or cuddle duds)
2. Then wear regular pants, shirt, sweater, fleece etc
3. Wear a down or wool coat with something on your head and mittens on your hands

I have long johns, sweaters, pants, the regular stuff...I just need a cute hat and maybe some kind of fleece. I want to look nice just in case they take pictures of me for marketing.  How does one look nice and be warm at the same time??? I think it's time for Pinterest! :)

Until next time...

The Bionic Woman

So two days ago, I received a call that quite possibly will change my life forever!  It was a call that I had been waiting on for several months...a call that I did not expect to receive...ever.

While I was at work, I received a call from Tiffany at the Hanger Clinic. She called to inform me that my insurance had fully approved a myoelectric prosthetic hand for me and that I could be fitted the day after Christmas and have my new hand at the end of January!

Wow....just wow!

Do you remember in the Empire Strikes back where Luke Skywalker gets his new hand? That has always stuck in my brain and I have always dreamed of one day having a complete hand. You see, I have Poland's syndrome which left me with only 2 fingers on my right hand. I have adapted pretty well to my "disability" and can do most anything including playing the piano, guitar, etc. But as I get older, I have noticed that I have lost function. I am not able to turn doorknobs like I used to. I can no longer hold a cup. I drop more things...and not just because I'm a klutz. I've had several surgeries already to widen the space between my fingers so that I can grip things. But there is only so much skin they can cut away and stretch.

So I started doing research about 8 months ago and found this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/12/health/bionic-hands/

So I did a little more research and found this company website:
http://www.touchbionics.com/

My dreams were becoming a reality!  I had only heard of hand transplants for those with severed hands. And the prosthetic devices I knew about where passive devices and therefore would not allow me to do more than I can do now.  But Touch Bionics offers an active prosthesis which allows different kinds of grips and a rotating thumb.  This is truly amazing.

The next thing I did was look up where I could find out more about this device and whether or not I would even be a candidate. So I used their Certified Clinician Finder on the website and found The Hanger Clinic in Norfolk Virginia...one town over from us! So I thought about it for a few months and finally made and appointment on August 29.

Sam and I met with Dr. Salazar and discussed the possibilities for me. I fully expected him to say that I would need an amputation first...which is what he started with. But after looking at my hand and seeing its functionality, he said, I would be a perfect candidate for the i-Limb without an amputation. They could make a glove that would incorporate my current fingers and also give me more utility.  I left the office encouraged and very excited.  But I was also trying not to get my hopes up.  I wasn't sure if my insurance would even cover this type of thing. The Hanger Clinic would work up a design and letter for the insurance company to consider. Now it was a waiting game.  I checked in with them every month just to see if they had heard anything. The upper extremity specialist and Dr. Salazar were working together to come up with best design for my needs. Finally they sent the package to the insurance company.

So on December 16, 2013, I got the call!  Tiffany at Hanger Clinic informed me that my insurance would cover me 100%!  Thank you Optima! I will be traveling to Hilliard, Ohio to Touch Bionics at the end of January to get my new hand!  Insurance is also covering the cost of travel as well. 

I am still in shock to say the least.  It hasn't fully hit me yet, but I'm started to get excited!  I can't believe that this is happening to me!  I keep thinking something will fall through...but they have assured me that it has been approved.

I go for my initial fitting in Norfolk the day after Christmas. What a tremendous Christmas gift! So in a little over a month, I will be the Bionic Woman!

Now I will have to figure out how to get through airport security :)

Some things I will be able to do with my new hand:

• Wear long silky gloves like Audrey Hepburn
• Make a fist!
• Shake someone's hand (no more dead fish handshakes!)
• Count to 10 using my fingers
• Dance the Macarena without shame (well, relatively)
• Braid my hair 

I am so thankful to my husband for encouraging me in all of this, to God for making it possible, and to the doctors and medical staff who pulled this together. 

I want to make the effort to try and blog when I go to pick up my new hand...but I can't promise anything because I will have to learn to type all over again! :)

The Adventures of the i-Limb

So I found this blog today called the Adventures of the i-Limb and I am going to read every entry. It is a blog of Darin Sargent's journey with his i-Limb prosthetic arm. He blogs for 100 days about it so as you can imagine, I am fascinated to read his posts, to see if I can get more of an idea of what I will be dealing with.

The blog is:
http://theadventuresoftheilimb.wordpress.com

Check it out!