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....