More fun at OT

4/30/14

Hey ya'll

I just finished up another session of OT. Today I worked with cones, pins and my nemesis...flat rocks. Those darn rocks are slick and hard to pick up (they are like the craft rocks that are flat on one side) but I was able to do it eventually.  And I tied a bow today with Hanna! Woohoo!

So I am sending an email to my prosthetist today outlining why I need the covering. Prayers and good thoughts are appreciated.

I really hope they make a cover for me so I will not be afraid to use it. I keep scratching stuff like my gear shift, oven handle, etc.  I also keep getting dirt in the nooks and crannies of the hand...it's real attractive :)

So my fingers are crossed that I will be getting a skin colored covering soon!

Yesterday

4/25/14

Yesterday I had my OT session with Tracy and Christy from Touch Bionics. It was really good because I got a to share a lot of my concerns with Christy. For example:
1. a lot of my clothes don't fit over the hand, so it would be helpful if they could streamline the design.
2. I need a cover.
I live at the beach so I have sand, dust, pollen, etc that is getting into the gears and nooks and crannies of the device. So I have been afraid to use it a lot because if this.
 I thought I could get one that is flesh toned, but Christy informed me that they do not make a flesh toned cover for the digits device. The website is a little deceiving because it looks like all of the devices come with a covering. Check it out:

When I saw this I thought that this is what I would be getting. I texted my prosthetist and my OT this morning with this website to see what they think. Fingers crossed!

I know this is a brand spanking new technology so they are working out the kinks of the devices. And every device is different. But I am hoping that they can make this hand work better for me.

I felt like Christy really listened to me and my concerns and she promised me that my feedback was valuable and they were making changes based on my feedback.

Here is a picture of me trying to hold a fork yesterday. The fork is my enemy right now but I will beat this enemy!

I am really sore after wearing Hanna for 2.5 hours yesterday and using it the entire time. 2.5 hours doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are working muscles you are not used to working, it is. :)

Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!

Hanna is back!

4/24/14

Hanna flew back yesterday (well, I'm assuming she flew). :)
She has all new fingers and will be getting a new thumb later on this month. Crazy! This time the thumb will come from Ireland (that's what my prosthetist tells me anyway). Maybe it will be green and I can finally grow tomatoes LOL

Today I meet with Christy from Touch Bionics at my OT Tracy's office. I dressed up today and actually wore makeup AND curled my hair...just in case they take pictures.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Hanna has left me again

4/22/14
Yesterday Hanna left me...again. She is so fickle :)

sad face

My sweet hubby took her to Hanger to be sent back to Touch Bionics. My prosthetist did a "hand health check" and found that 2 wires were broken...that's why the 2 fingers are malfunctioning.  The weird thing is that I did not wear Hanna at all last week. She was sleeping in her case so I'm not sure how the wires could have broken.  Maybe Millie Belle the shih tzu has been playing with her? 
"Not me mom!"

Anyway...I hope to have her back before Thursday as they are sending someone to VB from Touch Bionics for training.

I have connected with an online support group called Empowering Amputees. (www.empoweringamputees.org)
I have been able to post about my hand and ask others if they are having the same experience as I am. It's cool to connect with folks all over the world.

On a happier note, it's Admin Professionals Week! Yay! That means lunch at Olive Garden today, flowers, candy, and all kinds of goodies made by our fabulous staff at LMS!

Hope everyone is having a great week! Be nice to your secretaries :)

Hanna needs to be resurrected today

Happy Easter everyone!

Hope everyone is having a nice holiday.  My in-laws are in town and I was excited about them meeting Hanna for the first time...but alas...she is malfunctioning again :(

This time the pointer finger and the middle finger are malfunctioning.  I am really bummed. I really am not using her all that much. In fact, I haven't used her at all this weekend. So I know the malfunctioning is not due to overuse.  I am so irritated that I can't use her right now.

Touch Bionics is supposed to be sending someone on Thursday to train my OT on the iLimb, but how is this person going to train her if Hanna is not working?????

Sigh.....

I need a resurrection miracle :)

Encouraged today

4/8/14

Awesome OT today!

Firstly, I learned that my OT's name is spelled Tracy, not Traci. (I looked at her name badge) :) Oops.

Secondly, I am semi-ok at block building :) Tracy built formations with blocks and I had to build the same thing. I did pretty good...just a little bumbly. It's like I'm back at preschool again :)

I kind of stink at puzzles though. But let's face it, puzzle skills are not life and death like block building skills :)

I had something happen last week that I forgot to blog about...but it's kind of a big deal. (Well, to me anyway).

I was parking the car and thought I was wearing Hanna and tried to open and close my hand in a certain way. Nothing happened and I looked down and lo and behold, I was not wearing the hand! It was the weirdest thing! So that must mean that my brain is adapting to having a new appendage.

So I went to Starbucks on my way back from OT...yes I have a problem...
I wanted to see if I was any better at holding the plastic cups that you get when you order an iced drink.  Today it is like 70 degrees and muggy so it is perfect for iced coffee.

Here is my result:

 

Hanna! Crushing Starbucks cups since Jan 2014!

Progress!

4/4/14

Howdy doody friends!

It's time for a Hanna update.

This is Hanna driving to OT today...Look out Virginia Beach!

 

OT is going well. Traci has me working on strengthening my right shoulder as it has been sore from using Hanna.  More weight = sore.

 

 

Touch Bionics is going to send someone down in a few weeks to train Traci (and whoever else wants to come) and they will also work with me too for a couple hours.  The challenge for them (and me) is that I have spent my entire life adapting to my "little hand" so I am having to re-learn how to do everything. I've had a lot of people ask me, "So why did you get a prosthetic device if you were already functional?"

 

Well...doctor's aren't really sure how my hand will function as I get older.  I can already tell that I have lost functionality over the years...and I can imagine it will only get worse. So I thought...why don't I start learning how to use a prosthetic now instead of waiting until I HAVE to learn?

 

 

So I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to work today.  Look what Hanna can do!



 

 

 

Happy Friday everyone!!!!!!