It was 1 year post-amputation before I felt confident enough to go out and try a 10K
Let’s cut to the nitty gritty.
Practice makes permanence not perfection.
As an amputee it takes daily, mindful practice placing one step in front of the other to get comfortable in your prosthesis.
To take time to practice what feels right and looks right is important to learning the proper gait which in turn will help keep the rest of your body healthy and stronger for the long run.
If you start getting lazy, or not taking breaks and pushing yourself too hard too fast you might find yourself getting tired and losing focus and control over your practice.
This is a journey, not an end game. I am still focused on my gait and I am almost 6 years post-amputation.
Hiking on uneven, rocky terrain takes a lot of practice!
See the waddle? I can tell I was being lazy or I was hurting based on this one snapshot.
Woah! Working on balance and leg strength is important everyday so you can go off roading!
And once again, I try to challenge myself on different terrain. Winter hiking boots on snow/ice! Quite the trek!
Be mindful as you work on walking.
Pay attention to your hips being engaged and swinging your legs through your step versus swinging it out and around.
Take your steps slow and be patient.
Walk wherever you can and make learning your prosthesis a full time job, it’s important!
Also, be mindful of when you’re getting tired and take a break so you don’t resort to bad posture and gait.
I know you can do it, remember it is a journey and one worth practicing al the time.
Traveled to the “Happiest Place on Earth” as an amputee
Traveling is exhausting for anyone. Spending a day in an amusement park can take the most energetic person and turn them into a melt down of epic proportions. Add in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer AND thousands of people and it becomes an challenge that the ordinary person struggles to finish.
Now add in someone missing a leg, dealing with sweating in a prosthesis that wants to shift on you and chafe your leg, sprinkle in the dodging of people who only seem to be concerned with their own schedule, and lines that you stand in, totaling hours, throughout the day and you have one of the biggest opportunities to rise to the occasion and show what you’re made of.
The amount of people is amazing!
Traveling is fun.
The Jungle Cruise during the final show at Disney World
Tron ride was EPIC , and probably to the only ride that me fitting into was questionable, but absolutely doable for even me, an above knee amputee.
Traveling is challenging.
Overall, I decided to amputate so I could GET BACK to the life I was living before my knee injury, and that is exactly why I go thru all of those obstacles and challenges.
I WANT TO LIVE!!! Fully and completely.
Golfing is fun but challenging….I love a challenge!
Enjoying the rides, like Pirates, with my family!
That was an amazing day! Almost 11 miles and one exhausted momma! But look at that view (and ALL THOSE PEOPLE)!
What kind of life do you want?
What can you handle?
I have experienced moving around on trips and amusement parks as an able-bodied person, and injured momma in a wheelchair, and as an amputee. This week I give you some ideas of what to expect, what to pack, and how to deal with the ins and outs of highly populated places such as Disney World and Universal.
Get ready to pack your bags and begin your journey!
Enjoy the journey. Be present. Live your life!
You can travel, too, just be prepared (oh, and make sure you stretch!).
You may be an amputee but you can still enjoy taking trips.
This may seem irrelevant to the topic of travel but I assure you it is very relevant: STRETCH!
Make stretching a part of your day, everyday!
I didn’t and my back was screaming at me the day after our 1st park. The way I had to walk, in the heat, around all those people, looking out for myself, and my safety, made my body move in non-natural ways that over the miles and hours of being on my feet really exhausted my back and hips. I had 2 days and nights of phantom pains and back pains and all I could do was push through it and continue with our plans, trying to ignore the pain. On one of the final nights back in our resort I decided to sit on the ground and give my good leg a nice stretch only to realize how very tight I was.
Don’t wait til you have issues like I did. I am now starting to stretch every morning and evening to help my flexibility and my mobility.
Your Call to Action this week is to do the same.
Implement a stretching routine for yourself so you keep flexible. Even 5 minutes a day is better than nothing, so get started, TODAY!!
Also, listen into my IG Live chat Un(Limb)ited Conversation this week as Jackie, DPT and I discuss stretches for post-amputation mobility. You can find it on Instagram @BAWarrior360. Every other Wednesday at 4:00 pm MST I hope you join us!
The reality is that after your amputation the journey is just beginning.
The journey is filled with ups and downs and everything in between.
I wished I could tell you that once your limb physically heals, from the surgery, that it’s all downhill from there but that wouldn’t be accurate for 99% of the amputees.
Most of us will deal with 2-3 years of limb volume changes making the socket fitting process a true test of patience and resilience.
Add in phantom pains, possible neuromas, skin breakdown, etc and the challenges can seem daunting and never-ending
But have no fear, the journey is not an easy one, but can be so very rewarding.
You should be setting goals for yourself, depending where you are in your journey.
This life is a journey; embrace it, wherever you are at in it.
You will build character and learn so much about yourself, too.
I know you are going through some rough times right now, but you’re not alone. I see you. I have been where you are, and I will probably have a rough go at it sometime in the near future.
This is the life of an amputee.
There is beauty in the struggle, though. Your mindset can dictate, and WILL dictate your outcomes.
You have two choices, play the victim or play the hero of your story.
Your mindset matters.
If you are in the middle of a setback in your journey, have no fear. This is the moment to take a breathe, be present, and begin to anticipate what beauty is to come.
What do you want to achieve?
Where do you see yourself once you heal or get past this hurdle?
At this moment, when life seems too much and you are frustrated and feeling like you’ll never get back to the way you were before your setback remember that this moment is setting you up for a leap forward and in the right direction.
Get your mindset correct and be ready for the positive changes.
Use this time to create a plan that makes you happy, one that you can be excited about as you anticipate your full recovery, from whatever is holding back right now.
If you visualize a positive momentum to come, you can will it to happen.
Sending your mind positive thoughts and imagery is exactly how to succeed.
Pause in this moment, take a few deep cleansing breathes and prepare yourself for a positive shift.
