Suction: not keen!

[allenuk]

I got my final suction socket fa couple of weeks ago, and so far not too great.

It is a SOD to put on, as the prosthetists insisted that I roll the inner liner on from the base of the stump, and it is too much for me (and I've got big strong hands!) So they said try KY Jelly - slap it onto the stump, all the way from base to knee, THEN roll it up.

Even this is next to impossible, with the added problem that if you're half-way up and let go, you end up with KY all over your hands, which means you can grip NOTHING at all till you've washed your hands. Which means you need a bowl of warm water next to you when you try and get the leg on, plus paper towels, real towels, etc.

And finally you pull and tug it on, (breaking all the rules), and get it over your leg, that's only the start. Then, it's quite easy to push your stump into JUST the wrong place (by a few mill only), but you only know that when you've stood up and pulled the outer sleeve up, and trodden a couple of times to pump the air out.

Then it hurts like hell, and you have to take it off, sit down, and try again.

So I'm not yet a fan of suction sockets, as you can imagine.

And to top it all, my prosthetist has left and gone to a quieter job. He was one of those health workers who was utterly committed to the job, to the point of doing 12 hour days just to try and satisfy his patients (for no extra pay), and he was knackering himself in the process. His employers didn't recognise what he was doing, or if they did they didn't give a crap, and just let him burn himself out. His immediate boss DID recognise what was happening, but hasn't got the power to do anything practical to change things, like employing more staff, or paying the ones he's got lots more money.

And all this is happening BEFORE our government's cuts hit the fan. (Q: why can't they cut a few jet fighters instead, and leave our health service alone?)


Rant not really over, just pausing for breath.

Anyway, I'm sure it'll get better (oh yeah?)


Allen.

[barclay]

I'm sorry that the suction socket isn't working for you :-(. I hope that with practice you get the knack of putting it on and that it helps with the tibia problem.

[stonecutter]

May 28, 2011 8:29:57 GMT -7 allenuk said:

... try KY Jelly - slap it onto the stump...

Ooooh - I don't think you want to do that. For me - I need to have my stump as dry as possible. When I'm in a hurry in the morning and don't have time to dry out all the little nooks and crannies in my deformed stump, I end up with spot blisters, because the moisture can't escape.

What kind of liners are you using? I'm using an Alpha Max liner. When I get them new right out of the box, I find it takes a great deal of strength to put them on. But they loosen up after a week or so.

So I don't know if you're still finding it difficult to roll up, but it should get better in a day or three.

Sorry to hear you lost your prosthetist. Mine is threatening to retire in a couple years, so I'm already feeling uncomfortable about it... He's been my only prosthetist since I lost my leg 17 years ago.

EDIT: Oh and - Loving the new photo avatar!

[ann58]

First of all, I like the new picture...makes you look very dignified.


Now for the suction socket....I agree with you. It takes quite awhile to put on...not like the pin {off & on} in an instant. It does go on faster with practice but agree its not a piece of cake...in the first place I would never put KY jelly on my entire leg to put on the liner. I detest the way it makes your leg feel. The only thing good about it is the fact it doesn't let your liner pull up and down like a piston.

[allenuk]

Well, the KY came from the clinical lead (in the UK that means Boss of All Prosthetists). He is French, but don't let that fool you, he is a brilliant prosthetist (and doesn't go by the rule book).

It's an Otto Bock silicone gel liner. Quite thin, and it really is almost impossible to get on without the jelly. (I CAN get it on by gripping it and pulling it on like a sock, but the Frenchman frowns on that and says I'll get air into it, which is a Bad Thing).

And as I said above, once it IS on (by whatever means), then the fun starts, as 2 out of 3 times I get the outer socket on in very slightly the wrong place, and it is extremely painful, the only way round it being to roll down the outer liner to release the suction, then turn the leg a little, pull the outer liner up and re-pump (just a couple of stamps), and keep your fingers crossed.

Christophe (le français) will redo me a pin-lock if I ask him to, as he is most obliging, but I'm going to give the suction a week or two yet (a few hours per day) to see if it gets any better!


Yes, I was fed up with the other pic, and the 'hat' one covers more of me face.


Allen.

[ann58]

They had me use a mixture of alcohol & water in a spray bottle rather than the vasoline...to help it go on. It works well. Once you get used to this suction, I know it will be better for your leg than the pin system.

[ann-]

I am a bit like Stonecutter , I have skin grafting, and also have a few nooks and crannies, and moisture is definitely a problem so try and keep the stump and the liner as dry as possible, by drying it off from time to time, I too am wearing an Alpha Liner, and for me it works well, in that its letting me walk using a conventional below knee prosthesis, which hasn't always been the case.

I think I replied to you on the other forum Allen, with my experiences with the vasoline, but your set up seems quite different to what I was using at the time. Sounds very complicated but good luck with it and hope it works out.