Dr Smith

Anyone who recalls the 1960's TV show "Lost in Space" will also remember the character Dr Smith, who had a favourite saying: "Oh the pain... the pain!"

Usually it was a metaphorical reference to the unusual circumstances that Dr Smith and the crew of the Jupiter 2 space craft found themselves in on their jouneys, either on a strange planet or lost in space travel.

Well I can certainly attest to the sentiment lately but in my case the pain is more real than metaphorical.

I mentioned earlier about all those socks I have to use now the leg has changed size and form since starting out. Simply put it means that my leg stump is not held securely inside the socket of my prosthetic leg (Schooner) and the platform on which I bear my weight is unstable. It's a bit like having someone perform a Chinese burn on your leg each time you take a step. After a few hours you get fed up with it and take the leg off.

This has not helped with plans to pedal away on the home cycle trainer. Getting up in the morning and putting on a prosthetic only to be sore before you start the day is not conducive to any attempt to exercise and so my motivation to train has waned somewhat.

Last week it was particularly ordinary, even leaving Schooner off for a couple of days and getting about on the crutches again just so my leg could get a rest.

Now this won't last thankfully! It will be solved when my new leg is ready. Fortunately the funding approval from NSW Department of Health has come through and so next week I am going in to see my prosthetics specialist George to get measured up for the new leg. It will use a different and superior mechanism for supporting the leg, which should result in significantly greater comfort. Let's hope so!

Otherwise I'll need to get my hands on the robot!