Our New Normal!
“Helping Others Discover and Live an Unlimited Lifestyle.”
Welcome to our new Dankmeyer blog!! My name is Dawn Miranda, and I am a new amputee of only three years (12/2/2016). I hope this blog page will answer your questions, uplift you through education, and inspire hope that we will get to our new normal together.
Welcome!! Pour your favorite hot beverage and let’s talk cold weather survival tips and how to enjoy the snow. (Yes we can have some fun on those sunny days in winter.)
Avoid Falls!
Cold weather safety tips for prosthesis wearers is a very important topic because falls are our number one concern. So, how do we get what we need on those days the weather is just too nasty? How can we get the things done we need to get done - like groceries! Thank heaven we are in the age of technology and grocery delivery is a service available from all the major grocery chains. If you have a computer, explore online grocery shopping. I have used this before personally and actually found I stay on budget, and spend less because that impulse buying fever is taken out of the equation when you order online. Just be careful, because a dear friend of mine wanted organic bananas and she didn’t realize how they came! Well…! She ordered six bananas thinking that nice person picking her groceries would pick six of the finest bananas. Well she did!!! Six bunches of ten!!! Sixty bananas were delivered! In the freezer they went and a lot of bread, pudding and other banana desserts were on her menu for a long time!
So what else might you ask can I suggest for winter safety? Boots! The best pair you can afford. We are all on a budget so choose a boot with the best non-slip tread. Try to find boots with the elastic lacing to make slipping them on easier. If you live in an icy part of the country, which Maryland can be, I recommend the slip over your boot cleats. The mailmen use them. Smart, very smart, as they do a lot of walking in harsh weather. These cleats come in a variety of names and vary in price range. Here are a few names to look up. You can choose what will suit you best for the weather you get.
1. Yaktrax walk traction cleats- $14.86 on Amazon.com
2. Crampons Ice Cleats traction snow grips- $25.90 on Amazon.com
3. Hurricane Outdoor Snow antiskid cleats- $9.19 on Walmart.com
4. Snow Grippers Ice cleats- $9.57 Walmart online
5. Kamik Snowboot- Amazon- $59.95
These are just a few to get you thinking!
Warm up that socket!
A cold socket in the mornings makes your residual limb shiver!!! Then warm it up a little before you step into it. You can use a blow dryer on a low setting, being careful to feel the socket and not actually make it hot to the touch. Another old fashioned idea is the good ol’ hot water bottle. You know those Pepto-Bismol pink ones with the big rubber stoppers your parents or grandparents had? My mom always placed one in my bed 15 minutes before I climbed in. That, folks, was amazing and still is! So here is what you can do to help chase phantom pains away. Grab yourself a hot water bottle - they sell them at the dollar stores or Walmart. When you get your hot water bottle, run hot tap water in it and slip a towel around it to be sure it is not too hot for your skin.
Blog followers, don’t lock yourself up in your home. Ask for help and get outside. You can’t live an unlimited life if you don’t open the door. Remember, Oh the weather outside may look frightful, but let’s think of things to make it delightful, so if there’s no place to go today, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (only while we sleep!! Tee hee).
These tips are informed suggestions. If you do not feel comfortable with them, please do not attempt them. Instead as always contact your medical professional or your prosthetist for help and advice.
If you have a question for me about living as an amputee, ask! And if I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you, and I will leave no stone unturned to help you find your own personal new normal. If there is a topic you would like me to feature please let me know! I want us all to grow strong together. Email me at Dawn@dankmeyer.com. This email is not secure, so if you wish to keep any specific health information private, you should call us!
Quote for the Month: “I come from nothing. I come from sleeping in the kitchen with my family with the oven open to keep us warm during winter, you know? When you come from that background, all this extra stuff is just... extra stuff, you know?” - Michael B. Jordan
Dawn Miranda recently joined Dankmeyer, Inc. as a Prosthetist Assistant after relocating from San Antonio, TX. To read more about Dawn on our Clinical Staff page, click here.