Part 3 of My Story  29th May 2014 (see below for Parts 1 & 2)

Here we are again new socket received from my prosthetist but unable to try due to pressure sore now having a fungal infection which had become painful to walk on.
My appointment with my nurse practitioner was cancelled as I was informed that she did not feel qualified to take my follow up appointment and I was passed to another practitioner later in the day this was when she announced to me that the pressure sore had now become infected due to the wrong cream being prescribed before. She prescribed a steroid cream which would not normally be prescribed as it thins the skin and as it was to be used on my residual limb she said 7 days only and if it was not improving to return to her after the 7 days.
Well surprise surprise when my wife went to book the appointment as instructed she was told that the earlist appointment I could have was for 2nd June 5 days passed 7 day cut off. When she pointed this out she was told that the nurse concerned was on holiday a fact she must have known when telling me to see her again at the end of 7 days.
That is not the end of this saga. Today I received a phone call from the health centre asking me to move my appointment back 2.5 hours as I could not now be seen as arranged when asked why I was told:  “You cannot be seen before that so take it or leave it”.  Well I had another appointment with my eye specialist so now my appointment is moved back another 2 days to 4th June at 1400 hrs. Infection slightly better but nowhere near cleared up so that’s nearly 3 weeks as a prisoner in my own house as only able to have prosthetic on for an hour or so a day but no one at my health centre reception desk seems to care less. New socket needs tweeking so will go through the pain to try and get it resolved.
I will be back with part 4 soon.

Part two of the story. 11th May 2014 (part one below)

Meet my health centres nurse practitionor and finally find someone who wants to hear what I have to say about all my conditions and how they effect my every day life emphersised that as an able bodied person she had no idea of life as an amputee and prosthetic limb wearer but surmised that my pressure sore was caused by an ill fitting prosthetic . At last someone with common sense and latteral thought patterns. A worthwhile conversation transpires and although she sympathises says that the only way to rid myself of the sore it would mean not wearing my prosthetic limb until the sore had gone thus meaning I became a prisoner within my own home whilst the healing process took place. “Deep Joy”

Must be on a roll have just heard that my new socket is to be ready in record time just proves it’s not what you know but who you know when it falls in the management of your service provider. I am not silly enough to think that a drastic rethink had occured with my prosthetist without intervention from above.
More to follow after my fitting which will have to take place whilst my sore is still in place but I can’t have everything can I?

Part One (6th May 2014)

Prosthetics, GP’s and how they don’t get it!

I am a diabetic below knee amputee due to an ill fitting prosthetic limb I suffered a pressure sore on my stump, my prosthetist advised me to see my GP to get some steroid cream to ensure it did not break. I was cast for a new socket and told to go home and have the prosthetic limb off as much as possible ensuring only limited pressure was inpacted on the sore. This led me to becoming a prisoner within my own home.
My wife went to our GP’d to obtain an urgent appointment when she came up against the non medical receptionist who proceded to give me an appointment for 15 days time as she said it was the earliest appointment available and did not agree with the prosthetist’s reading of the situation that it was urgent!!
I blew my top on my wifes return so asked her to try to get an appointment with either of the diabetic nurses this cut down my waiting time to 8 days as there was a Bank Holiday within this wait.
The sore is no bettter so today went and insisted on an appointment and was told I could see the nurse practiciner tomorrow mid morning.
As a diabetic who has suffered some bad side effects of diabetes I am astounded that I have been made to wait as a prisoner within my own home because for one my GP has made me wait for 9 days in total before seeing someone for a tube of cream and secondly I am informed I may have to wait for anything upto 4 weeks for my new socket for reasons I at present will keep to myself.
Watch this space for an update after my eagerly awaited appointment with my GP’s surgery tomorrow.