Chris, from Kentucky, shares how he went from being dissatisfied with his situation to finding a solution for himself in the form of the Infinite Socket TF.
On November 14th of 2014, I started the day at the gym as always. As I was leaving to pick up my daughter, it struck me what a beautiful day it was. I decided to go home and get my Camaro to make the most out of the drive in the pleasant weather. Once I got going, I went a little faster than I should have down the winding road and hit a spot that flung the vehicle into the guardrail. About forty feet of guardrail went in through the headlight and exited the tail end of the car. As the metal railing tore through, it took my leg with it. I stayed conscious through all of it until I flatlined in the helicopter and woke up at the University of Kentucky hospital a few days later. Once I came to, I was told I might never walk unassisted again.
The first two years of recovery were frustrating. Finding the medical support I needed was a nightmare. Here in eastern Kentucky, it seems like we only have general medicine doctors. They know how to help with your typical ailments like the common cold or things of that nature, but I found they didn’t have a good understanding of my amputation. I decided to take matters into my own hands and did a lot of research personally. The electronic elevated vacuum system I was on just wasn’t working well for me; I didn’t have anything but issues with it. It was always breaking seal, losing suction and falling off, as well as being uncomfortable on the back of my leg. I also wanted to be able to go to the gym and bulk up without it ruining my socket. The desire to have a socket that moved and changed with my residual limb is what got me started on the search that led to LIM.
I talked with my prosthetist at Kenney Orthopedics and got fit with my Infinite Socket. It took me about two days to get the new socket adjusted to accommodate my needs, and then it was good to go! I literally couldn’t do anything until I got the LIM socket. The previous summer I had tried to hike to a waterfall and couldn’t walk the 6/10ths of a mile, but once I got my Infinite Socket I walked the whole way. It made that much of a difference. My family lives in one of the best areas for rock hunting, some of the rarest agates in the world are found around here, and we get out and hike when I’m able. The convenience of the Infinite Socket allows that. If it becomes loose throughout the day, I can adjust it. It also allows my hip to flex, which in turn, allows for more walking. Honestly, the socket was the turning point in my healing process. I was in absolute misery, and then the Infinite Socket changed everything.