u/49_boness

Soon, I’ll be going on a family vacation where we’ll be staying at a resort with a pretty sizable water park.

My first prosthetic that I had last year was a suction sleeve and my prosthetist told me that I could use it on the beach, in the pool, etc., as long as rinsed and washed it with fresh water thoroughly as soon as possible. He said it might not necessarily be comfortable as it could get water-logged and feel heavy, but nothing to worry about as far as damage to the actual prosthetic as long as I cleaned/washed it.

Fast forward to present day, I’m on my second prosthetic but this time it’s a pin-lock. I had asked my new prosthetist about the water park and assumed it was the same thing as far as getting it wet and submerging it as long as I washed and cleaned with fresh water. She was very hesitant about it.

She said if my original prosthetist said it was okay with my ankle/foot it get it wet as long as I cleaned, it should be fine as I haven’t changed out any of those parts. However, she was quite hesitant when it came to the pin-lock part. She offered the suggestion of a “new” or second leg with waterproof parts and liners; but insurance won’t cover it; as there’s no record of me “needing” a new one and now there just isn’t time to get stuff from my doctors and have one made in time. She suggested using Saran Wrap type stuff over my liner, but admitted that she didn’t know if they would stick or even help that much. She basically said it’s better to just submerge it and just “wade” in ankle deep water and clean it ASAP.

Long story short; anyone have tips or experiences with your prosthetic and water parks to avoid damage?

I just got my 2nd socket towards the end of March/early April, and everything was going well until a few days ago. I am using a pin-lock system, and every time I try to stand-up, or go up stairs I get this feeling of “pressure” in my socket. It was pressing against the inside of my knee. Almost like it wanted to push my residual down more. I tried putting on more socks, but was having a hard time “clicking-in” where I was getting 2-3 clicks, compared to a normal 8 or so. I was also starting to “muffin top” a bit. I also tried cutting some old socks into half-socks and filling more of the bottom, and same thing.

Then I thought that I recently had a minor acne/ingrown hair breakout in the back of my knee and maybe it was still swollen a bit, even though that had seemed to clear up for the most part. I clean and alternate my liners daily. Could that be it?

However, the kicker is that after the initial stand, or the force where I have to put my whole body weight down or into it; after 4 or 5 steps and I keep walking, it feels completely normal and the pressure is gone. Almost like it “settled in”.

I emailed my prosthetist, but can’t get in until next week. I’m on my 2nd socket from an amp last March. Typically, I wear anywhere between 3-8 ply depending on my activity level and have tried various sock/ply combos but nothing makes it comfortable.

Could it be time for a new socket already after just a few months? Anyone have experience, or even tips or tricks until I can get to my prosthetist?