Last night we got home super late from Claremont. So late that I quickly brushed my teeth and crawled into bed without plugging in my leg.
You see, each night I plug in my prosthetic leg into a wall socket so the battery in my robotic knee will be all ‘charged up’ for the next day. Charging takes about two hours, so it makes sense to plug in at night–the charging cord is only 2 ft long so it’s unwieldly to get my juice at any other time of day (while I am actually wearing the leg).
So first thing when I got up this morning, I plugged in and headed for the shower. I figured I could get at least half of a charge (about 12 hours-worth) during the time it would take me to get ready for church. I would put my leg on last thing and should have enough juice to make it through the day.
All went as planned. Until I put my leg on. And then I realized that in my haste to get to bed the night before I had neglected to replace the valve that completes the suction on my leg and I couldn’t find it anywhere. The valve is kind of hard to decribe, but basically it’s a small metal disk that screws in on the inside of leg socket. I remove the valve to ‘break’ the suction of my socket when donning or doffing my leg. Without the valve I can’t complete the suction that holds my leg on. So when the valve went missing this morning I realized I was sunk. No valve, no suction. No suction, no wearing the leg. No wearing the leg meant crutches. Ugh.
Fortunately I was able to riffle through a basket of spare parts and found an old leaky valve that fit my current leg. I knew that it would be annoying to wear a leaky valve–meaning that it would’t provide perfect suction and let a slow stream of air leak into the socket (uncomfortable), but I figured it would work well enough until I found my real valve. Which it did–I found the right one, with E’s help, under the sewing table after we returned from church.
So…as I plugged in, searched for a valve, etc this morning, I was stuck by how dependent I am on technology, and how vulnerable I am because of this dependence. Without electricity I can’t use my prosthesis. Without that small metal valve, my leg is no good, either. As much as I feel that I am in control of my life, so much of what I do depends on the metal parts and the microprocessor that facilitate my mobility. As much as I resent the way I must depend on such technology, I am so glad to have it. It allows me to be me.
7 comments
Can you leg be recharged by USB cable, or only through the wall adapter? If it can charge by USB, I know of some DIY devices that use 9V batteries to power USB devices. This could bail you out during a prolonged power outage, for instance.
I don’t have an adapter that can charge off of USB. But, I do have an adapter that allows me to charge off of a car battery (thru the cig lighter). Someday I hope to buy a few solar panels off of ebay that I can use to charge it off the sun when I go camping or in case of emergency.
I _can_ wear the leg w/o charge–but the knee gets really stiff and it’s hard to be very comfortable w/it that way.
What an annoyance. I’m glad that you found the valve. It is amazing how liberating technology can be, but also how liberation can be easily derailed. A metaphor for many things I suppose.
I am glad it worked out in the end.
You seem pretty casual about talking about your leg. How did you lose your F&B one? Have you seen the film “Emmanuel’s gift”? About an African boy from Ghana who had a deformed leg which was eventually amputated and fitted with a prosthetic. He has inspired not only his own country and all of Africa, but this one, too. He changed his country’s prejudice against its disabled and malformed. If you see the film, can you tell if his leg is chargeable?
Eugene:
I stopped being shy about my prosthesis quite a few years ago. Besides, people seem so insatiably curious about what it’s like to live w/a prosthesis, so I don’t mind sharing. I lost my leg to cancer two decades ago.
As for the movie you referred to, haven’t seen it. ‘C-legs’ (computerized legs) are pretty expensive–about 30K–and I don’t know if they’re used much outside of Europe and North America.
Someday I want to go to India to get a prosthesis made there. They have artisans who make legs and feet that are made from recycled rubber tires and are waterprof and resilient enough to be worn barefoot.
Hey Jana
On the tire legs, I’ve been htinking of making a cool design in wood for a friend.
Do you think it would work?
Ken
Ken:
It would really depend on the type of leg that your friend wears–most amputees that I know don’t wear wooden legs because they are too heavy and don’t incorporate recent technology (lightweight space-age materials like endolite). However, some folks still use wooden legs. But certainly you’d have to broach the subject w/your friend. :)