Archive for September, 2011

Chock Part X

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

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Master Geppetto’s orthopedic craft shop

Escape from the hospital, target: Friday

Meanwhile my hospital stay has escalated to an

Extreme Orthosis Testing.

Type one, the “Blue Lionpard” (see older blogpost Chock IX), had a very eventful life. After a couple of cuddling hours in the first night my heel cancelled the friendship with the orthosis. I better refrain from posting a picture of my heel.

The “Blue Lionpard ” was permanently parked on the chair opposite of my bed for the time being.
As an interim solution until “Leo” only would be completely cushioned, I got orthosis two, the

Black Knight

After the chief physician himself brought the orthosis back to the orthopedic craft shop to Master Geppetto, it was gone for the next eight days.

On Monday, despite of the morning call from my doctor and verbal promise, I was waiting for Master Geppetto without success.

Tuesday noon Master Geppetto came to my room with orthosis “Leo” under his arm, cushioned and stretched. After the fitting he said they would have to rework it again. It still would be a little tight (so true!), but promised to come back in the afternoon. Geppetto didn’t really come… Total failure, nothing again!

Wednesday morning the same. On inquiry of my physician, where Geppetto had been on the previous day, he said he had worked on the orthosis and he would come during the day. When???

This time I called myself and asked when he would come. What a miracle, Geppetto came with reinforcement and the lower part of a substantially wider and cushioned orthosis. In the first moment I thought he had repainted the Blue Lionpard .
This thing was white.
Far from it, orthosis three, type

White Snow Leopard

Geppetto promised to come back definitely in the afternoon with the then double cushioned lower part so that I can try it in the night. He would “carve” the upper part the next day.

I knew that he was closing the craft shop towards 18:00 h and called him at 17:40 h. I talked to Angelo who reported that Geppetto would be out of office, probably on his way to see me.

This was not the case. On my second call the master told me he had done something different, but would come the next day at 11:00 with the finished orthosis.

I called on Thursday at 11:00 h, he put me off to 13:00 h. Master Geppetto actually came with the supposed finished

Snow Leopard Orthosis

He observed during the fitting on my leg that the upper part needed to be adjusted a little bit, but this should be done quickly, and he would be back in a moment. The master was back only 40 minutes later. Geppetto observed that the whole orthosis still needed a little fine tuning, but this should be done in around half an hour if nothing unexpected would come up, and off he went. This was at 14:00 h. Let’s wait and see if my fracture has completely healed when I see Master Geppetto the next time…

And the moral of the story:

I know now how Pinocchio got his “long nose gene”.

Next time I will carve my medical devices myself again!

Translator BL

 

Crazy Flash Part IX

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

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It is often claimed that women cannot park and men cannot find the butter in the fridge!!!

I leave this theory uncommented.

After years of intensive studies of human behaviour I came to the statistic, scientifically provable result that women predominantly feel the desire for champagne and wine, whereas men, no matter from which parts of the country they are, can’t resist the temptation of a weiss beer.

The visual similarity of a

weiss beer glass with a Y chromosome

is striking.
I additionally support this theory crystal-clear with the fact that wine and champagne glasses rather resemble an X chromosome.
This evolutionary association is more than obvious.

With this irrevocable fact I strive for reference at the “Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences“ in Stockholm!

Translator BL

Chock Part IX

Monday, September 26th, 2011

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I’m still in the hospital, but conditionally online again. If everything works out well I will execute the escape plan still this week ;-)

I am quite glad that the shinbone fracture is treated conventionally, i.e. no additional screws, nails or other titanic parts are built in my body.
With a set of screws in my neck and medication pump in my belly, with tube and needle in the back, I feel a little bit like “Seven of Nine” of Star Trek anyway.
The usual treatment of a broken leg is simple, plaster from toe to comfort zone, wait for six weeks and see what has happened.
The whole situation is for a wheelchair user a bit inconvenient, and the daily routine with a leg in plaster is hardly imaginable.
Basically another wheelchair is required in which the leg can be stretched as well to prevent swelling.
At the thought of a different wheelchair I already get toothache.
With outstretched leg I hardly fit on my platform lifter to reach my flat in the first floor, transfer to bed, etc. etc. etc…
It was decided to make an orthosis for me. For this, a plaster cast of the leg is made and plastic splints type “Run Forest Run” fabricated. Because this orthosis is only reaching the knee, the leg can be bent nevertheless. It “just” has to be cushioned, but I am already introducing it, the

Blue Lionpard

Ok, I can’t fully compete with the appearance of “Seven of Nine“!

What a cheek, that plaster leg filling guy wanted to paste a sticker from the rivalling football club inside of the orthosis.

Translator BL

I am until the end of the month for medical device self test in the hospital!

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

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Hätte ich mir doch eine andere Verletzung als einen Schienbeinbruchs ausgesucht!

 


If I just had picked another injury than a broken leg!

 

Designer Handicap Parking Place

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

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For me the opinion has manifested that the planners of disabled parking places are taking stronger pills than me which would be an achievement in itself.

A big retailer for consumer electronics with the orange planet in Frankfurt has a more than mentionable disabled parking place in its underground parking lot.

You follow the quite good signage and go around in circles into the deep to the lowermost parking level which reminded me of the novel “Journey to the center of the earth” by Jules Verne.

You don’t need to worry about a possible evacuation of your wheelchair because you are the only human being down there, and the ramp to the saving lift can’t be climbed anyway by most of the wheelers due to its steepness. To drive up the car ramp of course wouldn’t be difficult for any Paralympics participant.

Next time I will stock up with enough water and food, just in case.

Although it is quite right that wheelers hardly reach 150 cm sitting, this has little relation to the height of the cars that we drive.

Porsche, Ferrari and Maserati cabriolets are rather uncommon hand throttle cars for wheelchair users unless you are not patient of the employer’s accident insurance.

Although you have a complete parking level available to park your car, there is only one labelled disabled parking place with a partial ceiling height of only approx. 1,60 m.

Conclusion:
The attendance of the underground parking lot is quite charming due to the ambiance. However you should refrain from it if you would like to enter the store as wheeler by yourself.

The disabled symbol is very creditable and radiates certain cheerfulness with its design.

Translator BL

Wheelchair Tuning Part XXVI

Monday, September 5th, 2011

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Especially with the current rainy weather conditions the maintenance of the wheelchair shouldn’t be neglected.

The driving wheels get wet, and the axes could rust. According to my opinion the driving wheels should be removed from the wheelchair latest every 4 weeks. Clean the axes with a piece of cloth and lubricate with grease or machine oil. If this is not done regularly the axes can run dry. When these are free of grease

surface rust

could be generated on the axes, which could be stuck to such an extent that the wheels might not be separated from the wheelchair any more.

If this dark brown film is already on the axes it shouldbe removed from the axes, otherwise it could bring the greatest difficulties the next time when the wheels should be put on or pulled off the wheelchair.

The dark brown film can be removed with a knife, steel brush or best with emery paper.

When the axes are blank again, oil or grease them anew, and the wheelchair is fit again.

As you can see from the picture this happened to me as well!

Translator BL

Cool Thing !!!

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

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Biblis of the Alps

(Biblis is an old nuclear plant in Germany)

The decision for nuclear phase out was taken, we all have to save energy.

Innovative ideas are wanted!!!

The Bavarian alp cows are setting a good example.

Ingeniously simple, a solar powered electric fence. Hopefully the originator has already patented it.

 Thanks to a big soft drink company for the generous donation of a special casing and semiautomatic transport cart.

The company P. is seriously active in the area of solar power.

Translator BL

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