Last post Mon, May 19 2008 11:15 AM by SoreFoot834. 10 replies.
I'm courious on if I need to get more than 2 oponions from different guys who will be building my prostetic (sp)? I've talked to a guy at Hangar but the prices he gave me didn't exactly jive (priced a lot on the extreme low side) I kind of live by the rule of you get what you pay for but I also don't want to get ripped off. and he didn't sound like he was too enthusiastic. The other place I actually went to see and talk was Prostetic Inovations over in Phily,PA. The people in Pa sounded like what I was looking for in the aspect that they have a guy that is geared twards high end athletes and their needs (as I'm a competitive powerlifter and cyclist). I'm not sure if I should go seek out another guy and see what he has to say? I'm just not sure what I need to be looking for in a prostetic guybeisdes if he's certified and belong to any orginazations pertaining to prostetics and hospitals.. (honesty would be nice though)
thanks!
Hey Sorefoot. I guess it depends on your insurance. Will they pay for a second opinion or not? Will the first people charge you for an opinion? I don't know what Hangar is, but that doesn't sound like a very good deal there. If you are an athlete, the second place sounds better. You can also ask either one how they would build you a leg and what they recommend, suspension sleeve or liner.
My prosthetist worked with me from the beginning, before I even had my leg amputated. He came to see me while I was still in the hospital, because I needed a Podis boot (a stupid boot I had to wear in bed, so I didn't get skin ulcers) and then an orthopedic shoe with a brace. He was so nice and was very professional and I was used to him, so I just stuck with him. He was certified by a couple of different companies and has a lot of certificates on the wall.
I guess you have to be your own advocate here and ask alot of questions. If you don't get the right answers, go somewhere else. Good luck to you!
Becky
Hey thanks for writing back. I guess I got lucky b/c I was able to meet with the people in philly for nothing, and was able to talk to the people at hangar at no cost? I talked to the guy that my surgon wanted me to talk to and he was already saying that b/c of my powerlifting that I would need 2 full prostetics.. UGHH to me that screamed out MONEY HUNGRY!! while the people at Philly said they would build a lite but hard core socket just would have to change the feet from everyday to powerlifting.. I think I'll take your advise and use the people from Philly they seemed to take the time and not even charge me and interested in what I had to say and showed me everything and explained it all to me. I can't wait!! I'm so excited.
Hi there,
just a thought: you aren't stuck with the guy you pick. If you go to one place initially, and feel that they are not the right fit fo you, you can always change and find someone else.
There are some good prosthesists out there and you are by no means obligated to stay with the first one you go to. I feel it is the most important to find someone that listens to your needs and is willing to work with you until you are happy. They may not get the best fit on the first attempt, or in my case, the first three prosthetics! But, he was willing to keep at it and I'm glad I stayed with him.
Good luck
SoreFoot834: Hey thanks for writing back. I guess I got lucky b/c I was able to meet with the people in philly for nothing, and was able to talk to the people at hangar at no cost? I talked to the guy that my surgon wanted me to talk to and he was already saying that b/c of my powerlifting that I would need 2 full prostetics.. UGHH to me that screamed out MONEY HUNGRY!! while the people at Philly said they would build a lite but hard core socket just would have to change the feet from everyday to powerlifting.. I think I'll take your advise and use the people from Philly they seemed to take the time and not even charge me and interested in what I had to say and showed me everything and explained it all to me. I can't wait!! I'm so excited.
My prosthetist said he could build me a leg with interchangeable pylons for different feet. I'm going to get this with my next leg. I hate having the open foot form. When I garden, I get dirt in there and the inner sock gets all dirty. I want an enclosed foot form, so I don't have to worry about that and also so I can swim with my leg.
I'm happy for you! Good luck with the Philly people.
Hey what kind of leg do you have that you can swim with yours?? They told me that I wouldn't be able to swim with mine something with the metal fixn's to make the prost work? I told him that if you put me in a pool w/o one i'd be easy to find cuz I'd be swimming in a circle LOL LOL..
hi there if you are near philly check out HARRY J. LAWALL PROSTETICS in philly. i have been very happy with them they just made me a new socket and it made a big difference. my insurance will only pay for one foot i was wondering how much you pay for your powerlifting foot or is there a way to get insurance to pay for it thanks
Hey thanks Pegleg. My ins will pay for 1 full prost. and will pay for as many changes as needed but they will not conver my powerlifting foot. They said my foot would cost around $5k just because I need one to support over 700 lbs and also have a recoil for squats. I know I can scrounge up $5k to get back into powerlifting.
I don't have a swimming leg yet. He told me he could fill in the foot form, the piece that looks like a foot and fits over your metal foot, so I could swim and garden with it. He told me he could build me a swimming leg/foot that, if I take care of it, will not rust too badly. I want to get that with my next leg and I want to have some kind of connection that I can change out my feet.
Hey Pegleg,
I had the screws changed to stainless steel so they wouldn't rust and as long as your prosthetic is titanium ( or a similiar metal ), it will be fine in the water. You can get a gel sleeve that will keep the water out. There are 'waterproof' feet, but I just blow out any water with the hair drier. It works for me!
Good luck, there are lots of options for swimming.
Hey that's pretty sweet! I"ll have to ask about that. I also got in contact with a lady out in NE thats a AK. She's a bodybuilder still and has sent me some pics of her lifting.. It's great inspiration knowing that I"ll still be able to squat and deadlift :) also she said depending on how i heal. I could be back in the gym 2 weeks after surgery !!!!!
