Bilateral Knee Braces - Tumblr Posts
I finally got my custom knee braces!!!! I’m so fucking happy I just wish it didn’t take this long to get it authorized. I’m so lucky too that my insurance covered them because otherwise they’d be ridiculously expensive. They were 3D printed to match my legs so they fit so perfectly. Getting used to them is hard because they make my leg muscles have to actually work rather than just going along for the ride and my joints don’t hurt as fast during the day. Walking is so much better now. I’m so fucking happy omg. I’m so thankful to my sports medicine doctor who wrote the letter that was hugely responsible for getting my insurance to approve them.
Now I need custom fit braces because of the significant size discrepancy between my thighs and my calves. Every pre fabricated brace I have tried or wanted to try didn’t fit me in so many ways. Either they didn’t go big enough to fit my thighs or they fit my thighs but were too big for my calves or they wouldn’t sit right on my knees or so much else. But I finally have amazing braces that fit perfectly and actually stay on my legs and for that I am so thankful.
These braces have made such a big difference in how active I’m able to be and how I’m able to do physical therapy. With these braces I can actually get my knees and legs closer to where they need to be without the same kind of pain and instability that I have without them.
Now I’m working on getting a disabled parking placard because while walking is easier it’s still hard because of my joints and fatigue and also because of my POTS and just everything else that’s wrong in my body. So I have an appointment with my gp to work on the paperwork and then I’ll go from there to apply. I’m so happy that I’m finally able to get even just some of the help I need and for that I am so grateful.
I fucking love my knee braces and crutches. They make my life so much easier and I’m so lucky to have them. I went on a hike today (mostly flat but with stuff like fallen trees and tree roots and grasses making it bumpy and stuff) and I could actually do it! I walked for an hour for over a mile and I’m so fucking proud of myself! I know that because it was flat some people might not consider it a hike but I do and I’m proud.
Happy disability pride month!
I hate having to plan my outfits around my knee braces
don’t get me wrong I love my braces and I’m so lucky to have them (it took sooooo long to get them since I needed custom ones) but damn it’s annoying too. Like finding pants to fit my thighs is hard enough but trying to find pants that fit my braces too or that my braces can fit over is so hard gahhh
Who knows maybe I’ll start posting my outfits to help me feel more comfortable and confident with them
I went on a short walk today to grab a drink from a coffee shop (driving felt like over kill since it’s like 3 ish blocks away granted with some decline/incline) and I wore my knee braces and I didn’t need my crutches to do it because of them. I’m so happy that I could do that today. Sure sometimes I need both my braces and crutches but the last few weeks I’ve been doing good with my braces and my cane occasionally! Also I feel like I look cute today so that makes me feel good too.
Also the pants I’m wearing today are from Halara (not sponsored lol I wish I was) and their so many of their wide leg “magic denim” or whatever it’s called pants that I have fit my braces under them so well and and make them barely noticeable which I like. I don’t mind my braces being visible but sometimes they make weird lines and stuff. Or when they’re showing they have a weird blue line on them (idk why honestly) so they can’t blend into black pants well but they can go under these well. My braces also fit really well over their leggings/tight joggers without moving which is awesome because as a certifiably sweaty guy my braces like to slide and those make them stay. Also just in general since my braces were custom made and molded to my legs they stay on SO much better than any other brace I’ve ever tried