I had my aka in Jan. 2010. My first socket was witha lanyard. THAT was a pain in the neck. I have a suction socket now. The same thing happened to me that happened to you. After wearing it and working thru it, yes, the suction can be regained by tweaking it, usually with the valve at the bottom. I just have to push the button and it lets the additional air out. My problem is that when my leg gets sweaty about 3 hours after wearing it, I can't hold the suction without taking the leg off and wiping the stump down. I just had some botox injections to see if the sweating can be controlled. It appears to be a LONG process to find what works for each person. I understand the frustration, believe me.

Thanks for the reply, Linda. Not much feedback yet, one other from the Heather Mills Forum which I also belong to. I was looking forward to a flood of feedback but I guess the forum is in a slow cycle right now. Good luck with the botox, I hope you will post the results.

The secret. To the perfect solution is found Ina correct design. The nature of vacuum and suction is so foreign to bour bodies that we reject the contact. People have come up with some wild gizmos to keep legs attached but it all boiled down to the overall contouring fit of the socket I relation to the limb.
Be careful with vacuum. It's not perfected science yet. Suction is only as good as the socket. I wish I had your answer. I can only offer an alternative. Ask your prosthetic guy to give you a TF liner from Medi. It's slick and.clear. Thin and non constrictive. Then use you vacuum. If your prosthetist is good he will make you a brim less design and make that c leg a little lighter. I just got through trying a bunch of new stuff and it always boils down to quality of care. Good luck. As far as seating goes try Secret platinum roll on deodorant. It works

Thank you for your reply. I think now that there is no easy answer to this problem. There are so many factors that need to be considered: shape of the limb, amount of hair, perspiration, different strengths and different needs.

For me the perfect answer would be several different legs and several different sockets. It seems that for all our different activities and shapes and sizes there is no such thing as one size fits all.

What we amputees need is lots of money and time for life to be even similar to what is was before limb loss. Since, for me at least, the money is not a reality, it's time to learn to love life as it is and doing what I can, when I can.

I have at times in the past few years been content with what I have but I think it's good to push a bit and see it there is not something better out there that I have not heard about. I don't think there is so back to being Mr. Happy Guy. :-)

The multiple legs answer could be for you. Ask your prosthetist to get you in touch with major manufacturers. They need test subjects and it is an easy way to get the newest supplies.. Many companies sponsor people and it has helped. Good luck. As a prosthetist, I commend you on your attitude. I wish more people could share this.

At first I thought the botox was great. I still like it, but it has it's draw backs. First, the area that I had the shots in, seems to repel liquid so when I put the silk on as a lubricant to put on my socket, it repels it and makes it difficult for me to get my limb in properly and completely. Secondly, they only work for 3 to 6 months, so you need to get it done again and again. Certain Dry works well. I still struggle with holding the suction. Still, after about 3 hours of being active my leg is so sweaty that the socket rotates internally makes it impossible to control.

Having used a suction socket before... I was thrilled when we got rid of it. Your stump is a funny thing. Your diet, the season, your period (for women obviously) are all factors that when changed alter your stump. We have a saying, did you eat yourself out of your leg? Meaning did you gain weight and now the thing doesnt fit. anytime i sat down I would lose suction, anytime i got nice and sweaty and the liner slid a little i would lose suction, my weight fluctuates so we were always having to mess with the socket until i decided i wanted a different suspension. I went with the lanyard which is nice because you know anytime you get up or move the leg is gonna be there. The down side for me is that throughout the day as my leg shrinks i can turn my entire leg on my stump. So i guess what i am saying is try different things and eventually you will find what works for you.

You are right. We are all different. I am just starting with a new prosthetist in my new home state, Iowa. He has taken all the measurements and we are going to go the vacuum route again. He plans on getting Otto Bock into the game plan because we are going the vacuum route and they Otto Bock is not only nearby but also pretty knowledgeable about vacuum, especially where their knee is involved. It has been over a month since I have walked and will be about six more weeks before I do again because I had to have a 4 stage fusion done on my cervical spine. I am really looking forward to walking again.

I HAVE ALLWAYS USED THE SUCTION SOCKET AS FOR LOSEING SUCTION PUSHING THE STUMP DOWN INTO THE SOCKET USEUALLY IS ALL THAT IS NEEDED.WHILE DRIVING I WILL OFTEN PUSH THE BUTTON BREAKING THE SUCTION.I HAVE ONLY HEARD BAD THINGS ABOUT VACUUM.I ALSO USE A C-LEG.

Hi all - I'm relatively new at this game, having lost my left leg (AK) about 7 months ago. My prosthetist has me using suction with my C-leg. I lose suction every time I sit down but it's easy to regain it when I stand up by just pushing in the button on the one-way valve and letting the air escape. My leg sweats in the silicone liner like everyone else reports - I've used the antiperspirant and found that it helps a little. Seems like I am slowly getting to the mindset that progress will continue to very slow and part of it is accepting that my life is much different but still worth living, enjoying what I can do instead of being sorry for what I can't. Easier said than done, but it's possible, especially if you have good support from family, friends, and support groups like this. I'm a 60 year old male from Michigan who lost the leg due to blood clots last November.

Thanks Dave. Sounds like you are doing really well. I wish you all the best. The way things look to me now it does not matter if you use suction or vacuum there are benefits and frustrations. The bottom line is that you have to make the most with what you have and leave all your expectations behind. You just get up in the morning and live with what you have. At this point I have had no leg in over three months and would probably settle for a stick duct taped to my stump. I have recently moved and it took me a long time to find a good AK prosthetist and now he is just dealing with medicare trying to get an OK to start on my new socket. I am 70 years old now and do not need this kind of aggravation. Well, a bunch of deep breaths and on with my life.