New prosthetic helps Lairg's Don work on his croft
Don Cameron of Lairg’s successful management of the family croft, despite losing an arm four years ago, has been further boosted thanks to staff at NHS Highland and a specialist prosthetics service in Glasgow.
The hard-working 43-year-old lost his left arm above the elbow in a horrific hay baler accident in September 2012.
Fitted with a traditional-style prosthetic arm, determined Don was soon back at work and building up the croft business he runs with his wife Cara at Shinness.
But Don, who also works offshore as a subsea supervisor, had a problem. The harder he worked, the more his prosthetic would lose its grip and, even worse, come off.
Now, thanks to staff at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow, the father of two has been given a new, American-designed prosthetic.
And the tighter and more comfortable fit should allow Don and his crofting business to go from strength to strength.
Such was Don’s resilience after the accident that he was soon back at work offshore.
And within a year, he had managed to teach himself to shear his croft’s flock of 20 North Country Cheviot sheep one-handed.
Even the recent downturn in the oil industry hasn’t daunted him. Don took the opportunity to forgo the offshore work and make use of the croft’s existing equipment for contract work on other farms.
He said: “I’m currently a full-time crofter. We have half a dozen acres of our own and we have the use of another croft of about 20 acres.”
But there was a problem, as Don explained: “I’m quite active, and what I found was that if I was working cutting firewood, or doing work a bit harder, I start to get a bit sweat, and the arm would loosen. It would lose its grip, what with the silicon sock and with lubricant I have to use. It could even come off.”
A suggestion from Elaine McCurrach, prosthetic service manager at Raigmore, that he access the Specialist Prosthetics Service based in Glasgow proved to provide the solution - a new design known as the Hi Fidelity interface.
Unlike traditional silicon sockets that just fit the periphery of the limb, this interface uses patented technology to capture and control the residual bone of the wearer.
It is normally used for lower limbs, but staff at Raigmore recognised that it had potential to meet Don’s particular requirements.
Video-conferencing with the multi-disciplinary team at the West of Scotland Mobility and Rehabilitation Centre (WestMARC) based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital allowed for detailed discussions about Donald’s challenges and potential solutions.
Between April and May this year, Don went to WestMARC, where Vincent MacEachen, the centre’s senior prosthetist and Hi Fidelity practitioner, took a specialist cast. Vincent then modified this to provide the new prosthetic arm.
And the new limb has proved to be a success.
Don said: “It fits tighter and it’s comfortable. It’s certainly a step in the right direction. It’s lighter than my old one and I can work for longer. It’s also cooler because the special design allows the skin of my arm to breath.
“Now I plan to build up the contract side of my work. My wife says I have all the toys - the necessary equipment - to do that already.”
Elaine McCurrach said: “This socket design is a new and highly specialised system. I am delighted that we are now able to offer it to NHS patients. We work closely with our colleagues in NHS Scotland to ensure that Raigmore’s prosthetic service users benefit from the latest technology.
“At Raigmore we have the opportunity to get to know our patients well, and understand what is important for each service user. This helps us to make sure they get the right treatment for them.
“One of the satisfying things about our job is helping people like Donald achieve their goals. And that he is happy to encourage others to do the same.”
