Having lived in New York City for 20 years and worked in the medical and technology fields, I was sure this was the best place to find the latest prosthetic technology. I had all the latest options, I thought, even a special leg for scuba diving. So what was going to happen when I moved to the small island of Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean? Well, for five years I maintained my techno-snob attitude and traveled back and forth to New York for repairs.
Not fun and very expensive. 

Remote access
Fortunately, an urgent repair forced me to seek help on our sister island of Curacao, changing my haughty attitude forever. Not only did I get my repair done quickly and professionally, I also learned about several new concepts for dealing with some of those nagging little (and big) problems that I didn't think could be solved. Such as:

• loss of suction or leg slipping when hot and sweaty -- the heat is just part of Caribbean life!
• Inability to regain suction completely - I could never get that little release valve to work 
• discomfort when sitting for long periods - which seemed to be part of life with the ischial.Containment shape I had for over 15 years (also discomfort on a bicycle and certain exercise equipment).
• Difficulty in accommodating different heel heights - changing feet is just too much trouble.
• Lower back pain when standing or walking slowly - even when I held in my abs.
• Hassles taking the leg off and putting it back on during the day or after swimming or scuba diving.
• Callused hands from years of pulling on the leg - hey, that's life, right? Wrong.
• Unsightly hole for the valve in the front and hydraulic mechanism in back - even though they were covered they were still very visible.
• Big trouble when I had weight changes - even minor monthly shifts we women must endure.