Having worked in the prosthetic industry since 1989, I have now set-up my own business ISJ Prosthetic Services Ltd. My day starts very differently to that of 6 months ago. I lie, Rhys our 18 month old still wakes us up at 6.30 (hope that stops soon!).

My first job of the day is to read the dreaded emails. This used to be enjoyable but since setting up my web site (www.limbsolutions.com), the amount of multimillionaire relatives in South Africa that contact me is amazing. The genuine emails will take me through to my first coffee break. The first email of the day was from the local paper which should have run an advert in the TV magazine over Christmas but found to my horror the printers had over written the advert with a story about East Enders (my favourite show too !!!!). Once I had finished, it is down to the workshop to clear up yesterdays mess. In completing a socket last night it was too late to tidy up. This is to be expected when turning around a prosthetic leg in a couple of days. Being in control of my own schedule and workshop means I can now deliver jobs within days of taking a cast instead of waiting a couple of weeks, it does make the day go faster. Just as I started to tidy up the courier arrived, clearing up later then, hey ho.

In the late morning I am back to the office to work on a lengthy report for a solicitor, as an expert witness. Doing this legal work is of great interest to me, ever since completing a Masters in business management at Bristol University. In the business law section we delved through cases and ever since then I have tried to migrate my work in that direction. I took time out last autumn to attend the top training agency for expert witnesses. Never being a great enthusiast for writing my assignments for studies, I now find writing these report a real buzz. Whenever possible I include photos which brings in one of my hobbies. As you my notice from my web site I am a keen amateur photographer. The reports take many hours of research and are typically in the region of 30 pages plus, but this one is not needed for a couple of days.

12 o’clock and a rushed sandwich, I am off to my clinic, which is just up the road. I could not believe my luck when I found it. It is a shared facility owned by a local consultancy group. Half the building is for therapists, which means I am on site with a physiotherapist, chiropractor, and podiatrist to mention but a few, and have direct access to an orthopaedic consultant. We have use of a good size gym and can offer the support of the complete multidisciplinary team. Having taken a cast, I then go back to the workshop to pour and rectify it. The cast is then draped to make a clear test socket, and then back to the clinic for a fitting. The fitting went well once a few alterations have been made with the heat gun. Once appointment for the following day for definitive fitting, it is back to fill the cast ready for production.

Whist this is being done it is off to the Newspaper offices to do battle and get my advert redone (East Enders,… of all things, cheek of it). With a quick visit to a good friend of mine to talk about bespoke silicone it is back home to complete the socket for tomorrows fitting. By teatime the resin has started to go off and I will complete the rest of the socket for fitting. After dinner there is time to watch 20 minutes of Shrek with the family (we must have watched that film 100 times by now, but it is the only thing that junior will sit still for). Once in bed it is back to the office to write more of the report and by 11pm I have had enough. Time for bed and to dream about playing in the Master (golf), I play a fantastic game in my head, not sure what happens between then and actually arriving at the course.