Hi Trish,

I saw your note on my page...thanks for writing. I think a little background might help put some things into perspective. I was involved in a very bad work accident when I was 17, resulting in the loss of my left leg. The doctor that performed the emergency amputation felt that it would be better if he left as much as possible, so my stump was originally very long. This made it nearly impossible to achieve a good prosthetic fit and I suffered tremendously for about 6 years. I couldn't walk right, had pressure sores all the time, had to use crutches and canes to alleviate the pain, had to stay off of the prosthesis for days, etc. Part of this had to do with some very bad prosthetists that I encountered early in the game. I remember one who took a cast of my stump and then shipped the leg to me without any fitting whatsoever. Needless to say, the leg was useless and the guy never got paid, but it was really discouraging to have to go through that.

In 1980, I was advised by my new orthopedic physician to revise the amputation. (Shorten the stump) I went under the knife again and it was the best thing that I could have done for myself. Keep in mind that this was at a time when technology was not as advanced. Over the years, I discovered gel sheaths and liners that virtually eliminated my discomfort. Improvements in prosthetic feet and socket fabrication techniques have gotten me to the point where I can now walk with an absolutely natural gait and be on my prosthesis all day and night with little or no discomfort. I traveled a long road to get to where I am today, but you are lucky in that you have some great technology available to you now. You need to find a highly competent prosthetist who understands your lifestyle and the demands you will be placing on your residual limb. A good prosthetist will utilize whatever technology is applicable to your situation to help you walk as naturally and comfortably as possible. Accurate prosthetic alignment/fit is critical for walking, weight bearing, and minimizing wear and tear on other parts of your body.

It does take time for the residual limb to heal and stabilize, so what you are going through does not sound unusual. If you are experiencing fluctuations with your stump that make the prosthesis too tight or loose, ask your prosthetist about gel liners that come in varying thicknesses. There are many factors that can cause fluctuations, such as changes in seasons, weight loss or gain, water retention, normal changes in the stump over the course of a day, etc. Communicate your issues clearly to your prosthetist so that a strategy can be developed. The only other thing I would add is that staying in shape helps a lot. We’ve all seen overweight/out-of-shape individuals walking down the street with unorthodox gaits, even with two sound legs. Being in this kind of condition makes it that much harder for an amputee to walk well with a prosthesis.

The bottom line is that your walking will improve, but my #1 piece of advice is to find the best prosthetist you can. Unless you have other medical complications that I’m not aware of, there is no reason why you should not be seeing steady improvement. Good luck and feel free to write any time.

Hi Trish,
I am a bk amputee and thought I could shed some light on your question. My amputation is about 6" below the knee and I'm on my 2nd leg on. I don't think that your should have a bowing problem. I work 8 hrs a day at Wal-something world and yes men have a complex over the pole thing too. I clover mine because little kids would just simply freek out when they seen the pole that I stand on. Or at lease I have a complex.
Now I should tell you I did practicea whole lot on learning to walk maining cause I didn't to walk like Chester,the guy on Gun Smoke. That realy erks to see people walk like that just to get attention. And I know you have seen it before.
But there again , if someone thinks less of you because of your disablilty, then move ON GIRL. They are the one missing out because they can't see all the good in YOU!
I'll put up some pics on my profile, maybe you can see just how much limb I have to work with for compairson to your.
Take care of you....Patrick

Oh yeah, I still ride!! Don't worry! You'll get used to it and don't think for a second that be an amputee makes you not pretty. Take the attention that you get and make all positive.

Hey trish? Where ya at? haven't heard from ya in a bit....Everything going ok?