Comments

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?

Trish,

Your stump will go thru a lot of changes in the first year. Your first prosthetic will be very temporary. As your stump normalizes they will be able to offer you more options. I've used Hanger for 30 years, they are great folks. I've had great service in Atlanta, Gainesville GA, Clearwater FL, and now I'm looking for a Hanger in Birmingham. When I first started out, I had to use belts and straps to keep the prost. on. Technology has come a long way. Don't be afraid to ask for the impossible, it may be there tomorrow.

LOL, we musta been writing to eachother at hte same time..lol....I have type 2. It's been pretty much under control lately. I've lost aobut 20 lbs since the accident. I found out about 2 years ago I had it.
I start inpatient therapy tomorrow. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I'd like to get some pointers on how to walk on this thing without it hurting after awhile. I don't want to pick up any bad habits. Ya know? I"m walking without any crutches now. I usually use one arm crutch though. It takes some of the weight off the tibia for me. I have some adhered scar tissue that starts to hurt when I walk with no crutches at all. So I use the one for now. Hopefully they can help me out with that too. So what else is new?

He's not too bad with me getting back on to be honest with ya. It's my Mom and pops that have the problem with it. He's too young to really get it. He's just under 7. There's a part of me that thinks I shouldn't get back on because I made it out of this last one alive. But then if everyone who was in a wreck never got back on....then what? So you have diabetes huh? I do too :( HOwever, I lost about 30 lbs. from the accident. It's been pretty much under control since then. They said the could have saved my foot, but I would have had numerous surgeries, and the risk of infections. This was the best thing for me. It took 7 months to heal from the amp though. How long did your healing take? I fell on my stump twice though. I busted my stitches open once too. That sent me to a woulnd center for about 7 weeks to get that taken care of. That sucked. But, it did get it back on track. So are you walking better on your "new leg" yet. I walked without crutches yesterday and it was like I just had a sprained ankle. Very little limp. That was exciting!!! I wear it about 2 hours a day roght now. How about you?

sorry I almost made ya cry. But I'm serious..He just has this way of making want to fight this thing, and get back to normal life ( so to speak) I miss being able to run around outside, and catch him going the other way around the house. I missed his very first t-ball game ever because I was in the hospital because of some A@@hole who decided to drive drunk! Not just for the first time either. Second time in three weeks!! but anyhow. You are definately right. We WILL be back up and running. You're right too, there are a lot of testimonies on here of people doing all sorts of things they use to do. would you believe me if I told ya I can't wait to get back on a bike again? LOL...MY family thinks I'm crazy...but it's in my blood. I've been racing and riding since I was 9. What type of socket and foot did you say you had? I have a horrible memory. I know ya told me once already.lol...OK ...Talk to ya soon hun.

Gotcha!!! What kind of socket, and foot do you have? I have a suction socket, and a veriflex foot. Supposedly, when I learn how to use it properly, I'll be able to run pretty good with it. The suction doesn't allow for much movement of the socket. Hope the sock helps....Your probably getting some shrinkage.

That thing shouldn't be moving on you!! When you go to your prosthetist, get them to lock tight all your hardware. They do want it toed outward a little so your roll over your toes, but dag on, it turned around on you? LOL....Can you imagine being a kid and seeing someone walking down the street and seeing one foot facing the other way....LOL...That happened to my Mother In LAW. She got in the truck and her leg was facing the other way.... I definately want to get into the rehab as an inpatient. My wife's gonna take care of the boy for me, and Mom's gonna run my garage for me while I'm in. So it will be a vacation and rehab together...lol...They teach you everything. How to fall properly..lol...amke sure you can do all the house hold stuff. My wife said they make sure you can do the kitchen stuff too. She's kinda excited on that one..lol...Well, I'll talk to ya soon.