Freezing cold stump

[allenuk]

No, not me, that's one of the things I don't suffer from.

A guy on a UK board says his stump is SO cold he has to wrap it in blankets and hot-water bottles. Seems like a circulation problem (I'm always surprised that amps have ANY circulation after the operation).

Just wondered if anyone here had come across this, and if so, any possible answers.


Allen, bka (warm stump), London.

[mom2noble]

I wonder if it is truly very cold or if it is a sensation that he is feeling...I would definately say circulation if it is really cold. Is it even turning blue or grayish?

[cherylm]

Allen, I went through a "cold stump" spell when I was still pretty new at this business...I still can get VERY cold in my stump if the weather turns coolish. I've heard (although I don't know that it's true) that the fact that there are so few minor little capillaries joined together in the stump to slow circulation down can lead to blood rushing through it so quickly that it doesn't have time to warm things up.

It's apparently not an unusual situation...when I was at the ACA conference a couple of years ago, some kind people actually knit "stump warmers" and donated a bunch for us to take!

In addition to my hand-knit stump warmer, I keep some tube sox around to wear when I have the leg off during chilly times.

I'd suggest that your fellow get his circulation checked, and if all is good, get himself a stump-warmer or a gentle heating pad.

[stonecutter]

Mar 21, 2010 18:47:21 GMT -7 mom2noble said:

I wonder if it is truly very cold or if it is a sensation that he is feeling...

I have that problem. It gets pretty cold up here in the winter up here in the "Great White North". On cold days when I spend a lot of time outside and generally get cold, my stump feels like it's chilled to the bone. When I remove the prosthesis and actually touch it - it feels fine. So I give it a rub-down and everything seems to return to normal. I always attributed this to a phantom-type feeling.