danny
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by danny on Dec 25, 2023 20:09:55 GMT -7
Hey guys, I lost my left arm in an ATV accident in Oct 2023. It was crushed between the ATV and a tree. They took the arm right above the elbow. I am 49 years old and run 2 businesses by myself. One of which is a radon gas abatement company (which entails a lot of work with your hands). I am doing ok but i do have some questions. 1 How long should my stump take to heal inside? The outside looks great, but muscles inside still hurt. 2 my phantom limb pain is terrible and seems to get worse if i use my new prosthetic or just put resistance on the limb. Stretching is fine but if my therapist pushes down on it for strengthening exercises my phantom pain is off the chain for 2 days. Do I just not work with it or push through?
Thank you for any feedback
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Post by snowyh on Dec 30, 2023 14:41:09 GMT -7
Hey, Danny. Sorry to hear of your accident and also of the issues you've been having with pain. I lost my arm 50+ years ago so I'm afraid my memory cannot help much with your questions. I do remember my phantom pain being off the charts for the first several months (possibly longer?), managed by prescription meds (not pain meds, rather the kind that make you relax). I did not do any PT, so the body was just healing at its own pace. My recommendation is to discuss these questions with your orthopedist and/or physical therapist. My only thought from personal experience is that you shouldn't have to just live with the pain, you should talk especially to your ortho about healing progress and managing your pain--this is important--don't let them blow you off.
Helen
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Post by stonecutter on Jan 2, 2024 8:22:39 GMT -7
Hi danny! Welcome to the forums!
Sound advice from snowyh as usual!
In the meantime, a couple of things that could help.
- make sure you are not dehydrated.
- maybe invest in a TENS machine. I bought one for the sole purpose of trying to abate phantom pains and it works while it's on. Mine has a 30 minute timer that you can't shut off. One of my biggest issues with phantom pains is that they happen in the night time more frequently than the daytime. i suspect it's because I'm moving around a lot and wearing a prosthetic. When I use my TENS machine that shuts off at the 30 minute mark, I sleep in 20-25 minute sessions - which is exhausting.
Please keep us apprised on how you're doing.
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