1. For me, I just use stump. Other people call it nub. Others yet call it 'my leg'. Medical term, "residual limb"
2. For the most part, people don't notice I have a prosthesis until we are going up the stair together. That's where my gait changes the most. My right leg travels just as normally as anyone with two legs, but my left (affected side) swings a bit out to the side as I step up in a bit of an arc as it goes up. Also, because there is no real push off from that side, I can't "run" up the stairs like most. Can't really run down them either. Well - I can, but not very far as eventually I would get tripped up on that side. People don't realize that there is a tremendous energy-usage imbalance between an amputee's unaffected side and the amputated side. I had a good discussion about this with my prosthetist one day. He says that studies show that people with a BK amputation expend around 70% more energy to walk that able-bodied people. Above-the-knee folks are somewhere in the 150% range. (I have no studies to cite - research would need to be done).
Ladders - I spent a few years now as a project manager for new building and renovation construction projects. I act as the owner's representative going into and out of construction sites - ladders are a part of my regular activities. Can go up / down as needed. The only thing is - I have to actually see how my prosthetic foot is situated on a rung. If I'm not careful with my placement of my foot it could slip off, as I can't feel how well my foot is position on the ladder.
When I am on a roof and getting back onto a ladder to the ground, I have to get on with the prosthetic foot first, as I have more balance control with my natural foot.
3. Totally possible. I've done it. No issues / nothing out of the ordinary.
4. My wife knew me before the accident. I met her when I was in the 9th grade (the accident didn't happen until I was 19). We got together about a year after while things were still quite 'new' to me with respect to the reality of having to face life as an amputee. I gotta say, though in the year between the accident and getting together with the woman who would eventually become my wife, there were a few others - went a bit wild, if you catch my drift - you can be assured that these weren't healthy relationships where emotions were involved. Usually followed a night at a club.
Anyway, because we knew each other prior, she knew all about what happened and how it all came together. You ask about things I say to lighten the situation? - I use the phrase "Some assembly required!" when people are visibly having difficulty with what they are seeing / hearing. It snaps them out of it and helps them to realize on some level, that having an amputation isn't what defines the person.
The first time we were intimate I remember there being some curiosity about it (this was 22 years ago...) but it wasn't that big of a deal for her/me.
5. See #4 - kind of covered it there - feel free to delve deeper if that's not sufficient information.
6a. We were at my place, sharing a sofa watching a movie. Usual story. For me - prosthesis off. Having something cold/hard/plastic/fibreglas and steel that's not really part of you gets in the way and is uncomfortable.
6b. Usual dialog... nothing special because there's a prosthesis in the room.
6c. I haven't really had a limitation in any of those scenarios. Having a knee is an advantage over above-the-knee folks. Therefore once one is in bed, there's not much in the way of limitations.
7. I usually don't take it off from the moment I put it on after my morning shower until I am getting ready for bed. IN the first few years were tricky as I had some complicating factors. I had a fasciotomy and burns that left me with skin grafts, nerve damage and deep crevices in the surface of my stump, so it took a while to get things to a point of normalcy. ~2-3 years or so.
There are times when I'm not having a good stump day and I may close /lock my office door, draw the blinds, drop trousers and see if I can't re-position things / add a sock / install a gel pad / etc to make my day more comfortable. But these are few and far between now. And - there are times when I'm having one of those days that coincide with a rush-rush day where I just grin and bear it as best as I can until the day is over because I don't / won't make the time otherwise.
One of the worst things I have to deal with, and it's not as frequent or intense as it once was is the occurrences of phantom pains. These are the hardest things to describe to someone who isn't an amputee, and based on discussion here and on the forum from which this one was born, they manifest differently for people. I have a theory on what causes them - drastic barometric pressure changes, how tired I am, how much caffeine I've ingested, etc... But for me they feel like an electric shock in my foot - meaning my brain tells me that my foot is experiencing a decent amount of pain, and if I was to close my eyes and touch where it hurts, I'd be trying to touch my foot in the space - 12-14" from the end of my physical person! My wife - who has been with me for most of my adult life still recommends that I go take a tylenol to make them go away. It's not a real pain. It's all in my head - so (for me) tylenol doesn't help. Phantom pains last a day or so and then eventually subside by themselves.
Phantom sensations (feelings) - I 'feel' my foot all the time. It feels to me like I'm wearing a snug boot on my foot and it tingles all the time. It's not an unpleasant feeling. As I sit here typing away, I can think about my natural foot and there are differences - i feel the pressure of my foot in my shoe, the softness of my sock, how snug my shoe is tied up, the temperature (a bit cold). The phantom foot, always feels warm, always tingles - kind of feels like a vibration, and feels compact and snug in that phantom boot. I can wriggle my phantom toes and rotate my phantom foot and my residual calf muscles react as they would if the foot were still there as part of that natural movement. This changes how the phantom sensations feel for a while, but they never stop.
8. I wear the prosthesis all day. I do take it off if I'm in my bathrobe watching TV with my wife after the kid is in bed... It's just more comfortable and easier to relax. The folks in the prostesis industry do their best to make prostheses as comfortable and natural as possible, but they're not part of the body and as such - harder to be comfortable in when trying to relax.
9. I'm a biog guy - 6'-1" / 250lbs. Getting into a small car is more of a line-my-ass-up-with-the-seat-and-hope-for-the-best scenario - more like a controlled fall. Getting out of a car on the drivers side (being a left leg) is easier as I use my right leg to push myself out. Getting out of the passenger side of a low, small car usually involves me getting my left arm up to the roof and pulling myself out, especially if the parking space is tight and I can't open the door all the way to swing my legs out. There's less leverage on the prosthetic side to push myself out. Hard to explain. I drive a pick up. Higher vehicles are easier because my body is kept straighter I guess...
Shortly after my accident, I was sent a letter by the province. Apparently the Alberta version of the DMV learned about the accident and wanted me to prove I could still drive. I was subjected to a road test in my own automatic car. The result was - yes I could still drive without modifications, but the guy noted that with a left prosthetic foot, I wouldn't be allowed to drive a standard transmission vehicle unless I came with one and did a road test to prove I could. I have a letter code on my license that signifies that I'm not allowed to drive anything but an automatic. So - paradox time - if I'm not allowed, how can I drive one to find out if I can / and then go get tested? It would all be illegal!
I digress...
There's a thread on that.10. When I'm having those dreaded phantom pains, I massage my stump. They stop when am doing so. I think for that time the brain realizes what the reality is, or is focusing on the sensation at the end of the physical nerve. When I stop - the phantom pains start again... Other people touching / massaging it - I'm not a big fan.
11. I use plain old Ivory soap. No fancy perfumes / dyes / anti-bacterial or anything... I use the same to wash out my liner. Having my wife watch is no different than having her in the bathroom and seeing me through the shower. It's so routine now.
Other Stuff...
You might find these threads useful:
amputees.proboards.com/thread/154/bearing-baring-stumpamputees.proboards.com/thread/117/full-body-scanners-airportsLet me know if there are any other questions...
I digress... 
