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Post by ronnie on Jun 7, 2018 6:15:50 GMT -7
Hi My name is Esta and I found this forum by chance. My story begins in February 2017 when I had a bad fall, at first we thought it was just broken ribs. Until my foot started going a weird colour, I am a type 2 diabetic with neuropathy in my feet, so I didnt feel the break across the top of my foot, after months and months of plaster casts, they gave me a diabetic boot, they were unsure whether to operate on it or not. I developed an ulcer and the podiatrist cut the top off it, made it bleed for about 15/20 minutes then sent me home. I carried on tending to it, changing the bandage etc, but it got infected and by the 20th of December I wash rushed into theatre to have a guillotine amputation, it was wet gangrene and I was dying from sepsis. I dont remember a great deal of it as I was so ill. The surgeon asked me afterwards did I feel ill at all before I was rushed in. to be honest I cant say that I did, I felt like I had a cold and the night I spoke to my gp I couldnt breathe properly, but didnt realise that was one of the symptoms. I spent christmas in hospital, first in ITU then in HDU, my kidneys packed in and it was touch and go whether Id need dialysis. Good news was that I didnt need it and they recovered completely, on the 4th of January this year I had my second surgery to prepare it for a prosthesis , I finally got to go home on the 28th of January. It was a terrible time, I didnt really know what to feel, but like always I just got on with it, laughed and joked, people have said I look so much better than I did, my diabetes is finally under control and yes Ive lost below my knee, BUT I am alive today and Im enjoying my life more now than ever.
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Post by stonecutter on Jun 7, 2018 7:15:48 GMT -7
Welcome to our little forum. Wow - you've been through a lot. Glad to hear you've made it through the darkness and are on your way to better things! How are you making on with your prosthesis?
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Post by ronnie on Jun 7, 2018 9:14:19 GMT -7
I'm finding it okay so far, I've managed to do a few steps at the clinic, I will be going again tomorrow, this time the want me to try a walking frame on rough ground and maybe some steps. I havent been able to do alot as my stump has been quite swollen with the hot weather we have been having. I suffer with water retention anyway and they balloon when I'm warm. I know its still a new stump and expect some swelling, but how do people deal with heat swelling? Thanks
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Post by cherylm on Jun 8, 2018 0:55:41 GMT -7
Hi there, Esta, and welcome to the Forum! Some of what you've gone through sounds familiar to me...I AM diabetic, although my amputation wasn't caused by that...but the way you felt before going to the hospital is VERY much like what I did, and I also dealt with sepsis, which is really frightening. The fact that you've come through all of that and are working at getting your life back is great.
Swelling is likely to be a problem for you for several more months. One of the best ways to cope with it (after you've fully gotten used to your prosthesis and have permission to wear it long-term) is to make a point of putting your leg on when you first get up in the morning and then wearing it all day long. The socket will help contain the swelling, and as you become more active the activity itself will help keep fluid from settling in your stump. I'll be frank: you're likely to have problems with heat, sweating, and swelling throughout your first year...especially through your first summer. But the good news is that your body is very likely to adjust to all of that, and by your second summer you may not have any major problems at all.
If you do need to take your leg off for any length of time during the day, do make sure that you keep your stump elevated and use a "shrinker" (compression sleeve) or wrap it with an elastic bandage...you want to keep fluid from just gathering in your stump and making any swelling worse.
Do look around here and ask any questions that occur to you...there's bound to be someone here who can offer advice!
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Post by stonecutter on Jun 8, 2018 7:31:51 GMT -7
Before they let me go from hospital they insisted that I practice wrapping my stump with a tensor bangdage. It takes some practice, but if you get learn to master it, you'll find you can sit up in the middle of the night, get the bandage out of your nightstand and wrap your stump in the dark without even waking up your wife. Here's a really good video that shows how it's done.
For the first couple of years if I wasn't wearing my prosthetic, I was wrapped for fluid control.
Feel free to ask a lot of questions - that's why this place is here! Chances are someone here has been through what you're wondering about.
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Post by cherylm on Jun 8, 2018 16:50:46 GMT -7
That's a really cool demo, Trevor...I was never formally instructed on wrapping (possibly because I've always had a variety of shrinkers) so if I do have to resort to an ACE wrap, it's always been a bit of a challenge. I think I could actually copy that neat-looking wrap job!
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allen
New Member
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Post by allen on Jun 10, 2018 11:50:48 GMT -7
Hey Ronnie, welcome to the group! My story isn't too different, although not quite as acute as yours. My story is a couple below yours Cheryl is right about your first summer...lots of sweating.. although I don't recall a problem with swelling. This summer has been fine, a bit of sweating but nothing crazy like last summer. And definitely stay in a shrinker or your prosthetic (even if you are just sitting). And definitely don't be afraid to aske questions either here or with your prosthetist!
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Post by ronnie on Jun 10, 2018 14:54:09 GMT -7
thanks guys, that video was really interesting. I was given something similar to a stocking, its tighter though. I'll try that with my leg Cherylm, it sounds like a good idea to get my stump used to having the leg on.# Hi Alan, yes I read your story, what a bloody nightmare for you too. I dont get scared very easily, but this frightened the life out of me, gave me a bloody big wake up call too. Made me sit up and take stock of my life and how I was treating my body.
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allen
New Member
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Post by allen on Jun 10, 2018 15:42:50 GMT -7
Yeah I dont blame ya for getting scared that was seriously crazy. I never got scared for my life but I also took serious notice of my health issues. I am diabetic.. but I hadnt been taking care of it when I got the initial infection and I also smoked. So that first hospital stay I got my sugar under control and have kept that way since. I also quit smoking..with the help of the first 11 day hospital stay, they don't give ya smoke breaks there LOL, and I've been smoke free since. It was those kind of things that got my podiatrist so upset (besides be a good guy) that I did everything I was suppose too, everything she asked and it still ended up as an amputation.
Yeah the stocking thing is probably the shrinker (kinda feels like a heavy duty nylon). Wear it ALL the time if you don't have your prosthetic on...that will help moderate the volume changes in your leg. The fact of the matter is for the first year or so you are going to have volume changes every day, even hourly once you start getting more active.
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