Major Decision to Make

[lturn9]

Hello All,
Some history: I find myself needing to decide if I should continue to struggle with Total Knee Replacement #4 or cut my loses and have my leg removed above the knee and see if I can adjust to living with a prosthesis.   Around 2008 I found I had a fracture at the top of my tibia where the knee attaches.  It was not visible in x-rays and a CAT scan finally found the crack 3 weeks later.  By then the knee joint had been destroyed as I walked on the damaged bone.  Replacement #1 lasted 53 weeks, the next one lasted 60 weeks, #3 lasted 3 yrs and I have 3 years on #4.  #4 is not working well.  There is pain and infection.  I am told infection gets into the prosthesis and is almost impossible to get rid of.  I am a 69 yo male and suffer from neuropathy and kidney disease.  I know I am a poor candidate for another knee and don't really want to go through that again.  All these surgeries on my left leg left it about 3" shorter than the right.

So I am considering amputation to get rid of the knee joint which does not bend much (maybe 15 degr) and will fail eventually.  It also contains a mild staph infection we are fighting with Keflex.  My surgeon has said his older patients who have amputations usually end up in a wheel chair for the remainder of their life for a variety of reasons: poor fit, painful, etc.

My question to you is, how well do people adjust to wearing a prosthesis?  Impossible for you to know how I will adjust of course, but your experiences might give me some ideas.  Everyday I fight my 2 numb legs trying to build muscle which is an uphill battle and everyday I think maybe if my leg were amputated it may make things easier?  That's something those of you who have gone through this might explain.

Thanks In Advance,
May God hold you by the hand...
Larry
  

[tomm]

Hi
I got bone cancer last year my femur snapped just above my left knee,I didn’t get much of a choice but I tell you this much..it’s bloody horrible to have an upper knee amputation I hate using the prosphetic leg I never use it unless I have to I’d rather just use crutches with out it.
I hope I’ve helped
Tom

[spyder]

Wear a prosthesis first feels strange but you get used to it ! Will take a few month´s to have None painfull use, cause sitting/Walking on the seat bone isn´t like with the upper leg bone. If you have enough force and control of your upper leg a prosthesis isn´t bad, my expirience before Amputation i was a worse walker than now. For me it´s still hard cause of my short leg there is not much leg left for a tight fit in my prosthesis.

Think well about it, get as much informations as you can get, there each time pro´s vs. contra´s, cause after the cut it´s history !!!