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IvyRose · 09-04-2008, 05:49 AM

My son is having a partial amputation on his foot. We're suppose to go to several people over the next few weeks to let him become aware of the struggles associated with becoming an amputee.

I was just wondering if anyone here has had the loss of a limb(s) and could tell me both positive and negatives of it or just your story.

I realize there are some inspirational stories about this type of thing, but I'd rather hear a 'typical' person's point of view rather than a one in a billion survivor that had a Documentary filmed in their honor.

I will give a little history... This is not a 'have to' surgery. In fact, the Doctor is willing to put this off for the rest of his life seeing as how my son's life is limited enough as it is. This is a quality of life issue. A club foot that has had many corrective surgeries involved, but the Doctors have given up hope on correcting it and amputation is the only logical choice.

The foot does hurt right now, but with amputation - my son will not have to live with the pain as well as, it may be able to further his mobility. There is also a chance of the amputation taking away mobility that he already has.

We were told there is a big chance of him dying during surgery due to his health issues. I would also like to understand more of the aftercare involved because I was told this is a rather large surgery.

My son's decision is to amputate and live with whatever the fallout may be. So, this is mainly for my piece of mind. I feel like this is my foot and I keep having vivid dreams of my limbs being amputated as well as queasy feelings of the whole ordeal.

We're suppose to go to therapy, the two of us. They've already asked my son if he wants to kill himself or kill others. He was in shock at such questions, but really... they should have been asking me.

If you've been a caregiver in this situation... I'd like your input too. Sometimes it's just as bad for the person close to you to watch this come to play as it is for the patient.

Thanks for any information in advance.

09-04-2008, 05:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
IvyRose Dedicated Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 598	Life As An Amputee My son is having a partial amputation on his foot. We're suppose to go to several people over the next few weeks to let him become aware of the struggles associated with becoming an amputee. I was just wondering if anyone here has had the loss of a limb(s) and could tell me both positive and negatives of it or just your story. I realize there are some inspirational stories about this type of thing, but I'd rather hear a 'typical' person's point of view rather than a one in a billion survivor that had a Documentary filmed in their honor. I will give a little history... This is not a 'have to' surgery. In fact, the Doctor is willing to put this off for the rest of his life seeing as how my son's life is limited enough as it is. This is a quality of life issue. A club foot that has had many corrective surgeries involved, but the Doctors have given up hope on correcting it and amputation is the only logical choice. The foot does hurt right now, but with amputation - my son will not have to live with the pain as well as, it may be able to further his mobility. There is also a chance of the amputation taking away mobility that he already has. We were told there is a big chance of him dying during surgery due to his health issues. I would also like to understand more of the aftercare involved because I was told this is a rather large surgery. My son's decision is to amputate and live with whatever the fallout may be. So, this is mainly for my piece of mind. I feel like this is my foot and I keep having vivid dreams of my limbs being amputated as well as queasy feelings of the whole ordeal. We're suppose to go to therapy, the two of us. They've already asked my son if he wants to kill himself or kill others. He was in shock at such questions, but really... they should have been asking me. If you've been a caregiver in this situation... I'd like your input too. Sometimes it's just as bad for the person close to you to watch this come to play as it is for the patient. Thanks for any information in advance.