Lesson 1 : Love ya stump as nothing else is going to grow back.
Wayne Harrod
Stay strong but accept help from family and friends. It’s not a sign of weakness
Geoffrey Bull
Don’t be afraid to cry and let others know why. Bottling things up just makes it worse and family/friends are there to help
Nicola Hughes
Early days are difficult because you have to come to terms that your life is going to change. Talk to other amputees take on board their opinions and listen to experts. When you are ready build a plan for you based on what you know you can do and accept some days will be harder than others. Each step you take is a step of learning but never give up with trying and stick with your plans. Try different sports some you haven’t tried before and see if they work for you. Don’t be put off going to a gym either they are great social gathering places, somewhere to meet new friends. Suggest a group meeting of similar minded people of same interests and build your network of friends.
Mark Pattenden
You have joined a new club make the most of it and embrace it. #warriors.
Shaun Whiter
At the start It’s a long recovery journey, yet it can be speeded up by putting the effort in & it will pay dividends I used the target of running again to motivate me to do the hours and hours of physio I used to do at home on my own after my above knee amputation, and every second was worth it. I promise.
It helps massively to meet others in similar situations. Going to a Something like a Limb Power event or similar, as everyone there has or is going through what you are, and chatting to similar people, it can really ease your feelings towards your future, as you will back to your new normal in no time.
For myself, the best way to maximise my abilitys & limits, was to push myself further and further each time, and I found pushing past the pain, allows your body to adapt and tolerant the discomfort alot more next time. You do learn as time goes by, what pain is good pain to push thro , and what is bad pain that you need to rest or change something.
The first year of amputee your stump size will change alot, and it will also change alot if your activity level changes, and biggest thing of all, is keeping your body weight the same, as any loss or gain of weight will show straight away at your stump size. So try and get your body weight to your prefered weight ASAP and then try and keep it there. This is what I found from my experience of my own rehab in the 4 years since my amputation.
Danny Campion
Get the best medical team around you if you don’t gel with them and you feel they are impatient or not giving you enough time ask for a second opinion it’s taking me 6 years to find an amazing plastic surgeon – one of the top ones in the UK and he knows me so well and he is clever he can tell immediately what’s wrong plus he knows just what is at stake he takes my entire family into consideration his name is Mr Grant at Addenbrookes Hospital. I have also sought long and hard for an excellent orthopaedics surgeon last year my last one wanted to amputate my other leg however a second opinion from an amazing man who again I immediately gelled with and who gave me time and patience is now my orthopaedics surgeon – Mr Ben Davis. I am still on the hunt for an excellent prosthetics doctor but the message is don’t settle for anything less than AMAZING it takes time and energy but keep going because the excellent doctors will ensure long term health for your legs !!
Also Focus on building your strength up and don’t overdo it !! I spent many years just pushing and pushing myself attending every event/party I could just to prove nothing had changed I was still the Leigh everyone knew unfortunately this had detrimental impact I didn’t allow myself proper time to recover nor did I want to accept life had changed not in a bad way but I just needed to realise it was different so don’t ever think you cannot do things but just take time to adjust and when your body is telling you I’ve had enough listen to it – it’s your ally in this !!
Leigh Joy-Staines
Set a goal and go for it don’t let anything stop you. 3 weeks after losing my leg I was walking on a practice leg with crutches in the gym at addenbrookes. I was also doing a lot of rowing of which I am going into as a sport. I had never rowed before. 10 weeks after surgery I was on a push bike. It’s hard having to give up things I used to do but also exciting with the new.
Paul Clarke
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Something that happens to us all !
Self pity on a bad day
I am tired so very tired today.
You know one of the worse things that I find about this limbless business is I never had a chance to grow old slowly, there I was a young very fit 45 year old with things just starting to fall into place you know work was going ok, socially things where ok, things at home was very good with my wife and family, I was fit I mean very fit, I would run for five miles each day without breaking into a sweat, I canoed , flew my hand glider , rode my bike to work, hiked and run for miles and could keep going all day and night without getting out of breath , nothing was to much trouble or to much effort for me.
I know that we all start to slow down as we get older and start to take things easy but for me I feel robbed I aged over night , not just a little bit but life changing old in an blink of an eye , I mean super fit to useless just like that I have tried so hard to recapture the lost energy and youthful enthusiasm but even the most simple of tasks take so much effort , sometimes I often wonder is it worth the constant struggle just to keep at the pathetic level of fitness that I now have or do I keep on with the struggle knowing that I will never regain the time back and all I am doing is delaying the inevitable slid into uselessness .
What to do?
Give up?
Accept that the best I can do is fight just one more day and we will see what tomorrow brings?
Push my limits a bit further tomorrow, I would like to I really would but I am so tired, bone weary tiered, you know the tiredness that no amount of sleep will cure.
Is the answer all in my mind in acceptance? And will that bring some sort of peace for me.
What is the answer? What is the question? All I do is go round and round in circles in my mind.
I think part of my problem is I can’t forgive myself; I go over the events time after time in my head reliving my accident, surly there must have been something that I could have done to prevent it……………………….No answer there I let myself, wife and family down and every one has to suffer because of it .who is going to look after yvonne when I am old and totally useless? It should have been me.
We should have grown old together, now I am old and Yvonne has to wait for me, that’s not right why should she have to suffer
Somehow I have got to break this circle but I don’t have the mental or physical strength to do it.
PHEW!!!!!!Thank god I don’t get many days like this.
wow Mick these are powerful words and so true for us all !!! are you on our facebook group STEEL BONES?
Being the Mother of a below knee amputee daughter I have held and wiped her tears as she has cried because she feels so different to that of an able bodied girl , she had her amputation when she was 5 yrs old ,I constantly tell her how beautiful she is because to me she is but I want to boost her confidence and not to be so shy in showing her prosthetic , as a mother I have watched her crawl like a baby to the bathroom when her prosthetic has become too painful for her to wear , watched her writhe in agony with phantom pains and I have been desperate to know what I could do for her to ease her pain, it has been a learning journey for both of us she is 24 now she still lives at home but we got through it all,she still has her issues having to deal with wearing her leg but she’s getting better she has a lovely job and spends her evening in the local gym she also attends raves and wears her shorts i am so so proud of her she is my inspiration xx