Hey everyone wanted to give everyone an update from my last post about hanger. The appointment went great and so have the subsequent ones and I'll have my leg to take home on Monday. I am so excited and will share pics of what it looks like when I get it. As for the question, has anyone had any dreams post surgery about walking, but not walking normally. In my dream I know I don't have my foot but I am still walking around but telling myself to be careful because I don't have a leg. It's very strange and was wondering if I was the only one having those?

Hi everyone I’m gonna join the club next week, I’ll be getting a right knee disarticulation. Can’t say that I’m thrilled but I unfortunately don’t have a choice. I want to know if any other through knee amputees can share their experience and what to expect but any amputee is welcome to share as well. I also have a couple of questions.

• How did you come to terms with losing your limb?

• How do you shower?

• What are some things I should buy to help me adjust to this change?

• Does life ever feel normal after?

• For those with a right leg amputation how do you drive?

• How do you go upstairs?

-How long after surgery did you start trying prosthetics?

• I play soccer and If anyone else does do you know if it’s possible to juggle the ball with a prosthetic or is that something I’ll only be able to do with my other foot?

• Does insurance cover the prosthetic that’ll help me life as close to a normal life as possible? I’m a pretty active person and I don’t want to change that.

Thanks in advance to everyone that responds.

My bilateral AK amputation is going ahead some time this year and I am trying to decide whether to move or to attempt to adapt my current apartment. I am also not sure what adaptations are possible.

I live in a city with an extremely challenging housing market and really like my place/neighborhood/landlord(!), so I would prefer to stay put if possible. I am already a nearly full-time wheelchair user, and pretty much everything about my place works great -- except the entrance and bathroom... which are not insignificant issues! Basically the only times I need to be out of my chair are: getting it up/down the entryway steps and getting to the toilet and shower (the bathroom is extremely small and you need to sort of shimmy past the toilet to get to the shower). These things are already a challenge/not very safe for me.

The landlord is open to adaptations but we're also not sure what's possible/affordable. Government grants are available, but there's a lifetime cap, so I would like to save that option for a more permanent home in the future.

I have a promising lead on a completely wheelchair accessible apartment (and am seeing it next week), but the rent is significantly higher. Still, the idea of not needing to fight with architecture -- particularly during recovery/rehabilitation -- sounds so nice...

I have a referral in to a homecare OT, but the best disability advice always comes from other disabled people.

Any thoughts? I am especially interested in advice about the entrance (pictured).

[Image description: an entryway into a basement suite. There are four tall, steep, tiled steps down to the front door and one more step inside, after which there is only about 5 feet between the door and an appliance.]

My wife works at a medical clinic and has a patient that came in that is amputated just below the knee. She is bigger and hasn’t been able to find a prosthetic that fits her right. She’s not really interested in wearing compression all day. Does anyone have any suggestions “to help a big girl with thick thighs out?”

My dad lost his thumb in a farm accident about 40 years ago and had skin grafts to cover the wound. Every winter the site gets extremely dry and constantly splits open on him. Lately he’s been covering it in Vaseline and wearing a glove to bed to try to keep it moist but it only helps a little. He’d appreciate any advice you guys could offer on how to help keep it taken care of. Thanks! Googling offers lots of information for immediate after care but not much on this issue.

Hi again. I just want to follow up for people who asked for post surgery updates. I had my right leg amputated "through the knee" and the surgery went well. The surgery was early Thursday morning. They weren't able to shift my patella because I was in an external fixator for so long, so they basically fused it where it was. I had a nerve block, but it only lasted about 24 hours so I'm in a lot of pain now. I haven't had much phantom pain yet, but I've had a lot of phantom sensations. It feels really weird! I still feel good about the decision to amputate. I'm looking forward to finally healing completely and getting back to living life. I'll be heading to in-house rehab as soon as my pain gets a little more controlled.

I do have a funeral home coming to pick up my leg for cremation like I wanted! Thank you to everyone who responded to my last post - it was really helpful!

Other then the obvious holes that you can see how does everyone check or know if they have a pinhole in their liner?

Edit: thank you all so much for the advice!

When traveling, what do you use to organize everything?
- liners
- socks
- cleaning supplies
- iWalk
- other stuff

I'm looking at laundry bags on Amazon to hold the iWalk, but I'm open to other suggestions. (I
will break it down before packing)

This will be my first post-amp trip, so I'm likely overthinking this, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Today is my 1st Ampuversary! I am grateful I am still around. Everyday is a bonus for me. Life is great!

A close friend in another country has lost a leg and arm yesterday, what forgotten thing would have helped or been important day one? Their family are going out Sunday to visit and I want to make sure they have everything they need.

Hey yall, got a question. LBK Does anyone know if they make a sort of quick release below the socket that is still strong and holds tight when it’s locked? Even while running. I’m about to have two legs, a blade, but only 1 socket. I would love to not have to unscrew the bolts everytime I want to swap the legs below the socket.

ello Everyone… I was recently involved in a Motorcycle Wreck Sept 2nd 2024… I was blind sided by an SUV. When I was hit it broke my right leg mid thigh and also severed my femoral artery. I had no pulse at the time EMS arrived and transported me to the local hospital. I was there for Two hours before being transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. After arrival “ Approximately 4-5 Hours Post Accident they began surgery to take my Saphenous Vein from my Good Leg and replace my Saphenous Vein in my Bad Leg. They gave it 24-48 Hours to see if it would take… it didnt… they said they tried cleaning everything out the best they could but it was so clotted up it wasn’t taking and I had to get my Right Leg Amputed. My question is this…. How long did I have realistically after the wreck before it was too late to save… is there anything I could have done ? Does what they said make sense ? I know there are a lot of factors here but I guess I’ve always been confused on how loosing blood flow would clot that fast… maybe someone can shed some light… thank you…

It’s not 100 percent, but very likely. What should I expect, and what tips do you have going forward? Thanks

My left stump is always killing me after a long time of standing (I work retail) which is holding me back from my running training. Any remedies or ideas to help with this pain? I need help badly

Help an amputee get a new prosthetic and a care giver so she can get on her feet again

This may be a stupid question. Does anybody sit in anything other than a wheelchair when around the house?

I’ve been thinking of getting a nice chair to sit in so it’s more comfortable. My issue is always confidence in getting up and down and moving between it and the wheelchair.

I became a double amputee in September 2024 after being an amputee for three years. I have had both legs since late December. Today I climbed my front stairs and went down them both twice.

I’m an LBKA and have been feeling knee pain when I walk recently, right around one of the pressure points on my socket. Obviously I’ll consult with my prosthesis on how to fix this, but I just want to know if anyone else experiences or has experienced this in the past

Hey folks. Just wanna get your thoughts how did you manage accepting you'll be amputated? Got a problem with my leg and I'm pretty sure one day I'll be getting told to get rid of it. When I think about it now, it's just all whys and hows popping out my head. I also think I'd be depressed.

I had my fingertip on my dominant hand amputated a few months back, and I really miss embroidery. Does anybody have any tips or tools they could point me towards? I've been using my pencil gripper thing as much as I can, And practicing holding the needle has been very helpful, might just need to practice more. Couldn't hurt to ask y'all If you had any secret tricks!! Thank you & take care!!

Since becoming an AK (2019) I’ve started sweating a stupid amount. I know it doesn’t help I live in central Florida (moved from Texas after my amputation) but it can be mildly hot (low 80s) and slightly humid and as soon as 3 neurons start contemplating about activating I’m sweating even if I’m sitting down doing nothing and it’s annoying. I know part of it is because I’m an amputee but I feel like I still probably sweat more than I should since I’ve only seen questions on here in regards to limb/socket sweating.

I got into horror tragedy while cleaning my bike chain. I lost my right thumb partial. A little beyond the nailbed and little after the joint. Is it possible that the bone or any part of the skin will grow a little? I'm not expecting a full regrow, but atleast a little will it grow?

My below the left knee operation was Aug. 18th, I believe. I got my prosthetic Sept 30th, best birthday gift I ever received. Had intensive PT/ot from Aug 29-sept 111th, discharged the 12th. No ot or PT with my prosthetic.

Went from wheelchair to walker (used walker right after discharge, but only inside our dwelling). Immediately put wheelchair away for walker only with new leg. Used that until I was getting complaints about having to load walker into vehicle, about 3-4 weeks. Chose partners arm then, until he complained about how slow I was, making him slow. Took about two weeks max.

Got a large four footed cane. Worked pretty good, especially since ground was very rocky. Btw, rocky ground, if you can handle it, makes city turf feel like a breeze to navigate. Chose a regular cane a bit later for regular areas, four legs was only used on home turf.

Decided quickly that I don't need second cane, got tired of similar complaints, graduated to mostly walking with no support, except shopping carts. Only use cane for home turf only, no support otherwise.

Oh, and still no PT or ot. Got lots of people telling me how impressed they were. Except I keep hearing complaints. From one person...

Now, I handle my trash (been doing that 13gallon can for months). Handle the bucket of a bedside commode, emptied it completely without help (involves taking a 3/4 full bucket a ways away and dumping it (no idea how far, lots of underfoot rocks though) two times. Had help 2.5 times, another person emptied it since we've started using it. Wouldn't be so bad, but bitching is the word of the day, unless I do it, or a friend does. I know it's an unpleasant thing, but I'm doing it silently, one real leg, they have all their limbs, and hate emptying it when it's lighter (and while it's daylight and warmer).

And now, current big milestone. Something was under my cot. Rather than sit, and try to get it, I actually lowered myself down onto my knees, and got it. And got back up without tipping anything, hurting myself, or anything! Fanfare, huzzahs, and cheers abound! Alas, no, not really. Got up and proceeded to wash the pot, so it could be used for cooking. Didn't expect acknowledgement, but did hope for a congrats or something small when I mentioned it. Just something else to ignore instead, I guess.

Living as an amputee comes with its own set of challenges, and in this video I talk about the things that frustrate me the most. I open up about the aspects of being an amputee that I wish people understood better.

https://youtu.be/P8FyqkR-z7Y?si=MAgXwD15rC5CSvil

I’m demoing one currently, looking for feedback from folks who do or did daily one.