amputation yes or no???

Question

I have been recently given 3 options abot my codition 1. have limb salvage surgery and risk having my bones break down again. 2. leave my foot the way it is and live in pain for the rest of my life living on loritabs or 3. a below the knee amputation i would like to have peoples input as to what they would have done i will weigh all answers carefully

Answer 1

i am telling you this from personal experience i had an infection in the bone i the heel. they amputated my heel thinking that would be enough. after a year of trying to get that wound to heal my doctor suggested a below he knee amputation.i was not sure of that because i9 was only35 years old but after much thought and prayer i call and set up the surgery. one week later i was going into surgery knowing that when i woke up i would have only one leg.surgery went well but it took me about 6months to heal before i could get mu artificial leg. i healed slowly because i am a double organ transplant recipient. i felt better quickly because they got rid of the infection that i had been fighting for so long. it has been 3 1?2 years and i do More than than before i had my amputation. you can do anything you want to. i have went to Graceland and went to some civil war Battle sites, swimming,bike riding,mow on a riding lawn mower,shopping,clean House,play basketball. i know i can do anything that i want to do.it is not a easy choices to make to sign those papers saying it is OK to lose your leg but i think it is the best thing you can do. please e mail me and i can hep you. i love telling others your life is not over but it is just begining but in a different way. please pray about it and know that it is the Right thing to do. god bless you!!

Answer 2

Hi I am 15years old I had bone cancer and I had 3 options aswel like you I picked in the end after a lot of tears the amputation I have had a below knee prostetic leg which is a fake leg for a year now I am doing GCSES in dance I can run swim I can do everything sometimes after a long day my leg can ake a little but I was so scared but a year on I am so active at first it is hard but I swear it gets better it's unbelievable the things you can do with a below knee amputation when you have a fake leg I believe that it is a lot easier than above knee because I still have my knee which is a massive bonus to having a fake limb good luck your very brave you can message me if you have any questions xxx

Answer 3

If it was me:
--Don't follow the suggestion on the hot/cold water from Thereconnection.com, you will more than likely end up having the amputation sooner than you want due to scalding from water too hot because you can't feel that it's too hot and/or frozen skin...same as the hot, you can't tell if you are getting frost bite. Both would set you up for an infection. If this really worked, we would be doing this in the hospital to prevent limb loss.

#1. Get a second opinion! Ask the doc if it was him in your shoes, better yet, if you were the doc's parent, what would he suggest to mom/dad?
#2. Go for the vascular surgery...unless the doc says there is only a very low chance (5%) for success, but you won't know if it would have worked if you don't do it.
#3. Live on Lortabs for a while before making that final decision to move on to #4.
#4. Last resort is the amputation for there is no guarantee that it will stop the pain. It will definitely help stop any infection from spreading or occurring, but no guarantee to be 100% pain free (phantom pains).

Good luck with your decision

Answer 4

I am a diabetic and would go get 2 or 3 Doctors opinions. Forget the information on what to do, when these people are not going to lose the limb. I have many friends with a foot or limb gone. Also, try a research hospital if near a large city. May get free advise and service

Answer 5

Being diabetic myself I know that there is the possibility that I may have to make the same choice someday. I wish you luck in whatever you decide. I would need a little more information to make a decision for myself. If I knew that there were good prosthetics available to me I think I would go with the amputation. If not, I would go with the limb salvage surgery.

Answer 6

Don't really understand #1 too much, but below the knee isn't much of a big deal, I use to have a friend who had a fake limb, below the knee, and I didn't find out until he told me 2 months later, was very weird, but he seemed normal as hell, he just wore long pants ;)

Answer 7

If I were you I would try surgery first that way you won't regret not doing it later. At least you can say you tried, and who knows it may work. And no one wants to be in pain all the time and have to rely on pain medicine. So if you don't have surgery I'd get it amputated. So surgery first, and if that doesn't work, get it amputated.

Answer 8

After limb surgery if you do not put too much pressure on your limbs, you may with them for a long time. It all depends how old you are as doctors can tell you for how many years you can manage your bones.

Answer 9

if you get it taken off you have a high risk of pain still..or even more pain.. ( called phantom pain) look it up on the Internet..my dads on methadone for the same problem...when you have pain before you get you amputation...the brain remembers that pain and you will feel like your foot is still there even though its not!!...i don't think i would have my foot taken off just cuz you don't want to take vicodin 10Mg's your probably on a high dose too..when your foot is gone its gone..i think you should really think hard about this and talk to a pro or alot of pros.....look at the site of phantom pain...you wont like what you will read...its really weird..Ive read it cuz of my father whole right leg ( gain green ) he had no choice,,,you do!!!!!!!!!...GOOD LUCK MY FRIEND

Answer 10

I think you should disregard advise you get here. See more than one doctor. Read up on all your options. Find out what medications you will be given and the implications of their long term use. Find someone who has had each of the options you are considering, their recommendations are worth more than you will get here.