"It is not always about the difficulties we face, but how we navigate through them." A Guest Blog
Many of my clients/students have experienced life changing injuries or surgeries and are working on bringing their bodies back to wellness. The courage, determination and commitment to their healing that I witness in my sessions is inspiring and I thought that it would be wonderful to share some of their experiences with my readers.
This guest blog was written by one of my Traumatic Scar Massage clients and I have been working with him since his original injury. He does not talk about his sessions with me but he writes about his surgeries and his road to recovery.
I suggested that he write about 3 things he wish had known before he had his surgery. This is his story.
Please note that no names are mentioned to maintain the privacy of my client, and these are his thoughts, emotions and opinions.
I have a Below the Knee Amputation(BKA)
I had an accident one afternoon while out riding my bike
that changed my life forever. In the
crash, I smashed my ankle and tibia, causing a compound fracture and
compartment syndrome in my lower left leg. An emergency fasciotomy was
performed to release the pressure in my leg to try to save it. What followed were many complicated surgeries
to repair the damage to my ankle, all of which were ultimately
unsuccessful. After a year of living in
pain and unable to walk without crutches
I was advised the best course of action, being a young man and physically fit
otherwise, would be an elective amputation. Before the surgery was given the
green light, I had to have a psychiatric evaluation to ensure I was of sound
mind and capable of dealing with the psychological impact of living with limb
loss. I met with surgeons who explained
the procedure in detail. I met the physio and rehab team so that I was aware of
what to expect and how much work I needed to do to get back on two feet again and
what the prosthetic would be like.
I wish I had known that....
Not all surgeons are good at what they do
I found out the hard way that the surgeon had not done a
good job of my amputation. He made a
mess of the stump and did not stitch the muscles properly, which resulted in excess
tissue at the end of the tibia making it virtually impossible to get a prosthesis
to fit effectively. The surgeon had also not properly dealt with a nerve
cluster in the stump, which caused significant pain when I put any weight on
the leg. After a year of rehab and struggling on my prosthesis, the Dr’s.
scheduled me for revision surgery.
I was so disappointed. It felt like a whole year of rehab
was for nothing. I had to start all over again.
The second surgeon did a fantastic job of repairing/cleaning
up the original amputation, but unfortunately, while in hospital I contracted
sepsis, which was not immediately picked up by the medical team, and I was
discharged and sent home.
How could this happen you may ask?.. Let me explain.
I wish I had known that….
Medical professionals would judge me by my appearance
And make decisions about my care based on how I look. I was a big bearded, scruffy looking biker,
with tattoos. To the pain management team, I looked like an addict and so they
refused to take me seriously when I complained of severe pain and asked for
relief. You would think that having an amputation is enough grounds to be
justified for pain relief, but because they thought, I was an addict they did
not want to enable me and did not take into account the level of pain that I
was suffering from. I was denied
additional pain relief and my sepsis (infection) symptoms were ignored.
After a month in the hospital, I was sent home but my health
continued to decline. I didn’t want to make a fuss and tried to deal with the
pain and discomfort, exhaustion and extreme lethargy. I
decided to wait until my appointment at my local GP to get the bandages changed
to talk to the nurse about how I was feeling physically. By the time I saw the nurse I had not slept
for days, I was freezing cold no matter how many blankets I had on and yet
sweating at the same time. I felt like death; literally! When I got to the
nurse and she took the bandage off to change it, she told me I needed to go to
hospital right away. I said sure, I will ask my wife to take me when she gets
home from work. No! NOW! Within 20 minutes,
I was in the ER waiting for a bed on the ward. Turns out, I was dying, and that
nurse saved my life. If I had left it for even a few more hours, I might not be
here to tell you good people my story.
Listen.To.Your.Body!
After I was admitted to hospital, they put me on industrial
strength antibiotics to try control the infection. I had several surgeries to repair the damage
caused by the infection and I lost centimeters of tissue that reduced the
length of my leg considerably. We were worried about losing my knee to the infection,
which would have made me an Above Knee Amputee (AKA). Having a knee helps with walking and gait and
I did not want to have to lose it. I didn’t!
Fun fact, I have some kind of immunity to morphine, it does
not work on me. I woke up in the operating theatre while they were busy with
the surgery and tried to sit up The anesthesiologist
had to use a fentanyl cocktail to knock me out but because again they under
dosed me.
After 2 months in hospital and too many surgeries to talk
about I was discharged and could start the long road to recovery.
Rehabilitation became my lifeline, the shining light in the
midst of a storm. The hours spent on Physiotherapy were tough, but the rehab
team became my pillars of support, motivating me to give my best. The
camaraderie with fellow patients going through similar struggles gave us the strength
to face our obstacles together
I wish I had known that....
You can and should get a second opinion if your prosthesis doesn’t feel right. Talk to someone. You are not being difficult or making a fuss.
After rehab there were a lot of appointments and fittings
with my prosthetist, to have a new socket made up. We just could not get it
right and I lived in pain for years and had to use a walking stick to support
me. It wasn’t until my prosthetist left and I was assigned to a new one, that I
was finally able to walk properly again. It still gives me grief and I can’t
walk very far without the prosthesis giving me pain, but she made a massive
difference to my quality of life. The lesson here is, if you can’t get things
right with your existing prosthetist, don’t be afraid to try someone else.
Sometimes a new pair of eyes or just having someone with a different skill set
can help you find the underlying cause of the problem. You will be seeing them
a lot, at least initially while you get your setup tweaked. Then you will see
them every year at least while you get your prosthesis serviced, or when you
limb changes shape as you get older, fitter, fatter and so on.
I wish I had known that
Phantom pain is a real....
The one thing I didn’t expect to have such a big impact on
my life is phantom pain and phantom sensations. Nobody knows why it happens and
it doesn’t happen to everyone, and some people experience it in differing
degrees, but for me it was severe and still is. The prevailing theory is that your
brain has a map of the body and knows where to send signals to, but when a limb
is removed, the brain cannot reconcile that there is nothing there anymore, so,
it continues to send signals and gets confused when nothing happens. Phantom Pain
is different from phantom sensations in that sensations are things like itches,
or twitches, or feelings in the non-existent limb. Phantom pain is more like shooting
stabbing pain that feels like someone has jabbed a nine-inch nail through the
heel of your foot or other painful sensations that you just can’t do anything
about.
The lessons I have learned are profound and enduring. They
transcend the physical pain and delve into the realm of resilience, empathy,
and personal growth. My road to embracing life anew after having my leg amputated
was fraught with challenges, but it taught me the importance of advocating for
myself, dispelling judgment based on appearances, listening to my body, seeking
support from others, and finding strength amidst adversity. If I can get
through it, so can you.
Through sharing my story, I hope to shed light on the
often-unseen struggles faced by amputees, and to encourage compassion and
understanding within the medical community. This journey has transformed me
into a person of unwavering determination.
I am determined to embrace life with newfound appreciation
and gratitude. In the face of life’s trials, I have learned that strength lies
not just in the body, but in the resilience of the human spirit. As I continue
on this journey, I carry these lessons with me, grateful for every step I take—both
physically and emotionally, towards a brighter future.
https://app.ubindi.com/Kara.
or
To book your place on one of our free weekend community yoga classes go to:
https://app.ubindi.com/Kara.
To send me an email please go to:
kara@synergy-wellness.me
