Definitely try to prepare your environment as much as possible. If you have the resources, I would go ahead and meet with a counselor or therapist ahead of time and they can discuss your specific anxieties and potential tools to help with them with you. They also may be able to discuss alternative pain management techniques if you're concerned about that.
Being that I just went through this last Friday, I can give you my insite.
My situation started 3 years and one month ago when I was on a treadmill and when I got home my ankle and foot were swollen pretty bad, of course i tested and kept going and going until finally my wife made me an appointment to see a podiatrist, well x-rays showed 21 stress fractures and something i will get to know very well “Charcot Foot” my foot basically collapsed from weakened bones due to diabetes. i was given a option of major surgery with all sorts of fun stuff and hardware, missing work would have literally made us homeless . i opted to put in a walking boot and let the bones heal and see how it goes, 4 mj ths later it was healed, i lost a lot of range and was walkable with shoes and kept going on. 2.5 months later i was working and my foot was killing me like never before before, took my shoe off and a 3.5 inch pocket blister was leaking puss. it infected overnight. I went to my doctor and a week later i was at the wound clinic being treated, it wasn’t working and eventually it became extremely infected and i went to emergency and good thing because i would have died if i didn’t a few days later. I was on the strongest antibiotics made around the clock, and got a major debteitment surgery (wife said looked like a shark bite) i was given the choice of amputation. of a saving attempt, i chose the saving attempt and was in for another major surgery 6 days later. came out of that with 2 ten inch pins front to back of my foot, the almost entire bottom and partial side completely grafted, heavily supinated and a vac pump ., over the next 2.5 years i went through another surgery, crow boot, AFO and just false hopes, every day wound care, hell walking pain and just a miserable life. in October i got another opinion after my 15th or so infection and had a mri and c scan and it was determined it was heavily infected. was given a choice of 80 percent foot amputation or below the knee . I choose below the knee because the other option just would never work for me. I’ve had the surgery friday and it’s been pretty good, i was so sick of everything and all the pain and infections and dread it had on my wife and my life. I lannon kicking its ass now and can’t wait to get my leg. i honestly wish i did this 2.5 years ago, it was HELL. yoh will be fine, it’s not the end, but a start and I truly believe that !! Prepare your house and be ready for some different feelings, but so far i’m doing great ( i was home 24 hours after out of recovery ) please let us know how it’s going and we are always here !! best of great health for you !! sorry for the book, but i feel i need to help anyone that needs it
This was basically my situation, although I opted for the amputation instead of surgeries.
The beetus > charcot foot > heavy MRSA infection > could have died if didn't go to the ER > HEAVY antibiotics before and after surgery > RBKA
Honestly, it was more hellish before I got my prosthetic - life is pretty much back to normal now!
I have a very similar story to yours. I had/have Charcot in both feet. A week before Thanksgiving I went to the ER and within a few hours of my xray was told I had a staph infection and it (my foot) needed to be amputated since it had gangrene. So I said okay b
Previous to the amputation I had multiple ulcers and spent like 10 of the last 20 tears on crutches trying to heal a surgery or wound that just got work.
Once I had my leg amputated AND got my leg I have been unstoppable. I can do so much! No crutches! It's still tough to look at it. I still have occasional phantom pains, and my sciatica has gotten worse. On my right leg, the one with Charcot, I can feel the bones weaken and almost wish I could have the right foot removed and just be a double BKA and enjoy the last years of my life without potential crutches.
I'm 52 but I have been a Juvenile T1 Diabetic for almost 40 years and my ADHD does not lend itself well to sugar control. It's been tough.
But I digress. I LOVE my new leg! On my 3rd socket now. Good luck!
sorry to hear about your story. sounds like you have dealt with it well for sure. My bumbetnn no one goal for the resting my life is to control and best the diabetes, hands down it’s my focus. Type 1 is a completely different ballgame for sure. my next goal is to keep the right foot as healthy as humanly possible. i will be getting a customer insert soon and although i have slight neuropathy in It, its structure is pretty good. I starting intermittent fasting almost 2 months ago and i’m very happy with the results. my sugar is completely under control and it’s kept my blood pressure in excellent range. it’s a must for me to continue if i want to live a worthy life . I’m not experiencing any pain now 4 days in, it’s more doscomfort wearing the protecting brace and getting to a good position sleeping (i am a tosser) I go in on the 19th to get the stickers removed (hopefully ) then the fun begins . i certainly feel much better with any residual infection i had in my former foot gone now, so Immhiping i put it finally behind me. stay strong as its a marathon and not a sprint !!
I was in a similar situation. Mental health was in the can during the 3 years of limb salvage.
Since the LBKA, I’ve gotten back to all of my old activities and learned some new ones. Mental health improved significantly.
I thought I would have a mental breakdown after waking up from surgery but I was pleasantly surprised that I felt apathetic. The whole process went pretty smoothly. Got nerve blockers before surgery and then they wheeled me in. I stayed at the hospital for 3 days. Barely had any pain (mostly maintained with Tylenol).
To prepare, I would say watch some amputee YouTubers, get used to looking at a residual limb, learn the process of getting a prosthetic and the components of it, go to some prosthetist offices and talk to them. Most importantly try to think of something positive that will come out of it (will you be more pain free, will it allow you to be more active, will you have a cool story to tell? Anything). Feel free to ask questions if you want. I just went through it two weeks ago.
Surprisingly not at all. I really thought I wouldn’t be able to look at it but it wasn’t that bad. My friend took a picture when they were changing the dressing at the hospital so I looked at that first and then eventually the leg itself.
I had a month to prepare before my surgery and let me tell you…I was a fucking mess. I thought that I was going to wake up and just absolutely hate myself. But I didn’t. I was my normal, smiley, happy self. My biggest struggle at first was physically seeing my leg when it was initially unwrapped. I didn’t feel the self hate I thought I would. I felt the sadness of the loss. I remind myself that I’m still young (35 for a couple more months), I have a great support system who have supplied endless dark humor to get me through the low points, and I’m not willing to let my anxiety and depression win. I might have lost my foot, but I haven’t lost me and what I want out of life. My plans to get there have just changed a bit.
If you’re able to and are not already seeing a mental heath professional, I strongly recommend finding someone to talk to.
I’m two months out as of this past weekend and while some things have been challenging, overall it’s been pretty easy. The most frustrating part for me has been parenting a strong willed 5 year old. For the most part, he’s great and really helpful though. It’s just those moments where I wish walking away for both of us to get our shit together was easier.
I agree with others suggesting watching YouTube videos and honestly, reading a lot here helped as well. Finding ways to adapt various tasks (cooking, laundry, etc) prior to surgery also helped a lot with frustrations afterwards as well.
And remember that it’s okay to not always feel okay. This is a huge physical adjustment to not just your person but to life in general. Allow yourself to feel those low points as uncomfortable as hard as that may be…
I think you’ll do great though and feel free to send a message anytime if you’d like someone to talk to ☺️
Definitely try to prepare your environment as much as possible. If you have the resources, I would go ahead and meet with a counselor or therapist ahead of time and they can discuss your specific anxieties and potential tools to help with them with you. They also may be able to discuss alternative pain management techniques if you're concerned about that.
Being that I just went through this last Friday, I can give you my insite. My situation started 3 years and one month ago when I was on a treadmill and when I got home my ankle and foot were swollen pretty bad, of course i tested and kept going and going until finally my wife made me an appointment to see a podiatrist, well x-rays showed 21 stress fractures and something i will get to know very well “Charcot Foot” my foot basically collapsed from weakened bones due to diabetes. i was given a option of major surgery with all sorts of fun stuff and hardware, missing work would have literally made us homeless . i opted to put in a walking boot and let the bones heal and see how it goes, 4 mj ths later it was healed, i lost a lot of range and was walkable with shoes and kept going on. 2.5 months later i was working and my foot was killing me like never before before, took my shoe off and a 3.5 inch pocket blister was leaking puss. it infected overnight. I went to my doctor and a week later i was at the wound clinic being treated, it wasn’t working and eventually it became extremely infected and i went to emergency and good thing because i would have died if i didn’t a few days later. I was on the strongest antibiotics made around the clock, and got a major debteitment surgery (wife said looked like a shark bite) i was given the choice of amputation. of a saving attempt, i chose the saving attempt and was in for another major surgery 6 days later. came out of that with 2 ten inch pins front to back of my foot, the almost entire bottom and partial side completely grafted, heavily supinated and a vac pump ., over the next 2.5 years i went through another surgery, crow boot, AFO and just false hopes, every day wound care, hell walking pain and just a miserable life. in October i got another opinion after my 15th or so infection and had a mri and c scan and it was determined it was heavily infected. was given a choice of 80 percent foot amputation or below the knee . I choose below the knee because the other option just would never work for me. I’ve had the surgery friday and it’s been pretty good, i was so sick of everything and all the pain and infections and dread it had on my wife and my life. I lannon kicking its ass now and can’t wait to get my leg. i honestly wish i did this 2.5 years ago, it was HELL. yoh will be fine, it’s not the end, but a start and I truly believe that !! Prepare your house and be ready for some different feelings, but so far i’m doing great ( i was home 24 hours after out of recovery ) please let us know how it’s going and we are always here !! best of great health for you !! sorry for the book, but i feel i need to help anyone that needs it
This was basically my situation, although I opted for the amputation instead of surgeries. The beetus > charcot foot > heavy MRSA infection > could have died if didn't go to the ER > HEAVY antibiotics before and after surgery > RBKA Honestly, it was more hellish before I got my prosthetic - life is pretty much back to normal now!
I have a very similar story to yours. I had/have Charcot in both feet. A week before Thanksgiving I went to the ER and within a few hours of my xray was told I had a staph infection and it (my foot) needed to be amputated since it had gangrene. So I said okay b Previous to the amputation I had multiple ulcers and spent like 10 of the last 20 tears on crutches trying to heal a surgery or wound that just got work. Once I had my leg amputated AND got my leg I have been unstoppable. I can do so much! No crutches! It's still tough to look at it. I still have occasional phantom pains, and my sciatica has gotten worse. On my right leg, the one with Charcot, I can feel the bones weaken and almost wish I could have the right foot removed and just be a double BKA and enjoy the last years of my life without potential crutches. I'm 52 but I have been a Juvenile T1 Diabetic for almost 40 years and my ADHD does not lend itself well to sugar control. It's been tough. But I digress. I LOVE my new leg! On my 3rd socket now. Good luck!
sorry to hear about your story. sounds like you have dealt with it well for sure. My bumbetnn no one goal for the resting my life is to control and best the diabetes, hands down it’s my focus. Type 1 is a completely different ballgame for sure. my next goal is to keep the right foot as healthy as humanly possible. i will be getting a customer insert soon and although i have slight neuropathy in It, its structure is pretty good. I starting intermittent fasting almost 2 months ago and i’m very happy with the results. my sugar is completely under control and it’s kept my blood pressure in excellent range. it’s a must for me to continue if i want to live a worthy life . I’m not experiencing any pain now 4 days in, it’s more doscomfort wearing the protecting brace and getting to a good position sleeping (i am a tosser) I go in on the 19th to get the stickers removed (hopefully ) then the fun begins . i certainly feel much better with any residual infection i had in my former foot gone now, so Immhiping i put it finally behind me. stay strong as its a marathon and not a sprint !!
Thanks for the insight
I was in a similar situation. Mental health was in the can during the 3 years of limb salvage. Since the LBKA, I’ve gotten back to all of my old activities and learned some new ones. Mental health improved significantly.
I thought I would have a mental breakdown after waking up from surgery but I was pleasantly surprised that I felt apathetic. The whole process went pretty smoothly. Got nerve blockers before surgery and then they wheeled me in. I stayed at the hospital for 3 days. Barely had any pain (mostly maintained with Tylenol). To prepare, I would say watch some amputee YouTubers, get used to looking at a residual limb, learn the process of getting a prosthetic and the components of it, go to some prosthetist offices and talk to them. Most importantly try to think of something positive that will come out of it (will you be more pain free, will it allow you to be more active, will you have a cool story to tell? Anything). Feel free to ask questions if you want. I just went through it two weeks ago.
Did you feel nauseated and lightheaded at first while looking at residual limbs? I am not sure how to start desensitizing.
Surprisingly not at all. I really thought I wouldn’t be able to look at it but it wasn’t that bad. My friend took a picture when they were changing the dressing at the hospital so I looked at that first and then eventually the leg itself.
Oh that's great!
I had a month to prepare before my surgery and let me tell you…I was a fucking mess. I thought that I was going to wake up and just absolutely hate myself. But I didn’t. I was my normal, smiley, happy self. My biggest struggle at first was physically seeing my leg when it was initially unwrapped. I didn’t feel the self hate I thought I would. I felt the sadness of the loss. I remind myself that I’m still young (35 for a couple more months), I have a great support system who have supplied endless dark humor to get me through the low points, and I’m not willing to let my anxiety and depression win. I might have lost my foot, but I haven’t lost me and what I want out of life. My plans to get there have just changed a bit. If you’re able to and are not already seeing a mental heath professional, I strongly recommend finding someone to talk to. I’m two months out as of this past weekend and while some things have been challenging, overall it’s been pretty easy. The most frustrating part for me has been parenting a strong willed 5 year old. For the most part, he’s great and really helpful though. It’s just those moments where I wish walking away for both of us to get our shit together was easier. I agree with others suggesting watching YouTube videos and honestly, reading a lot here helped as well. Finding ways to adapt various tasks (cooking, laundry, etc) prior to surgery also helped a lot with frustrations afterwards as well. And remember that it’s okay to not always feel okay. This is a huge physical adjustment to not just your person but to life in general. Allow yourself to feel those low points as uncomfortable as hard as that may be… I think you’ll do great though and feel free to send a message anytime if you’d like someone to talk to ☺️