i know i wish i had a doc with an amputation..i know what you meen..it like well your this wAy so deal with it...them dumbass docs.dont know shit..lol..and about the bitch post..hey thats ok we all have bad days ,,so i wouldnt be to concerned about ..lol....no big deal man..JEFF

Ooooohhhhh, yeah, do I ever wish the most recent doctors to work on me had similar problems. I developed a rip roaring infection in my lump (as I call it) and they surgically drained the fluid, and packed the abcess with some kind of absorbent "cloth" that bio-degrades into a kind of slimy goo then either oozes out of the incision, or may be pulled out with forceps like a strip of cloth. That part goes OK, not much of a problem.

But the problem starts when they have to re-pack the dry "cloth"... the flap of skin the amputating surgeon chose to use was from the backside of the thigh, and very, very sensitive to touch, on me. The other side of the scar is just ordinary outer hip skin, not really all that sensitive.

Well, these nice folks did not inform me about the packing or exactly what they planned to do, and sliced into the tender part making the hole where they could re-pack the wound RIGHT in the middle of a nerve bundle, it feels like. When that fabric starts getting pushed in, my eyeballs feel like they're doing absolutely everything you've ever seen a cartoon character's do - spin, look different directions, pop out, twirl, you name it - and the pain is what I imagine having a jigsaw blade stuck in the hole might feel like.

If they'd *TOLD* me, I could have pointed out where the incision wouldn't be near so painful, but maybe they couldn't do that because it would require slicing through the scar.

Anyway, this has GOT to be the worst part of this whole ordeal, in my case. They're going to try giving me a pain pill before re-packing again, but I seriously WANT a contact anasthetic similar to Bactine that has Lidocaine in it. I've used it for first aid on some really gory cuts, such as a time when a saw blade slipped and cut into the web between thumb and palm. It took a few spritzes, but about 30 seconds later, the area had gone numb and I couldn't feel ANYTHING. (The alcohol burned like blazes 'til the Lidocaine kicked in, though.)

But, if they'll just numb the area by dripping some Lidocaine onto the opening, I think it'd work a lot better and painlessly; pain pills and my system don't mix well, and I usually end up nauseaous at best or losing the latest meal at worst...

But, They Know Medicine, so we're gonna go the pill route before they figure out the patient SOMETIMES knows what's going to work best...

Turned out it wasn't a pill, it was injected by I.V. line. The nurse convinced the doctor to let us give the lidocaine jelly a try, and THAT did it, she was able to re-pack the abcess without any real PAIN at all: I could feel the movement of the packing going in, but *NO* PAIN!!!

Unfortunately, the painkiller shot into my I.V. got me an upset stomach so I lost breakfast and didn't feel like daring to eat lunch.

Poor nurse was SOOOOOO apologetic, but I finally convinced her it was NOT an allergic reaction and I didn't blame her for it; I do not ordinarily take medications, so what barely fazes most people, seems to hit me harder.

Anyway, next time we're going to skip anything BUT the Lidocaine jelly, and if that's successful as I believe it'll be, at least the remainder of the treatments will go a LOT smoother...

I guess in talking with the nurse (who HAS to follow Doctor's orders) she realized I just might be right about the Lidocaine, and decided to be my advocate intermediary with the doctor.