Jimmy,

Let me say right from the start and give you the short answer..... This will NOT end you independence, even with the loss of both legs!

So, a little about me...I am 51 and a right below the knee amputee for just over a year now. I went through a series of bone infections for a year before that which ended in my amputation. I currently am doing everything I was doing before my foot problems...including coaching, hiking and working at a physical job.


You don't give any info about yourself.. age, above the knee or below the knee, health other than your legs, how mobile you currently are, etc. What country you are located in..things like that...so I'll try and keep my comments/suggestions general.


First, talk to the doctors, particularly the surgeon doing the amputation about your concerns, he should be able to help put you at some ease. Also, the hospital should make arrangements for physical therapists to come out to your house to both exercise you while you heal but also help you get the house situated so you can get around your house. They may also help with you initially with you work with your prosthetics. It also just occurred to me and actually this maybe more likely... you can go to a rehabilitation center to heal and to get started with your prosthetics. Again, this will probably be a conversation that takes place in the hospital (mine did) post surgery.


So the hospital should help a lot in getting settled somewhere (home or a rehab center). You should also talk to friends and family in the area and see if that can't help you out from time to time, or check with churches in the area or other volunteer groups (the hospital maybe able to help with this too). See about getting a wheelchair for around the house (if you dont already have one...and some kind of bag/backpack to carry things around the house.

Jimmy, it wont be a quick process, at least 3-4 weeks to heal up from the surgery, before than can start the process to get you into prosthetics. But...it will get better...with some time..some patience and a bit of work, you'll be up walking around. Check out youtube ..there are a bunch of videos of people doing very well as bilateral amputee....so don't give up...there is definitely hope!


If you want to talk some more let me know.


Allen

Thanks for the response. My amputation for both legs will be just above the knee. Due to complications from this diagnosis I have been on disability for awhile. I'm 58, used to be very busy and worked hard, so this has also been a very difficult transition for me. I have had a wheelchair for quite some time to help with transportation around the house, although I do not always need it. My current mobility is quite low due to my pain levels. Also, I 'm fairly socially isolated and live in eastern USA near the great lakes region. My house resides back in the woods and I'm far from town....my surgery will be taking place about an hour and a half away. I've also been concerned with being able to continue to care for my dogs. I'm just having a lot of difficulty asking for help due to how independent I used to be, as well as how i was raised. I guess I feel like depending on others this much will make me less of a person and a burden on my friends.

Yeah I totally understand being limited in mobility and not being able to do what you use to do right now. The big thing you have to remember is that once you recover from the amputation and get going on your prosthetics you will gain a lot of that mobility back and without the pain. Will it be as good as before your medical condition started, no..but you certainly be able to get around being active. The prosthetics are amazing... hydraulic and microprocessor assisted knees and feet, feet made from carbon fiber (that's what I have). So just focus on that and realize that you are going to get most of you mobility back, certainly compared to where you are now!

If you haven't already, talk to some prosthetist. They will be able to give you some thoughts on what to expect and how long it might take to get back on your feet. Most if not all of them will make house calls for at least some of the visits...you will probably have to go to their office a couple times though.

Definitely talk to your doctor..and call the hospital too, they should have a social services group that you can talk to about what kind of help is out there (probably more than you realize). Let them help you it's what they do!

I get the whole being independent thing and not relying on others for help, I'm the same way. But my wound care nurse put it perfectly (back when I had a foot).

"Your job right now is to get better, to get healthy. The sooner you can do that the sooner you can do that the sooner you can be independent again. And the best way to do that is to do the things you have to do to get healthy and letting people help you".

So as much as it is against your nature, let all those people help you, that is what they do. That way you can focus on getting healthy (AND NOT DOING THINGS YOU ARENT SUPPOSE TO OR PUSHING THE LIMITS) and the sooner you can back to your old self.

Keep in touch and let me know how things go!

I'm David. I'm a LBKA from Texas.
I live alone and my amputation has not limited my independence. I use my prosthetic as needed, and a walker and a cane.
I stayed at a place where the bathroom was not handicapped accessible. I would ride up to the door in my wheelchair,put it as close to the door as possible. Get up on my walker and would turn to the shower chair or the toliet. I would repeat those same steps to leave the bathroom.
You are only limited by what you decide you can and cant do.