We are not doctors here, just caring people who support one another through life's many unfortunate circumstances.

I don't know where you would go to get your question answered but it would seem to me that even having a prosthetic leg would present a whole new set of problems. Maybe I'm wrong but if it were me, I wouldn't let any doctor cut me with a knife unless my life depended on it.

You could ask your primary care physician to refer him to a specialist, if you haven't done that already. Maybe someone else in this group can give you a better answer. I will keep you and dad in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless

Your best bet would be a major University Hospital with a Research program, even then it takes a Majority vote of a Board to do this type of Surgery, 1 Dr. cannot decide it since your taking a live healthy limb from a person.

Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Houston Methodist, Baylor, Memorial Herman, UC San Francisco, Cleveland Clinic and Mass Gen

These would be my short list on good hospitals to check with, even though the odds are still against what you want,

https://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/treatments/Pages/Below-Knee-Amputation.aspx

This is an article that explains why you can't just amputate a leg below the knee, why it would not be valid for a prosthesis. There are certain things a knee has to be able to do and most of these it doesn't sound as if your fathers can.

Take care.

Hi there,
I have worked with people when I was nursing. It may seem like the best solution to amputate but then you get phantom leg pain. which is very bad. Iall I can say is think about it long and hard. I know I often wish that after my accident they would have taken my leg. But when I worked with people who had prosthesis I saw it is not easy. A lot of them get sore from the braces. It's not easy to walk or move around without a leg. it is also very hard to deal with having a brace for a leg. I live with daily leg pain, but I am happy I have a leg, I can walk now with a cane. I have learned how to walk. But it took years. with braces. I hope you do not suffer with pain. We cant tell you what to do. We are here for support of either decision, good luck casey

Is it because the damage to his spinal chord? There is a risk of infections . At the age of 65 you start to slow down physically.Even with a prosthetic leg you at times rely on your arm strength. Think about when he is 70 and has to get around when he has the leg off. I think a motorized chair would help him get around better and enjoy himself more.

Hi, I understand your dilemma all too well. About 6 months ago my mom had hip surgery and as a result of nerve damage ended up with drop foot. It has turned her from a completely independent woman to someone who uses a walker and is very unhappy with it and getting weaker all the time.

I guess the question you have to ask is he strong enough to do all the recovery and PT involved in having a leg amputated and then learning to use a prosthetic? Could he get used to a brace and maybe a cane with lots of rehab? My mom has a new brace that is pretty amazing and if she were willing to really push herself I think she could get around with a cane. She has no feeling from about mid-cafe down.

Good luck, I feel for your struggle and you wanting so badly to help your dad. Take care.

I want to make a disclaimer - I am not a doctor, but I have some experience in in diseases of the spine.
What does the EMG show ?
Based on what you have provided, I have to side with his doctors and agree that the amputation will be a bad idea. You are not only disrupting the bones and the vascular supply, but also the muscles and the tendons. Even though the leg is atrophied, the tendons and muscles are attached exactly the way they are suppose to, to maintain the shape of the leg.
Amputations are incredibly traumatic and incredibly painful. I had to teach people how to get out of bed, how to sit, how to walk after amputations - the pain is unreal.
Maybe it would be different for your father, since he wants it, rather than is forced to have it, but I think there is a huge risk of complications from an amputation one can avoid while living with an atrophied leg.
If the damage is st the spinal cord level, removing the leg is not going to fix the problem. Demyelination of the nerve coming from the back caused irreversible loss of function. If you remove the dead leg, you are still not fixinng the cause of the problem. If he gets a prosthesis, it will be just like having another dead leg.
I would suggest going to a major city like New York, Boston and consulting with a microneurosurgeon to see if he is a candidate for a nerve graft instead. If he has a dead nerve in the leg, they may be able to replace the nerve.

Good luck !

Castmac sounded like Dr. House for a minute there. It's my leg, it's always been my leg, I want to keep it. I have just an opinion on this as I have a damaged leg from chronic blood clots. I have actually thought about getting my leg chopped off. I actually would do it if I could. That is how you know someone is not faking their pain for meds. I have a theory that a prosthetic limb does not need good blood flow in order to function. I theorize that I will be able to stand up for 8-10 hours a day and even walk as far as I want without pain and leg swelling, because the metal leg would not have a blood supply or feel pain. But, all the doc's say it is better to have a badly functioning leg and a leg in pain than to have no leg at all. I do feel fortunate that I can sometimes stand for 4 hours a day with the assistance of pain meds and do most things that I used to be able to do before my accident. I still don't have enough strength in my leg to climb stairs without a cane/stick, and I have to come down the stairs sliding down the wall with my right arm in order to be able to get down the stairs without falling. I can climb the stairs normally only is I bend down so low that I have no center of gravity, then I can cripple myself up the stairs without straddling the staircase. But, even if I do this too many times, my leg will swell and I will be limping and have a pain flare.

Ultimately it's up to your pops on what he wants to do. If he feels he can have a better quality of life, then it is his decision. There are people born with deformed feet who have an amputation and can walk for the first time. I would seek out one of the best most qualified surgeons for opinions as a lot of doctors are not skilled in this type of thing. I would do a lot of research. It sounds like your pops is a fighter and will fight to get his strength back after said surgery. But the nerve damage is also an issue, because it can still affect the part of the leg that they do not amputate and cause issues. So, there is that to consider. I really feel for your pops. You're a good caregiver to try and find answers for him. Keep on searching. That is how we find the answers and information we need to move forward. Hugs.