Amputation- Good idea or not?

[Frank's Mom]

Amputation was talked about before in some posts but I wanted to hear from anyone who has amputated their useless arm. My son is contemplating this and I wanted to hear from anyone who has done this and if they had any regrets.

[jennyb]

Hi Frank's mom,
I still haven't had mine amputated, altho I made up my mind to do it a few years ago. I keep getting thrown off the waiting list for the public health system as it's an elective surgery. I could pay privately but everytime I get any kind of savings together some other crisis has cropped up and my arm isn't a high enough priority. I will definitely do it, I don't fancy going into old age with an arm that already looks 20 years older than me and is a fragile and helpless as a newborn baby. I have developed muscle wastage on one side of my back and hip and knee problems related to walking unbalanced all the time to carry several pounds of arm. I felt more comfortable having it there when I was young and vain but now it's just a pain in the proverbial. I wish I'd done it sooner, but you don't notice how unbalanced you are until you get to middle age. My doctor checked the soles of my shoes and showed me how unevenly they were worn, carrying a dead arm has affected my whole gait and body alignment.
I have talked to many people who have amputated and not one of them regrets it. If you type "amputation" into the search box at the top of the message board you get loads of posts about it with replies from people who have amputated their arm.
It's not something to go into lightly, and I personally felt very uncomfortable at the idea of my arm being disposed of by the hospital. I told the consultant and he said I would be allowed to take it and bury it. One guy I know buried his in the Welsh Mountains. I think deciding to amputate is something you will know when it's the right time for you. It took me a long time to be certain, but I am now. For a long time I was horrified at the idea. Some people get there pretty fast and do it early on. I have never talked to anyone who regretted it, and I've been looking into this for the last 5 or 6 years.
Good luck to Frank with his choice, please let us know how he goes.
Jen NZ

[jennyb]

ps-one important thing-it doesn't do anything to get rid of the particular type of nerve pain suffered in avulsion cases.It seems to be a kind of phantom limb pain and the amputation won't help with that. I can't remember how far into the injury Frank is, the pain does get much less in any case in a lot of people within 3/5 years. Mine is a lot less painful than it was but I can still get a good jolt in the hand every now and then, which is why I logged on tonight. The only time I think about my arm is when it hurts!
If I amputated I would be doing it purely to address joint wear and postural alignment issues, and because I think not carrying that vulnerable arm around will make me much more able to be active.
I hope some of the amputees see this post, I'll put a link onto the UK tbpi group.
Cheers
Jen NZ

[RicRob]

Totally agree jennyb.

Suffered total avulsion aged 29.

Lots of pain

Arm hanging, useless was really restricting me in everyday life.

Amputated appox 3 years later.

Still lots of pain.

But had freedom. Life got back on track

PS. Now quite old..


Message was edited by: RicRob

[Henry]

I usually put my 2 cents in when this Q comes up.

Decided to take mine off a year after the injury (the arm was badly damaged too), and never regretted it. 25 years later, I still remember the feeling of freedom after waking up with it gone. Made no diff with pain, but big diff with life. I left enough to fill a t-shirt sleeve and keep coats on.

Big decision, yes! But we are in a tough place where these decisions are ours to make. BTW, mine was incerated - doesn't really matter to me what happened to it.

Good luck!!

Henry

[mjq1602]

Well I have just been to see my consultant and had really hoped to go through all the pro's and cons with him regarding amputation. Unfortunately it turned out to be a waste of time. he seemed far to busy to go into it much. (120 patients to be seen in 2 hours and only 4 doctors to see them. Typical NHS)

He is however referring me to a specialist brachial plexus centre so I can see what options I may have.

But at the end of the day I strongly believe amputation is the way to go, i just have to jump through the necessary hoops before I get there!

I just think having the freedom it would give me would be amazing. And I'm sure i'd be able to keep fitter better.

I'd be very happy if I was able to go for the surgery tomorrow, i'd be skipping along to the O.R.

Only people with this kind of injury could understand this. unfortunately relatives and friends can't seem to get their heads around it.

Well that's my tuppins worth.

All the best


Mike

[Yeti]

Hi folks I'm Yeti from TBPI Group in the UK. Got Jenny B's link to this thread. If you have a quick look at my profile you'll see that I don't regret at all having the "chop".
My arm (after my recovery from the crash an 1974...yup I'm that old...)was draining a lot of vitality from the rest of my body, it was always hanging down in the wrong place (getting burnt on the cooker and knocking drinks off tables etc) I'd lost a lot of weight and feeling generally unwell for most of the time...no energy or enthusiasm for anything much. Got the arm amputated in '77 and after the post-op swelling have gone down, got a plastic arm fitted. Do all that stuff and more with the occasional help from the plastic but never ever have regretted having the op.
I got fitter healthier and regained some of my former energy (the chronic pain wore me down a lot before and after and still does after all these years...so iot doesn't get rid of the pain as one of your members correctly pointed out)
If you're 100% certain that the arm will not work again and it is beginning to deteriorate, I personally recommend the chop. I go into a bit more detail on our own website, but just thought I'd pop in and say hi from across the "pond"
Yeti / Ewan
P.S. Hi to Jenny and Catie
and mustn't forget to send a big hug to Courtney
("Hi sis.... when's the wedding????" Hi to Jeff too (mustn't forget one of the bravest guys in the US)

[Susie Kaye]

A car accident in 2000 left me with my entire right arm and half my shoulder dead. We waited 3 yrs with not one tiny bit of recovery. The dead weight hanging from my neck was so painful and trouble-some, that I decided to have it amputated. He took off the entire arm, except the ball in the socket. He did a great job. I expected gross and it isn't. The others are right about how freeing it is. I have never been sorry.

God bless your decision.

Susie

[mjq1602]

Hi Ewan tried to email you but your email not being recogised. Anyway if your on agin you'll see my message below;

Hi there Ewan,

Read your post with some interest. You may have read mine and noticed I’m thinking of amputation and I am at the moment doing some research and looking at the pro’s and cons.

The main reason is to get rid of the dead weight of the arm and be free of it once and for all. I try to imagine how free I’d feel after it or is that just wishful thinking!

I too like to keep quite active and feel the arm is holding me back. I notice that you shoot clay. I remember a few years ago I was up the north of Scotland with my wife and inlaws. We went clay pigeon shooting and I remember the horrible feeling I had when I wasn’t able to do it. What a downer!

Anyway I’m assuming your prosthetic allows you to do these kind of things. Would you be good enough to tell me what kind of prosthetic you use (and did you get it from the god old NHS) and what kind of practicalities it has. I am a keen cyclist and would certainly be hoping for one that would grip the handlebar.

Any information or advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks


Mike

[jennyb]

Hi mike
If you want Yeti he usually hangs out here http://p098.ezboard.com/badultswithbrac ... usinjuries it's the messageboards for the UK tbpi group. If you find a post from him there the email might be more up to date, or maybe post asking him to contact you.
Best of luck!
Jen NZ