When the doctors amputated my limbs, they didn’t close the wound right away since they needed to check if there would be an infection.
In case there’s an infection, the doctors may need to amputate again. I already had a below-the-knee amputation, so a cut would mean that they would need to amputate above the knee.
Thankfully, they found nothing wrong with my wound, so after resting for just a day, I had to undergo another surgery. The purpose of that operation was to close the amputation wound.
On the 29th, they allowed me to stay in a regular room. But, my wound wouldn’t close on its own. So, after around 2 weeks, I had skin graft surgery. The doctors took some skin from my thigh and used it to close my amputation wound.
During the management of your amputation surgery, did you experience any symptoms of PTSD?
While I was staying in the hospital, a psychiatrist visited me. They wanted to know if I was having nightmares. I only told them, “Doc, I’m just blessed that I’m still alive.”
After checking my condition, the psychiatrist told me that I reached the stage of acceptance faster than most people. I cried from time to time, because of what happened and because of the pain, but I had no nightmares.
I wouldn’t say that what happened to me was easy to accept, but back then, I thought to myself: “This is the situation now, I have to accept it.”
How long was the process of your rehab and recovery?
The management for the amputation surgery and my rehabilitation therapy took a long time. After about a week of staying in the hospital, I already started with exercises.
At first, I couldn’t move my lower body, so we focused on my upper-body strength. When I got out of the hospital, my therapy sessions continued. I think I had sessions thrice a week.
By December, I was able to stand with the help of a walker. That’s when I began having full-body therapy.
Comments
Share your thoughts
Be the first to let Hello Doctor know your thoughts!
Join Us or Log In to join the discussion