Hi - to Sean

[Valerie Roth]

I read your post and felt compelled to respond.  
Similar to you, my dad had a very odd accident a year
ago this week.  The elevator at his factory snapped
and it fell two floors.  He crushed both his feet from
the impact.  After 9 months of being laid up in bed,
then a wheelchair, then crutches with rotator cuffs in
his feet -- he got an infection in one of the legs. 
It seemed like a huge setback at the time as he always
intended to heal on his two legs  After hearing the
news of the infection, some deep soul searching and
conversations with trusted orthopedic surgeons, he
decided to get a bk amp.  It's been three months and
while it's been emotionally and physically challenging
at times, he is now driving, swimming, walking with a
cane and getting stronger everyday.  Plus, my mom and
him can go out to dinner and movies much more easily
than thet ever could!

Stay strong and talk to lots of people (espcially
those you trust) -- you'll come to what's right for
you.  If you need more info and/or would like to email
me privately, my email is vroth_2000 at yahoo.com.

Best, Valerie

  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: AMP-L-owner at u.washington.edu
> > [mailto:AMP-L-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of
> Sean Kincaid
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 10:43 PM
> > To: Amputee Information Network
> > Subject: Introduction-- New Member
> >
> >
> > Hi gang,
> > My name is Sean, I am 44 and I am a newbie to this
> group, but I am not an
> > amputee….yet. I will try to make my introduction
> as brief as
> > possible, but
> > in time I hope to discuss a huge number of issues
> concerning
> > actually having
> > most likely a below the knee amputation and
> whether or not I am
> > better off
> > the way I am or if I could be healthier, happier,
> in less pain,
> > and able to
> > get back into participating in life in general if
> I had the amputation. I
> > will try for a brief introduction, but sometime or
> over time I
> > will likely
> > need to give some more details to fill in missing
> pieces in order
> > for other
> > members and most especially the professional
> members if there are
> > any such
> > as prosthetists, physicians, or others to enable
> them to help me out and
> > make suggestions. I do not want anyone at all to
> feel like I value a
> > professional’s opinion more, because the only way
> to really know is the
> > proverbial walking a mile in one’s shoes makes the
> expert in much of the
> > ways that matter!
> >
> > Briefly, I was involved in an odd accident March
> 2000 when I was
> > out for my
> > usual evening 5 mile run (five nights a week) and
> accidentally
> > fell through
> > some thin, cheap boards that were covering a heavy
> metal utility box that
> > was being installed in front of a house under
> construction. It was later
> > determined that the construction workers were
> using the bottom
> > and sides of
> > the pit surrounding the box with a to discard a
> great deal of
> > trash that was
> > composed mainly of old plastic disposable drinking
> glasses, empty
> > aluminum
> > cans and a few glass beer and Yahoo bottles.
> Either the hole was
> > dug way too
> > big or it is needed that way until all the
> neighborhood cutoff
> > valve and the
> > house meters, wires, and pipes are in place before
> concrete is poured in
> > around the box and the job finished. This is a
> prime example of an old
> > saying in my family that if it were not for bad
> luck, we would
> > have no luck
> > at all. That is pathetic, but true.
> >
> > As a result, at first it seemed that I had just
> severely broken a
> > couple of
> > bones in my right foot and had a number of small
> but deep
> > lacerations with
> > one that was deep and long enough that it went up
> the top of most
> > of my foot
> > and part of my lower ankle. After I was all
> cleaned up, and given pain
> > medication, I felt like I truly got off easy in
> the ordeal.
> > However, after
> > several bouts with severe cellulites if the entire
> leg from my toes to my
> > hip and  while in casts (hard and removable both)
> and was strictly on two
> > crutches for 21 weeks I finally found the true
> problem. The ellucidatin
> > occurred after seeking a second orthopedic opinion
> and I was told
> > to put on
> > a pair of high top work boots and do away with the
> crutches and follow a
> > program of “work hardening” and quit being a
> “wimp” that I  developed a
> > circulation problem called Reflex Sympathetic
> Dystrophy, After I
> > was treated
> > for that by an anesthesiologist and had many
> courses of
> > injections along the
> > side of my spine with six inch needles that it was
> determined that many
> > nerves and blood vessels were shredded along with
> underlying
> > muscle and soft
> > tissue by 27 grams of plastic shards were removed
> from my foot, leg, and
> > several other places on my body after the spinal
> shots helped
> > take down the
> > swelling. I had two additional surgeries attempt
> to repair the
> > damage with a
> > surgical team which consisted of an orthopedist, a
> general surgeon, a
> > neurosurgeon and a vascular surgeon. After two
> tries (9 hours and
> > 11 hours
> > respectfully), they decided they have done all
> that can be done
> > and that I
> > will need to live with the rest of the injuries
> that they could
> > not repair.
> > Four of the most bothersome deficits I am left
> with are one, numbness in
> > many large area of my foot and ankle such that I
> can go out and
> > walk and if
> > I have a little rock or rough spot in my shoe, I
> usually develop a sore a
> > day or two later that takes three or more weeks to
> heal with very careful
> > care. Two, I have moderate drop foot and must wear
> either an AFO
> > orthotic or
> > high top shoes and an Air Cast stirrup almost all
> my 
=== message truncated ===


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