Introduction-- New Member

[Esther L.]

Sean -

RSD is complicated, and I am not a medical professional, so I can't 
really give you
advice.  However, since the original injury was in 2000, I think it 
would be a good
idea to get an opinion from a doctor outside your small town.  I suggest 
you look for
a physiatrist/physical medicine doctor, for a consult. A doctor in this 
specialty does
not do surgeries, but will refer you to a surgeon if they think it's 
warranted. I think
a fresh view of your medical situation from someone with no baggage from the
previous treatment decisions would be a good idea.

If you didn't have RSD, I would say the odds are that a below-knee 
amputation
would have a chance of decreasing your pain and improving your function.
I've met a small number of people who chose amputation to resolve an 
injury, and
they have been happy with the results.  Anecdotes are not science, however.

I'm 41.  I've been a below-knee amputee for 30+ years. My original 
amputation
had the complication of gangrene (resolved by revision amputation). I 
started getting
chubby and inactive after age 35, so I've started bicycling to reduce my 
risk of developing
diabetes.  My husband (a much stronger and more experienced cyclist) and I
went on a 25 mile ride in rolling hills on Saturday (Randolph county, NC).

It's not a bad thing to seek medical care away from home.  My parents 
live in a
very small town, and my Dad traveled to a hospital 80 miles away to have 
toes
amputated due to his diabetes.  He went a similar distance to get 
chemotherapy
when he was treated for colon cancer.  For several years when I was a 
kid, my
parents took me to a prosthetist who was 75 miles away.

Esther

>
>
> In a message dated 9/24/2003 10:43:49 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
> smkincaid at msn.com writes:
>
>>
>> Thanks so much for reading my Short introduction that turned out to 
>> be three
>> pages. I am sorry and I will keep future writings much shorter.
>>
>> Thanks very much.
>> Sean.
>
>
>


-- 
--- 
Esther L. esther-l at alumni.virginia.edu, 
Speaking only for myself