Ertl Amputation: One Year Later

Tuesday, January 06 2009 -

It has been an interesting year full of highs and incredible lows. With just a few hours before surgery she was all smiles:

That first day was hard. Just now, sitting back and rereading what I wrote then brought back all the uncertainty and fear that we were experiencing.

Day Zero

The next few days things didn't go so well. Carol ran a major fever 104+ and the doctors couldn't figure out what was going on.

Day 2 and here

Day 3

Day 4 and Day 5 I had to go back to work. She was supposed to be out of the hospital by now, but wasn't even close to leaving.

On Day 8 we finally managed to leave the hospital.

[Graphic images below]

 

 

 

 

Once we got home things should have gone smoothly, but they didn't. Carol's wound wasn't closing and Dr. Ertl put her on a vacuum pump in an attempt to help the wound heal faster. It worked for a few days, but after that it just seemed to make things worse. She was loosing good flesh and the bad stuff was still there. The stump was incredibly swollen and we were up all night with terrible phantom pain. Carol was constantly telling me how it felt like someone just crushed her foot with a hammer, or ripped her toes off her foot.

We went from this on Day 12 to this at Week 5

Four months after surgery she finally went in and got her prosthetic.

That process took incredibly long, as has everything else associated with her amputation.

That's the past though... where are we now?

Carol has a well fitting prosthetic. She is back at work and can stand, walk, and even run. For the most part she walks better now than she did before the surgery. At the end of the day, if she's done a lot of standing or walking, she says her leg hurts a little. The nights of phantom pain are essentially gone. She's been to the gym a few times, but has been holding off getting serious about it until the bone bridge fully heals. That typically takes a year.

From the stand point of pain and quality of life, I think she feels like she is better off now than then. If you asked her if she would do it again, she would say yes. It hasn't been easy and there have been lots of little adjustments to make, but she's come through it just fine. I'm proud of her. She's got more courage and drive than most people I've met. On top of that she's one damn smart lady.

I'm looking forward to the year two update.

2 comment(s)

Richard Blalock wrote on January 23, 2008

I am preparing to undergo this procedure, likely next month. I have had a number of procedures to my ankle to try to restore my ability to run, but the ankle joint is just shot.

My prior operation was very painful, more than I expected, especially since I have read where nerve blocks allowed some to feel little or no pain. I am not in any way looking forward to that, and have to put myself mentally in the future to get past it.

I am glad you have gotten through this to a more normal life. Just wondering in hindsight if you would have done anything differently, from presurgery preparation to investigating pain management?

Thanks for posting your journey. I am sure it will helps others with the knowledge you've imparted here.

Tim wrote on January 23, 2008

Richard,

It isn't really my place to answer your questions since I was just the bystander. Carol said she would try and post something soon in response.