I have posted these photos to answer questions that other amputees have asked, and i want to help as much as i can.
Many people have asked me, what does your injury look like? Is it like mine? How long will it take to heal? Do you have any bones sticking out? Does it hurt? When will i be able to walk again?
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| Top of left thigh |
This is a picture of the top of my left thigh, it has had a skin graft over bare muscle. as you can see i am missing the layer of fat and layers of skin you may still have. I also don't have any pores/ hair so when i get hot my leg just feels warm.
It's been 5 months since my accident and believe it or not this has greatly improved. The skin colour is slowly going to more pale pink were as before it looked like a beef burger. It is still sensitive a bit like if someone strokes the underside of your foot, but not painful. Those lines you can see are veins under the skin, that's how thin the skin is but it will thicken with time and fade. Also the skin on the left top is still swollen and i have very poor sensation in it which again will go down in time. (E45 is a god send use it day and night it makes your skin nice and flat)
To answer your question:.
1) how long will it take to heal?
Well my legs not going to grow back, but the scaring will fade. I have a scold on my chest with a skin graft which happened when i was 1 year old I'm now 33 and it is nearly flat and fading, just looks like a rash in hot weather. So 5 to 10 years to really start to fade.
2) do you have bones sticking out?
When they took off my knee they had to saw down the thigh bone so that my muscle could be folded over to cover my bone. So on the top at the right end edge of my bone is close to the surface and feels like your elbow under your skin. except mine is under a thin layer of muscle. Unfortunately when i put on my prosthesis it can rub and sometime make a crunching feeling. i guess this will settle down with time.
3) When will i be able to walk again?
My accident was 5 months ago since then i have gone from a PAM aid to a starter prosthetic leg. It still needs tweaking and rubs in private areas but i am able to walk (with sticks) only short distances. But i will build this up and once the prosthetic is comfortable i will be able to do a lot more. If you still have your knee and you haven't had any complications with surgery then i have seen people get there prosthetic and they are walking without sticks within 3 months!. So it's all down to you really.
The fact that you can talk about your injury so calmly is something to be applauded. You are very brave for putting up photo of your healing thigh, and looking forward to the future instead of dwelling on the past. What happened in your car accident? Was any sort of injury or accident claim made or filed? Good luck with your continuing recovery!
ReplyDeleteHi Javier
ReplyDeleteThanks you for the kind words. If you look at earlier posts i discribe what actualy happend to me but to give you the short version i was cycling to work and a big arctic truck came into the cycle lane and dragged me under it's wheels instantly taking my leg off. He's still going through the courts and i've got an insurance claim against the drivers company as well. Thanks x
Hello Suzi it was nice meeting you the other day at Seacroft .You have done brilliantly to say it was five months since your accident,much respect to you.I hope you continue to recuperate back to good health and good luck with Ben Nevis.P.S I,ll owe you some money.
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