It was my hope when I started this blog that people would post or send me questions and I could either answer them, point the askers to already published answers, or via the comments allow other people to offer answers. And this blog being very new, I have not been disappointed that no one has participated in this way yet. However, I do know the questions are out there.
See, I know how you found your way here. And I know why you came. TypePad has a feature in the "Control Panel" which allows me to see which search engine(s) drove you here. It also allows me to see your query language. So if you came here looking for TUK mary janes through Danish Yahoo, I can see that. And I can also see if you asked Google for advice on how to combat a skin infection on your stump.
This is kind of cool, because this means you don't have to ask me directly or post revealing information about yourself in a public setting to find answers to your questions. The only bummer is that I will only find out what you are looking for after you have made your search, and you may have already given up looking and never discover that I did eventually answer your question. Oh well. I must do what I can to answer questions I know are out there, no matter how I discover them.
Here are two queries which have brought people to this site of late, but to which I hadn't until now gotten around to posting useful answers:
Transfemoral Stump Wrapping
I am assuming all the people looking for this had recent amputations or know people who have and want to know how to bandage stumps correctly for protection and to reduce swelling. I have the perfect resource, courtesy of the ever-wonderful OandP.com:
A Manual for Above-Knee (Trans-Femoral) Amputees
This is such a useful thing. When I was preparing for my own transfemoral amputation, this let me know what to expect, what would be expected of me, how to care for myself, and when and how I should start. I printed this out and gave a copy to my surgeon, and I showed the surgeon and the nurses the particularly useful section on how to wrap my stump immediately after surgery using wide ace bandages. I told them this was what I wanted to do and I did it. The instructions are so clear, and this manual so useful overall, that three days after surgery, completely off all meds and leads and tubes, I was able to stand on one foot and wrap my own stump correctly on the second try, with no one around to instruct me, just this page printed out.
One thing I don't remember this publication mentioning is that you will actually need about 20 six-inch-wide Ace-style bandages for your aftercare, after you have gone home. Depending on how large you are and whether/how soon you can be fit with shrinkers and then a new leg, for practicality's and hygiene's sake you will need to launder and reuse each bandage, but doing so wears them out quickly as does the tension at which each must be applied. I didn't know this in advance and just didn't think about it until I got home and realized I only had what the hospital had sent me home wearing, which was now crusted over with a sampling of all the nasty things oozing out of my wound. We had to scramble to find a hospital supply company locally which would take our order over the phone and deliver them quickly to our home. It ended up costing about $160, and insurance did not reimburse us. If you can get the hospital to send you home with supplies, it might work out better for you.
Exercises for Transfemoral Amputees
In my post on phantom limb sensation, I recommend yoga as one exercise that might benefit amputees of all kinds for a variety of reasons. However, before you get to the point where you can begin or resume practice, there are a bunch of therapeutic exercises it would behoove you to do. A competent PT will instruct you. However, if you want to guide yourself, I strongly recommend products created by Bob Gailey of Advanced Rehabilitation Therapy.
Bob travels the country doing workshops for amputees and professionals who serve them. You can also learn on your own or with a physical therapist using the tools he sells through his website. I ordered the four-book set entitled "The Rehabilitation Series for Lower Extremity Amputees," went over it with my physical therapist, and then used the exercises we determined would be best religiously until I was back on my feet, strong, and able. The whole set is only $30. (Videos are also available at a much higher price.)
These books are clearly illustrated, contain clear and complete explanations both recent amputees and rehabilitation professionals can understand -- some for each. Books and videos are also available on amputee running.
There, I hope this answers some outstanding questions. If you have others, I hope you will ask. And if you don't ask me and just ask a search engine which drives you here, if the answer's not here when you first arrive, do check back in a couple of weeks. I'm not psychic, but through the miracle of tracking technology, I am able to see what's on your mind.
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