Amputee Motivation, Prosthetist choice. So, you’re amputated, lying in a hospital bed, wondering how did I get here, more importantly, where do I go from here, what happens next, what to expect? Feeling a limb that is clearly no longer there. That’s phantom pain they tell you, what? Phantom pain, what is that who is the phantom pain, where did he come from, when do I get painkillers for him, and how do I get rid of him? One of many new normal adjustments I now
must make, without warning or education I might add. Your mind trying to adjust and come to grips with the reality that your life is now forever changed, never to be the same. What am I going to do thought fill
your mind, can I still do the type of things I use to do before, the same type of work, dance, play sports, run, swim, ski, even though I don’t ski, never did, but you get my drift, ride a horse, go skating, walk downtown?
Hi, my name is Greg. All your thought now interrupted by who? Greg, I am your prosthetist referred to you by your Dr. How are you today? Missing a foot, that’s how I’m doing. I’m lying in this bed, scared, that’s how
I’m doing, how are you doing? Then Greg begins to talk about options and prosthetics and insurance plans and therapy, things that I have never considered, using words I don’t understand. And so, it begins, the amputee/prosthetist relationship.
I’m curious, how many amputees made a prosthetist choice, and how would you find your own prosthetist if you did choose. I’m equally curious to know how many amputees chose there prosthetic. And again, how would I go about doing that? These are now the questions I have 4 years post amputation. I am now in a prosthetic that is quite uncomfortable, now that my insurance has changed since I now have Medicaid, don’t get me wrong, I am
not complaining about the insurance, I am grateful to have it, rather could I be doing better, if I knew better, could I be doing better for myself and my daily lifestyle. So, I have decided to find the answers to my own question, and I will share my results and findings in this article. Do I have a chose in my prosthetist and how do I find and make an informed prosthetist choice? And do I have a chose in the prosthetic that my prosthetist fits me for, and
how do I choose a prosthetic?
When making a Prosthetist Choice, there are three steps you could follow.
Step 1: Generate your list. Make a list of prosthetists in your area. Ask for referrals from support groups and other amputees. Ask your doctor to refer a prosthetist to you.
Step 2: Evaluate your options. Take into consideration the distance your home is in relation to the office you will have to go to for fittings. You will go back and forth to visit your prosthetist quite often for fittings that
will require multiple visits. Ask the prosthetists for a list of current patients in there care you could speak with for more information in evaluating prosthetists.
Step 3: Make the most of your relationship. Bring up any concerns you may have regarding your prosthetic and your prosthetic care. Your prosthetist job is to address any concerns you may have.
As I sat down to begin the process of answering my own questions. I had a few more questions for myself, what exactly am I looking for in a prosthetist, what should I expect and or what should my expectations be.
What problems did or do I have with my current prosthetist if any? Am I unhappy or am I not doing enough to be satisfied with my prosthetist? After all what would really be the difference, unless someone has walk 15
steps in my shoes how would they ever know how I am feeling unless they are adjusting to a prosthetic and a new experience at the same time. Trying to understand and learn what your body is doing, and yet you must be a medical/personal expert also. I find it interesting that there are no amputated personnel at my prosthetist office at all. Seems to me that the prosthetist and the patient would benefit from someone with
personal experience thus making them far more qualified to understand and help diagnose an amputee patient needs and concerns. I think that would help the patient in understanding what questions they might
have by having a better understanding of what to expect and what to look out and be aware of.
It is always easier to adjust to something new if there is someone there to walk you through and give advice. And just the mere fact that as a patient you can see that this person that is giving you this advice and
recommendations have firsthand experience and knowledge would be paramount to the patient comfort level, belief that if he or she can do it, so can I, and a better overall patient to prosthetist experience. I believe
every prosthetist office should have at least one employee in the building that can assist in patient care, even if in the capacity as a patient consultant, maybe perform office duties and then sit in on fittings and
exams to be a communication.
Today I went to see my prosthetist for an adjustment because my limb started to become painful while I’m in my prosthetic for extended periods of time. I had air pockets building in my sleeve and my liner was worn
and stretched. He gave me a new liner which as I’m sure some can relate; my liner was stretched for so long I forgot what it is supposed to feel like when you have a new fresh liner. This to my surprise fixed the problem
of having air pockets in my sleeve for the time being at least also. My next question for my prosthetist was to the prosthetic itself, are there other types of prosthetics other than the sleeve setup that I have now? My issue with the sleeve setup is that I wear sleeves out at a fast rate. You only get 2 sleeves per year and my sleeves don’t seem to last longer than 4 months so now then I have 2 months of uncomfortable walking. His response was that we never had the conversation about types of prosthetics because I was in a prosthetic when we met. He then begins to explain the different types of prosthetics that are available and agrees with me that my current system may not be the best for me due to my level of usage. However, the system he suggests to me will have an adjustment process that will be necessary because my current setup puts the pressure on my thigh area, but the system he suggests for me will put the prosthetic weight on my limb
so that will take some getting used to. Even though I must wait 5 more months before I can change out my prosthetic, I’m glad I had the conversation with my prosthetist, from now on I will be more open and ask more questions as they come up.
Be sure to visit http://amputeecoalition.com and http://ottobockus.com for more information and resources about choosing and making an informed prosthetist choice and your prosthetic care.
Sources: ottobockus.com
English