WARNING
This post contains images that may upset or offend some readers. These images relate to after surgery. If you cannot handle such images, please do not continue. The 3 images within this post are not as graphic as other images and do not show the actual wound after the BKA. So, you should be fine in viewing.
Two years ago today, in 2022, I underwent a transformation from having a complete left leg to a below-knee amputation. I entered surgery in the morning and awoke to find my leg had been amputated.
On the morning of June 6th, 2022, my nurse prepared me for the operation. The first image below captures her applying a brown antiseptic solution to my leg as part of the surgical preparation.
This is the last time I saw my leg. After my nurse was done my leg was covered and I never saw it again.
After the procedure, which took about 30 minutes, I was taken to surgery. I felt quite distressed because I was scheduled for a below-knee amputation (BKA) in another week, following two toe amputations performed over three days (on the 28th and 31st of May). They had advised a couple of weeks’ recovery from the previous surgeries. However, recent bone scans indicated the infection was spreading, so they decided to proceed. I was only informed on the morning of June 6th, 2022, when the nurse arrived to prepare my leg for surgery.
I was informed that there were some complications during surgery, which caused it to take much longer than anticipated. Nevertheless, the result was the same: the below-knee amputation of my left leg. Upon awakening in my room afterward, I was confronted with the image below.
This is the first time I saw my leg after the below-knee amputation surgery. It was very shocking indeed.
This moment marked a significant change in my life. Two years on, things are gradually getting better, although progress would be faster if I weren’t entirely reliant on a wheelchair—except when moving to my computer chair, recliner, or bed. Frequent falls, a result of inadequate support (which is beginning to be addressed through MCS), complicate matters with my stump. Any wound means I can’t use my prosthetic leg until it’s completely healed. Currently, there’s an active wound, which is visible in the image provided.
A current active wound on my stump which is preventing me from using my prosthetic leg.
That concludes what I have to share for now. I’ll begin posting more frequently once I’ve established a complete schedule for myself.
