Amputation Experience Essay

My Experience with Being an Amputee

On 11/17/2015, I wore an arm brace to replicate an amputee that had lost his/her right arm at the shoulder joint. This was to replicate a loss of a dominant arm – the right side. I spent 6 hours with this condition and will report my findings in this report. I lost my arm in a car crash after it was severed and crushed my right arm. Most of my arm was beyond repair and had to be amputated, and I had to learn how to live without 2 hands. There are many reasons why amputations are required.

According to NHS choices, in an article Amputation – why it is done – reasons for Amputation, the article relays that amputation is done for several reasons. These include Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), Diabetes, Trauma and other reasons like cancer, and serious infections. An example of why an amputation is done is because of a serious infection, a serious injury (trauma) to a limb, and cancer affecting the bone or skin of a limb. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) restricts blood supply

due to a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. This is a common condition. Diabetes creates a condition where high blood sugar levels can damage the nerves and blood vessels especially in the feet. Trauma to a limb can come from crash injuries, avulsion injuries (where a body part is torn away from the body), guillotine injuries (where a limb is cut entirely of almost entirely away from the body), blast injuries (where explosive devices wound soldiers), and severe burns (NHS n.d).
Other reasons can cause amputations. According to Clements he states in his article, How Amputation Works, “The key cause of the tissue death that leads to infection is a lack of blood flow. Blood brings vital nutrients and oxygen to the individual cells that make up your body tissues. When disease or injury damages blood vessels beyond repair, tissues supplied by those blood vessels die, and dangerous infection can set in”. Birth defects such as congenital amputation is when blood flow is restricted due to blood not getting through bands of tissues to a baby, which can cause a loss of a limb. One out of every 200 American is an amputee, according to The National Loss Information Center. The rate of amputees due to diabetes and peripheral artery disease is on the rise (Clements n.d.). According to WebMD, in an article Skin Problems and Treatments Health Center – Gangrene, it states that Gangrene is a condition when body tissues die, and infection sets in. When blood cannot flow freely throughout the body, cells cannot survive and causes the tissues to die. Gangrene almost always involves infection. The tissue swells and can spread quickly throughout the body, and could be life threatening. When one has gangrene, it can lead to amputation if the infection does not respond to medication and by removing dead tissue (WebMD n.d.).
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, in an article Procedure overview it relays, when possible, the doctor will offer an opportunity to ask questions after he/she explains the procedure.

A consent form is usually signed to give permission to do the procedure. In emergency medical situations, consent is not required by law. Under normal situations, the doctor may want a complete medical history and examination. Presence of pain, skin temperature, and color in the diseased limb will be compared with those in a healthy limb. The patient may be measured for an artificial limb prior to the procedure. In a trauma situation, crushed bone may be removed and smoothed out to help the use of an artificial limb. Fasting is usually 8 hrs before the procedure. The anesthesiologist will continue to monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level. After removing the dead tissue, the doctor may decide to close the flaps with healthy

skin.
After the procedure the patient is taken to the recovery room for observation. Circulation and sensation of the affected limb will be monitored. The amputation site dressing will be changed and monitored. The patient will also receive antibiotics and pain medication as needed. The patient will remain in the hospital depending on the procedure, and then be discharged with instructions for care at home. Rehabilitation is designed to meet the needs of the individual patient, and Physical therapy is usually started after surgery. In PT, a combination of stretches, exercises, and learning how to get out of bed and into a wheelchair is covered. Emotional issues include grieving over a lost limb or physical condition; these may occur after an amputation. Phantom pain which is feeling pain in one’s lost limb may occur. Instructions on how to use your prosthetic devices could be shown and fitted as soon as 14 days after your surgery (Johns Hopkins Medicine n.d.).
My day of being an amputee started in the morning when I got out of bed. I had to make the bed with my left arm, and it was hard to get the cover straight. I had to go to the bathroom and it was difficult to pull down my pants with my left hand. I had to make the coffee slowly to get the machine going after measuring the coffee grounds in the pot. Breakfast was awkward to prepare since my left arm was the only one used. Taking a shower and getting dressed was a challenge as I could not reach properly to wash my back, and wash my hair ease. Buttoning up my pants was difficult with one hand and so was putting on my pants. Tying my tennis shoes was even harder so instead, I put some shoes I could slip my feet into. I was getting ready to do Chair Exercise. It was difficult to balance on the right side of the chair as I could not hold onto the chair while we did some exercises standing up. Therefore, I missed some of the exercises on the left leg lifts. People were wondering why I had a sling to hold my right arm from moving, and made comments on it. I was however, able to do the sitting down exercising. I had lunch after I exercised. I was able to use a fork with my left hand but left some food on the plate as I could not use a spoon or knife to scoop up the remainder of the food with the right arm and hand.
I drove with the left arm (took the sling out) so the police could not see I was only driving with one arm even though it is legal to drive with one arm. I drove to the chair exercise class, then came home and did a couple of hours of artwork. I took from a pile of sketch pads, a thick piece of paper to do some oil pastel work. I could not frame the edges with masking tape to create a boarder around the piece of paper with one hand. Applying oil pastels to the paper were harder to apply with the left arm. The pressure one needs is heavy on the paper. Lines were crooked when working with the left arm. I did however create some wonderful patterns.
In conclusion, I appreciated my right arm and hand. I am grateful for the use of both hands. The experiment was a success to prove that one arm and hand is limited in what it can do, and I am sympathetic to those who only have one hand to live with.