Amputation

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Sylv

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi
I am new here and any advice would be really welcome. My husband (66 years old) has gangrene in his toes and had two removed.This did not heal and now he is in hospital waiting on further amputation . My question is "has anyone had a foot amputation and it has been successful ? or should he opt for the below the knee amputation"

I am hearing so many stories and we don't know what to do

Thank you so much
 
Hi and welcome.

I am so sorry to hear of your husband's health situation. I don't have any personal experience, but I believe that @MikeyBikey had an amputation last year, so he may be able to offer some insight and support from his experience.

I hope that whatever your husband decides to do, it heals quickly and he gets good medical aftercare and support with his change in living circumstances. Wishing you both well in what I imagine will be a very worrying and difficult time.
 

Hello and welcome! My mention by @rebrascora was flagged up to me. I had a BKA two years ago. Having just had a missed call and listened to the message I have to return it but will reply tomorrow. What medication is he on - aspirin and a statin are crucial.​

Mike
 
Sylv said:
Hi
I am new here and any advice would be really welcome. My husband (66 years old) has gangrene in his toes and had two removed.This did not heal and now he is in hospital waiting on further amputation . My question is "has anyone had a foot amputation and it has been successful ? or should he opt for the below the knee amputation"

I am hearing so many stories and we don't know what to do

Thank you so much
Click to expand...
Hello, really sorry to read your post here. I was alongside my brother when he was faced with this scenario.

In practice the decision of how far up the leg was made by the surgical team. Gangrene spreads amazingly rapidly and for my brother the surgeon outlined options but strongly emphasised that the decision would be influenced by what they found while he was in Theatre. In the end they went just above the knee; afterwards he explained that if lower there was a strong chance they'd need to repeat and 2 ops in quick succession greatly reduced my brother's overall survival chances.

I know this is a truly horrible time for you both and there are likely to be many challenges ahead. I hope there is a swift resolution for you.
 
Your husband has to be guided by his vascular surgeon. I assume all the tests have been done such as ultrasound and either a CT or MRI scan with dye to find the extent of the disease. They attempted angioplasty with me but it failed. A bypass, as Gary Mabbutt had, was considered but dismissed as there were no suitable donor vessels.

My issues started as a small ulceration on a toe. Being at the height of Lockdown I everything moved terrifyingly slowly which shouldn't happen now. Three toes and the side of thr foot had become necrotic before they attempted angioplasty. This actually made things worse, and the previous treatment with antibiotics and painkillers continued. The infection then took hold and spread rapidly until I was skirting sepsis. So the option were amputation or..

The one thing is not to argue for a lesser amputation. A former neighbour had PAD from smoking but always refused to sign till they did a lesser amputation. It never healed and he had multiple amputations until the final one high up the thigh.

You need to be strong for each other but remember many have been there before including many young service personnel. Famous amputees include Heather Mills, Billy Monger, Jan Michael Vincent and Johnny Cash.

The best people for progressing afterwards are the physios and OTs - make use of them.

Any queries feel free to ask...
 
Last edited:
Sylv said:
Oh thank you so much both of you the pain he has been suffering is unbelievable he also has fibromyalgia . He was prescribed methadone oxycodon fentanyl patches and still the pain persisted .i just want him pain free
Click to expand...

Basically the messages from your nerves get scrambled at the interface between the dead tissue and the live tissue magnifying the pain. I found even morphine could not stop it.

Initially after amputation there will be quite a bit of pain from cutting through flesh and bone but the hospital should manage that - if not nag them till they do. The first few days I had Oramorph and then Tramadol. Other drugs are available if he has an issue with Tramadol which unfortunately aboutb50% do. Some people suffer phantom pain afterwards for which usually Gabapentin is prescribed. It is also used for diabetic nerve pain.

Do update us as and when.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sorry to hear about your husbands gangrene.

Very best wishes for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery post-op.
 
MikeyBikey said:
Basically the messages from your nerves get scrambled at the interface between the dead tissue and the live tissue magnifying the pain. I found even morphine could not stop it.

Initially after amputation there will be quite a bit of pain from cutting through flesh and bone but the hospital should manage that - if not nag them till they do. The first few days I had Oramorph and then Tramadol. Other drugs are available if he has an issue with Tramadol which unfortunately aboutb50% do. Some people suffer phantom pain afterwards for which usually Gabapentin is prescribed. It is also used for diabetic nerve pain.

Do update us as and when...
Click to expand...

Note to moderator : I did actually compose my response in an email as I get occasional Internet glitches. If replying in a forum you sem to lose everything where's an email only loses a few words.
 
Last edited:
I have already lost my fourth toe, that healed so well I couldn’t believe it, now I am to lose the other 4 from gangrene… I would be interested how quickly you can walk again & is the balance issue difficult to overcome?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top