Getting legless – Part 2

So much for the preamble ... now for the 'bare bones' of the procedure.

But before I go any further – huge compliments (or "big ups", as the kids say) to all the medical professionals who have looked after me over 10 years here in Wellington, both in and out of hospital. The healthcare system here is fantastic, and every single doctor, nurse, and podiatrist who've treated me (and cut bits off me) have been just stellar.

Now back to the fun. The thing that surprised me most is how fast the scenario went, from "leg off" to "going home".

I was back home on the 7th day after the op. In previous hospital adventures just to quell the infection tide, I was in for much longer – five weeks was the longest session. During that time I marveled at the succession of 'flatmates' who were in and out with amputations and hip replacements, in 1/5th of the time I was in there.

Pre-op, they rigged me up with a nerve blocker – a direct nerve IV on the big nerve running down the back of my leg (above my knee). The anaestesiologist  used an ultrasound scanner to find the nerve, and had it hooked up in minutes. This was meant to remain hooked up post-op too.

They hit me with two other IVs for pain as well, but those were removed two days after the op. The nerve blocker was unhooked on day five. I was only given pill pain relief after that, and that worked a treat.

No pain whatsoever the whole time I was in ward. I couldn't believe it! This was my first stay in the 'new' Wellington Hospital, and it was great. Fantastic nurses, excellent treatment, great followup by Nigel Willis, my surgeon. Gill brought me in a stuffed toy, a Kea parrot, who I dubbed Carlos. I taped him to the railing at the end of my bed, so he was sitting up just like an actual parrot might ... and everyone who entered the room thought it was a real bird (doctors, nurses, patients, visiting friends).

Carlos on my hospital bed.

Once home, it was a good two months of crutching around the two-level house. I lost a bit of weight and built up some muscle and power in my shoulders and arms doing this ... but my mobility was clearly pretty limited. There were a few checkups at the hospital, and negotiating Gill's steps was a mission – both down AND back up. But as the saying goes, it builds character ...

I did well for not falling until Hallowe'en night, when we went to see Leonard Cohen's excellent concert in Wellington (I won the tickets! Seats were great too!) I managed the whole evening (down the steps, through a car-park, into the concert hall, back to the car) without incident.

It was going back up the steps at the end of the night, in darkness, when I had my first big fall. I missed a step as I "hopped" up, and down I went. It knocked the wind out of me, and scared the shit out of me too ... I reflexively stuck my missing leg out to stop my fall, and the stump hit first ... followed by an elbow, then my back and head. I was convinced I'd need to go back to the hospital for more surgery to repair the damage to my stump.

Thankfully, it was only a minor bit of bruising on the surgical area, and all was well. My head, elbow and back were also none the worse for wear.

The ensuing two months of being house-bound allowed me to practice up my MacGyver skills. I called breakfast time "going camping", as I loaded up a thermos of coffee, fruit and toasted sandwiches into a backpack to get back up the steps to the living room. The backpack kept the load centred on my back, and my arms free for crutching.

Showering was (and still is) accomplished sitting on a small bench, provided by my physiotherapists. It was an interesting bit of ballet getting into and out of the shower with that bench. (Since getting my prosthetic leg, I still have to use the bench – the leg needs to come off for showers, and for sleeping).

Now on to the most exciting part of the whole procedure – getting my prosthetic leg fitted, and working through the initial "wow, this is different!" experience. See "Getting legless – Part 3".