Where I'm At

Well then....Lets see. I had both legs done. The right one is perfect. The left has had MANY issues due to the preexisting scar tissue, skin quality, and protruding bone under the knee. Speaking of, prior to going through all of this, my doctor and I were planning on having my left knee replaced a year or two down the line. At this time, the protruding bone was to be shaved down. Since the bone has been causing so many problems, I decided to get to ball rolling on the joint replacement. After seeing one of the top joint replacement specialists in the country, I was told that this wasn't an option for me. He said that I'd be looking at amputation either at the knee, or above. I was then sent to an amputation specialist, who shared an office with a surgeon who had previously worked on me. (Lets call him Dr. X) Upon my arrival, Dr. X decided that my appointment would be with him instead. He told me my knee looked great, and that I didn't need a joint replacement, or an amputation. The pain I was experiencing was due to a meniscus tear. I was then sent to the surgeon that was performing Dr. X's own surgery for his meniscus tear. This surgeon had no idea what to do with me as I wasn't his standard case, BUT he said that even if I did have a tear, the pain didn't resemble that of JUST a tear. He said we could do a scope to see what was what, and go from there if I wanted. Seeing as I had been all over the place getting opinions that were polar opposites, I decided to ask for another referral; this time going through the doctor that had done my amputations in the first place. I saw this new guy 2 days ago. He spent a LOT of time with me (way more than most doctors would), discussing all of my options. In the end, if we tried doing a replacement, I'd have such a high risk of failure, that it isn't worth putting myself through it. This is how I decided on an above knee amputation. 

Of course I'm feeling what any person would...but at the same time, I just want to be done with all of this. I would do it today if I could, just to start moving on. However this isn't the best time. Not only are there money issues, but there are personal reasons why I've decided to wait. Unless my legs condition changes for the worse, it will probably be another year and a half until this takes place. I need to pay off my debt, get to a place where I can handle it emotionally, and wait for the snow to melt after all that happens lol. Dragging yourself/a person in a wheelchair, through snow is waaaaayyyy too stressful...So...Yeah, thats where I'm at.