We’ve got a dog at home, and honestly, my dad is absolutely crushed without him—he was always their person. I was thinking once he’s feeling a bit more stable, maybe we could wheel him out in front of the hospital just to catch a glimpse of the pup; I think seeing that tail wagging would mean the world to him 🙂. I haven't been able to find any decent forums specifically about limb loss, and man, I have so many questions. Like, how do you even start teaching them to sit or walk again? What kind of prosthetics does Blue Cross Blue Shield actually cover, and is it worth paying extra out of pocket to get something higher-end? Plus, how long is this recovery really going to take, and most importantly, when can he finally head home? He's totally over being stuck in the hospital—it's really taking a toll on his mental state...
It just breaks my heart seeing him struggle so much lately—he’s honestly one of the best people I know, always looking out for everyone else and never causing a lick of trouble. My sister and I were his whole world, especially since he became a dad later in life, and he truly deserved nothing but the absolute best. It’s just devastating to see him go through something so awful, something you wouldn't even wish on your worst enemy...
mistybadger55 said:Honestly, I'm kind of at a loss for words on how to even encourage you 😢, I am just so sorry about what's going on with your dad. Just try to stay strong together while he deals with this... he’ll probably be totally crushed—I mean, who wouldn't be?—but you can't underestimate the human will to live... maybe he'll surprise you all once the initial shock wears off. Is there any chance for a hip replacement down the road, once things settle, just so he can actually sit up? Hang in there and stay brave!
I always try to look on the bright side and stay positive—if I didn't, I would've cracked a long time ago. We're all his biggest supporters and would do anything for him. About 11 or 12 days ago, he had his first leg amputation, and while he was recovering, I was right there feeding him, washing him, massaging him, and helping him move—and my mom and sister were doing the exact same thing. We'd do anything for him! He's family, after all. We're going to be his rock. But we're scared, because Mom thinks he might not be able to handle it. And honestly, there's nothing worse than spending the rest of your life wishing you'd just died on that operating table.
He actually had hip replacements before, and he never really embraced them—he wouldn't even do the physical therapy he was supposed to. That's why we're so worried now. He's been bouncing around hospitals for like 3 or 4 months already, and he'll need another 3 months to recover from the amputation... I just don't know how he'll wrap his head around it mentally. Still, Dad has always been a fighter; he's survived everything the doctors said he wouldn't! I'm just hoping that once the dust settles, he'll decide to fight—first for us, and then, most importantly, for himself—so he'll actually try to do the exercises. As for sitting normally, I don't think there's an option to just "fix" it, since he doesn't have the muscle left, just the pelvic area... But with enough rehab, some assistive devices might help him get by. He could definitely find ways to manage his daily routine and still feel fulfilled.
It's going to take a ton of effort, willpower, and most of all, time. But I'm holding out hope!
So, I just found out Dad had his hip replaced. He made it through the surgery, thank god, but it was a massive procedure—who knows how the recovery is going to go. If he pulls through this but realizes he can't even sit up properly, let alone do anything else, honestly... Mom and my sister are convinced he might just give up. I’m still kind of reeling from the news, so I don't even know what to think yet.
Just wanted to let you guys know—Dad made it through! He’s honestly such a fighter. We aren't quite sure what they did during the procedure since the doctors haven't filled us in yet, but Mom is going to call them back tonight—I'm just crossing my fingers that they simply cleared out that necrotic edge.
Couldn't find a thread specifically about reamputations, so I figured I'd just start one—sorry if this already exists, feel free to move my post if it does.
My dad had his left leg amputated above the knee about ten days ago. He’s been dealing with clogged arteries for months, losing about 45 pounds because he couldn't even eat from the pain—it got to the point where he didn't even recognize us. The surgery was an absolute emergency because Gangrene had set in and was spreading fast; they told us it was basically a Hail Mary, giving him maybe a 25% chance of making it through. They were essentially preparing us for the worst. But he actually pulled through! The catch is, the last few inches near the incision site aren't getting any oxygen, so they have to go back in to trim that part off. So, he's headed back for a reamputation tomorrow. His labs have improved, he's more "himself" again, and he's finally coming around. Over these last ten days, there's a super clear line between the tissue that isn't getting blood flow and the rest of the stump. The skin looks well-perfused, and I'm just praying the muscle underneath is doing okay too—assuming those vessels supplying the skin are pulling from the deeper arteries. The doctors are being pretty tight-lipped, though. They mentioned the exterior looks fine, but they won't know the deal with the muscle until they actually open him up. If the muscle is healthy, they'll just clean out the dead tissue and call it a day, but if the muscle is shot, they might have to go all the way up to the hip... and they said he's likely too weak to survive a hip disarticulation right now. The whole mess started because of blood clots, and honestly, if the hospital had run the right tests sooner, he wouldn't be in this life-or-death situation and would still have his leg.
I'm wondering if anyone here has been through something similar—where a reamputation was necessary because the end of the limb went necrotic—and what the muscle condition looked like above that line? I'm really crossing my fingers that everything is okay, especially since he's been on Heparin/Clexane nonstop for two months to prevent more clots, and when they first operated ten days ago, the muscle looked solid. But still, the anxiety is real and I'm just stuck waiting to see how this goes.
So, the doctor gave us the news this morning—Dad’s surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. The edge where they're amputating looks purple, which means necrosis, but since it's been 10 days since the first procedure, the line is pretty clear. It looks like the necrosis hasn't spread. That's a relief compared to last time, when the gangrene raced from his foot up past his knee in less than a week, turning his whole leg purple. The doc says everything looks fine on the surface, but he can't be sure about what's happening deep down with the muscles. If the muscle tissue has lost blood flow too, they might have to go all the way up to the hip—basically an amputation at the hip—and if they had to remove the hip joint itself, he's too weak to make it through. But if things look okay inside, they'll just trim the bottom edge. The catch is, he won't know until he actually opens him up under general anesthesia, just in case they need to cut more. He also mentioned Dad is so frail that even the anesthesia is a gamble. It's the same worry we had with the last anesthesia, though he was even weaker back then and managed to pull through. On the bright side, his labs have improved and look good, and he’s looking better overall—he's recognizing us again and finally getting some color back in his face, so he's definitely in a better spot. I'm just terrified that it's reached the muscles. If that happens, he might still be able to get around with a prosthetic, but if they have to take the hip... he won't even be able to sit up! Assuming he survives the surgery, that is. 😢. I really hope that necrosis stayed put. In the 10 days since the first surgery, that line hasn't moved—it's just stuck there at the bottom, and the skin higher up looks totally normal. I mean, surely those arteries supplying the skin also branch off to the muscles? So if the skin looks healthy, the muscles should be okay too, right? Man. Surgery is tomorrow. I'm hoping they can just do an epidural if the leg turns out to be fine. 😢. This never ends.
So Dad’s got some fancy dressings on that wound at the hospital—could that be part of it? Mom said she’s grabbing a specialized pillow, a full-body positioning pad, and some heel protectors tomorrow morning. Plus some cream from CVS. Honestly, Dad was actually doing better this morning than usual... like, he was actually talking to us normally, asking questions and stuff. Usually, he's been on such high doses of sedatives that he just rambles about the past and doesn't really engage. Now that they've tapered him down, he even realized his leg is gone—told Mom they "chopped it off" and he needs to get a new one. I don't think he's fully processing the reality of it yet, maybe it's more subconscious? He said it so casually, like it wasn't even a big deal, which is weird, but I guess it'll hit him later. Still, seeing him present helps, and we'll just take it one step at a time. I don't think we need a special mattress or anything. The doctors told us there won't be any more surgeries on his leg, so I'm just praying that once he kicks this UTI and gets his strength back, he can head home. I just want him to live life like before—walking around with maybe a walker or something—without worrying about pressure sores or being too drugged up to turn over at night. I can't wait to have him home, hopefully within the next week 🙂.
My mom told me Dad's sacral area is looking pretty red—there’s even a little 1 cm sore right in the middle. How bad is this actually? Is he going to be okay? I'm honestly freaking out a bit because I've seen some pretty gnarly photos online. If we'd just known sooner, we would've grabbed that specialty cushion already! Now we’re scrambling to find some cream, a pad, and a pillow, but we can't even get them until Tuesday. For now, my mom just brought him a sponge we poked holes in to help cushion him up—just a little DIY fix to get us through until Tuesday. The doctor says his labs all look good, which is a relief. But I'm still really worried about his leg—I'm just praying the line doesn't shift. I'm hoping they can clear out that tissue that isn't getting oxygen next week so he can finally come off the sedatives. Once that happens, he can hopefully start moving around more comfortably on his own terms while he works on building up enough strength to learn how to walk again...
So my dad ended up getting pressure sores 😢. The hospital staff isn't really turning him at all—and since he’s unconscious, he obviously can't do it himself. I honestly don't even know how long they've been there; I just happened to notice them while I was helping turn him today. If they had just given us a heads-up, we would've grabbed an anti-decubitus cushion already, but since it's Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday, we're stuck waiting until Tuesday to get one and actually make him comfortable. They also mentioned there's dry gangrene at the bottom of his amputated leg. It doesn't seem to be spreading, so they'll probably just amputate that section on Monday. Honestly, the doctors said it's a better outcome than they feared—they were worried it would spread and they'd have to take the hip too, which he might not have survived. So, at least it's something. I'm just crossing my fingers that it stays contained and there's enough blood flow to the rest of the leg.
So, Dad’s supposedly recovering—he’s back in a regular ward now—but he’s running a fever and dealing with some kind of infection. The doctor mentioned the wound isn't healing quite right... I didn't totally catch everything Mom was saying, but apparently, there's this pinkish area about four inches from the incision and his oxygen levels are off. Hopefully it’s not gangrene, but who knows? There’s even talk about the possibility of having to redo the amputation. He’s actually doing okay with food, though—eating his soft meals and stuff. If they do end up needing another surgery, is it possible to do it under an epidural instead of full general anesthesia? He had to go under completely the first time because he was on Heparin, but now he’s just on Lovenox, which should make things a bit safer. Man, it feels like we can't catch a break—I really thought we were finally over the hump and just looking at the recovery phase 😢.
Susan Gonzalez22 said:Just stay brave and keep your head up, Blue 🙂
We just went through a massive surgery with my mom last week—bile duct cancer, which meant an intense 8-hour operation and a recovery period where we honestly didn't know what to expect. I think she's still in the thick of it, but we're pushing through. If we can make it through 11 days in the ICU—which we did—we'll be fine—fingers crossed. 🙂
Thanks 🙂. Honestly, I'm starting to feel like if we can get past a surgery that brutal, things can only go uphill from here! So good luck with your mom—everything is definitely going to look up! 🙂
Got some good news—Dad actually recognized us 🙂! They’ve got him on a lot of morphine and sedatives, but he still caught on that it was us. I told him my sister and I were there, and he just said, "You came to see Daddy" 🙂. Honestly, I'm over the moon! I think Mom finally believes he’s going to pull through now. It's such a weight off everyone's shoulders . They told him they had to amputate his leg, so he's acting a little restless—constantly tugging at the sheets to try and peek at it even though he's restrained—but I know we'll get through this together. We just need him to find enough strength to start recovering .
It’s just so hard seeing him go through this—he's been through hell lately, and I’m really praying that wound heals up so he can finally get some relief from the pain. I’m also hoping the doctors can help perk him up with those supplements and get him back on his feet. Honestly, his body is just totally wiped out from the pain and not eating... he hasn't even had any fluids in two days, plus the anesthesia and that surgery—which they basically said he wouldn't make it through—just took everything out of him. He’s such a fighter, though—I honestly don't know anyone else who could handle even 30% of what he’s dealing with right now. I'm just holding onto hope that he wakes up, starts recovering, and finds the strength to deal with losing his leg. We’re all pulling for him! I’m trying my best to stay strong for my mom, but I’m only 20—this feels way too heavy and way too soon for me... but I have to keep the faith and stay hopeful. Thanks for the support, these days have been brutal for us.
So, yesterday Dad was basically out of it—like he was stuck in this half-conscious fog. He didn't really recognize us at first, but when Mom asked if he was in pain or feeling tired, he could actually answer her. It’s just weird because he doesn't know who we are, even though he can respond to certain questions here and there. He's pretty disoriented, just lying there with his eyes shut, and they've got him restrained so he doesn't accidentally pull out all those IV lines and monitors... I'm not sure what's causing it. Maybe he's just totally wiped out since he hasn't eaten in weeks and is super dehydrated?
A family friend who's a retired doctor told us that nobody wants to give a definitive diagnosis yet because it's such a mystery. He mentioned it could be the brain trying to protect itself, or maybe a small clot moved into his brain and left part of it without oxygen... I'm really praying it isn't the second option. If it is, he'd be stuck in a bed, semi-conscious, for the rest of his life. I can't even imagine how hard that would be😢.
Angela Wright said:As long as they get him stabilized—that’s the main thing—he'll be fine. Once he wakes up from the anesthesia, they'll get him started on antibiotics... honestly, doctors deal with this stuff every single day. Just try to stay positive.
I'm trying to stay upbeat—it comes naturally to me—but I'm mostly just worried about how Dad is going to handle this. If he spirals into a depression, it's game over😢. Still, hoping for the best. Heading over to see him this afternoon.
It’s honestly hard to even wrap my head around what he’s been through this past month. When I saw him yesterday, things weren't looking great—gangrene had set in and those toxins hit his bloodstream hard. He just kept saying, "I can't do this anymore." Even though the odds were slim, he actually pulled through the amputation and is in the ICU now. He's in critical condition because of the toxins, but we’re keeping the faith—if he could survive a surgery that intense, he can get through this too. He's such a fighter. I'm just praying he finds the strength to recover once he realizes he's lost the leg.
Just checking in—the doctors told us amputation is the only way to go. They said there’s only a 25% chance he pulls through since his heart is struggling and he’s just so weak right now. He went under last night, and Mom tried calling around 9:30, but he was still in surgery... she tried again closer to 10, but no one's picking up. We’re just praying to God that he made it through and that we haven't heard anything because everything actually went okay and he's in that lucky 25%. 😢