Hi, my name is Lisa and I became an above knee amputee on July 7th 2017.
I was given a diagnosis of osteomyelitis, a bone infection.
Which I had many surgeries before, trying to save my limb
But unfortunately, it spread quite a bit and we were unable to do that, but it's definitely
given me a new lease on life because I'm much healthier and I feel much better
I have three teenage sons who are very active, two of which play baseball
And I enjoy going to see them and it'll be very nice to get back to being able to walk to their games
instead of riding in a wheelchair or pushing a walker around. So it's it's definitely been worth the struggle to
Be out there walking every day, practicing, getting stronger
But my hope is within a couple months before their spring season starts again that I'll be out there walking
all by myself without any aid
Definitely one of the biggest things that I wish I knew were the way your clothes would fit
and how they would hang on you and
when you first start with test sockets
They're so huge and just so big that you can barely put your pants on and then you're worried
Oh, now I have to go buy new clothes, and I have to get, you know, all these big baggy shorts like like males
you know shorts for basketball things, and you don't necessarily have to. It really does just depend on the
Clothing you have if you find stretchy things
Definitely work the best because they have that give. You're not gonna be wearing jeans anytime soon
Or anything you know super pretty and fancy
Skirts work well I found too, long skirts but definitely shirts, too. You have to get longer shirts because everything get's tucked in
To the back of the socket and when you have the liner on all your clothes will stick to it unfortunately
So it's definitely a lot of rearranging you you're definitely not being very ladylike at times, but don't worry about it
It's just part of the process
As your socket gets smaller and it fits better, and you work harder, you know all your clothing will be fine, so
That was definitely something I wrestled with a lot
You know being a woman you sometimes worry about your clothing fitting and what you look like
You know when one side is bigger than the other as far as your thigh, and it can definitely be a little crazy
but just keep at it and know that, you know, you'll be able to buy some new fun stuff and
Try some new things that you might have not done before but be comfortable. That's the most important thing
I can tell you especially at therapy
Because when you're working you know you have to take off your socket sometimes you have to be able to move it around or put on a sock
If it becomes too big
and you want to be able to have things that are comfortable to get you know on and off or pull up the
shorts very easily
So it's definitely not a time that you're gonna going to be out there running around
you know looking super pretty but
You definitely want to be comfortable and find the things that fit. And having some really comfortable tennis shoes.
Nothing that's just just for fun and just for cuteness you definitely need a good sturdy pair of shoes to wear
That are gonna keep you stable while you're learning how to walk again
Some things to avoid you definitely are not going to be wearing pumps or high heels or anything
super cute like that. You need to definitely avoid jeans,
shorts, tight skirts you know. I would even say like super tight tank top type things
They're just not gonna flow very well with you
but you know if you get anything.. Things that are loose things that fit well will be your best friend as far as
the ease of getting them on and off.
When you're, especially when you're getting a little farther along with your test sockets and or once you've received a more permanent
socket to wear
Occasionally your leg throughout the day will shrink and you will end up wearing something that it's basically just called a sock, it's a limb sock.
Before you get another socket
Sometimes you will end up wearing.. wearing those socks and so that your socket will stay on and when you are
out and about you don't want to have to take all your clothing off to like get everything done. So wearing a skirt, or loose pants,
or a loose pair of shorts definitely make life a lot easier for you than having to worry about taking
Everything off and re-dressing you know one or two times a day
You