Bilateral Lower Limb Amputee: Evaluation and Casting

[@tiffanyharders810]

5:48 *cough**cough* United Healthcare *cough**cough* 😆😆😆

[@Psergiorivera]

Very informative! I’m about to have my BKA on June 4th so I’m trying to prepare anyway I can by doing as much research for before and after…. Is there any prep I should be doing to my good leg 1 month before my big day? Haven’t heard from my doctors as of yet(except getting a ultrasound tomorrow)? Any help would be greatly appreciated

[@TheLegLady]

Glad to hear the video was helpful! Some of the main things: 1. Having your home prepared and ready for after surgery. Make sure you have a plan on how to get in/out and around your home. Right after surgery it’s usually a good idea to have something by the bed (could be a wheelchair or walker) to prevent falls. I’ve had a couple people after surgery feel like their leg is still there and try and stand up out of bed and land on the residual limb. 2. After surgery as you are healing and as you can start to tolerate it, touching and massaging your residual limb will help with the nerves healing and preventing any adhered scar tissue. There have been some people I have worked with that was never told that and ended up having some adhered scar tissue that can be uncomfortable. 3. At the pre-surgery consult ask about length. Some surgeons have left the residual limb too short unnecessarily which can make fitting and using a prosthesis more difficult. Sometimes there are medical reasons to go shorter but around mid calf is ideal. 4. When it comes to preparing the other leg, nothing too much aside from keeping it strong and protected. Hopefully you will be able to get your prosthesis quickly so you won’t be solely dependent on that side for too long. If you have the ability to and need to hop on that side occasionally to get around that’s okay, but I’m always telling those I’m working with to limit how much they are hopping. It puts stress and strain on the muscles and joints that they are not built for and is a risk for injury. Hope those things are helpful and reach out with any other questions!