living with chronic osteomyelitis and my life changing decisions. Leg amputation
Posted , 8 users are following.
my partner broke both his heel bones playing football 3yrs ago, infection after infection and bone abrasions(wash the infection out) the agonising pain. He has constantly been in and out of hospital and loosing jobs we have finally made the decision to have the leg amputated. Full well knowing that he could still be in pain and it is such a big life changing decision and also I have my health problems that this needs to be done. His consultants have been so supportive but you come to realise after all the information that this infection is so hard to to get rid of and that it can take hold so quickly, even through all the pain and suffering, even on days where he can't walk. We came to the decision hoping that the amputation will give him a better quality of life in time, we haven't gone into it lightly even having to see different amputees and how they cope and the psychological aspect which comes with it. This is the right thing to do for him. It hasn't been easy at all and we both know about the phantom pain or even that the pain may be worse but if he didn't have it done now later in life his bone would just crumble and go to mush so with age on his side now at 36 he has the chance to improve his quality of life. If you suffer with chronic osteomyelitis please get in touch he would love to hear about how you cope with it or how you don't and your experience.
2 likes, 6 replies
ijeomabiggie lisa29315
Posted
I am coping with osteomyelitis with ketogenic lifestyle. Since then I've have not ran to the hospital nor live on drugs
melindasmakeup lisa29315
Posted
I just went back to my doctor for the 100th time. I'm still in pain, I have OM in my jaw bone. I've been getting treatments for over 9 years now and I still have pain and swelling. I have brief intermissions of relief but they are few. I finally am going to get a second opinion to see if anyone has a fresh perspective. I've had five bone debridements and years of i.v. And oral antibiotics. If it weren't for my faith in the Lord, I probably wouldn't be here or things would be much worse. I try to stay as busy as my body allows me to be, in order to fend off depression and negative thoughts. It's nice to hear how supportive you are to your husband. He needs you there for him.
jake11855 melindasmakeup
Posted
I agree that above the physical battle, unconditional love heals the soul, heals the emotions, relationships & has a positive affect on the body.
I suggest supporting your microbiome (getting fermented foods) to help you recover your digestion, as that can create auto-iimmune issues which creates intense depression. Diet- like keto mentioned above is anti-inflamatory, and can make a big difference.
As far as fresh perspective, garlic as an anti-biotic, as well as Chinese herbs (Ya Zhou Yan), and essential oils can be good anti-biotics that might reduce any ongoing issues.
We've had a lot of good things provided to use in nature, given to us for our good. It's a blessing to be on the path of discovery. We are loved, keep faith ~
supriya92777 lisa29315
Posted
I had osteomyelitis in my right elbow so 8 years ago,after 8 surgeries on it,I decided to undergo total elbow replacement for my right elbow & I was very satisfied with my new elbow but after 2 years it started giving me a lot of pain and numbness so I had to go through a revision surgery to fix it again.After that surgery my elbow was fine and strong but had to use it without bending,last year I had a nasty accident which shattered my artificial right elbow again and so the doctor removed the artificial elbow and now I was left with NO BONE in my right arm in the elbow region,so that arm was now useless and basically deadweight and it still pained a lot so I finally decided to amputate it,it was a tough decision as I had been right handed for my entire life but after osteomyelitis I had started to do a lot of stuff with my left hand but it was still very tough to imagine life without my right arm but with the support of my family I made the decision and had my right arm amputated above the elbow and later got a prosthetic arm which is non-functional but atleast it doesn't pain and life has become much better since the amputation thanks to the love and support of my family and maybe it was a blessing in disguise as now I can do everything with my left arm that I used to do with my right and do it better,maybe I would have never realized how useful my left arm is had I not lost my right arm.
So don't lose hope,believe in God,things will get better
johanita23969 lisa29315
Posted
Thank you for posting your story.
My husband had a car accident 20 years ago, he broke both legs but ons was really badly hurt, due to this he has been living with OM. Everytime we want to get the surgery done to clean the leg (very red swollen pus running out all the tim) something would happen so we can't. I spoke to a person who had an amputation and said we must really consider this. We don't know if it's necessary or not. What will it do to my husband's self esteem? Will it truly be better? He has cold fevers and extreme pain daily. What was your experience after amputation?
lori23438 lisa29315
Posted
Hi lisa29315. I saw your post. I know it's been a while since you posted but I lost my leg to Osteomyelitis. I'm wondering how your partner is doing?