Update:
On Tuesday (8/2), I’ll be traveling to Indianapolis for an
evaluation with Dr. Ertl concerning a possible surgical reconstruction of my
amputated left leg. My appointment with
him is on Wednesday. My son, Jon, will
be going with me to do most of the driving.
I’ve had pain issues in my limb for the last two years. Through the efforts of my medical team I’ve
been able to get out of the wheelchair and spend a very limited time each day
walking. But the pain is continuing and
there aren’t any viable options left here; so I’m looking elsewhere.
My amputation is a traditional transtibial style. One of the possible side effects of the
traditional amputation is nerve pain developing. I’ve had reactions to the major nerve pain
medication typically used, so I cannot get relief that way. “I asked my doctor and found out that this
drug was NOT right for me!” I don’t have
any structural issues that doctors using the traditional approach see as
operable. But the pain is real and
although it starts off fairly mild immediately, it grows in intensity the
longer that the leg is on.
At this point, I cannot accept that I have to be stuck in a
wheelchair most of the time and then being severely limited by pain with
limited activities when I’m in my prosthesis.
I’m hoping to find a solution so that I can become more active,
pain-free, and more fully involved in life again.
Doctor Ertl performs osteomyoplastic amputations, commonly
called “Ertl” amputations named after his grandfather who invented the
procedure. An Ertl amputation requires both bony and soft-tissue reconstruction to
provide an end-bearing residual limb for the amputee. Contrary to a traditional amputation, an Ertl
amputation ends up with the end or bottom of the limb weight bearing. That changes everything! One obvious difference between the style of
amputations is the Ertl bone bridge connecting the distal ends of the tibia and
fibula. Check out the two photos. The first one is an X-ray of my leg
currently. The second photo is an
example of X-ray of a leg after an Ertl amputation.
When asked the difference between the
traditional and ertl amputations, I’ve been using this word picture (it isn’t
perfect, but it is helpful). The traditional
amputation is like rough carpentry used to frame a house. The Ertl amputation is like finish carpentry
used in detailed woodwork. The
traditional method works fine for many amputees; but it hasn’t for me, so that
is why I’m headed to Indianapolis to see if I am a candidate for this more
detailed surgery.
I haven’t traveled very much in the last
year and a half because riding in a vehicle tends to become painful to me after
a while, so I am a bit concerned about how well I’ll do riding in the truck for
8 hours. I’m hoping that it will be very
clear to both the doctor and to me whether we should proceed with this
surgery.
I really hope that I am a candidate for
this revision surgery because quite frankly, if I’m not or this doesn’t work, I
think I’m stuck the way I am. I’m very
excited and grateful to get this appointment so quickly. It will be great getting a better
understanding and maybe taking a step in
the right direction.
