The Effect of a Great Prosthetist on an Amputee

I went and visited my prosthetist this last Friday, and it got me thinking about how many I’ve been through in the past. My current prosthetist, Wendy at Specialized Prosthetics and Orthotics (SPOT, now part of the Hanger network), is great. She really takes the time to listen to what is going on and figure out a solution to the problem. There have been multiple times when I was at an appointment for 1-2 hours while she tried everything she could think of to solve my problems. She’s great, along with the whole team at SPOT, and if you are in Utah, I highly recommend you check them out. Their support has made all the difference in the world. As an amputee, I understand the importance of a great prosthetic, and in turn, a great prosthetist.

How do you find a good prosthetist? It took a while for me to find one that I really liked and could recommend. What suggestions do you have for other amputees looking for information?

How To Be An Approachable Amputee

The other day I was at the mall with my wife and son, spending a small amount of our tax refund on some new clothes for the summer. While there, I had someone approach me about my prosthetic leg (note: I was wearing shorts). She was really nice and complemented me on how cool my prosthetic was, but it got me thinking about amputee rehabilitation.

As part of my rehabilitation program after my leg amputation, I would make jokes and tell others about being an amputee. I found that it helped immensely in keeping me in good spirits through the whole experience. To this day I am very open about my leg and wear shorts as much as possible. It’s what has worked for me. But what are your thoughts? What helps you to cope with being an amputee? I think that it would be a great resource for new amputees to put together a book someday of stories and rehabilitation techniques. Do you know of anything out there like this already?

What This Amputee Blog Is About

I am an amputee. I hope this blog can be a place where current amputees, future amputees, and family members of amputees can come and support each other through the good times and the bad. It doesn't matter is you are a leg amputee, arm amputee, quadruple amputee, or not even an amputee at all, you're all invited.

Share with me your stories, battles, victories - I want this to be an open forum. If you see a new technology, let's talk about it; a cool video, let's watch it.

Why did I start this blog?

At the age of 18, I was diagnosed with cancer in my left foot. That diagnosis led to 8 months of intense chemotherapy and the amputation of my left leg below the knee. One of the greatest assets I had at the time was my best friend's father, who was an amputee himself. His words of encouragement and advice gave me the strength and courage I needed to come out on the other side. Because of him, I decided to enjoy life, not just live it.

Here's to life! I am an amputee.