My brother is having his leg removed February 12th - Advice?

[Farmer Kitty]

I have an Uncle that had to have his leg removed. Before it was removed he did construction work. After it was removed he started his own construction company and was climbing all over the houses they built. The only problem he had was someone had to go get his crutches for him if he ended up going down at a different place than he went up. It's all a mindset thing and if your brother is having other problems due to the leg then hopefully his mind will be set that life will be better afterwards.

Best wishes and prayers for your brother and your family.

Let us know how things go.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I don't know about cheap places to stay but there is something called CareCalendar for helping with families dealing with illness or injury. The calendar lets the people who need help put in what they need (rides to appointments, meals, visitors, playdates for kids, etc) It seems like a great tool. I have friends who are using it after a Christmas car accident left both temporarly unable to drive. It really easy for people to use. Its CareCalendar.org

You might also contract churches in the area where the hospital is. I believe Nifty said you were Mormon, I think the local ward of stake might have some options for you, an possibly even people who could watch your kids during the day. When my Mormon grandma was sick, people came to fix food, mow here lawn, clean, etc. Even other churches that you might not have a connection to usually have resources.

Hope all goes well.

 

[Katy]

Our neighbor had her foot amputated after years of being unable to walk on it because of circulation issues. She regrets not having it done sooner I think. She has a prostetic (sp?) foot now and gets around the best she has in years. I'm sure she still has issues, but she's happy to be able to walk again.

 

[karen]

I am sorry your brother is going through this hard time. He is so fortunate to have family and friends to be there with him.
We have a wonderful population of bikers in our area. The HOGS (Harley owners) raised money with a poker run. They began it several years ago for a police officer with exhorbitant medical expenses. Jon came by ambulance to the event. I believe they ran it again the following year because he still needed help.
We belong to the Southern Cruisers (SCRC) and participated. The year before that my best friend had died after a long fight with breast cancer. My husband was head of our chapter at the time and we organized a "Bikers against Breast Cancer Poker Run"(BABC). (2001) Our's was different from the officer's fundraiser run because we donate all of the proceeds to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Research fund. In your case the proceeds would go directly to your brother like it did to Jon, the officer. It brings the community together.
http://www.scrcpa.org/babc

I really hope you can pull something together-your enthusiasm will help your brother adapt and recover. Wishing you the best of luck

 

[jeaucamom]

Nifty Chick, I am very sorry your family is going through this!! As a nurse on the surgical floor, we are the ones to take care of the patients as they are healing from surgery. My best advice to you and your family is to let your brother grieve HOWEVER he grieves. There is no right or wrong way or time table or method to get him through this. So people deal very well with this and some have a very hard time coping and that is OKAY!! Just let him know you are there for him no matter what. He may question God, he may be angry, he may be at peace, and he may vaccillate wildly between the two. He may even push people away because he has to deal with his new body image!!! Just be supportive and know in the long run, people generally not only accept but thrive. Our prayers are with you and your brother!! Blessings, Suz

 

[sgray136]

Go to this address.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/17/prosthetic-limbed-runner-disqualified-from-olympics/

 

[LoneCowboy]

Well, here is a thought on fund raising. I handle the registration etc for the RWVA. I post all the events in Eventbrite. Eventbrite also has a way for you to collect donations. But they collect a small fee as does PayPal who the money ususally goes through. You can select the options for others to see who's signed up (donated) if you like. This could give recognition if that's what you decide to do. Anyway, just an idea. Good luck with this. It's a hard one.

 

[Chellester]

Hi Emily,

I am so sorry to hear about your brother. I think you are already doing the best thing for him already by planning to just be there for him. I am sure that will mean the world to him.

I don't have any brothers and I've never had a family member get anything amputated, so I can't share any first-hand advice with you. However, my dad has a friend who had to have his leg amputated because, like your brother, complications from a car crash injury. He wears a prostetic, and when I first met him, I would have never guessed he only has one leg. He walks with a slight limp, but that's it. Otherwise, he pretty much does everything he did before. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that even though your brother is losing his leg and that is a terrible thing that I would never try to minimize or downplay, he is more than likely going to lose very little if any of his quality of life. If you can help him focus on that, it may help him get through this a little easier.

Best of luck to both you and him through this traumatic time, and please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[hsm5grls]

I'm not sure if anyone has suggested this or not but there is an organization called Kiwanis house and they help family members of sick and injured patents with a place to stay while there love one is undergoing treatment. My mom stayed there for awhile while my step dad was sick and they are very helpful people. You may want to contact them.
http://www.kiwanisfamilyhouse.org/

 

[Ang]

My husband, Tom, was in a farm accident almost 20 years ago at the age of 19. He had a choice to keep his leg with a fused ankle and be guaranteed pain for life or have his leg amputated 6 inches below the knee and live a fairly normal life. To him the choice was clear and had is leg amputated the next day. Today he drives a semitruck, has 4 children and coaches girls basketball. He will tell you that it is all in the attitude. If you can find someone locally that has had an amputation to talk to him, that can be helpful. Tom has served in that capacity before and it has helped the amputee and their families to understand that life can go on normally.