Amputee Life — Coping with Limb Loss

A surgical procedure called osseointegration has the potential to provide people with lower-limb amputations with dramatically restored mobility as it reduces discomfort and potential tissue breakdown associated with socket-suspended prosthetic limbs.

People living with limb loss or limb difference need support and encouragement to heal and improve their quality of life. Although friends and family can provide this to a certain extent, they still don't know what amputees go through. Someone who lives with limb loss and limb difference and has gone through the challenges is better equipped to offer encouragement and information. This is where peer visitors or peer advisors come in.

A person’s quality of life embodies overall well-being and happiness, including access to healthcare and work opportunities, as well as excellent physical and emotional health. It measures how well an individual lives. For patients who have undergone a major lower limb amputation, quality of life is a significant concern.

Pain after limb loss is different for everyone. What is low-level pain for one person may be high-level for someone else. Pain also comes with emotional aspects, which are difficult to define in a medical context. Understanding your pain helps your healthcare team strategize a pain management plan for you.

Coping with limb loss or living with limb differences can be challenging, especially when people's reactions in the community can easily make one feel uneasy.