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DPM
posted: February 21st, 2010 @ 11:14pm
HOUSTON VA DEVELOPS GUIDE TO HELP AMPUTEES NATIONWIDE
Section:  News

News from the world of limb salvage & preservation:


HOUSTON VA DEVELOPS GUIDE TO HELP AMPUTEES NATIONWIDE


HOUSTON – The Prosthetics Section at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) has developed the first amputee guide for nationwide use by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It will be available soon on the VA Web site for use by all clinicians.

Recent combat in Iraq and Afghanistan has demonstrated the nature of modern warfare has changed. There are new causes of injury, improvements in body armor, and surgical stabilization at the front-line of combat. As of January 31, 2010, the Department of Defense reported approximately 960 individuals had suffered major limb amputations while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

 

“Working every day with Veterans anticipating an amputation, new amputees, and family members, we saw a need for a resource and reference manual, “said Mark Benveniste, R.N., B.S., C.P., MEDVAMC certified prosthetist. “We wanted to help them meet the challenges ahead, let them know what to expect, and how to find the support they will need.”

In addition to recently returned combat veterans, there are approximately 45,000 veterans with amputations caused by medical conditions such peripheral arterial disease, diabetic neuropathy, cancer, or infection.

 

The book covers a wide range of issues related to amputation surgery; managing pain; instructions for taking care of the residual limb; living with an amputation, with and without an artificial limb; getting a prosthesis (artificial limb); and sports and recreation resources. The information could be useful to all amputees; however, this version was written specifically for Veterans receiving care through the VA health care system. Health care professionals working with amputees may also gain additional understanding from this guide.

 

“I went through self-pity, anger, and bitterness. I thought my whole world had come to an end, but I learned you can do everything you did before if you put your mind to it,” said Vietnam Veteran Leonard Scott, wounded in combat on July 10, 1968 with his right leg amputated above the knee. “I believe this guide will be helpful for new amputees to learn to never say ‘I can’t.’”

In those instances in which you must perform a lower extremity amputations, do you provide resources (such as the amputee guide described in this eTalk) to you patients?
Poll Results:
YES
60% 60% (3 votes)
NO
40% 40% (2 votes)
MEMBER COMMENTS
posted: February 24th, 2010 @ 9:59pm
Re: HOUSTON VA DEVELOPS GUIDE TO HELP AMPUTEES NATIONWIDE

At the Texas Diabetes Institute we had an Amputee Support Group that was run by our head nurse and the chief resident and the patients themselves, Ryan. It was one of the most valuable experiences that I, and they, ever had.

It was a place that we usually had to beg the patients to go to in the first place but after they attended it the first couple of times we didn't have to talk them into it any more.

It was a place where they could go to cry at first and eventually they would laugh, help their fellow amputees, counsel one another, learn how to get around, seek the help they needed to survive at first and later to succeed. It was amazing.

I will never forget a story one of the new amputees was eventually able to tell and laugh out loud about, although at first she was horrified. She had her new prosthesis that didn't fit well at all. She had finally gotten up the nerve to go to the grocery store. Walking through the produce department, behind her grocery cart, after a step or two, she realized that her prosthetic limb had become dislodged and it was standing alone two steps behind her.

A worker, horrified at the scene and not knowing what to do, yelled out in dismay, "We a leg that needs assistance in aisle one, a leg that needs assistance in aisle one!"

It was such a victory for her to finally be able to laugh and a victory for all of us to help her to get to that point.

Anyone who is involved with amputees may want to consider setting up a similar type of support group. I think a key component of it is to have it run by the patients themselves. Credit for this one goes to John Steinberg and Sabrina Shoe, RN.
posted: February 25th, 2010 @ 8:07pm
Re: Re: HOUSTON VA DEVELOPS GUIDE TO HELP AMPUTEES NATIONWIDE
Quote:

At the Texas Diabetes Institute we had an Amputee Support Group that was run by our head nurse and the chief resident and the patients themselves, Ryan. It was one of the most valuable experiences that I, and they, ever had.

It was a place that we usually had to beg the patients to go to in the first place but after they attended it the first couple of times we didn't have to talk them into it any more.

It was a place where they could go to cry at first and eventually they would laugh, help their fellow amputees, counsel one another, learn how to get around, seek the help they needed to survive at first and later to succeed. It was amazing.

I will never forget a story one of the new amputees was eventually able to tell and laugh out loud about, although at first she was horrified. She had her new prosthesis that didn't fit well at all. She had finally gotten up the nerve to go to the grocery store. Walking through the produce department, behind her grocery cart, after a step or two, she realized that her prosthetic limb had become dislodged and it was standing alone two steps behind her.

A worker, horrified at the scene and not knowing what to do, yelled out in dismay, "We a leg that needs assistance in aisle one, a leg that needs assistance in aisle one!"

It was such a victory for her to finally be able to laugh and a victory for all of us to help her to get to that point.

Anyone who is involved with amputees may want to consider setting up a similar type of support group. I think a key component of it is to have it run by the patients themselves. Credit for this one goes to John Steinberg and Sabrina Shoe, RN.


Kathleen,

 

 

That is an excellent idea.  When I was at Georgetown I had the opportunity to participate in the amputee support group at that facility, and it was indeed inspiring.

 

Among those of you who've answered the question in the poll above, What other resources have you found to be valuable for this patient population?