Amputation.

Natwee

Natwee

Natwee

Associate
Joined
4 Jan 2011
Posts
1,105
Hi, bit of a rambly post, so sorry in advance.

My grandad is 80, and diabetic. He suffered a foot ulcer, as is often a complication, and instead of seeking prompt medical attention, actually decided to self treat it. Needless to say this didbt work, an by the time he told anyone he was not in a good way. They removed 2 toes to try Abd clear it and put maggots in it for weeks to eat away the infection.

They decided in the end to amputate the leg. He is having that done today and I'm waiting for them to take him to theatre.

Now I've actually started thinking about it I'm reallly worried for him. He currently lives on his own in his house and I'm worried how e is going to cope. My parents seem unconcerned by this.

I would ideally like him to live with me, but we literally have no room in our house. The house was only bought 3 years ago so I don't really see moving house as a viable option.my grandads house is on the other side of the city so we can't go and live there. I'm really struggling to see a solution and I'm really panicking about it.

The other thing I'm worried about, and I know it sounds selfish but I'm really scared what he will look like after the op. Ive never seen anyone with an amputation before and I don't want to look too shocked or upset. I cried at the hospital last night and it seemed to really upset him.

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks.
 
Have you considered a nursing home? It is an expensive option but if your grandad has any assets (property, investments) they can be used to fund it.

Ask at the hospital for advice on his living situation. They should be able to provide you with a lot of information. He may be entitled to certain bebefits to cover the cost of care.
 
Hope everything goes well for him. It's a tricky situation to be in for sure, often situations like this will be confusing in which direction and what appropriate action to take. Being there for him will be a great help. Other than that I am not sure of the best action to take.
 
Room for a granny flat extension on the side of your house? Or maybe if your Grandfather owns his own house you could both sell up and get something larger?

Regardless, I do hope everything goes well for him, and well done for being the one to look out for his well being, if only there were more like you in the world.

All the best.
 
Scuzi said:
Have you considered a nursing home? It is an expensive option but if your grandad has any assets (property, investments) they can be used to fund it.

Ask at the hospital for advice on his living situation. They should be able to provide you with a lot of information. He may be entitled to certain bebefits to cover the cost of care.
Click to expand...

This sounds like good advice. Maybe ask about prosthetics to help him stay mobile?
 
My grandfather was in a similar situation and had most of a foot taken off. Won't go into details, but make sure that everyone chips in with their fair share - don't take it all on yourself. I ended up doing just that and it meant I had a few years of stress, worry and generally feeling really down whilst trying to hold down a job.

Family in these sort of situations can be quite happy to sit back and let someone else take all the strain if they can get away with it. Don't get caught in that trap. Your parents should be the ones worrying tbh, it's unfair on you to even think that you might take on the burden. :(
 
I'm sorry to hear about the situation your in.

I'd suggest speaking to him about prosthetics - if you can sell the idea to him early it will help him adapt quickly to the changes in his mobility.

I'd also ensure the family helps & the responsibility is shared.

Best wishes anyway.
 
Have a chat with someone from Social Services (there should be a team based at the hospital). They'll be able to provide advice on care etc.
 
In these types of situations, the hospital should have arranged for an occupational therapist to visit and assess your grandfather's home before he is discharged. This is to check whether the home is suitable for an amputee, whether he will need any aids or alterations etc. Has anything like this been carried out? If not, best to speak with with the ward sister asap.
 
have you actually spoken to your parents about it or are you assuming from reactions they arent too fussed. im thinking brave faces may being put on?
 
As DanielMMS says, I'm pretty certain that they will have to do an assessment to determine whether or not your grandad will be able to cope at home after the amputation. They wouldn't let my nanna leave hospital without accepting home help as it was deemed she was incapable of looking after herself.
 
DanielMMS said:
In these types of situations, the hospital should have arranged for an occupational therapist to visit and assess your grandfather's home before he is discharged. This is to check whether the home is suitable for an amputee, whether he will need any aids or alterations etc. Has anything like this been carried out? If not, best to speak with with the ward sister asap.
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Bang on, in fact there's a good chance that the OT will also liaise with Social Services.
 
[edit] just re-read the first post. For some reason I thought your grandfather was being discharged today but I realise now that surgery is today.

You need not worry at this point. It will be quite some time before your grandfather is ready to be discharged home and, depending upon which health trust you come under, it may well be that he is first transferred to a rehabilitation unit to prepare him for going home, independent living etc. At some point, the surgeon will probably come for a chat to discuss how the procedure went - at that point it would be a good idea to ask for a view on how long it will be before discharge, what he/she would recommend for preparing and so forth. Don't worry at this point - you have plenty of time to make arrangements.
 
many thanks to all of the helpful replies here. they are very much appreciated.

still waiting to find anything out. im replying on the phone with very slow internet so i cant reply to all postts but thank you everyone.


Scuzi said:
Have you considered a nursing home? It is an expensive option but if your grandad has any assets (property, investments) they can be used to fund it.

Ask at the hospital for advice on his living situation. They should be able to provide you with a lot of information. He may be entitled to certain bebefits to cover the cost of care.
Click to expand...

this would be a last resort option to me. my nanna and grandad basically brought me up as my parents were crap and before my nanna diedi promised her id look after him. id never go back onthat.

Beerbaron said:
depends how much of his leg they amputate as well i suppose
Click to expand...
from just below the knee.

shadesofgrey said:
Room for a granny flat extension on the side of your house? Or maybe if your Grandfather owns his own house you could both sell up and get something larger?

Regardless, I do hope everything goes well for him, and well done for being the one to look out for his well being, if only there were more like you in the world.

All the best.
Click to expand...
im not sure if that would be possible, as its a terrace but its something to think about.
 
Natwee said:
Hi, bit of a rambly post, so sorry in advance.

My grandad is 80, and diabetic. He suffered a foot ulcer, as is often a complication, and instead of seeking prompt medical attention, actually decided to self treat it. Needless to say this didbt work, an by the time he told anyone he was not in a good way. They removed 2 toes to try Abd clear it and put maggots in it for weeks to eat away the infection.

They decided in the end to amputate the leg. He is having that done today and I'm waiting for them to take him to theatre.

Now I've actually started thinking about it I'm reallly worried for him. He currently lives on his own in his house and I'm worried how e is going to cope. My parents seem unconcerned by this.

I would ideally like him to live with me, but we literally have no room in our house. The house was only bought 3 years ago so I don't really see moving house as a viable option.my grandads house is on the other side of the city so we can't go and live there. I'm really struggling to see a solution and I'm really panicking about it.

The other thing I'm worried about, and I know it sounds selfish but I'm really scared what he will look like after the op. Ive never seen anyone with an amputation before and I don't want to look too shocked or upset. I cried at the hospital last night and it seemed to really upset him.

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be gratefully recieved.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

2 toes only? (don't mean to seem mean!)

One of my friends has been missing all toes from birth and he found it ok to walk, he just had a horrid limp. Since then he had to have the whole leg amputated. Doesn't look freaky at all, and mobility isn't a problem at all for him. He can climb stairs (albeit slowly) and he even did a 7 mile walk (he's not particularly fit either)

I'm sure mobility won't be a problem for him, but maybe try it for a few weeks in his own ouse and see how he gets along :)

EDIT: Just saw this:
from just below the knee.
Click to expand...

Roughly the same place as my friend. You never know - it might be a good thing, arthiritis will be less painful in one leg :)
As I said, mobility won't be a huge issue, obviously depends on the house :)
 
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He's 80. Chances are he'll cope a damn site better than you.

Dont take this the wrong way but he wont have any worries about looking good and pulling birds. He WILL just get on with it.

I hope it all goes well, And he recovers quickly. But I bet he surprises you
 
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