Thursday

Sandra and the doctors arrived about three AM. Blood tests and X-rays were taken and she was moved to a room. The doctors were not awakened, they slept in the RV till about six then went to breakfast meeting with Dr. Davis. Two other doctors from about a hundred miles away joined them. Dr. Davis showed them videos and pictures of surgeries and discussed the procedures they would perform on Sandra. He repeatedly quizzed them as they talked. He would take a teaching and advisory role, the other four would perform the procedures. The two doctors who came with Sandra were each paired with one of the other doctors who had each assisted in four procedures. Sandra was prepped and by nine thirty she was in the OR. Five minutes later she was sedated. The two teams started working on both her legs. At three minutes after ten the team working on her right leg severed the bone and placed the leg in a specimen tray. Sandra was officially an AK amputee, one in four thousand. Four minutes later her left leg was severed. She was now one in a hundred thousand, a DAK.

The teams proceeded to finish the surgery. At six after twelve Sandra was in recovery.

The doctors had lunch and checked on Sandra. She was still asleep. The two nearby doctors had each brought two of their patients for surgery. All four were revisions of previous amputations. The surgeries would be done by the two teams with Dr. Davis moving between the rooms to check and advise. They finished the last patient and were eating when the call came. They were bringing in a twelve year old boy. Both his feet had been shredded by a mower.

Dr. Davis looked at the teams. “You can bow out or stay and help.”

All elected to stay. They had seen enough to believe this procedure was a good one. At nine thirty they finished and were checking patients.

Carol was awake early and having only minimal discomfort. About noon they helped her up on crutches, by evening she had the catheter out and was going to the bathroom. She carefully looked at the cast on her stump. She wanted it off to see what they had done.

Denise was fitted with her new cast. It fit much better and she was able to walk with only one crutch to steady her. The pegleg was a little awkward but she was walking.