T

THE FIFTH DAY

Their stump casts and dressings were removed.  The doctor checked their incisions and placed a bandage only on the incision.  The doctor felt Penny’s cast as he put it on.  It was not as tight as it should be to shrink her stump.  He asked for two stump socks and placed them over the bandage on her stump and then put on the cast.  She questioned him on this, was something wrong that she needed the stump socks if the other two women didn’t?  He smiled.

“On the contrary there is a lot right.  Your stump is shrinking.  This is good.  It still has some small amount of edema as do all stumps this soon after surgery.  We must deal with that but it is a smaller amount than we see after most amputations.  Your stump is really in good shape.  You can start learning about stump care.  They will instruct you today.  You’re going to find that a stump can be a high maintenance item and it has to be kept healthy or you can’t walk on it.”

After the exercise portion of their therapy a female therapist they did not know came over, “Hi, I’m Karen Leese.  I’ll be showing you how to care for your stump.  I want you to move over to the bench along the one wall.”
She carried a pair of crutches as she followed them.  When they were seated she handed a couple of ACE bandages to each of them and then slid a moveable bench in front of them, pulled off her left trouser leg that was attached with Velcro and sat down.  She had moved so well that none of them had noticed she was a LAK.  Her prosthesis was not cosmetic, “The doctor advises that you are ready to begin learning about your stump care. First you need to learn how to remove and don your pylon cast.  Do this really carefully. There are still stitches in your stump and these can catch as it slides off and that would really hurt.  Penny, turn to the side with your pylon on the bench next to you.”  The tech was siting on the bench across from them and lay her left leg on the bench. “Like this.”