What to Expect at Home

It will take time for you to learn to use a walker and a wheelchair. It will also take time to learn to get in and out of the wheelchair. You may also be getting a prosthesis, a manmade part to replace your limb that was removed. You will have to wade for the prosthesis to be made. When you have it, getting used to it will take time.

You will probably have pain in your limb for several days after your surgery. You may also have a feeling that your limb is still there. This is called phantom sensation. See also: Phantom limb pain

You may feel sad, angry, frustrated, or depressed. All of these feelings are normal. You may have them when you were in the hospital or when you get home.

Self-care

Family and friends can help. Talking with them about your feelings may make you feel better. They can also help you do things around your house and when you go out.

If you feel sad or depressed, ask your doctor about seeing a mental health counselor for help with your feelings about your amputation.

If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control. See also: Managing your blood sugar

If you have poor blood flow to your foot, follow your doctor's instructions for diet and medicines.

You may eat your normal foods when you get home.

Wound and Foot Care

Do NOT use your limb until your doctor tells you it is okay to use it again. This will be at least 2 weeks or longer after your surgery. Do not put any weight at all on your wound. Do not even touch it to the ground, unless your doctor says so. Do NOT drive.

Keep the wound clean and dry. Do not take a bath, soak your wound, or swim. If your doctor says you can, clean the wound gently with mild soap. Do not rub the wound, but allow water to flow gently over it.

After your wound heals, keep it open to the air unless your doctor or nurse tells you something different. After dressings have been removed, wash your stump with mild soap and water every day. Do not soak it. Dry it well. See also: Leg or foot amputation - dressing change

Inspect your limb every day. Use a mirror if it is hard for you to see all around it. Look for any red areas or dirt.

Wear your elastic bandage or shrinker sock on the stump all the time. If you are using an elastic bandage, rewrap it every 2 to 4 hours. Make sure there are no creases in it. Wear your stump protector whenever you are out of bed.

Ask your doctor or nurse for help with pain. Two things that may help are:

• Tapping along the scar and in small circles along the stump, if it is not painful
• Rubbing the scar and stump gently with linen or soft cotton

Practice transfers at home:

• Go from your bed to a chair, your wheelchair, or the toilet.
• Go from a chair to your wheelchair.
• Go from your wheelchair to the toilet.

If you use a walker, stay as active as you can with it.

Keep your stump at or above the level of your heart when you are lying down. When you are sitting, do not cross your legs. It can stop the blood flow supply to your stump.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your doctor if:

• Your stump looks redder, or there are red streaks on your skin going up your leg.
• Your skin feels warmer to touch.
• There is swelling or bulging around the wound.
• There is new drainage or bleeding from the wound.
• There are new openings in the wound, and the skin around the wound is pulling away.
• Your temperature is above 101.5° F more than once.
• Your skin around the stump or wound is dark or is turning black.
• Your pain is worse, and your pain medicines are not controlling it.
• Your wound has gotten larger.
• A foul smell coming from the wound.

Alternate Names

Amputation - foot - discharge; Trans-metatarsal amputation - discharge

References

Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense. VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for Management for Rehabilitation of Lower Limb Amputation. January 2008. Accessed May 26, 2010.

Heck RK. General principles of amputations. In: Canale ST, Beatty JH, eds. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007:chap 9.

Update Date: 6/15/2012

Updated by: C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.