You were traveling on the highway when it happened. The semitruck in front of you began to brake quickly. It was raining, so you braked but slid. You tried to move over a lane to avoid a crash. You were successful, but the semi lost control and jackknifed into your vehicle.
The next thing you knew, you were waking up in the hospital. You tried to push yourself up, and that’s when you realized you no longer had one of your arms. It was amputated due to the severity of the injury.
Psychologically, losing a limb is one of the hardest issues to overcome. The brain still believes the limb is there, so you may have phantom pains and even attempt to use the limb. Beyond this, it’s extremely difficult to cope with the reality that you can’t do all of the things you used to do.
It’s important to treat your physical and emotional needs after amputation.
After losing a limb, there are a few things to consider. A patient has to handle emotional stress as well as physical stress. Psychologically, patients have to overcome the five stages of grief: denial, isolation, anger, depression and acceptance. An emotional recovery doesn’t necessarily mean going through the above steps in order. Someone may feel accepting one day and angry the next.
After an amputation, physical needs are also vital to address. Physically, you may need to learn to use a prosthetic, and you may be faced with the physical challenges of eventually going back to work.
An amputation takes time to get used to, but with the right professional help, you can overcome this change in your life.
It helps also to have all of the financial compensation you need to move forward. However, that does not come automatically. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you obtain the full and fair compensation to which you are entitled.
