This is the personal story of David Gilroy, who became a triple amputee after a motorcycle accident over ten years ago.
I became a triple amputee after a motorcycle accident, where I was stuck under the car that hit me as it caught fire around me. I spent 15 months in a burns centre getting skin graphs and other operations, with 2 and a half months in a medical coma, then a further 15 months in revalidation learning how to live with just one arm. I learnt that not all medical staff have your best future in mind. Working with Physio Therapists at the burns centre they kept pushing me to go further. Once moving to the revalidation centre, I found that the physios were happy to see you come through the door and sit down for the day as they could tick a box on their patient sheet. I soon found that you have to advocate for yourself, and ask why you are not being pushed or being left before meeting a target. That was 8 and a half years ago and I still ask questions about new approaches/solutions to my medical team.
I remember in the burns unit looking at my still bandaged stumps of my right arm and down to my legs and breaking down into tears wondering how I was going to live like this, a question that kept repeating as I worked with Occupational Therapists that showed me all sorts of tools to live with one hand but I had to push to try for a myoelectric prosthetic arm. The skin grafts on my left leg were not healing as well as the rest off me and slowed my progress to getting lower limb prosthetics, so much that the PTs were telling me to get use to using an electric wheelchair as walking with prosthetics would be too difficult, once fitted with basic prosthetics I proved I had the courage to take on the challenge of regaining my life. From this journey I have found that people in your life will support you and your goals, but the medical team you start with may not have faith in your determination and drive, you have to advocate for yourself. It is exhausting and should not be this way, but if you don’t push for what you want, you won’t get it, also ask for second opinions, I didn’t do this and regretted it for a long time as my adaption to prosthetics would have been quicker in regards to the myoelectric prosthetic.
Also use every resource available to get information including this website, manufactures websites and product data sheets, also other amputees on social media will most probably have been through and have answers to help you with most problems. The most incredible resource on the web for all your questions has to be in incredible Cosi talks show hosted by Cosi Belloso a PT specializing in amputee physio therapy, you can find the previous shows on YouTube.
Having you all read through this, I have to say that after 10 years I feel that this is one of the most boring things I can talk about. I do think that how you came to being an amputee becomes unimportant over time. What is important is how you move on from it and learn to live your life.
