Why Amputees Might Not Wear Prosthetics - Why I Don't Have a Leg (Yet...)

Why don't I wear a prosthetic leg? While my answer might be simple, it gets a lot more complicated for other amputees. There are so many reasons why an amputee might choose to wear or not wear a prosthesis - and here are just a few!

#prosthetics #amputation

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Jo Beckwith
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Fourteen years of pain and failed ankle surgeries brought me to 2018, when I made the difficult decision to become a twenty-seven-year-old below-the-knee elective amputee. This channel is to document my journey of amputation surgery, recovery, and reclaiming my life.

[resolutehamster]

Start worrying if your prosthetic writes back.

[erictaylor]

5:00 It takes at least 46 years. I've been an amputee since I was 3. I have no memory of having 2 legs, but I still do not think of my fake leg as a part of me.
I suspect I never will. In fact, I need to be careful on stairs and ladders, because I don't know where my right foot is in space. I have fallen on stairs because I missed the next step with my foot.
That reminds me: Jo, be careful on stairs :^)

[lexclair]

My youngest cousin was born with a deformed ankle in Russia and required amputation at a few months old so he's always had a prosthetic leg. When he was young, he hated it and would rather just take it off and would move kind of like Gollum from the Lord of the rings all over the house and yard. But at about 16 he switched and now is very rarely without his leg sometimes only removing it to sleep (he's now 26)

**He coined the phrase Gollum like movement, not me**

[annkathrinhanamond]

For a German, the idea of not having insurance (that will pay for a prosthetic) is so strange ... (and it makes me sad that not everyone in this world can think this way :( )
[In Germany some people may fall through the crack, but that's a small minority - nearly everybody has insurance and the state pays it for people who don't have a job]

[erictaylor]

I went several month without a prosthesis because I was hit by a car and while I wasn't hurt, my leg was destroyed. The insurance adjuster refused to settle for the cost of a new one, because he didn't believe how expensive a new leg would be. It took me 8 moths and a lawyer to get them to pay. Needless to say, it cost them quite a bit more money. All he had to do was call a random prothetist and ask, but he didn't do that, even though I suggested it.
It was *MASSIVELY* annoying.
I believe the guy lost his job, because he ended up costing them about $150 thousand in addition to what they would have paid just for the leg.But he was "Damn sure" I was scamming him.

[russellmarston]

I’ve been a amputee for 37 years now above knee amputee since the age of 10 due to cancer. I put my leg on when I get up and keep it on all day to me it’s part of me and I’m lost with out it.

[dustycornerscalgary]

I’ve watched you hop around and don’t know how you do it . It’s been 9 years for me and it still sends shock waves through my stump when I hop so my prosthetic goes on with my glasses in the morning and stays on TIL nighttime. That’s how we roll now.love your channel, very inspiring

[candykingtheatre]

Of course some amputees choose not to wear prosthetics out of preference, but it breaks my heart that some people may want them, but can't get them for financial reasons. This seems so unfair.

Thanks so much for your channel and your videos. Hope you're feeling a bit better after surgery xx

[parrant]

Oh my god Jo you are so right on point with your comments. I was involved in an accident last year on June 30th where I was hit by a car. I just got my second socket this past Friday and I am an above the knee amputee and I am headed back to my prosthesis today because it is not fitting right and if you are like me you want it to be right the first time and that just isn’t going to be the case. I get so extremely frustrated then I watch one of your videos and I get just the strength I need to keep going that day. Thanks so much for doing what you do because as you have said in the past that it’s therapeutic for you but if you only knew just how therapeutic it was for me. Again thanks so very much from the bottom of my heart. An above the knee amputee from Mississippi.

[erictaylor]

One big issue with above knee amputees is control. A very short stump does not offer very much control over the limb, and that is very important. HD amputees very seldom use a prosthetic because with no stump at all, they can only swing the leg with hip thrusts.

[Mr.Quinlan]

I'm an amputee (BTKA) waiting for my first prosthetic. Excited, but also nervous. Anyhow, I just recently met an another amputee who has spent 100's of thousands of dollars on prosthetics and they told me they hardly wear them because of the sores created by the friction between their limb and the prosthetic. Due to them being diabetic, they worry about further complications from the sores and having to go back for more surgery to cut off more of that limb. They are happy in their life using crutches or a wheelchair. Love the channel Jo!! Keep up the great work and hoping for a speedy recovery for you.

[sierra]

One of the most well known (at least in my opinion) amputee who doesn't use a prosthesis is Josh Sundquist! He is super funny and entertaining and also has amazing costumes every Halloween

[KristenK]

My son has symbrachydactyly—part of his hand stopped growing in utero, and he just has “nubs” for fingers. When he was little, my mom would ask a lot about surgery or other ways to “replace” his missing digits, and we tried an e-nable 3D printed hand when he was younger. But at this point he’s 12, and he’s happy with his own hand as-is. He’s amazing with Lego, he’s in Boy Scouts and does everything the rest of the kids do, he cuts his own food. If he wanted to look into a prosthetic of some kind, we would absolutely be supportive, but we’ve also encouraged him to figure out how to adapt as needed.

[jodil]

I'm actually glad that you posted this video. I never thought about being on crutches like first thing in the morning, ect. So maybe I really don't want to have my leg amputated from the pain. I remember when I had that infection in my new knee replacement and the doctor put an antibiotic cement spacer in my leg in place of the knee. I couldn't put weight on that leg because that spacer could break. I had to hop around using a walker and it killed my other leg, and hip. I don't understand why they didn't give me crutches.

[chengreenman]

Yes! I lot of people ask me if I sleep with my prosthesis and I tell them to kind of think of it as a shoe. Would you wear your shoes to bed? People normally answer no, so yes I take my prosthesis off before I get into bed. Honestly I hate wearing my prosthesis when its not absolutely necessary like it is for walking. Like you said Jo, it gets uncomfortable and its not like you can forget its there (plus in the summer time your leg gets all hot and sweaty in the prosthesis ick😝)

[l.c.williams]

My best friend of 12 years is a Bellow the knee amputee..and the first memory I have of her is coming over to my house in preschool and taking her leg off at the bottom of the stairs and then running up on her stub ... She is amazing.

[pacmanc]

Jo, I lost my leg above the knee on Dec 3rd. I was ran over in a parking lot back in July. I have good days and bad. You have helped me so much to keep moving forward. I have an amazing (new leg). Yes it is hard, I sometimes feel as though I am hitting a point in PT where I feel like giving up. But that is not an option. Jo You are my hero, keep moving forward.

[Valeria-Kr]

I subscribed to you and Kristie on the same day 3 months ago 😂

[wmrhnek]

I actually wonder if, because of the ridiculous cost of a prosthetic limb in countries like the US, some people don't make their own! That's what I'd try...
I only know of one example: a Spanish kid who built his own Lego arm (extremely cool, as well as useful!) 😍
I'm an AKA hopping on crutches because I am waiting for a lighter prosthesis, one that my back will agree with... 🙏🏼

[trixiesparkles]

I think it's abit sad how excited I get when I get a notification that you've uploaded a new video x