At the time of the diagnosis and surgery we were close to the 2-year mark of the original injury. Joe could not use his left leg as the tumor prevented him from straightening it. I could visibly see how the tumor was slowly blocking the blood flow to his calf and foot. Joe had tingling in his foot as the tumor began crowding out the nerves behind his knee. He used crutches 100% of the time. I held my breath every time he navigated the stairs of our 2-story house.
Communicating the news to family and friends needed to happen. We finally had an answer to what was ailing Joe, and after years of concerned questions from loved ones, it was time to share the next chapter of our story with them. In future posts I’ll share more on the topic of communication and the value of having a plan for sharing difficult news and updates with family and friends.
There were just a few crazy busy weeks between receiving the diagnosis and the surgery. We were asked to get a second opinion before the surgery, and we did. There was also so much pre-surgery prep to do, such as more scans, labs, an MRI, as well as making sure we had in-home support set up for after the surgery. Joe had an above the knee amputation in early May of 2017. He was finally free of the pain that was with him for years. He came home 2 days after the surgery and began the healing journey.
Happy Anniversary! Coming Home after Amputation to Remove Synovial Chondrosarcoma
The day Joe came home was our 24th wedding anniversary. I felt so thankful that Joe survived the surgery. It was a wonderful anniversary gift. Anyone who has had surgery or walked the pre-surgery steps with a loved one knows how they make sure you understand all the awful outcomes that may occur during surgery, including death. Not only did Joe survive the surgery, he was in decent spirits too. This was mostly because he didn’t have much pain thanks to the cryotherapy used on the front and back of his leg before surgery. In fact, when Joe came home that day, he came into the house, looked around and headed upstairs to do his physical therapy and then lay down. He crutched right up the stairs with smooth stability and confidence. After all, he perfected navigating the stairs while he was in extreme pain. We had planned that he may need to sleep downstairs post-surgery and friends gave a us a bed to use for this purpose. Joe has never slept overnight on this bed. It remains a napping only bed. 😊
That first week was a blur. In re-reading my journals from this time, there are no entries from that first week home. I’m sure I was too busy with caregiving activities and logistics and being just too tired to write. My sister-in-law Lesley, who with just a few days notice, dropped everything to come from across the county and help us. My brothers, Paul and Mike, showed up without notice the morning Joe was coming home. While we waited to hear if and when Joe would be coming home that day, Mike, who has a talent for fixing almost anything, fixed a few broken items in our home that we hadn’t gotten around to fixing. Paul visited and spent time with Catie, our younger daughter, who was in high school at the time. Our older daughter, Shannon, was finishing her first year of college and came home the week following the surgery, as soon as she finished her finals.
It Takes a Village – Support Post Amputation
The support from the women and families of my Book Club and Bible Study was tremendous. Family, friends, and neighbors all stepped up big time. The meal train alone lasted a month! Other women in my life were incredibly supportive and also helped carry me through this chaotic and stressful time. Their thoughtful words of encouragement and gifts sent letting us know we were being thought of and prayed for were so helpful. They helped lift our spirits and reminded us we were not alone on this journey.
Resiliency
Speaking of lifting spirits, and an early sign of Joe’s resiliency, is that just one day after hearing the results of the biopsy and the treatment (amputation), Joe checked out the resources of the Challenge Athletes Foundation (CAF). He knew about their work with the Wounded Warrier Project and wanted to know more. Already, he was exploring what life might be like as an amputee and what support is out there and available to help navigate this new and different world he would be entering. CAF’s work is encouraging in so many ways, more on this in future posts. However, on that day, Joe said to me, “There is no shame in prosthetics.” No, Joe, there’s not.
This blog is one section of a four-part series. Click here to read the entire story. To read the next part of the story, Home Care and Prosthetics, click here.
