Not So Phantom Pain

I love autumn. I relish the cold evenings sitting by a crackling fire with the aroma of fresh baked bread wafting through the air and applesauce simmering on the stove. From the pumpkin patch to the apple orchard, fall is full of wonderful family adventures. I feel energized and alive when the air becomes crisp and cool.

Unfortunately, I also feel a lot of pain during this time of year. The drastic temperature fluctuations wreaks havoc on my stump causing my nerves to do the jitterbug and my bones to ache. Some days I plaster a fake smile on my face as I struggle through the pain. I don't want my discomfort to be limiting so I try to push through, but it isn't easy. It is during those moments that I despise being an amputee!

During the first few days of autumn weather, my leg bones ache. I wouldn't describe the sensation as painful, but it is certainly draining. I am reminded with each step of my amputee status as I feel a dull and twisting pain in my residual limb. It often feels as if my ankle is twisted which I find particularly annoying since it is not there! My gait has been adversely affected because of the discomfort causing me to walk with a limp--a reality that I also find annoying.

At night, when all I want to do is take off my leg and sleep, I find that the pain is at its peak. My leg goes into a full jitterbug routine, kicking wildly in response to the stinging nerve pain. The past few nights my stinging has caused my leg to wail so intensely that I moved to the pull-out couch in Robby's room so that Scott could sleep.

Warm baths, compression, and my Homedics massage pillow all help to alleviate the phantom flare-ups, but none extinguishes the problem completely. All I can do is try to keep busy and wait for everything to normalize. Thankfully in a few days my limb will adjust and return to its normal, happy state. That is, until the first snow begins to fall!