My toddler had his leg amputated

[FHmama]

Happy to answer any questions, especially about the surgery etc

Definitely a thread I would have found comfort in when I was going through the worst time so hopefully it can help another mother

What a brilliant thread - very thoughtful to pass on useful experience to families now/in future.

I was almost crying at the 'gone, gone' bit and then laughed out loud about 'dinosaur eat it'. Ollie sounds ace.

You are doing amazingly supporting him. Having you as his mum will make all the difference.

Mumsnet SEND forum may be useful to you as you meet any challenges in the future.

Wishing you both all the very best!

💐
you and you LO sound amazing. Best wishes for the years ahead. Sounds like he won’t let this stop him from doing whatever he wants.

Only just saw this but Ollie sounds awesome, love his dinosaur explanation!

"However Ollie has just turned two. He is fully healed now, makes me give stump kisses every night before bed and tells everyone 'dinosaur eat it' about his missing limb 😁 we pick up his first prosthetic leg next Tuesday and couldn't be happier as a family. Very excited for the next chapter."

Oh op this made e get teary and burst out laughing ash at the same time. He sounds like an able delight!! I am so looking forward to hearing about his new leg and how progresses.

I'm on holiday at the moment with my nephew. He's 6 and has a social development delay. We were shopping yesterday and he kept saying " auntyaunty, come see robot legs, come see!" And I thought he was talking about a display but he got real upset and said I would miss it and DRAGGED me to the till where a gent in his 50s had two altricial legs. He clearly heard my DN and shot him a double thumbs up and a wink. It made my DNs day as he thought it was SO cool that a person could actually have robot legs with human shoes on. We had a talk, as much as we could, about how her may have been a baby with no legs, or he could have had an accident or got sick and they could bed new.

We went on holiday earlier this year and he saw a preschooler, age 3 with no lower arm at all. They didn't speak English were playing alone . He tried to engage, got rebuked and my DN then started tucking his arm into his rash vest to try and make friends. The parents were horrified, I expect they thought he was taking the mick but he wasn't. He had nothing but happiness and love and just wanted to make friends.

I hope you little one thrives and doesn't have any more complications❤️

Your littleboy sounds amazing, I love the dinosaur explanation! Just wanted to say good luck with the next stages getting his new leg, you sound like an amazing mum coping with so much xx

@FHmama

My daughter was born without her arm, and we know a number of children like your son.
Having gone through prosthetic fittings (arms used less than legs generally) then I'd say the main thing is make sure it's comfortable, because if it isn't he'll give up on it fairly quickly. he will find it heavy and hot at first. It's worth encouraging him because it does get easier. For lower limbs they tend to work well but not look great; upper limbs can look better but aren't as good functionally.
Do ask if you want something different-once he's comfortable on that one you can ask them about the children's sports fund and he may be eligible for blades and other different limbs. He may need to be older for different ones, that's normal.
Don't be tempted to go private at his age, you may be needing a new one every 2-3 months at times; if you're not happy with your limb centre change it (can recommend Roehampton) because some are more obliging than others.

Do make contact with the charities:
Limbpower is a sports based one. They do sporting days, and are really inspirational for the children. They have top coaches, adults with limb deficiencies to aspire to, and lots of fun too!

Douglas Bader Foundation do various things including flying days (going up in light aircraft) for young amputees. They also do grants for adaptions you might need.

Big hugs to you & Ollie 💞💞

OMG stump kisses and 'dinosaur eat it'... complete cuteness overload! Your precious Ollie sounds absolutely adorable, and is blessed to have such a wonderful mum. Best of luck Ollie with your new leg how exciting!!

I'm so glad to read your boy is doing well now, and you all are. Good luck for the prosthetic fitting on Tuesday!

I nanny for a little one with just one hand. I'm blown away by how little it holds her back! She rides a bike as well as any other child, rides her own horse better than most (jumping and everything!) does gymnastics, skiiing, swims like a fish and her handwriting is beautiful! She's also bursting with confidence, has no problem making friends and has recently been offered an acting role.

Best of Luck to Ollie going forward. 😃

You are a wonderful mother and Ollie sounds amazing, I'm pleased that he's recovered well even though he developed an infection.

What a little treasure he is. You must have got such a fright with the infection.
Xx

He sounds like a wonderful little boy . I love his "dinosaur ate it " . I hope all goes well with his prosthetic .

“Dinosaur ate it”

Oh OP, you and Ollie both sound wonderful. What a heartwarming, positive thread.

Ollie sounds amazing , just like his mum, who is handling everything so well 😊

Oh that update made me cry a little, he sounds lovely. You sound like you've got this OP ❤️

My best friend had this op and had her leg amputated above her knee when she was tiny.

She has lived a very full and active life - clubbing, mountain climbing, has had 3 children, skiing, horse riding, has a great physical job, is very happily married.

Its just part of her, she gets frustrated with the prosthetics service at the NHS though, it’s an ongoing saga of refits and new parts. She did say that it would have been easier if she was male as the new high tech legs are generally tested on army men.

All the best to you and your gorgeous boy x

You both sound amazing. Good luck on Tuesday. Please let us know how it goes.

@FHmama
So glad that your son is ok now-
How worrying that must have been for you all.

I have only known personally an of ex Servicemen years ago with leg amputation ( Due to mine explosion) and the Serviceman did suffer phantom limb pain ( WW2) .

Hopefully a child having an amputation for “Non - injury” may not get phantom limb pain?

A child surely need lots of changes in prosthetic limb, as they grow so very fast.

Best Wishes

Hopefully a child having an amputation for “Non - injury” may not get phantom limb pain?

Unfortunately not. Even those who are born with missing limbs can get phantom pain. But it seems to depend on the person. Some people suffer badly from it, some people don't get it at all.

Loving the dinosaur story!
Years back a toddler showed me a massive scar on his chest (open heart surgery) and confidently told me it was where he got attacked by a tiger in Africa 😁

Thanks for the update. I just had to add that your sound really fantastic and a great mum. So young too! I'm sure your son gets a large part of his resilience from you.

I hope all is well FHmama - I've a friend whose child had both legs amputated as a toddler due to a deformity. She qualified as a doctor a few years back and is well travelled. It's never held her back.

Hugs to you and your son!
I married into a family of amputees due to an inherited condition so I have spend many hours in the limb clinic waiting rooms and obviously saw first hand the whole thing from surgery to being allowed to take his first leg home leg (very exciting day!) When you see the children running around the clinic you wouldn’t know they were amputees, especially the younger ones. My husband’s prosthetic leg is his best one and if he was younger he would have had the other one done. We did have to fight for funding for a more flexible foot, but apart from that the NHS limb clinic service is fab. We are more rural so sometimes have to travel to the regional centre for appointments but my 2 BIL’s go to a large London centre with 7 day a week service.

Oooh!!! I’ve seen you guys on Tik Tok! Olly is absolutely beautiful.

Ollie!