This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/bestofredditorupdates by /u/LucyAriaRose on 2024-09-05 04:00:28+00:00.
I am NOT the Original Poster. That is u/Fun_Concentrate_7844. He posted in r/TrueOffMyChest.
Thanks to u/Direct-Caterpillar77 for the rec!
Do NOT comment on Original Posts. Latest update is 7 days old.
Trigger Warning: serious accident; amputation
Mood Spoiler: sad but hopeful
Original Post: May 9, 2024 (almost the 10th)
My daughter was in a serious accident today. She was in surgery for 6 hours trying to repair her leg. The doctors came out and said the vascular system in her lower leg is failing, and more than likely, they will have to amputate.
She plays multiple sports and is a very active person. She looked at me when coming out of surgery and asked if everything was OK. I told her everything will be fine. The look of trust she gave me broke my heart.
The doctors want to wait until tomorrow to make the final judgment on if her leg can be saved. I can’t help but feel like I failed her as a parent. She trusts me to be honest with her and I couldn’t do it. Tomorrow is going to be one of the worst days of my life.
Relevant Comment:
Commenter: Your daughter’s life is going to change, but she’s going to live, and that’s the most important thing. Losing a limb does not mean she can’t be involved in sports, plenty of athletes have recovered from injuries and loss of limbs to continue being an athlete. Will it be difficult? Yes. But it can be done. As long as you and your daughter BELIEVE, it can be done. My prayers are with both of you.
OOP: Thank you. I want everyone to know that while I’m not responding yet, I am reading every response and appreciate everyone taking the time to write. My oldest daughter is flying in, and I’m at the airport picking her up. She is a specialist in orthopedic trauma and is going to help us navigate the day. I’ll update more later when something is definitive.
Mini Update Comment: May 10, 2024
Quick update, they have decided to amputate her leg. The vascular and nerve damage was just too much to repair.
Update (Same Post): May 11, 2024 (1.5 days later)
Update: Thank you so much for all the kind words. They have helped tremendously. As stated below, the doctors decided to amputate her leg. We broke the news, and she took it better than I thought she would. She had suspicions as she had no feeling in her lower leg, turning colors and just the basic severity of the injury. It was gruesome.
They were set to have amputation surgery this morning, but her vitals didn’t do well overnight, and they don’t feel she is strong enough to have that major of surgery. So they put it off until tomorrow. I understand the medical side of it, but it was crushing for her to get prepared mentally for today, then just have the rug pulled out from beneath you. I have started looking at the resources a lot of people here have mentioned. Thank you for those suggestions. I have a bit of time to look at stuff as she sleeps quite a bit. More updates when it seems relevant.
Update Post: August 29, 2024 (3.5 months later)
I’m sorry for the late update. The origanal post is on my profile.
After my daughters leg amputation, everything became a blur for the next couple months. But she is an incredible warrior. Her surgery went well. She impressed the doctors and staff so much they allowed her to come home 3 days after the surgery. I was expecting a couple weeks at the earliest.
She had a couple setbacks and had to have a proceedure done to clean out an area that wasn’t healing properly. But nothing is stopping her from living her life. We have went to ball games and concerts together. Getting her home user friendly has taken some time, but a lot of wonderful people have volunteered their time to make it happen. At this point she spends part of the time at her place and some at ours. She is learning to drive a vehicle with modified controls and is starting the process to get her prosthetic.
She participated in a mile walk at a festival a couple weeks ago and she finished it. She was last, but hell, she did it on crutches. I couldn’t have been more proud. She has plans to enter a 5k in November. I’ll be there cheering or walking with her if she will have me.
The only negative update is the insurance companies and her workplace. She went from short term disabilty to long term as she isn’t quite able to go back to work yet because of her doctor appointments and the state hasn’t cerified her to drive yet. Her work sent her a notice that her insurance is canceled as soon as she goes on long term disability. She will have to pay for the insurance out of her own pocket, so now we are scrambling for solutions. And after looking through all her medical bills, I can see why people file for bankrupcy.
A big thank you for all the people that reached out with support and suggestions. You have no idea how much they are appreciated. If I have more news, I’ll update again.