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Walking in the mall, the pain in my right leg burned with every step. Suddenly, I heard a familiar slap. My leg had just broken – but instead of crying, I laughed because it was the third time in six years.
This happened for the first time in August 2011. Without warning, my right leg gave way completely and I felt excruciating pain. I could not walk, so I called my mother, Kerry, 56, who took me to the hospital.
X-rays revealed that my calf bone had been broken for some time without my knowledge. It appeared that the bones of my right leg were sharply curved and slightly shorter than those on the left, and my shin was broken under pressure to support my entire leg.
While the novelty of the crutches and my leg plaster seemed fun at first, it quickly disappeared.
After three months, the cast was removed, but a year later, I climbed the stairs at my parents' house and I still broke my leg. Back in the hospital, the doctors decided to operate, putting metal plates in the leg to stabilize my shin. Two years later, they added an external frame to lengthen the bones.
Although the plates did not pose any problem, the frame, which I had to wear for 15 months, was very tiring. Even going to the supermarket was a chore because it was difficult to walk without needing rest.
At 24, I had reached my lowest point. My leg seemed annoying and despite the huge doses of painkillers I took every day, I was in agony. Then, in October 2016, it was said that the frame did not heal my leg anymore.
I had to undergo a painful bone graft and have two other metal plates inserted to replace the frame.
BTW
- In the UK, 5,000 patients need to be amputated each year. *
- Transtibial amputations (below the knee) are the most common. **
- For help and support, visit Limbless-badociation.org.
- Sources: * National Vascular Registry ** Blesma
At first they seemed to do the trick, but in April 2017, I woke up with a terrible pain in my right leg. I put it in the cold and I left that afternoon to meet my friend at the local mall. As we were walking that afternoon, a huge crackling sound stopped me and I knew that my leg had just broken.
In the hospital, the doctors said that they could try another plate, but that it might not work. That's when I seriously considered amputating my leg. At 26, I've been thinking about how it might affect my future: how to find a husband or deal with children? But I realized that I had practically lived with one leg in the last six years, so what was the difference?
I asked my surgeon if it was an option and he took me to a specialist for limb loss. After a good conversation, I thought it was the right thing to do. When I told my mother, she was shocked, but understood why I wanted to do it.
I was determined to celebrate my decision and on December 15, 2017, three days before my surgery, I organized a party at my parents' house with my friends to help me stay legless. We had a leg-shaped cake and played alcohol games such as "pin the leg to Vicky".
ENERGY PERK
Clean, natural energy drinks on the dark days of winter
BELIEVE THE BUZZ
Hello Honey – the sweetest ingredient of the bee-auty for shampoo and skin care
I did not stop laughing all night. Everyone said it was the strangest – but the best – party they had ever been to.
On the day of my amputation, I made jokes up to the operating room. No part of me was nervous – I was at peace with what I was doing. The phantom pain immediately struck when I woke up after the operation, which even seemed strange as I could not see my right foot anymore.
I did not spend my time mourning and I started the physio as soon as my prosthesis was adjusted a month later. I finally felt that I could do whatever I wanted. Nine months later, I finished a triathlon: swimming on 200 m, cycling on 6 km and running on 1.5 km. It was difficult, but it was worth it when I got the medal at the end.
Since then, I had a 5 km run and my friends say that they got old Vicky. Over the past year, I have been partying in Vegas at a Taylor Swift concert and a chicken in Ibiza.
Now, I'd like an adjustable leg to be able to wear heels again. And after seven years of being single, I'm looking forward to having my first post-amputation date at some point. Of course, sometimes I do not want to put my prosthesis because it can be uncomfortable, but I will never regret my choice. I may have lost a part of my body but I have definitely resumed my life.
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