Hints & tips
Here are some hints & tips for amputees. All is based on experiences of other amputees.
1. Start physical training at once
If you are in hospital you should ask for manuals and start training in bed if you are laying in a hospital bed. Are you allowed to go home between treatments you should train either with a therapist or in a health studio.
The reason why we give this advice is that we know that the stronger you get physical the stronger you also get psychical.
2. Relationship to lover, wife/husband
Many relationships break when one gets really sick. That's hard facts. This happens often because of fear and insecurity regarding what's happening to the sick one. If it's you who are sick NEVER say to you partner that you don't love him/her any more, when still being under treatment. NEVER take active steps towards ending your relationship while still under treatment for your illness. You do not have the right assumption to do that now. Mark my words : If you say to your partner that you will end your relationship while undergoing treatment you will cause your partner an extreme strain if they really love you.
When you become sick you often may feel that you are not good enough for your partner. And therefore wants to "spare" your partner for being with you. But you must remember that this is only your feelings, not your partners!. You can not be a mind reader and know what your partner thinks and feels if you don't ask. If you still get these feelings try to wait until the treatment is finished and you have come back home again and settled. After a while you will get the illness and the treatment on distance. Do you still feel that you want to end the relationship then you will have to talk seriously with your partner about this. Either the talk will fix everything or you will both go different ways.
It's important that you know that if your partner does not love you he/she will leave you anyway one time or another. If it happens now or after the treatment doesn't matter. Independent if you had been sick or not you would have parted sooner or later if love is gone. Maybe it will turn out to be better that it happens now if this is the case?
Remember that there is a person out there who are meant just for you. And it's not always the right person you are with even if it seems like it at the moment. Concentrate one hundred percent about being well and don't think about this now when you are fighting for your life.
3. Positive thinking is you best weapon
When you are standing outside the hospital and is going in to start treatment for your cancer or to amputate, you should stop outside for a short while. Look closely at the Hospital building and the main entrance. Visualize yourself walking out that door again. You look well and have finished your treatment. You are coming out as a new and better person. You did it. All the fights made you well again and you are finished with all those harsh treatments. And you are starting a new life. A life after the illness you beat. That will be the first day in the rest of your life.
You are now entering the hospital to fight probably the most important fight in you life. And to win you will have to give all you got. It's you and your body this is all about. For many people it is also about those kids waiting at home for their mom and/or dad to come home again.
You shall fight this battle and win. You are going to be well again and manage to live the rest of your life the best you can!! There are lots of people out there who loves you and cares about you. Think of them and fight for you life. Life is wonderful!
4. Be open and frank
If you are open and frank about your cancer it's better for your surroundings to deal with it. If you don't tell anyone what have happened then there will probably be rumours about you. This happens especially in small communities and towns. We have experienced this ourselves.
5. Sex
When you have experienced cancer or an amputation you will feel the need to "feel alive". This is a psychological reaction and can follow you for the rest of your life. This means that you will be very sexual active and want to use sex to feel you are alive. Sexual intercourse is a way of reproducing ourselves. Mankind reproduces themselves by having sexual intercourse. And that may lead to children. Can here be a better way to feel alive? If this happens to you try to talk with your partner about it first. It's very important that your partner is aware of this. It might also be just a period of your life. This is very individual. There are off cause also people who experience the opposite. But we feel that the majority will be more sexual active.
The most important thing though is that you should not be ashamed about it. It's your life!
6. Need confirmation that you still are attractive
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7. Work
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8. Death
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9. Medicine
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10. Prosthesis
There are a lot of different prosthesis around. We will have our own section showing the news about prosthesis and different kinds of prosthesis.
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11. Cell poison/sterility
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12. Psychic press
Being ill from cancer or having an amputation are a tremendous psychological experience and can be very traumatic. We will be back with a new section about this.
Best regards
Tor-André Skogland
Founder