Beginnings

Limb less, Live More by Caitlin Stokes explores the world of Limb Loss.

Hello dear Readers,

Thank you for joining me on my next adventure. Climb aboard, strap in and enjoy the ride!

Life – as it is wont to do – presents us with many challenges along its winding journey, and we can either jump up and catch them or hide in a corner with our fingers crossed, hoping they disperse to look for another target. The amputation of my partners’ leg in 2017 was one such moment for me. I had recently moved from Scotland to North Yorkshire to live with him, leaving a thriving business in Equine and Human Sports Massage behind, and he was a HCA (Health Care Assistant) in the British Army. Life was filled with adjustments – learning to live together, building a client base in a whole new area, balancing work and home life, the list goes on – so when Scott re-injured his knee, we couldn’t possibly comprehend just how much our life was going to be upended.

Normality flew out the window as hospital visits, operations and uncertainty took over and priorities changed. After 12 operations to correct the injury, an above knee amputation was concluded to be the best course of action. Three years later and we have created a whole new life. We have not been able to ‘go back’ to our previous life, a traumatic event changes too much to go back. But we have been able to move forward. Scott is a snowboarder with Paralympic aspirations, we have just bought our first house, and I am completing a Masters in Amputation and Prosthetic Rehabilitation and have restarted my business. Life is good and full of prospects.

So why am I telling you this? There are thousands of amputations performed in the UK every year, for reasons including diabetes, trauma and infections. Whatever the cause, an amputation is a traumatic event which changes everything from relationships to self-identity to work, and it takes time.

Through this blog, I want to share what it is like to live with amputation, consolidating the experience and knowledge I have collected along my journey so far, through life experiences and academic learning. By doing so, I hope to help those of you going through this process – whether personally or with someone you love – looking at mental and physical health, lifestyle hacks that work for us, and delve into the areas of recovery that nobody talks about.

Just remember you are not alone and there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Caitlinx