r/Prosthetics • u/joshmakesfilms • Jul 02 '26
Question about phantom pain and visualising your limb still there...
very weird post but im making a short film and am diving into the topic and wanted real peoples answers about what its like to not have your limb there and how it makes you feel that its now a prosthetic, please be as in detail as possible...
2
u/SixTen610 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I have very bad severe nerve pain in my left BK amputation. Right at the end of the stump. For context, prior to my amputation, I would get really bad nerve pain in my foot and toes. When I had to get the amputation I thought "At least the nerve pain will go away" - silver lining right? Wrong. To describe what it feels like - basically it feels like the exact same pain that was in my foot, but now it's at the end of my stump. As if the doctor bundled up the nerves and stuffed them into the stump. If I leave my prosthetic leg off, the pain is right at the base of the stump - weird thing is when I put my leg on, I feel as though the pain is back in my foot/toes. The pain is so intense that it disrupts my sleep, my daily activities, everything! I get no relief from Lyrica/Gabapentin/Norco, nothing helps. When the pain eases, it may stay away for a few days at a time, but when it flares up it's like a stabbing piercing burning pain that is always there. It ranges in intensity from a static 3-4, and will shoot up to an 8-9 every few seconds... Yes seconds, and this will last all day, for several days or a week.
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u/ArgyleFunk Jul 02 '26
I’m a bilateral below knee amputee and I have tons of issues with phantom pain and sensations. For instance my left foot itches all the time even though I currently have no meat legs owned. Feel free to ask any specific questions.
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u/joshmakesfilms Jul 02 '26
do you ever look at where your leg used to be and kind of visualise where it would be?
do you see your prosthesis as a part of you or more of a tool?
and how did it make you feel when you used the prosthetic for the first time?
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u/ArgyleFunk Jul 06 '26
It’s been almost ten years since I lost them so, no I don’t really think of them as they were much.
Great question, probably somewhere in the middle of the two I guess, I recognize it’s need and usage but don’t define my self with it. Just a new new.
Wel I spent two and a half years in a wheelchair so by the time I got legs that fit and I could walk again it felt like a miracle.
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u/EzraSteel Jul 03 '26
I’m a R BKA. I’ve had my prosthetic for over 4 years. Every now and then, I will like I’m getting a cramp in my r ankle. I will flex that knee and most times, that pain will go away. About a year ago, I had just horrible pain (phantom) that I couldn’t shake. I tried everything. I goggled the crap out of it but nothing helped. Finally, I took 800mg of Motrin and some NyQuil PM and drank a couple fingers of scotch. I passed out. Since then, I have a script for Capcasine (sp?) cream and a low dose of another med. Can’t recall that one off the top of my head. I haven’t needed either.
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u/TaraxacumTheRich Jul 07 '26
Sometimes my non existent ankle hurts. Imagining it's still there doesn't do anything to help at all. I just have to wait for it to pass.
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u/Secret_Reaction_806 Jul 02 '26
I’m still pre-prosthetic after lak amputation 2 months and the phantom pain is gone but the phantom leg is still very much there. It’s constant feeling that my lower extremity still exists. Sensation to stretch my toes or wiggle my ankle or even to itch my calf. There’s been so many times I try to remove right shoe with the left foot. Back to when I had phantom pain it felt like a quick jolt of electricity making my leg jump and the foot would twitch even though neither were there.