Any amputees here?

(I think this is the most appropriate board for this question. Apologies if not.)

I've got this inflammatory problem above my knee. It swells up to the size of a cantaloupe and it's extremely painful. I've had it a long time and it's really been life-defining. Been to some world class doctors, but nobody's really helped. I want to be able to live my life. I'm 26 now and my doctors have attacked this from every possible direction since is was 12.

So I'm currently on Prednisone and Methotrexate, and they're messing with my mind very badly. Very poor memory, insomnia, foggy thinking, poor concentration, depression, suicidal thoughts. At this point, if it's a choice between saving my mind or my leg, I'd rather save my mind and amputate my leg.

My question is this: has anyone else here undergone amputation? (Especially voluntary amputation.) What was it like?

How are the phantom pains? Do they subside? Can you treat them? Is it worth trading my current pain for the other?

look at it this way

you'll be better at pullups and chinups, and won't have to do more than token single-leg work

What disease?

just smoke weed or something

meditate to reduce stress , inaomnia ,suicidal thoughts
fix diet to reduce imflamation
the app headspace is a good start

Yeah what desease , have you got a MRI ? Havent they told you it could be surgical ?

stop taking pills, endure the pain
>or lessen it with weed
better than being drugged out of your mind or cutting off your leg

No idea what disease. At this point it's looking auto-inflammatory.

I've had many MRIs. We used to think it was a low-grade infection, but that seems less likely now. I've been told so many things that I don't really even trust doctors anymore.

How big a dent in tdee does missing a limb make? I imagine there are lots of variables in how you have to move. But curious how many calories it takes just to support the flesh and bone.

Also yeah, I've had numerous biopsies and whatever it is seems to be sterile, although the surface of my femur is spongey and looks like something's been eating it.

I've done work with amputees.

Phantom pains occur but I'm pretty sure you're prescriped nerve pain drugs.
Mirror therapy can be used to alleviate phantom pains too.

The rehab process is fairly slow and often quite scary but all the patients seem to be in a good state of mind after gaining independence.

I think you have to weigh up the pros and cons of each.

>weigh up the pros and cons of each.
Yeah I don't want to jump the gun here. I don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I understand that phantom pains subside somewhat after a while, so that's probably a pro.
Another pro is that my doctors will finally know exactly what's causing my pain and know how to treat it.

I know docs love prescribing meds but what's your diet like? Have you looked at maybe modifying that to different things to see if anything helps? Keto or IF or even alternate day fasting.

Yeah my parents put me on various diets when I was younger. I tend to think it's pointless, but I haven't tried alternate day fasting. Maybe I should look into it.

>phantom pain
ooooh thats explains everything

Well, it's started off with me reading the sticky a year ago, I've really enjoyed learning about fitness and nutrition because it's directly applicable to me and everyone. Since then I've been reading tons of textbooks and one thing is for certain is that nutrition and fitness indirectly plays a role with everything.

I would say that before you amputate, talk to a nutritionist about getting your nutrition on point. Especially regarding inflammation.

In what way will an above the knee amputation increase your life outcome? I mean. you are literally having 15%(?) of your body removed because you experience pain and swelling.

Walking with an amputation above the knee is not easy. I myself am not a doctor, but with the experience of my father being an orthopedic advisor i can tell you, value your body.

m8 those drugs he is taking aren't fucking paracetamol and ibuprofen. Methotrexate is used to treat cancer is is cytotoxic and prednisolone from what i remember is Crazy:the drug. I imagine it must be pretty rough to be on that kind of shit.

I imagine this isn't just OP going fuck it chop my leg off, at the same time i don't see how an anonymous imageboard is going to be of more help than medical professionals desu.

Hope it all works out for the best OP i really do, anyway back to shitposting for me, these summerfags ain't gonna fuck their shit up and get insecure by themselves.

Where do you live?
have they tried for atypical pathogens? the meds you're taking fuck up your inmune system so it could be some fungus, mycobacterias, not the usual suspects.
Any other diseases? Family with similar symptoms?

And if it's an autoinmune disease it could return in another place later in life.

tl;dr dont amputate, keep researching it and
>weed is a good advice.

Well I have trouble getting 2 hours of sleep many nights. It used to be totally due to the pain, but now it's insomnia due to the drugs.
I walk around in a mental fog thanks to these drugs. Prednisone actually causes steroid dementia and has given me suicidal thoughts for the first time in my life, another common side effect.
The Methotrexate causes liver damage long term too.

I'm just interested if anybody has experience with this sort of thing.

Absolutely true
>i don't see how an anonymous imageboard is going to be of more help than medical professionals desu
Haha also true.

I live vaguely in the Emory region. They initially thought it was a type of low-grade infection. They've actually had the CDC process my biopsies very carefully and even they come up empty handed.
As for autoinflamation, I do have an uncle with Crohn's. They've performed bone scans looking for other problematic areas, but nothing.
I'm not joking when I said they've tried everything and this is my nuclear option.

Does weed mess you up at all? I'm woefully ignorant about this.

>going to a Cantonese origami board for medical advice