 Hey guys, it's Jo and welcome back today. We are talking about phantom pain. It is a weird weird thing Let me tell you this has probably been the weirdest part of being an amputee so far Since I woke up I have been able to feel my whole foot and leg that are no longer there like I assure you My leg no longer exists, but I still feel sensation there I still feel like sometimes my toes are moving or itching or like they're stuck together I need to move them or like they're falling asleep or tingling or more recently like they're in a lot of pain and You might think that the worst pain from everything is like right when you wake up or right when the nerve block wears off Or you're in the hospital and that's not true This pain started up a couple days ago and my surgical pain has been getting better, which is awesome but this Phantom pain just started and it's like an electrical wire has been connected to the bottom of my foot and is sending crazy Shocks up my leg from my foot Every few minutes Sometimes it's okay. Sometimes it's really bad and almost makes me like cry out and jump and then it goes away and Man, is it a weird thing? I never thought this is something that I would be Experiencing it's not something I contemplated before being an amputee So it's now day Like I said, I think 11 or 12. I haven't counted the days right now, but Feeling it is a weird thing to adjust to and knowing that my nerves are going to have to process this They're going to have to figure it out and it's probably gonna be a rough couple months a Lot of people a lot of amputees report that phantom pain is the hardest part of recovering From amputation surgery and I get it. It's weird To know that pain is real from a part of your body that is no longer there You can't see it, but you sure as heck can feel it and so it's been a little bit challenging to to try to process that but I know that it is at least I hope it is Temporary most amputees experience phantom pain most of their lives, but for the most part it's it's very small You know, you may feel an occasional zinger. You may feel You know itching sometimes but phantom pain should reduce over time and there are some medications like Gabapentin and pre-gabalin that can help that I'm on gabapentin right now And I hope that it is making a difference and I hope that these electrical sensations stop soon I think they will because initially I felt like my leg was on fire after surgery then that went away Now I'm feeling crazy electricity and that'll go away and if you're a new amputee From everything I'm experiencing and everyone I've talked to and everything I know so far It's really normal for your nerves to just freak out because they are so traumatized Everything has been severed But it's going to get better. We are going to keep healing I am going to keep healing if you are experiencing this you're going to keep healing and I think the best thing that we can all do is Know that this is temporary At least for the most most people it's temporary and to just kind of take it in stride and know that you know what this is weird, but it's part of the journey and Keep moving forward and try to keep a fairly positive mindset So that is what I'm dealing with right now Like I said stay 11 or 12 after surgery if you're kind of curious what the first couple weeks after an amputation Feel like and look like aside from that. I definitely have a lot more energy back I'm having to lay down still for parts of the day but I'm able to sit up more and move around a little bit more and do a little bit more which is really exciting and Kind of unexpected this soon after surgery. I hope you guys are hanging in there I'm wondering what your experience with phantom pain has been from everyone. I've talked to if If if you don't have other complicating health issues generally speaking phantom pain does reduce Go away over time in their ways to manage it Sometimes people report that it never does but those cases are rare So let me know what your experience with phantom pain or phantom sensation has been and I will keep you updated on my journey I so appreciate all the conversations and comments that we all have been having so let me know where you guys are I look forward to talking to you soon. Bye guys