My Below the Knee Amputation - Iraq

Well Guys,

I did two tours (12+15 months) in Iraq as an Infantry Officer and didn’t get a scratch on me (not on the surface anyways),,,,

I decide to hang it up and join the civilian ranks, move to Colorado, then I get a nice offer out of the blue to go back as a contractor, I take it back in May.

Things are going well, I work mostly on the FOB, Victory in Baghdad, which was a welcome change. I had my fair share of excitement on the other trips. So I’m eating well and I make it to the gym consistently. I’m getting in decent shape. I got my leg press up to 630 lbs………5 days later I got my lower right leg amputated, not from enemy fire oddly, but from a MRSA infection. It hit me hard and was merciless.

I’m not sure but it could have been a spider bite on my foot. I had a small blister like spot on my foot that I didn’t think much about. I put bacitracin on it and kept it covered. I already had half a foot from a childhood accident and the grafted skin on my foot was sorta prone to blisters and it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Then I got a fever lasted 3 days which would spike at night up to 103-105. This was from the 10-13th of Oct. I stubbornly kept trying to break the fever, which I did several times. Then on the night of the 13th, my foot swelled tremendously and I knew I was in trouble. I remembered the little blister that wouldn’t go away and instantly thought spider bite, I had another back in August. I thought the swelling would go down overnight but no joy, on the morning of the 14th, I couldn’t even get out of bed….I called a friend to take me to the aid station. They transported me over to the BIAP CSH (CSH think MASH), and the doctors immediately operated on my foot to clean out the infection.

The next day, the doctors and I were weighing my options: I had two: amputate or try to save the foot. They had done cultures and knew this was a MRSA infection and would travel up my leg and kill me or turn septic and kill me, either way, if they couldn’t stop the infection I would have been done for.

We took the dressings off from this first cleaning and I noticed about a 2-3” circular burn on the back of my calf. It looked and felt like a bad burn with a thin layer of skin sloughing off. I pointed it out to the doctor and asked him if I could have been burned in the surgery, he saw it and said the skin was necrotizing (dying). Our decision was made, the infection spread hard overnight, despite the surgery to clean out my foot and the antibiotics, we were going into amputate. I also had several red swollen and extremely tender spots all around my lower leg up to my knee. About 5 hours later I woke up from the surgery, with no foot….but this stopped the spread of the infection, and it’s impossible to explain how much better I felt. I was glad to be alive, anymore messing around to try and save my foot could have allowed it to spread or go catastrophically septic.

They shipped me to Landstuhl, Germany where I’ve been since the 17th. This is mostly a short stop-over to stabilize wounded troops before they’re sent to Walter Reed.

I had several more washout surgeries of my leg and they closed it last week. I’m just now starting to be able to manage the pain…..I tell you, it was almost unbearable when I first arrived here and this has tested me like nothing before. But I should fly home in a couple of days to continue my recovery. I’ll probably go to the San Antonio VA Hospital…

Anyways guys, I think I might want to look at a newer ride with an Auto transmission, maybe a WJ, I used to have one and despite its quirky electrics, I really liked it. Plus, my 89 Manche was a Colorado truck,,,no AC. Anyone have one, maybe we can work out a deal.

Jay

you get bit by one of these? :rotf: seriously though glad you're ok, could have been a lot worse... good luck with your recovery and jeep search...

Major bummer! :( But it would appear you're in good spirits at least. :thumbsup: Good luck to you. The prostheses we've got these days are amazing. I bet you'll be driving a stick again in a couple years. :D

:agree: thats sounds like it was not fun by a long shot and yes rostesis now is amazing i know a guy that has one and is comletly mobile

Anyways guys, I think I might want to look at a newer ride with an Auto transmission, maybe a WJ, I used to have one and despite its quirky electrics, I really liked it. Plus, my 89 Manche was a Colorado truck,,,no AC. Anyone have one, maybe we can work out a deal.

Handthrottle :idea:

Wow thats alot to go through glad your doing good

God speed on your recovery. Glad to see your spirits are up. I'm sure in time you'll be ready to hit the trail again. Just have to get you a handthrottle or longer pedals. :thumbsup:

:cheers:

Thanks for the support guys. This has been rough one, I've had some excruciating nights, and found out I'm not as tough as I thought I was. I have to consider myself lucky compared to the double or triple amputee and burned guys,,,I can't even imagine the pain they go through.

Good to hear you are in good spirits, for the most part. Godspeed with the recovery, and as stated, things have come a long way from days of yesteryear. There are people with prosthetic lower limbs who can run marathons, and sprint like the wind. Just make sure if you do go that route, there is a comanche emblem on that sucker! :brows:

Rob L.

First off, thank you for your service :thumbsup:

I hope you the best and that you have a speedy recovery. Good luck in searching for a new Jeep. No WJ to trade you, but I would have to agree that they are nice vehicles!

First off, thank you for your service

:agree: :USAflag: :USAflag: :USAflag: :USAflag: :USAflag: :USAflag: :USAflag:

thank you for putting your money where a lot of peoples mouth is.

a lot of good men and women have put it on the line, and you're one of them.

GOD speed your recovery!!!!! :thumbsup: :USAflag:

I very nearly went through the same thing a couple/three years ago. Crush injury just above the ankle, swelling, intense pain, obvious signs of sepsis beginning to run up the leg. Idiot doctor at the VA just kept pushing antibiotics at me, and it kept getting worse. When I went back for the third time in three days to point out (again) that it seemed to be getting worse instead of better, she FINALLY let a surgeon take a look at it. His comment was "Why didn't they send you to me ten days ago?"

He carved open my leg on the spot, cleaned it out, then booked me into the hospital so I could be kept on a combination of oral AND intravenous antibiotics until they were certain they had it under control. The surgeon told me I was lucky not to have lost the foot.

My sympathies, but hang in there. Remember, automatics are better for rock crawling anyway.

:USAflag: :USAflag: THANK YOU FOR YOU SERVICE AND YOUR SACRIFICE!!! :USAflag: :USAflag:

You have a positive attitude that comes thru loud and strong, good job soldier!!

CW

Hope you have a swift recovery. You should be back behind the wheel of a Jeep in no-time. CW is right, way to have a great attitude. :thumbsup:

Semper Fidelis

Damm man! Wasn't expecting that. Sounds like you have a great attitude about it, keep it up.

Jay, I can't even fathom all that you've been through and yet, as already pointed out several times, your positive attitude and outlook are inspiring. You say you're not tough? Huh, I don't know too many people that would be thumbs up and socializing with his Jeep bros 2 weeks after losing part of their leg. Your level of toughness for physical pain may have been less than you thought, but your mental toughness is absolutely incredible. I too thank you for your service. I am certain we'd all like to be kept up to date throughout your recovery, maybe you could do it with a thread in the project section because I know the end result will be way cooler than any rig in there!

Dude..... :bowdown: :bowdown:

Damn, this is hard hard to respond to. Two tours in the AO as active duty artillary, then get bit by a spider as a contractor back in country and end up as an amputee. But that doesn't make it any easier for you mate. You had been there, done it, and the decision to go back was based on your experience. Bless your positive attitude about this. I do hope you are receiving first class medical attention. Sounds like you are. :cheers:

Thanks for the outpouring of support guys. :cheers: That was a good idea about the project build....I'll have to do one about my prosthetic. I'll be sure to use Jeep only parts,,,,but it will have a CC sticker on it guaranteed! :thumbsup:

I'm trying to go to the San Antonio VA hospital because of its proximity to the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. Its a $50M facility for amputees and burned soldiers coming back from the wars. I may end up in the Temple VA just because its closer to home. I'm sure there's a civilian hospital somewhere in DFW with a great prosthetics program which would be about the same distance from home. I just don't know where/how to shop for it.

Wow, is all I can say! I had a few of my Marines get MRSA and that is some scary stuff. I am glad to read you are keeping your spirits up. A positive attitude will help the recovery process.

I have a buddy (former Marine) who is a double amputie. He drives a stick still.

Good luck with the WJ hunt. I love mine.

I'm soo glad to hear youre doing good. I applaud you for your service to us. Thank you!

And about the MJ... just swap in an automatic and then custom mount a gas pedal to the left of the brake pedal and relearn to drive it. My dealership has a customer who had a stroke that took out most of his right side and his truck is set up like that. Its a real trip to drive if you arent used to it. Our area is fortunate too to have a big conversion company nearby that does nothing but fix and convert vehicles for handicapped individuals. I'm sure they could make you a hand throttle and brake too so you can keep your clutch! But anyways best of luck on your recovery.

Wow......Quite the story :eek:

Amazing how a little spirier bite can turn into something like this.

Just glad that your still with us here :D , and Don't let this "little" setback change your plans for the future. Keep your MJ with the stick, and your new goal is to drive it the way its meant to be driven, I'm sure you'll be back it to the drivers seat in a few weeks ;)

Best of luck to you :thumbsup:

Keep your good spirit

All my wishes for your recovery. ;)

A huge THANKS for being willing to serve this great nation (although some within it want to make it nothing).

And, yes, what a spider can do! While in Vietnam I remember the first time I used one of our makeshift outside showers with a tub on top with a submersable heater in it, I had LOTSA funny looking insects, including spiders, watching from inside that little outhouse. Took quick showers, dontchaknow!

Brown Recluses are all over here in Missouri, and my wife goes through plenty of Home Defense spray! Had a friend die from being bit several times by Brown Recluse, and a member of my church almost loose her arm to save her life after a barn cat bite. You are a fortunate man!

And, we are fortunate to have you here on the list showing us we need to not let things far less serious bum us out! So, again, THANKS!

Thanks Guys. :cheers: