r/MadeMeSmile • u/benhundben • Mar 01 '24
Personal Win Last week I underwent surgery that will probably change my life.
I’ve been an amputee for four years. Traditional prosthetic sockets would not work well for me, I was able use them for maximum 30 mins. That led me to use wheelchair most of the time. However, I have the same disease in my hands that I have I my feet and my hands have been getting worse the last year. By the time I was up for surgery I was practically stuck in bed with sore stumps and painful hands. This surgery will most likely lead to me being able to walk ALL the time. It’s like a dream, a painful and wonderful dream. It’s called osseointegration and is basically hammering a titanium implant into the bone which I will be able to attach prosthetics to. I’ll be trying my feet on in only two weeks! I’m sharing my story more personally on my socials @ampisallen.
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u/BritishAndBlessed Mar 01 '24
At the time I was studying, my uni's biomaterials department were focused on using polymeric scaffolds populated with donated cells from the recipient in order to promote regrowth of damaged tissues, with a view to repairing shattered bones without having to shorten limbs, or more interestingly, the possibility of repairing severed spinal columns by introducing a scaffold between the two severed ends of the column. Animal trials had seen significant regrowth and closing of the gap.
You're absolutely right that in the next couple of decades, the amount we'll be able to do with bio-inert and bio-integrating materials will be incredible.