Before you scroll down, I have to warn you. These pictures of my June 14th amputation are extremely graphic. And totally awesome.
As Dr. Attinger described these pictures, here are steps one through a thousand on how to perform an Ertl amputation.
My sweet epidural.
Go TU!
Measure twice, cut once.
It's like we're dissecting something in biology class.
Please tie off that artery before I bleed out.
Bonesaw! Aubrey, if you made it this far, I am proud of you.
Another artery worth saving.
Measuring the length for the fibula bone bridge.
Just a quick game of tic-tac-toe. Inside my leg.
It looks like a trauma.
I like how they're treating my foot like a chunk of freshly caught fish with that massive hook in my fibula.
Peace out, dude.
I'm being filleted.
My leg is starting to swell.
The med student that did this is awesome. He tried to show us what my ankle looked like. Read my mind.
If they dug deeper they'd find some broken screws sticking out down there.
Cutting off the remaining fibula to form the bone bridge.
The fibula bridge keeps all of its blood vessels to keep it alive.
Perfectly beveled edge for a smooth and comfortable contour.
My leg is starting to look like a stuffed sausage.
I will be framing this picture. Amazing.
Footloose!
Securing the headless screw to hold the bridge together.
Reattaching the functional muscles underneath the bones to form additional padding.
This JP drain is gigantic!
If you made it this far, I must say I am impressed. Of all of the pictures I've ever posted on this blog, these are the most gnarly. Congratulations on making it all the way.
These pictures make me appreciate the work surgeons like Dr. Attinger do. This surgery gave me my life back. I'm so thrilled it was all captured with such amazing pictures!
