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David Pleasant

David Pleasant

Dress it up!

My name is David Pleasant. I’m a 63-year-old male from Missoula, MT. I’ve lived here all my life. On September 12th, 2017 I underwent a below knee amputation on my left leg. It was an event 13 years in the making. In June of 2004 I was hanging sheetrock on the ceiling of a house I was building for my family. I became careless on a 12’ aluminum ladder and came down on a cement floor, really doing a number on my left fibula and ankle. A few surgeries and a lot of stainless tacked the leg and ankle back together, but it was never quite the same, mostly because I didn’t let it heal correctly (my bad). I am a diabetic with good control. Fast forward to December 27th, 2016. I could not walk on it. The heal was full of puss. I was admitted to the hospital and stayed there for a week. The metal in my leg had become infected. I fought the infection until June when an MRI showed that it had eaten the bones in mt foot and ankle. My PCP worried that the infection could kill me. And my podiatrist said that if ever a leg below the knee should go, mine would be the one. The surgery went well. I was due to have my staples removed on October 12th but fell straight down on my residual on the 10th and removed them myself. Back into surgery I go. The surgeon was able to save the residual limb. They put a vacuum patch on the crater that was left and it healed within a month. A skin graft and a few months later and I was on my first prosthetic. I had to wait a year from the date of my amputation for my insurance to cover my second prosthetic. About October 1st of 2018 I got my permanent socket and an Agilix foot and haven’t looked back. Life is pretty good. If this is the worst thing that happens to me I’ll be doing good. A secret of mine… buy women’s leggings and cut them off and they make great leg styles.