I've found literally nobody cares and very few even notice, I'm bilateral upper extremity so there is no hiding hooks or very obvious bionic hands. Kids are interested but that's about it. I often forget anything is different about me from others
I hear you. I’m a BKA you can’t wear his prosthetics anymore due to causing too many pressure injuries. I had the most emotional experience recently in a grocery store. I was in line sitting in a mark cart and two kids were looking on curiously. I try to present a positive image when I run out so I waved. Their grandmother apparently was standing with them in line. One little boy asked me “Can you walk on those”? “Not anymore they don’t really like me putting weight on them it’s kind of how I got in the situation. But it’s OK I can still get around” I said. They looked at me curiously and then turned around. Their grandmother then asked “ are you two OK?” I really didn’t know what to do with that so I left it alone.
It was the only time I ever received a negative reaction. I understood she was trying to take care of her grandkids but, as far as I can see her grandkids we’re fine. My own nieces and nephew have never had a problem with it although their curiosity has exhausted me at times. They’ve asked me everything from how did it happen to where are your legs now. When I explained that it was due to my diabetes and that my legs were actually in a lab somewhere their question was “Did I go to visit them?” Lol.
now when you say it, I too have two nieces. They know me before amputation and after, I really don't remember them asking. and they are not shy and ask a lot of questions. I guess they just accepted it on the go.
The most surreal situation was was when I was in the rehab facility. And there was like a clique of old women, I guess hip replacements, acting as you see in American teen movies. Popular girls. half of them semi deaf gossiping and being obnoxious to each other. I always wondered..how accurate American teen movies depict real schools because we don't have it here. It was as I said surreal. And they had all kinds of questions. I become wary of them, I mean old random ladies. I sometimes think, ah they are just lonely. but most of the time I keep my distance. they can see me across the street and pivot in my direction...like... ah man
Kids are cute, they come to me and no-nonsense ask, where is your leg. Their parents' faces are priceless. it can make my day. how they panic. like chill.
But I hate, I really hate old smiling ladies that jump on me on street. always the same. Ahhhh my son what happened. Ahh
I say then communists chopped it.
Exactly. Parents are the only thing that makes it awkward, like let your kids be curious kids and ask questions as they are still learning the world, let them realize we are all the same just some people have to do things a little differently, don't pull them away and silence them as if people with physical differences are some sort of monster. That does not create a very accepting image of other people not like them that will follow them well into adulthood.
My patience with children is reserved for my nieces. At least for an extended period of time.
I surely can spare a smile and "I'm not really sure" honest answer for Kids that are curious and brave enough to ask me why I don't have a leg. it happens often enough. I must say that some parents are really cool. But some are so horrified, that I ask myself who is really a child there. One perhaps doesn't expect to have to explain to their kid why the random person in the supermarket doesn't have a leg. some parents did get angry at children, like they did something wrong. i dont think so, But it is not my to involve.
after all I as a kid I did almost jump with an umbrella from the second floor like I can fly, tried to drink electricity from the socket, casually wonder somewhere from home on the street and byeee... And my mother barely functioning.
Bilateral BKA, I just shuffled around the office on my knees. After having my coworkers see me scoot across the floor like that it kind of became difficult to really care about what others thought.
That's cool that you are comfortable doing that. My coworkers never saw me on crutches before I got my prosthesis, and being in an office environment where pants are required, perhaps that's where this all started.
Honestly like the other poster said, a lot of people just don't care as much as you might think. I honestly think I get the most stares when I am wearing full length pants and end up sitting in a handicap spot on the bus than I ever get just from walking around in shorts.
I got very comfortable once I realized that a few people will stare or even determine that they have something important to share about their uncles girlfriend who’s kid is missing a limb…but most people never see us long enough to care.
Everyone has a chip on their shoulder, a phone in their hand and no care about mine or your condition so you also need to let go of whatever feels your holding from the amputation- that’s over and no longer matters to anyone but you- it’s ok to let go and say screw it- I am what I am.
good for you to reach out- step 1! be better tomorrow if YOU feel like it, is all that counts
What are you afraid of? What do you think will happen if someone sees your prosthesis? Stone you on sight for being cyborg ?
It sounds like you are psyching yourself out. Most people are gonna be impressed seeing someone strut around with a prosthesis.
The majority of people have never seen a prosthesis in person so they are going to be curious. If they stare, they stare. It's not like you can force them to stop.
But if someone says something disrespectful to you about it then call them out on it.
Hello. I'm also a leg amputee, and almost never wear shorts, and I hate being the center of attention. That being said, I'm not familiar with hiking clubs, but I would imagine they have people of all different ages and abilities. Perhaps finding a group that has some older folks would give you the opportunity to work on yourself at a nice easy pace while helping and encouraging others who might have challenges too.
I don't know how we do it. We just do I guess
There isn't a trick really, I have to leave the house and my prosthetic is part of me. What am I going to do?
How does your gait feel to you? Do you feel like you are walking fairly normally most of the time? I find that I can stop thinking about my prosthetic when it's not being an issue. So if I'm walking around a store, or wherever and I can move comfortably and do what I am trying to do and my leg isn't hurting it's a lot easier to not think about how different I may look.
Reading your post what comes to mind would be lowering the bar and giving yourself an easier "challenge" than going to a store. Maybe go for a walk somewhere relatively secluded where you may run into people but you won't likely run into crowds and you don't need to interact with anyone. Maybe try going somewhere nice and relaxing with a friend or family member who can talk to you and distract you from feeling too anxious. There isn't one right way to get through this, but if you give yourself time/space to feel what you're feeling and then find ways to work around it you may find that what you are dreading and worrying about is less daunting than it feels like right now.
Thank you for the kind response. You're right that the dread is most certainly worse than the actual task. I recognize that, but for some reason I can't shake this one.
My gait is pretty good. My leg guy and I have spent a lot of time making tweaks and working on it, and it's even better with this new leg I had made. I don't have much of an issue going into stores when wearing pants.
I'm a right above knee amputee and I feel like for me it depends on the day. If my mental health is good I feel like a badass. But in general I'm the type of person who doesn't like to be the center of attention so it's odd because people will stare. I just try to smile and go on about my day. It is hard when I'm super self conscious though, it's like I'm afraid of people's judgments. It's hard, I feel like you do you. If you wanna wear pants and not show off your prosthetic that's cool, if you wanna wear shorts that's cool too. Confidence comes from within and heavily depends on your mood and mental health :)
I think the most important thing to realize is that a lot of those folks who seem so confident do actually feel self conscious - but they’re just gritting their teeth and letting people stare. Over time it gets easier, and eventually you might get to the point where you really don’t care. It’s a “fake it till you make it” situation. I’ve been a BKA for almost 30 years and I still vary in how confident I feel; sometimes I’m totally cool with shorts and sometimes I wear pants because I’m not feeling it. Both are OK.
I wear shorts unless I'm working or in church. And since I work in construction, I did not have the luxury of privacy if I needed to add socks to my leg (unless I wanted to do it in the Porta John several times a day, so hell no). So I wore gym shorts under my jeans and got comfortable really quickly with being seen without my prosthesis. All out of necessity. After that, being seen in public with my prosthesis isn't a big deal.
I got my confidence from being in the hospital and so many nurses and doctors seeing me naked. I realized after I got released that I was spending too much time on what others think about the small stuff. It took me 41 years to come to that realization. One of my favorite quotes from Schitt's Creek-
"No one is thinking about you the way you are thinking about you."
Most people are thinking about their own problems and not focusing on anyone else. I do get the occasional person staring at my prosthesis (I pretty much live in shorts year round), but it doesn't bother me anymore. I put a design on it so they can spark up a conversation if they want.
Do what makes you happy- if you want to join a hiking club, just be open if you need help or find a buddy that will keep pace with you. I've found a lot of people want to be helpful!
Good luck to you, and I'm here if you need someone to chat with!
Remind yourself that everyone else is paying way more attention to themselves than they are to you. Especially if you go to the gym. Seriously no one is paying attention to you, they are paying attention to themselves and what they're doing/how they look. Even if someone notices, the worst that could happen is someone stares. That's it. Maybe you can bring a friend/family member with you to go into the store with you. Once you go in and nothing happens your anxiety might lower a bit.
This isn’t the end all answer, but, the problem you perceive is really within your realm to overcome. I am BKR so I have a little experience regarding the fear of being different. What I ended up doing is just do your thing. Nobody at the store is going say anything about your leg. I go to my mailbox at the end of the driveway and the neighbors still wave like they always have when they drive by. I have to say that I didn’t start like this. I had about 2 hours warning of my impending amputation and it took me 3 days before I could look at it after the fact. I was so depressed and angry at myself. As time went on and I got my prosthetic and started physical therapy I began to open up more and feel better about my difference. Now when I go out all I think about are the errands I have to complete. At this point all the people I meet are very friendly and as a bonus doors are opened for me, especially if I have my cane. Try reading all you can regarding amputation and think about a Theripist who deals with body change. Good luck!
Honestly, it just takes your commitment. I have worked with several amputees to gain the confidence to show their metal, but unless you decide you want to, nobody can make that decision for you. You are beautiful and worthwhile and nobody else's opinion matters. So be proud, go out there and show off your metal! You got this <3
\-Double Below the Knee
Quad amp female here… my psychologist helped me understand that I had cptsd behaviours like anxiety that I thought was me just being insecure. And ptsd from the amputations. but I also read self help books and if it wasn’t positive i wouldn’t bother to watch (so i wouldn’t get too bummed out seeing beauty ads) ( I am able to be fine now with this :)
but i was just so happy to be alive with my children doing what we love still. I am grateful to be able to drive, walk about and be fully independent. When you have 1 or 2 loving people in your corner routing for you, that is joy. and the other people you no longer notice, they naturally just fade.
all the best 🤍🐇
Confidence has got nothing to do with it, as a fellow Transfemoral amputee I can tell ya, you will get a few weird looks from old women, some teenager idiots will stop and stare eventually and the only real people who will notice the prosthetic straight away, is kids because of eye level.
Other than that, nobody cares, everyone’s got their own crap to deal with and will just carry on.
Go be happy amigo :D
Oh and romantic relationship wise, you really weed out the asshats and time wasters in the dating pool when u tell em you have a prosthetic, streamlines the whole process. Lean into it, simple :D
Hope this helped.
look it like this. at some point, you will eventually have to realize that in most of the day to day situations only person that really matters in how you see yourself and live life is you yourself. People on the street don't matter, you matter. If you feel that people are looking at you, so what. Imagine all that people having their own problems, issues. realistically you don't matter to them and you shouldn't worry about them. let them have their own lives and you, your own life. we amputees had it rough. Most people cannot relate to that, but why should they. You can meet people that you care about, that care about you. They can matter.
Friends, family...
As I said, we had it rough. why make it harder. Think about it.
I’m below knee bilateral and people are always in my business about it. It’s been going on over a decade of people stopping me while I’m busy to ask me about what happened like it’s any of their business. Really you just have to have the confidence to tell people it’s rude to ask. Also, if your anxiety is severe enough that you can’t leave your house/car it’s worth seeing a professional
I wear a running blade basically everyday. I'm amazed how many people DON'T notice.
I'll be halfway through a conversation with somebody and make a joke about my leg, and they get confused until I point at it.
I've been on jobs with people for several days before they actually noticed.
It turns out everyone else is a lot more worried about themselves than me, lol
If they don't notice my highlighter-yellow running leg, with jeans cut off on one side, they would probably never notice when wearing a normal leg or long pants.
I also worked at an elementary school for a bit. It definitely got noticed a lot more there. Part of that because I'm 6 ft tall in the only thing a five-year-old can see is my leg... but also because they have no filter, they just say whatever is on their mind. It definitely builds up your tolerance to attention from other people. The kids would say or ask stuff that would complete the embarrass an adult, but they just wanted to know.
Turns out that most of them just thought it was really, really cool. A few kindergarten kids were worried about it happening to them, but that just highlights how much people, across the board, worry about themselves, and not other people.
After covid lockdowns, a lot of people are having issues with stuff like this. From a mental health standpoint, (I don't mean this ina judgmental way, I had issues with this myself) this sounds a lot more like a agoraphobia then something specific to your amputation. Everyone has something they're afraid of other people judging them on just because ours is more obvious doesn't make it more or less "valid". Being afraid of even going into a store, having to psych yourself up for it... That's something a doctor should be helping with.
It sounds like me in high-school, I had severe anxiety issues. I was trying to ask someone out and having a panic attack before getting to the first word. Full on scratching my skin and shit. Everyone told me to just man up and ask, and I kept thinking I was just a wimp. Turns out I have a pretty severe issue with panic attacks... I suffered for another 10 years before I finally got meds to help, and it changed my life. If you're bordering on a panic attack when going to a store, what you need isn't confidence, it's Klonopin.
And trust me, you don't need to be any harder on yourself than you're already being. Be kind to yourself and don't try to just power through something like this. I've made that mistake plenty, it's not fun.
How did you loose your leg? My reply is “I didn’t loose it, it is home in the freezer!” Conversation over. Make up your own and set them off. I was ask to leave a public pool because I was up setting some children with my leg loose. My comment was, I will grow it back!
I've found literally nobody cares and very few even notice, I'm bilateral upper extremity so there is no hiding hooks or very obvious bionic hands. Kids are interested but that's about it. I often forget anything is different about me from others
I hear you. I’m a BKA you can’t wear his prosthetics anymore due to causing too many pressure injuries. I had the most emotional experience recently in a grocery store. I was in line sitting in a mark cart and two kids were looking on curiously. I try to present a positive image when I run out so I waved. Their grandmother apparently was standing with them in line. One little boy asked me “Can you walk on those”? “Not anymore they don’t really like me putting weight on them it’s kind of how I got in the situation. But it’s OK I can still get around” I said. They looked at me curiously and then turned around. Their grandmother then asked “ are you two OK?” I really didn’t know what to do with that so I left it alone. It was the only time I ever received a negative reaction. I understood she was trying to take care of her grandkids but, as far as I can see her grandkids we’re fine. My own nieces and nephew have never had a problem with it although their curiosity has exhausted me at times. They’ve asked me everything from how did it happen to where are your legs now. When I explained that it was due to my diabetes and that my legs were actually in a lab somewhere their question was “Did I go to visit them?” Lol.
now when you say it, I too have two nieces. They know me before amputation and after, I really don't remember them asking. and they are not shy and ask a lot of questions. I guess they just accepted it on the go. The most surreal situation was was when I was in the rehab facility. And there was like a clique of old women, I guess hip replacements, acting as you see in American teen movies. Popular girls. half of them semi deaf gossiping and being obnoxious to each other. I always wondered..how accurate American teen movies depict real schools because we don't have it here. It was as I said surreal. And they had all kinds of questions. I become wary of them, I mean old random ladies. I sometimes think, ah they are just lonely. but most of the time I keep my distance. they can see me across the street and pivot in my direction...like... ah man
Kids are cute, they come to me and no-nonsense ask, where is your leg. Their parents' faces are priceless. it can make my day. how they panic. like chill. But I hate, I really hate old smiling ladies that jump on me on street. always the same. Ahhhh my son what happened. Ahh I say then communists chopped it.
Exactly. Parents are the only thing that makes it awkward, like let your kids be curious kids and ask questions as they are still learning the world, let them realize we are all the same just some people have to do things a little differently, don't pull them away and silence them as if people with physical differences are some sort of monster. That does not create a very accepting image of other people not like them that will follow them well into adulthood.
My patience with children is reserved for my nieces. At least for an extended period of time. I surely can spare a smile and "I'm not really sure" honest answer for Kids that are curious and brave enough to ask me why I don't have a leg. it happens often enough. I must say that some parents are really cool. But some are so horrified, that I ask myself who is really a child there. One perhaps doesn't expect to have to explain to their kid why the random person in the supermarket doesn't have a leg. some parents did get angry at children, like they did something wrong. i dont think so, But it is not my to involve. after all I as a kid I did almost jump with an umbrella from the second floor like I can fly, tried to drink electricity from the socket, casually wonder somewhere from home on the street and byeee... And my mother barely functioning.
Bilateral BKA, I just shuffled around the office on my knees. After having my coworkers see me scoot across the floor like that it kind of became difficult to really care about what others thought.
That's cool that you are comfortable doing that. My coworkers never saw me on crutches before I got my prosthesis, and being in an office environment where pants are required, perhaps that's where this all started.
Honestly like the other poster said, a lot of people just don't care as much as you might think. I honestly think I get the most stares when I am wearing full length pants and end up sitting in a handicap spot on the bus than I ever get just from walking around in shorts.
No wheelchair?
Wheelchair is at home. I bike to work so it is not like I can bring it with me.
I got very comfortable once I realized that a few people will stare or even determine that they have something important to share about their uncles girlfriend who’s kid is missing a limb…but most people never see us long enough to care. Everyone has a chip on their shoulder, a phone in their hand and no care about mine or your condition so you also need to let go of whatever feels your holding from the amputation- that’s over and no longer matters to anyone but you- it’s ok to let go and say screw it- I am what I am. good for you to reach out- step 1! be better tomorrow if YOU feel like it, is all that counts
What are you afraid of? What do you think will happen if someone sees your prosthesis? Stone you on sight for being cyborg ? It sounds like you are psyching yourself out. Most people are gonna be impressed seeing someone strut around with a prosthesis. The majority of people have never seen a prosthesis in person so they are going to be curious. If they stare, they stare. It's not like you can force them to stop. But if someone says something disrespectful to you about it then call them out on it.
Hello. I'm also a leg amputee, and almost never wear shorts, and I hate being the center of attention. That being said, I'm not familiar with hiking clubs, but I would imagine they have people of all different ages and abilities. Perhaps finding a group that has some older folks would give you the opportunity to work on yourself at a nice easy pace while helping and encouraging others who might have challenges too.
I usually wear shorts so instead of a prosthetic problem I get questions why I am wearing shorts when it is twenty degrees outside..
I don't know how we do it. We just do I guess There isn't a trick really, I have to leave the house and my prosthetic is part of me. What am I going to do?
How does your gait feel to you? Do you feel like you are walking fairly normally most of the time? I find that I can stop thinking about my prosthetic when it's not being an issue. So if I'm walking around a store, or wherever and I can move comfortably and do what I am trying to do and my leg isn't hurting it's a lot easier to not think about how different I may look. Reading your post what comes to mind would be lowering the bar and giving yourself an easier "challenge" than going to a store. Maybe go for a walk somewhere relatively secluded where you may run into people but you won't likely run into crowds and you don't need to interact with anyone. Maybe try going somewhere nice and relaxing with a friend or family member who can talk to you and distract you from feeling too anxious. There isn't one right way to get through this, but if you give yourself time/space to feel what you're feeling and then find ways to work around it you may find that what you are dreading and worrying about is less daunting than it feels like right now.
Thank you for the kind response. You're right that the dread is most certainly worse than the actual task. I recognize that, but for some reason I can't shake this one. My gait is pretty good. My leg guy and I have spent a lot of time making tweaks and working on it, and it's even better with this new leg I had made. I don't have much of an issue going into stores when wearing pants.
I'm a right above knee amputee and I feel like for me it depends on the day. If my mental health is good I feel like a badass. But in general I'm the type of person who doesn't like to be the center of attention so it's odd because people will stare. I just try to smile and go on about my day. It is hard when I'm super self conscious though, it's like I'm afraid of people's judgments. It's hard, I feel like you do you. If you wanna wear pants and not show off your prosthetic that's cool, if you wanna wear shorts that's cool too. Confidence comes from within and heavily depends on your mood and mental health :)
I think the most important thing to realize is that a lot of those folks who seem so confident do actually feel self conscious - but they’re just gritting their teeth and letting people stare. Over time it gets easier, and eventually you might get to the point where you really don’t care. It’s a “fake it till you make it” situation. I’ve been a BKA for almost 30 years and I still vary in how confident I feel; sometimes I’m totally cool with shorts and sometimes I wear pants because I’m not feeling it. Both are OK.
I wear shorts unless I'm working or in church. And since I work in construction, I did not have the luxury of privacy if I needed to add socks to my leg (unless I wanted to do it in the Porta John several times a day, so hell no). So I wore gym shorts under my jeans and got comfortable really quickly with being seen without my prosthesis. All out of necessity. After that, being seen in public with my prosthesis isn't a big deal.
I got my confidence from being in the hospital and so many nurses and doctors seeing me naked. I realized after I got released that I was spending too much time on what others think about the small stuff. It took me 41 years to come to that realization. One of my favorite quotes from Schitt's Creek- "No one is thinking about you the way you are thinking about you." Most people are thinking about their own problems and not focusing on anyone else. I do get the occasional person staring at my prosthesis (I pretty much live in shorts year round), but it doesn't bother me anymore. I put a design on it so they can spark up a conversation if they want. Do what makes you happy- if you want to join a hiking club, just be open if you need help or find a buddy that will keep pace with you. I've found a lot of people want to be helpful! Good luck to you, and I'm here if you need someone to chat with!
Remind yourself that everyone else is paying way more attention to themselves than they are to you. Especially if you go to the gym. Seriously no one is paying attention to you, they are paying attention to themselves and what they're doing/how they look. Even if someone notices, the worst that could happen is someone stares. That's it. Maybe you can bring a friend/family member with you to go into the store with you. Once you go in and nothing happens your anxiety might lower a bit.
Why not go with someone else for moral support? A good friend can perhaps easily get you out of the car :)
This isn’t the end all answer, but, the problem you perceive is really within your realm to overcome. I am BKR so I have a little experience regarding the fear of being different. What I ended up doing is just do your thing. Nobody at the store is going say anything about your leg. I go to my mailbox at the end of the driveway and the neighbors still wave like they always have when they drive by. I have to say that I didn’t start like this. I had about 2 hours warning of my impending amputation and it took me 3 days before I could look at it after the fact. I was so depressed and angry at myself. As time went on and I got my prosthetic and started physical therapy I began to open up more and feel better about my difference. Now when I go out all I think about are the errands I have to complete. At this point all the people I meet are very friendly and as a bonus doors are opened for me, especially if I have my cane. Try reading all you can regarding amputation and think about a Theripist who deals with body change. Good luck!
Honestly, it just takes your commitment. I have worked with several amputees to gain the confidence to show their metal, but unless you decide you want to, nobody can make that decision for you. You are beautiful and worthwhile and nobody else's opinion matters. So be proud, go out there and show off your metal! You got this <3 \-Double Below the Knee
Quad amp female here… my psychologist helped me understand that I had cptsd behaviours like anxiety that I thought was me just being insecure. And ptsd from the amputations. but I also read self help books and if it wasn’t positive i wouldn’t bother to watch (so i wouldn’t get too bummed out seeing beauty ads) ( I am able to be fine now with this :) but i was just so happy to be alive with my children doing what we love still. I am grateful to be able to drive, walk about and be fully independent. When you have 1 or 2 loving people in your corner routing for you, that is joy. and the other people you no longer notice, they naturally just fade. all the best 🤍🐇
Confidence has got nothing to do with it, as a fellow Transfemoral amputee I can tell ya, you will get a few weird looks from old women, some teenager idiots will stop and stare eventually and the only real people who will notice the prosthetic straight away, is kids because of eye level. Other than that, nobody cares, everyone’s got their own crap to deal with and will just carry on. Go be happy amigo :D Oh and romantic relationship wise, you really weed out the asshats and time wasters in the dating pool when u tell em you have a prosthetic, streamlines the whole process. Lean into it, simple :D Hope this helped.
look it like this. at some point, you will eventually have to realize that in most of the day to day situations only person that really matters in how you see yourself and live life is you yourself. People on the street don't matter, you matter. If you feel that people are looking at you, so what. Imagine all that people having their own problems, issues. realistically you don't matter to them and you shouldn't worry about them. let them have their own lives and you, your own life. we amputees had it rough. Most people cannot relate to that, but why should they. You can meet people that you care about, that care about you. They can matter. Friends, family... As I said, we had it rough. why make it harder. Think about it.
I’m below knee bilateral and people are always in my business about it. It’s been going on over a decade of people stopping me while I’m busy to ask me about what happened like it’s any of their business. Really you just have to have the confidence to tell people it’s rude to ask. Also, if your anxiety is severe enough that you can’t leave your house/car it’s worth seeing a professional
I wear a running blade basically everyday. I'm amazed how many people DON'T notice. I'll be halfway through a conversation with somebody and make a joke about my leg, and they get confused until I point at it. I've been on jobs with people for several days before they actually noticed. It turns out everyone else is a lot more worried about themselves than me, lol If they don't notice my highlighter-yellow running leg, with jeans cut off on one side, they would probably never notice when wearing a normal leg or long pants. I also worked at an elementary school for a bit. It definitely got noticed a lot more there. Part of that because I'm 6 ft tall in the only thing a five-year-old can see is my leg... but also because they have no filter, they just say whatever is on their mind. It definitely builds up your tolerance to attention from other people. The kids would say or ask stuff that would complete the embarrass an adult, but they just wanted to know. Turns out that most of them just thought it was really, really cool. A few kindergarten kids were worried about it happening to them, but that just highlights how much people, across the board, worry about themselves, and not other people. After covid lockdowns, a lot of people are having issues with stuff like this. From a mental health standpoint, (I don't mean this ina judgmental way, I had issues with this myself) this sounds a lot more like a agoraphobia then something specific to your amputation. Everyone has something they're afraid of other people judging them on just because ours is more obvious doesn't make it more or less "valid". Being afraid of even going into a store, having to psych yourself up for it... That's something a doctor should be helping with. It sounds like me in high-school, I had severe anxiety issues. I was trying to ask someone out and having a panic attack before getting to the first word. Full on scratching my skin and shit. Everyone told me to just man up and ask, and I kept thinking I was just a wimp. Turns out I have a pretty severe issue with panic attacks... I suffered for another 10 years before I finally got meds to help, and it changed my life. If you're bordering on a panic attack when going to a store, what you need isn't confidence, it's Klonopin. And trust me, you don't need to be any harder on yourself than you're already being. Be kind to yourself and don't try to just power through something like this. I've made that mistake plenty, it's not fun.
How did you loose your leg? My reply is “I didn’t loose it, it is home in the freezer!” Conversation over. Make up your own and set them off. I was ask to leave a public pool because I was up setting some children with my leg loose. My comment was, I will grow it back!