AFTER losing her arm, Donna Franks found it difficult to get the help she needed. She tells Jennifer Kee about the challenges she has overcome and the support she has been given from others who have lost limbs.

When Donna Franks lost her arm three years ago, she found there was almost no local support to help her deal with her amputation.

Luckily, she was introduced to the York Limbless Support group which helped her learn how to live with one arm, as well as rebuild her confidence.

Donna’s problems began in March 2010 when she caught her thumb on the end of her bed and went to the accident and emergency department at York Hospital. Although she was told it was not broken, they discovered a blood clot from her left wrist almost all the way to the elbow.

After an operation to remove the blood clot in November, it returned two weeks later and the 46-year-old was told she would have to have her arm amputated.

“It was a shock but I had to get over it, because I knew it was going to happen,” Donna recalls.

She was left with what she calls ‘stumpy’ after the surgery removed her arm from above the elbow down.

“The worst thing was knowing I would have the operation at York Hospital but that there would be no aftercare available. I felt totally abandoned”

Attending the support group at York Hospital was a positive move for Donna as now she is in a position to help others who have had the same experience.

She attended a session when nurse and volunteer counsellor Denise O’Connell, who works at York Hospital’s surgical vascular clinic, offered to accompany her to her first meeting, ensuring she did not feel alone.

Most of the members have leg amputations and Donna is the only one with an upper limb amputation.

For her, sadly, the nearest place to go for support is Seacroft Hospital in Leeds: “Leg amputees get physiotherapy sessions at York Hospital but they are not trained to deal with upper limbs.”

Phantom limb syndrome has given Donna her fair share of problems: “It feels like my hand is still there, my fingers start burning and it is as though they are stuck on an oven grill with somebody stamping on them.

“Sometimes, the pain can go on for 24 hours.”

The former home-educator used to tutor her 17-year-old son Connor, who now studies professional cookery at York College, at their home in Acomb.

“Occasionally, it even feels itchy and I say to my son, ‘Go find my arm and itch it for me’ and we have a joke and laugh about it, even though we know deep down it is serious.”

Going to the support group seems to have been a learning curve for Donna as she says you hear things about amputation or disability that you never knew before.

Dealing with prejudices and people’s reactions is also something the group has helped with.

Having use of just her right arm, Donna has adapted everyday activities following her amputation and made her life easier by wearing clothes that do not need fastening.

“Dressing yourself can be difficult if you have no one to help.

“I have not worn jeans since my amputation because if I went out, I wouldn’t be able to do them up again.

“I only wear trainers if there is someone there to fasten them for me; if not I wear things like slip-on shoes and leggings, easy things to put on and take off.”

Donna, a right-hander, was also given a special chopping board with a spike, peeler and grater – the ‘best thing’ she got from occupational therapy. This makes peeling round objects, such as potatoes, a great deal easier for Donna.

Having spoken to other members of the group, Donna has come to realise that she does not have the same opportunities as those with leg amputations: “I was speaking to someone with one leg and they were telling me that if they did not want to put a fake leg on, they can still use a wheelchair and still do everything.

“Because my amputation is on the upper body, it also makes getting a referral for a car from the William Merritt Disabled Living Centre and Mobility Service harder whereas those with one leg can get one through disability allowance.”

Nevertheless, the Limbless Support Group has been a huge source of help and encouragement, as when she is ‘having a bad day’ or her stump is ‘playing up’, there is always somebody there who knows how you are feeling and understands.

The group has been trying to attract new members with recent sessions pulling in numbers of 20 upwards.

The group meets monthly for social sessions over coffee in one of York Hospital’s resource rooms, or in the Mallard Restaurant at the hospital.

“I am there so if people need somebody to talk to and they have a similar experience, they will know where to go for help,” Donna adds.

“We’re all friends. Even though I have lost my arm, I haven’t lost my brain!

“They do say whatever does not kill you makes you stronger!”

• For more information about the Limbless Support Group, please email lynda.hornsey@yahoo.co.uk

The meetings for the limbless support group are on the third Friday in the month. The next meeting I'll be on the 18th of July, starting at 2pm. You can find out where the meeting will be at the desk near the main entrance.