A myoelectric prosthesis: My step towards independence

Hi, I'm Detlef. In the summer of 1992, I had a serious accident in a commute to work as a young man during my training as an industrial mechanic.

What happened?
According to stories and newspaper reports, I drove my car head-on under a truck. In the fight for my life, the doctors had to amputate my left arm in an emergency operation (shoulder disarticulation). Days later, after I opened my eyes again in the intensive care unit and was reasonably sane again, I was cautiously informed of the amputation. That was of course a big shock and my lifelong dream came to an end at this point. I drove mentally into a dark tunnel where there was no light at the end.

Before the accident
As a young man, I had both feet on the ground. I worked my way up to self-employment through my training and part-time jobs. There were days when I worked up to 14 hours. Times were different from today and I was proud to be able to finance my standard of living myself.

Suddenly everything was different
Now I was lying in the hospital bed. I was not able to wash myself, go to the toilet on my own or eat independently. I felt like such an old man. A few days later, when I was transferred from the intensive care unit to a normal hospital ward, I became Professor Dr. Baumgarten (orthopaedic technology) presented - I will never forget the name in my life. He took pictures of my residual limb, took a closer look at the residual limb and then said, 'You will never be able to wear a prosthesis'. Another shocking news - I was seething and thinking 'this can't have been it'. Those words awakened the fighting spirit in me for the first time. I wanted to get back to life. My thought at this point was "I'll show you that.".

My way to a prosthesis
It's been a long recovery and a long way back to self-reliance. In this time, I went three steps forward and often three steps back again due to medical misjudgment. Nevertheless, I saw a tiny little light at the end of the tunnel that gave me a lot of hope. I didn't let it get me down and it always awakened the fighting spirit in me. In the spring of 1993, I received my first jewelry prosthesis, I was as proud as punch and wore it every day in every situation. Occasionally it was annoying, but whatever, at least I have a prosthesis. A year later, I took a myoelectric control training course. As a result, I received my first own myoelectric prosthesis - another step towards independence. In the years that followed, the orthopedic technicians refined my prosthesis and made it more user-friendly. I learned more and more how to use my prosthesis in my everyday life. In the meantime, I'm putting small videos online on Instagram to show what's possible. Feel free to check out my Instagram account.

A glimpse of hope
After medical recovery, I was keen to return to social and professional life. I had found new perspectives and aligned my life accordingly. I mentally left the dark tunnel again. I did a new apprenticeship as a technical draftsman in mechanical and plant engineering and found a good job where I am seen as a human being and not as a disabled person. Of course, there were always ups and downs, but don't let anyone get the better of you. My tip for everyone: Just keep calm and choose your own path, no matter if someone puts obstacles in your way! My motto: ‘It's not possible’, doesn't exist and ‘I can't’ stayed at home. 

#LivingWithProsthesisWithoutAids

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a message via chat! Here you can find my profile.