Book Review

Coping With Limb Loss by Ellen Winchell, PhD (Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, New York, 1995 - $14.95)

Ellen Winchell is a practicing clinical psychologist and above-knee amputee. In 1982, she awoke from an eight-day coma following being crushed between two cars and run over by a third, to find she had a fractured pelvis, ribs, skull, and right leg, a collapsed lung, extensive facial injuries -- and a missing left leg. She didn't sit up for six weeks or walk for nearly a year. During her recovery, she struggled, as do many new amputees, to find relevant information and support. As a consequence, she focused her Doctoral dissertation on the psychology of limb loss and wrote this book. It is truly one of the best!

Reviewed by Tony Ford in ACA's Magazine, InMotion

  Making sense of any traumatic event in our lives is a natural desire. Surviving a severe trauma such as amputation is, to say the least, a challenge. But, with patience, competent rehabilitation, a loving support structure, and good counseling, it is possible to live a rich and productive life after an amputation. Granted, it is not always easy to obtain those resources, especially good counsel. However, there is plenty of sage advice to be found in clinical psychologist Ellen Winchell's book, Coping With Limb Loss.

  One of the most comprehensive works on coping with amputation written for the amputee and the amputee's family, this book is also an extremely beneficial resource for healthcare professionals. Its presentation and style are thorough and compassionate, having been written by someone who has experienced amputation.

  Dr. Winchell takes complex concepts and relays information in a warm and nurturing manner without losing the reader in tons of clinical narrative. This makes its messages understandable, immensely meaningful, and practical.

  Anecdotal comments by Dr. Winchell and others about their personal experiences are periodically inserted between technical explanations of psychological/emotional responses to personalize clinical concepts, adding a sense of depth and feeling to the text. The book's layout is structured and organized plainly.

  Part one deals with the "Medical Aspects" of amputation, including amputation surgery, prostheses, and phantom limb phenomenon.

  Part two describes the complex "Psychological Aspects" of amputation, including coping skills, mourning, frustration, anger, anxiety, fear, depression, stress, self-esteem, and body images.

  Part three encompasses those sensitive "Social Aspects" of amputation, such as the development of the amputee's support structure, sexuality, family issues, vocational concerns, recreation, and other aspects of the person's relationship with society.

  Coping with limb loss is always a demanding ordeal. The reality of an amputation is something only amputees truly know. Yet, it helps family members and those who are a part of the rehabilitation process to become informed and empathetic concerning amputation. Coping With Limb Loss facilitates that purpose enormously by educating the reader and conveying hope, understanding and encouragement to new amputees and their families.

Coping With Limb Loss can be ordered for $14.95 plus $3.00 postage and handling from the Amputee Coalition of America, 900 East Hill Avenue, Suite 285, Knoxville, TN 37915 Phone: 423-524-8772. Fax: 423-525-7917