I woke from general anesthesia in a hospital bed in Bellhaven.
A nurse came over, lifted the blanket, and began changing my dressings.
My gaze followed her hands. Where my lower legs had once been, there was only empty space. My residual limbs were wrapped in thick layers of gauze.
Then the phantom limb pain began.
Needle-sharp pain seemed to rise from the soles of feet that no longer existed, then shot along my nerves through my entire body.
Cold sweat quickly soaked through my hospital gown. I gripped the bedsheet and didn't make a sound.
A rehabilitation specialist wheeled in some equipment and recorded the readings from the instruments.
"Ms. Mercer, phantom limb pain after an amputation can last a long time. You'll need to endure it."
"I can handle it." I wiped the sweat from m
