Sex with a amputi

Jillian Weise was born with birth defects that deformed her right leg, foot and spine. As a child she underwent multiple corrective operations. But Jillian's parents never used the words 'handicapped' or 'disabled', and her operations were always followed by a big party welcoming her home. Then when she was 11, Jillian convinced her parents, her doctors and a psychologist that instead of having further operations, she wanted her leg amputated above the knee.

I have decided to tackle discussing a sensitive issue which impacts everybody in the limb loss community — sex after an amputation. My goal is to be honest without being graphic. I am certainly no expert on the subject. But as a sexually active amputee woman who is happily married with two children, I can speak frankly about my experiences. I began to worry about the impact of my limb loss on my ability to be intimate before my amputation surgery. Because it is a sensitive and personal issue, I did not feel comfortable broaching the topic with amputee mentors.

I was born missing my left hand, and as a teen, I attended a camp for children with limb differences, which we lovingly called Amp Camp. In middle-of-nowhere, Ohio, with hundreds of other to year-old amputees, we did all the things able-bodied kids do at camp: we sang by the fire, we challenged each other on the obstacle course, we created those quintessentially useless arts-and-crafts creations with raw spaghetti and glue. I was insulted by the assumption that disabled people would be friends just because they share a disability: it seemed like sending a bunch of brunettes to camp and telling them they have to bond over their hair. But my mom insisted that I attend.

Was she some expert on disabilities or something? Was she, too, disabled? Had she - like me - fought a battle with cancer that cost her a limb? For a split second, my thoughts were paralyzed by her insensitivity. But, like a defeated fighter who returns to the ring to regain victory, I bounced back for a verbal round with Ms.