Table 6.

Medical Decision Making: Incapacitated

“I got up here and they called [my daughter] and told her that they were gonna have to take [my leg] off. And it didn’t bother me! ‘Cause I was out of it for 6 weeks… when I finally realized where I was at and what had happened, so what?…’Cause I was on morphine for 5 weeks.” -Male, 67 years, primary amputation, 12 years post-injury

“I was conscious until I got here [to the hospital], but when I got here… from that time I was in a morphine daze for several days. And most of those decisions were being made by my wife.” -Male, 53 years, primary amputation, 8 years post-injury

“I’m lucky my brother was here for 3 months, I mean he was here like the day after it happened…Because I wasn’t terribly coherent, I mean, it’s not that I wasn’t conscious, I was on a lotta drugs. I had my own little morphine clicker.” -Female, 62 years, secondary amputation, 3 years post-injury

“I was unconscious, so my husband made all the medical decisions.” -Female, 56 years, reconstruction, 8 years post-injury

“I don’t think I could [have enough information from the doctors]. Because I didn’t have perspective, and I was doped up.” -Male, 36 years, reconstruction, 12 years post-injury