Julia’s Story

I am a 39-year-old, active female. I enjoy spending time in the water and tending to my sheep farm. Due to injury, I had a megaprosthesis implanted during limb sparing surgery. Unfortunately, it loosened twice in four years. In April 2019, I had to make the difficult decision to have my left leg amputated above the knee due to ongoing hardware failures. I decided to have the amputation due to my age and the fact that I suffer from an autoimmune disease that was likely compromising the success of the mega-prosthesis.

Unfortunately, I had to travel out of state for my surgery. After the amputation, the limb would not heal completely although there was no sign of infection. Because of this, I could not begin prosthetic and gait training for several weeks and my return home was delayed. It was very difficult and complicated for me to be away from my sheep farm at that time of the year due to the normal chores and rhythm of my life. I was at the VA hospital by myself and I was very disheartened by the wound not healing in a timely fashion. I had to undergo daily dressing changes and the wound began to get worse.

My wound care nurse told me that I could try oxygen therapy. I was horrified when the machine was delivered and I looked at the suitcase-sized, plastic “boot” I was supposed to wear over the end of my residual limb. I was tethered to a loud machine for hours during treatment. It was extremely inconvenient, time-consuming, and I felt like my wound kept taking two steps back in between each session. I refused to believe that this was the only treatment option, so I began to research alternative therapies.

When I discovered NATROX® O₂ topical oxygen wound therapy, I knew I had to find a way to get it! I contacted Inotec AMD and within a couple of days, I was contacted by their Vice President who promised to bring me a NATROX® O₂ device. She flew out to the VA hospital and trained myself, my nurse practitioner, and several other interested staff on how to use NATROX® O₂. She helped change the trajectory of my rehabilitation for the better! My nurse practitioner agreed to prescribe NATROX® for me and I was so relieved that I no longer had to be tethered to a large bulky device. I could strap NATROX® O₂ to my leg and remain fully mobile. I could even sleep with NATROX® O₂! The only time that I had to remove it was when I showered or was using my prosthetic. Otherwise, I could carry NATROX® O₂ with me in my pocket – in my pocket!

I started using NATROX® O₂ July 10, and by mid-August my wound was fully closed. I was finally able to return home. Advocating for myself and finding the best treatment suited for me, and my lifestyle, was so impactful. If I was not a fighter, I might have given up and just gone home. NATROX® O₂ is lightyears ahead of the previous topical oxygen treatment I had been using! This magical little device is an absolute game changer – it is absolute SORCERY!