By Janette Neuwahl
As the condition of 16-year-old shark bite victim John Paul "JP" Andrew improves, his parents are preparing to help him deal with his long recovery and things that may be difficult to explain to him when he awakens from his sedated sleep.
"We've had a while to process this, but he has to start that journey - there's a long road ahead," said JP's father, Robert Andrew.
JP's doctor and surgeon at Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic said last week that the injuries to JP's right leg, the lower part of which had been bitten off, had made it difficult to stem the bleeding.
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JP was able to respond with facial expressions JP has had at least two operations and more are planned to close the wound.
First, however, the Lakeside boy must wake up from his sedation - and he is doing that slowly.
On Thursday and Friday, JP was able to respond with facial expressions to his parents' questions.
His attending physician Derek Miller has said that in two weeks, JP may be able to sit in a chair.
It would probably be four to six months before he was able to walk with a prosthetic leg, Miller said.
'Certainly can expect to live as full a life as before' "It all depends on how the wound heals."
JP's friends and parents remain optimistic about his recovery, but doctors who are experienced in amputations caution that difficulties may lie ahead.
Groote Schuur Hospital surgical registrar Sean Burmeister has performed several amputations.
He said that often it took longer to recover psychologically from accident-related or traumatic amputations, like JP's, than it did from elective amputations - and this could affect physical recovery.
Most elective amputations are done on adults, whereas most young people have traumatic amputations.
Often elective surgery is performed on older patients who develop peripheral vascular disease.
In these cases, amputations are done to prevent gangrene that may arise because the disease affects circulation to the extremities.
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