3. Will members of the opposite sex be turned off by the arm?
" No, in fact most of them didn't even notice. They were more interested in other bits of me. When I pointed it out, they were interested but not put off."
"This has never been an issue. Most blokes didn't/don't notice or are/were completely not interested ; my arm has never had anything to do with my attractiveness (or not) to blokes, probably because as I am mostly unaware of it, other people are too."
"No. It makes for some interesting chat up lines. 'Could you help me with this, Miss?' "
"No, my wife doesn't seem to mind."
"Being a single guy with a tbpi has its disadvantages. That wonky arm can scare potential girlfriends/wives etc. I don't care what anyone says, people judge by appearance. So the old "I was never judged/appraised by my arm" doesn't apply in the real world. The flip side is we can turn this initial aversion into a positive thing. Just me being me tends to break the ice with peeps...in my experience most peeps get over the arm thing pretty quickly. It's more about your character than your arm."
"I'm the first to admit I was quite antsy about being in public when I first banged up the arm. I really did feel like a crip. But as time passed, I realised I hadn't changed at all inside. Thankfully all that negative stuff has worn off. 'I am I am" said Sam, "I am."
"Before my accident, I didn't pull much anyway, mainly through lack of confidence (or trying too hard!) and I thought my injuries would make it even more difficult, if not impossible. ...but...the only thing that stopped me having relationships for a long time was me. I've had a number of partners over the years and the arm has never been an issue. It's an old cliche, but true, this accident did make me a better person (most of the time!), and the women (the good ones anyway) are more interested in "you" and the way you treat them, not the body you have. I met my partner after the accident (who is stunning by the way!) and she's always been there for me and doesn't give a crap about the arm. She was totally behind my decision to get rid of my arm...the only thing she considered important....is that my health would be improved. "
"I really worried about having kids, would I be able to do things other fathers do? We now have a wonderful little boy. Nothing to do with my injury really seems to cause that many problems."
"Never been an issue for the right people I want to be with. I still get dates!"
"Blokes getting turned off? I hope so! Women, not really, have had a couple of really hurtful knockbacks in the past, but you get them with 2 arms, 'You purulent, spotty, knock kneed, nose picking, bog-ugly, smelly git....' (see, no arm references there at all) but have been married twice and had more than a few girlfriends...if they don't appreciate you as a person, they're either immature, ignorant or not worth bloody bothering with.."
"Well, I'm getting more ladies now than I was before my accident, so I guess not. Never had any complaints, anyway."
