Quote from: Thorfinnn on June 19, 2021, 04:09:09 AMI like your mindset about this surgery, it’s a long process and you will get through it!
Thanks 
last night was rough though. Like 6-7 pain all night. I just hit 4mm (5mm overall) last night and then slowly my legs got worse and worse. Even this morning they’re not the best even after morphine and the Percocet. Ronnie says I can take a tiny bit of acetaminophen with it so let’s see how that goes. I hope it’s just that I need to ice them more.
Quote from: V21 on June 19, 2021, 07:54:37 AMIs it easy for you to use the walker? I'm more or less your size, and I'm terrified about bending the nail because not shifting weight properly
Define easy 
my surgery was one week ago. For PT in my hotel room I had to show that I could walk around on it with semi-normal steps, ten overall. In the hospital I had to walk 40 feet down the hallway for them to consider me “fully ready”. Despite that I don’t use the walker as much right now because I’m truly an expert at the wheelchair. I plan when I go back home in a week to use the walker 50-100 steps a day. I can give you a better idea then I think.
Precise 2.2 with Dr Debiparshad — June 2021
Update on the walker. I actually have been so sore for 24 hours that I got up and saw a paper Dr D gave me that said “motion is lotion”. So I decided to get up on my walker and walk around. I took 100 steps total, a bunch of small laps in my hotel room. It felt AMAZING. I can almost take normal steps while offloading enough weight! So yes, the walker is easy to use ONCE it is correctly set up for your height. My PTA was 5’7.5 so she set it up so that she was comfortable in it. It works for me because my arms are insanely long despite the lower setting. Standing up straight feels super comfortable and I would do it 24/7 if not for how tiring it can be.
So the walker has suddenly become super useful to use. I may try to avoid my wheelchair for a few days entirely to see how my pain goes away! The more you move the more the pain goes away. I’m almost on the verge of tears because I was on max painkiller and then threw some extra Tylenol on top and it wasn’t enough. Now I feel just slightly sore but it’s a comfy sore.
So I recommend the walker at the one week point. Don’t just sit in bed all day.
Quote from: HobbitMan on June 20, 2021, 12:01:11 AMUpdate on the walker. I actually have been so sore for 24 hours that I got up and saw a paper Dr D gave me that said “motion is lotion”. So I decided to get up on my walker and walk around. I took 100 steps total, a bunch of small laps in my hotel room. It felt AMAZING. I can almost take normal steps while offloading enough weight! So yes, the walker is easy to use ONCE it is correctly set up for your height. My PTA was 5’7.5 so she set it up so that she was comfortable in it. It works for me because my arms are insanely long despite the lower setting. Standing up straight feels super comfortable and I would do it 24/7 if not for how tiring it can be.
So the walker has suddenly become super useful to use. I may try to avoid my wheelchair for a few days entirely to see how my pain goes away! The more you move the more the pain goes away. I’m almost on the verge of tears because I was on max painkiller and then threw some extra Tylenol on top and it wasn’t enough. Now I feel just slightly sore but it’s a comfy sore.
So I recommend the walker at the one week point. Don’t just sit in bed all day.
Thanks for the advice man. In Greece, you can use a gravity treadmill that allows you to walk a bit everyday. Of course, the more you walk at home with the walker, the better. I'm just reaaally worried about bending the nail because of not using it properly. I even took the one of my grandmother and started practising and weighing myself lol.
Quote from: V21 on June 20, 2021, 06:10:55 AMThanks for the advice man. In Greece, you can use a gravity treadmill that allows you to walk a bit everyday. Of course, the more you walk at home with the walker, the better. I'm just reaaally worried about bending the nail because of not using it properly. I even took the one of my grandmother and started practising and weighing myself lol.
I’m with you with regard to worried about bending the nail. I’ve been put under the impression it’s hard to do while the nail is barely extended e.g. 6mm like mine is now. I’ll be in PT next week and I asked them specifically to use some scales to see how well I weight bear correctly.
Quote from: HobbitMan on June 20, 2021, 12:39:13 PMI’m with you with regard to worried about bending the nail. I’ve been put under the impression it’s hard to do while the nail is barely extended e.g. 6mm like mine is now. I’ll be in PT next week and I asked them specifically to use some scales to see how well I weight bear correctly.
I have done the test, being right now 74 kg. Standing with the walker I'm at 20 kg, and just doing transfers from chair to bed or WC I'm like 10 kg only. Besides, regarding transfers, I think that the weight is put on the calves if you keep a "seated" position, so it seems all is quite safe.
Quote from: V21 on June 20, 2021, 03:35:54 PMI have done the test, being right now 74 kg. Standing with the walker I'm at 20 kg, and just doing transfers from chair to bed or WC I'm like 10 kg only. Besides, regarding transfers, I think that the weight is put on the calves if you keep a "seated" position, so it seems all is quite safe.
Yeah I’ve noticed the “seated” position seems to be the one that PT really wanted me to aim for in transfers, and it feels really safe. Standing up completely straight with 50+% weight on the walker also feels really safe and natural. I think as long as I don’t get cky about it I should stay within the safe range the whole time.
Quote from: HobbitMan on June 20, 2021, 12:01:11 AMUpdate on the walker. I actually have been so sore for 24 hours that I got up and saw a paper Dr D gave me that said “motion is lotion”. So I decided to get up on my walker and walk around. I took 100 steps total, a bunch of small laps in my hotel room. It felt AMAZING. I can almost take normal steps while offloading enough weight! So yes, the walker is easy to use ONCE it is correctly set up for your height. My PTA was 5’7.5 so she set it up so that she was comfortable in it. It works for me because my arms are insanely long despite the lower setting. Standing up straight feels super comfortable and I would do it 24/7 if not for how tiring it can be.
So the walker has suddenly become super useful to use. I may try to avoid my wheelchair for a few days entirely to see how my pain goes away! The more you move the more the pain goes away. I’m almost on the verge of tears because I was on max painkiller and then threw some extra Tylenol on top and it wasn’t enough. Now I feel just slightly sore but it’s a comfy sore.
So I recommend the walker at the one week point. Don’t just sit in bed all day.
Hey HobbitMan - Great insight. The extra challenge of Precice vs. Stryde seems daunting to me, but you are certainly hitting that extra challenge head on and crushing it! In talking with the professionals, my impression has been that the major differences between Precice and Stryde are often downplayed. So, I very much appreciate your diary and all the updates to help me further assess what the reality is most likely going to be like if I take the plunge with Precice rather than wait it out for Stryde’s return. Can’t wait to hear about your journey home and hope your progress continues. From my vantage point, you’re kicking ass. Stay strong 💪
One thing I saw a lot on Precice journals a few years ago was that people had a lot of success walking in the pool, where they could weight bear. Getting in and out the pool isn’t easy though, and of course your incisions need to be healed to the point where they can be soaked in water.
I think you are very brave for going forward with Precice. It’s already hard enough with a weight bearing nail so I can’t imagine how much tougher it is without having full mobility. I suppose people have been lengthening with Precice for many years before Stryde went on the market and many managed to get the full 8cm and recover. Now that you’ve started the process, all you can do is to keep pushing and finish it! Best of luck throughout your distraction phase and beyond.
Quote from: BelowTheMean on June 20, 2021, 07:07:06 PMOne thing I saw a lot on Precice journals a few years ago was that people had a lot of success walking in the pool, where they could weight bear. Getting in and out the pool isn’t easy though, and of course your incisions need to be healed to the point where they can be soaked in water.
I think you are very brave for going forward with Precice. It’s already hard enough with a weight bearing nail so I can’t imagine how much tougher it is without having full mobility. I suppose people have been lengthening with Precice for many years before Stryde went on the market and many managed to get the full 8cm and recover. Now that you’ve started the process, all you can do is to keep pushing and finish it! Best of luck throughout your distraction phase and beyond.
Hey bro how’s your walking gait now that you’re 6 months post op
Quote from: L8GrowthSpurt on June 20, 2021, 06:44:01 PMHey HobbitMan - Great insight. The extra challenge of Precice vs. Stryde seems daunting to me, but you are certainly hitting that extra challenge head on and crushing it! In talking with the professionals, my impression has been that the major differences between Precice and Stryde are often downplayed. So, I very much appreciate your diary and all the updates to help me further assess what the reality is most likely going to be like if I take the plunge with Precice rather than wait it out for Stryde’s return. Can’t wait to hear about your journey home and hope your progress continues. From my vantage point, you’re kicking ass. Stay strong 💪
Thank you so much! Honestly I suspect some doctors might start downplaying Precise now that they have no other option. Even when I visited Paley, right before the recall, he said “well you might have to do precise instead is Stryde. The only difference is you can’t walk”. Which I would consider being both honest and downplaying it big time! Hahaha
The fact that I truly can’t walk for another 3 months cannot he downplayed. If I were on Stryde I would be walking (limping) now. I can say one thing — I was told precise CAN be less painful of an experience overall than Stryde, since I’m not weight bearing the whole time. Also the fact I’m never really walking while lengthening or consolidating probably lowers the chance I fall and create a catastrophic injury or complication.
I can’t admit I prefer this to Stryde. This was my last chance for a long time to get this done, due to work and how my life has come together lately. I had a small mental breakdown for a week when Stryde was recalled right when I was pulling cash together for it — I thought that I wouldn’t be able to do this surgery for half a decade. When I heard precise was back, I jumped at the chance knowing full well how much less fun it would be. I don’t regret Precise. I would take Stryde in a heartbeat though.
Quote from: BelowTheMean on June 20, 2021, 07:07:06 PMOne thing I saw a lot on Precice journals a few years ago was that people had a lot of success walking in the pool, where they could weight bear. Getting in and out the pool isn’t easy though, and of course your incisions need to be healed to the point where they can be soaked in water.
I think you are very brave for going forward with Precice. It’s already hard enough with a weight bearing nail so I can’t imagine how much tougher it is without having full mobility. I suppose people have been lengthening with Precice for many years before Stryde went on the market and many managed to get the full 8cm and recover. Now that you’ve started the process, all you can do is to keep pushing and finish it! Best of luck throughout your distraction phase and beyond.
Thank you so much, especially from another Dr D patient who went the full 8cm! I read your journal end to end and I appreciated your insight on the journey. I think I will go to an indoor pool where people don’t know me this summer and do walking laps sometime in July and August.
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