Diary - January 2019 - In Full Stryde with Dr. Mahboubian of North Hollywood.

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Beautifully said.

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Day 41 Post Op - Journey Continues... I have reached the 3 Centimeter Milestone! [3.009cm or 1.185 inches Taller!]

Greetings LL'ers,

I have finally passed the 3 centimeter threshold! Feels good.  I am just about my sisters height and that is pretty cool.  Today was a good one. I no longer feel under the weather so this process is a lot easier to deal with. CLL is enough..and last thing i need is a cold to deal with on the side.   

Pain: Dull pain today, 1 - 2; but really nothing to think about. I had no real discomfort today other than being tight in my upper leg muscles.

Flexibility and movement: Legs are stronger every day..and continue to get better. My hamstrings and hips are tight so I'm keeping a close eye on this. My Pt is stretching me out and massaging the best he can; but honestly, I may not be able to work out most of these kinks until lengthening is over with.  We'll do our best.

Today's' Activities: I worked for a full day and went to PT. 

A good day overall! I'm in the middle of CLL; so not much to say....but overall, the day went by smoothly and easily.

Okay Guys, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know.  Talk soon and best regards.

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Day 43 Post Op - Check-Up with Dr. M is a success! [3.142cm or 1.237 inches Taller!]

Greetings LL'ers!

First of all - my apologies for missing an update yesterday. I wasn't feeling so good! I had a bad headache, maybe a migraine, that lasted most of the day... so I needed to take some time away from the computer.  I'm feeling okay now. 

Met with Dr. Mahboubian:  I always love the days that I get to see Dr. M.  These are great check points for me to see how I'm doing in the doctors eyes as well as to verify that my bone is healing okay as well as confirm my lengthening.   Honestly,  Dr. M is a just a great personality to be around as well.  Although he is an accomplished Doctor, he does his part to make you feel comfortable inside the unknown. Always smiles abound in the offices.  The front counter is nice to me and then I get to see the nurse, Donna, who is just so much fun and such a joy to interact with.  Really, if you get a chance to meet her...it simply doesn't get any more nicer than she is.  I've been around too many hospitals and doctors' offices so I know what nurses can be like. She's exceptional.   So, as far as my meeting with Dr. M; things just are looking good all around.  Dr M was able to confirm that I am at about that 3.1 cm or 3.2 cm lengthening range, which is right on point to what I have been counting.   Additionally, my walking at this point is good.   I was asked to stand up and walk on the walker for several steps and I got a "you're doing great" and also, was asked to walk unassisted with no walker.  Dr. M was impressed and expressed how great it was to see me being able to already take steps without any assistance! These Stryde nails really are awesome! Had I been on precise 2.2, I'd still be wheelchair'ing and walkering at 50% weight bearing.  My walk, of course is a work in progress and only baby steps, since I have weeks and weeks of PT and strengthening to go; but overall, I did great and Dr. M was very pleased.  Additionally, my range of motion is good as I'm able to cross my legs over the other one; Dr, also grabbed both of my legs and gave them a good shake (testing that versatility, man!) AND virtually no sharp pain ANYWHERE on my legs.    I have a bit of tightness in my IT Bands, but as the Doc points out he released them but as they scar in; you're still going to have to work, work, work to stay lose.  Dr. M showed me a stretch to employ to aide in this.  Good news is that my PT has been implementing similar stretching the past few times; so already improvement here. I'm only about 18 days away from 2 inches my friends! and 43 days away from a possible 3 inches! If I can reach 3 inches, my goodness; that would be insanely great! but....hey one step at a time. 2 inches to me would be amazing and would already be a huge life changing gain for me.

Pain: Are you kidding me?! I had virtually no pain all day.  A big sign of improvement was how, I was able to basically x-ray myself.  Last time, getting on the x-ray machine was painful and this time; I jumped on the table and contorted in all the necessary ways.   Additionally, Dr. M, did his usual bending and twisting of my legs and he gave me nothing but a thumbs up! I had 0-2 pain all day.   I will add that I have been sick the past couple of days; so unfortunately, I haven't been able to enjoy the recent improvement in my legs.  I'm feeling a bit better now.

Flexibility and movement: Legs are really looking better.  I'm able to put my feet pretty close together without any pain, No real sign of pelvic tilt, and although I feel pretty tight; I'm able to move my legs in lots of new ways that I haven't been able to today. I'm also able to sleep on my side.  Additionally, my walk looks good assisted and I'm also able to take steps unaided...baby steps; but albeit....steps.  Imagine being able to walk with no assistance after two broken femurs in less than 45 days? Amazing Stryde Nail technology my friends.

Today's' Activities: I worked for a couple of hours, had Dr. appt with Dr. M and just relaxed. I'll do a self-PT session before bed time.

Today was a success.  I'm hoping that my legs stay pain free and that the tightness eases up as I push harder in PT. I know that it will get tougher as I add mm's; but hey...you got to try your best! 

Okay Guys, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know.  Talk soon and best regards.

As reference here are the latest X-Rays of my legs. It's all going text book so far.  3.142cm or 1.237 inches.

My LEFT



My RIGHT

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Hi infullstryde
Your callous is looking good. Glad to hear that the pain management is getting better.

Good luck.

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Is there a benefit of using a physio instead of doing your own PT? Which exercises does physio help with the most?

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Hey, IFS. Thank you very much for writing the diary and sharing pictures.

You're an inspiration. The man makes the height. Not only are you sharing your journey and pics with us, free of charge, you also help others here struggling with their height dysphoria in the midst of your own LL - which is painful and hard. You also never allowed your height hold you back. Amazing.

Wishing you the best and that your LL goes as smoothly as humanly possible. Best of luck with the rest of your journey!

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Quote from: Cr7 on February 16, 2019, 04:45:34 AMHi infullstryde
Your callous is looking good. Glad to hear that the pain management is getting better.

Good luck.

Thank you, Cr7! Pain management is definitely coming under control.  I do still experience pain as my next update will describe; but its better and better as time has worn on.

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Quote from: cool on February 16, 2019, 08:26:43 AMIs there a benefit of using a physio instead of doing your own PT? Which exercises does physio help with the most?

It's good to incorporate both.  The PT will be a professional and provide you doctor like feedback on your condition.  Also, have your CLL doctor write a prescription for you to receive massage for your legs.  This really helps loosen up the tightness.   I get 3 leg massages per week to go along with 3 PT stretching sessions. The rest of the week, I stretch on my own. My insurance covers PT; so I anticipate on attending PT regularly for the next several months or at least until I'm able to walk well again.

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Quote from: myloginacc on February 16, 2019, 04:00:32 PMHey, IFS. Thank you very much for writing the diary and sharing pictures.

You're an inspiration. The man makes the height. Not only are you sharing your journey and pics with us, free of charge, you also help others here struggling with their height dysphoria in the midst of your own LL - which is painful and hard. You also never allowed your height hold you back. Amazing.

Wishing you the best and that your LL goes as smoothly as humanly possible. Best of luck with the rest of your journey!

Myloginacc - I really appreciate your kind words my friend.   There are several on these message boards which are always very supportive and providing helpful input for CLL newbies and veterans alike.  You being included in the helpful category...thanks again and I look forward to reporting on how my journey continues.   We'll definitely be in touch again. Have a great weekend!

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Day 44 Post Op - Journey Continues... Giving it all I got [3.242cm or 1.276 inches Taller!]

Greetings LL'ers,

Very chill day today and not to much to report.  I'm approaching the 1 and half inches taller mark..so that is exciting. I will detail some interesting items below!

Pain: Okay, I know last time I report a miraculous zero pain; well that was short lived! ha ha ha.   I woke up around 3:00am last night and of course; as a reward for sleeping 3 wonderful hours straight; my legs decided to scream at me with some moderate 5 level pain.   Its tough because the longer you hold your legs in one position without moving, the more your legs want to get tight and a bit angry ...well there you have it.  I just went ahead and woke up, took a tramadol, and stretched out a bit.  I even stood up and took some steps to just iron out the tightness.  The truth is that the pain starts to go away almost immediately after I get out of bed. The bed positions are causing me to experience that irregular tightness pain.  If anyone has any feedback on how to sleep easier, feel free to let me know.  All is all, it worked out. I got back to sleep and decided to get up around 8:00 am to start my day. Another note to consider is that at this point,  you will likely feel a bit of pain immediately after lengthening like I do.  It goes away in an hour or so and even faster if you stretch and actively move around.

Flexibility and movement:  Certain parts of my legs are definitely getting stronger each day.  I have started to consciously focus on my leg movements and additionally,  I am starting to take opportunities to walk without any assistance, meaning no walker, cane, etc.  These are small, waddling like steps at this point; but it is helpful to really begin to evaluate where you are with your gate.  I am going to push hard but wisely to become strong enough to support my walk.   As mentioned in other diaries your glues and hips are the last to return; so it is inevitable in most cases that you will sway a bit when you start to walk again.  This is why leveraging crutches and/or a walker throughout your recovery is important. These devices will help you support your hips/glutes as you strengthen, and hence allow you to practice your steps effectively and safety.  Million Dollar question is.... "Can you walk with no assistance?!"...Answer is Yes..i can stand up and walk with nothing helping me....but in time you get very sore and its not safe because my gate and balance isn't ready yet.  Hope that answers your question on that one if you were curious.  Flexibility is still 90 or better for most key stretches.  My Hamstrings and IT Band are tight; however, and fortunately I can still extend my legs fully and I'm not facing any real signs of duck butt (yet). I'll keep you posted.

Today's' Activities: I worked on my company items a bit, i ordered in some egg / veggie burritos to my apartment, i worked out for one hour on my bowflex, and i watched some Netflix documentaries.  Pretty chill

A good day overall.   I'm pushing toward my initial goal of 2 inches.  At that point, I will closely evaluate where I am at, how my body is responding and make decisions about my end goal as far as height increase goes.

Okay Guys, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know.  Talk soon and best regards.