Day 16 - Another Day in the Books. Very low pain level, left leg still being a pest [8.91mm Taller]
Good day LL'ers. Today was pretty mellow and not a ton to report. I kept myself pretty comfortable; however I was stretching my legs the entire day it felt like. Sometimes; I find myself stretching just to test the leg out; especially after a lengthening. My pain level is the lowest it has been since the surgery and that is making this process a lot easier to deal with. I would say that my pain was at average a 1 or 2 today and at most a 3. The change in my medication has been key for me. I am taking 2 Tramadol every 2 hours and a 2 Tylenol Pm's before bed time. It's on the higher side of the dosage meter; but it's safe and this is a big time for me in getting past the rough pain section of this procedure (The first 3 to 4 weeks).
All the walking I did yesterday just fostered a minor set back... My left leg/knee is bothering me. Its really around the nail site and up the leg. I'm going to chalk this up to surgical inflammation guys and the fact that my left leg was likely weaker going into this procedure. I can remember 2 weeks ago when I first had the surgery; I could barely even touch my left leg w/o letting out a shrieking sound. Well, now, I can lift it up, touch it and even put some weight on it while walking w/ the walker and it does fine. The balance is off however...so I have to be very careful while walking. Also, my ability to take agile steps to the side is limited still. It's all about forward and backward steps right now. Guys, this is all apart of the process of recovery. Only the strong will survive and I know I am one of the strong ones and I'm sure you are too. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Tomorrow will mark 1 centimeter of growth and I'm excited to report that here on the boards with all of you tomorrow evening.
Nothing else is really note worth for today.
Here are additional thoughts below:
-Buy a good walker that fits your size well. If you are on the shorter side of the spectrum like me (5'1.25"), then its worth getting a jr walker so that you can adjust the height to fit you. No shame in that; get what will fit you well.
-I want to reemphasize to all CLL'ers that you will need someone with you who is supportive and on your side and willing to help you for up to at least 3 weeks and ideally 4 weeks. The pain and tenderness of your legs after surgery is such that you would be safest to have someone near by to assist you with complicated tasks that require bending, reaching, etc.
-Keep those legs moving! Check this out - works well https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B1VDNQA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-A belt that you should have on when your caregiver is helping you walk - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YW8USKI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you start to lose balance or fall, they can lift you with this belt.
-Jr. Walker that Fits shorter height level men (4'6" to 5'5") Its alot more affective to have a walker that fits you snug vs. trying to fit the standard - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A3RAAFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Another tid bit; you will not be able to move around much; so i recommend getting a portable cooling fan, and portable heater and have them near by your resting area; so that you can climate control your space. From a Wheelchair or when you are not very mobile; you may not be able to reach the A/C or heater button. Think ahead and if you can have these things remote controlled even better.
-Feedback so far on Dr. Mahboubian. He get's an A so far. I cannot feel the nails in my legs which is good. I have barely any pain after 2 weeks. He answered my one 10:00pm call the day after surgery because I was concerned with swelling. He told me to apply ice and swelling was gone in 15 minutes. He answers every email same day or next day. He prescribed me alternate pain medication same day requested, when I told him Norco wasn't working. So far so good, guys.
Question to CLL'er Community
Any tips on muscle/joint pain relief? Creams? Oils? Techniques? etc.
Diary - January 2019 - In Full Stryde with Dr. Mahboubian of North Hollywood.
Overall, how easy is it to bear the pain? Would you describe the pain as unbearable or do you think it's pretty manageable and definitely worth it?
Pain isn't too bad at all. It's worth it. 3 inches of height is worth the amount of pain I'm going through. If i can stay strong for 2.5 more months, this will be worth it.
Day 17 - Good day. [9.99mm Taller]
Good day overall. Watched some good football and kept my leg stretched out look forward to some physio tomorrow. I'm in the wheels chair and walker at the moment. Hoping that I can graduate off the wheel chair in 2 - 3 weeks. Hope you all had a great day! I have reached 1 CM.
Best regards,
Hello infullstryde, can u pls post some photos and x rays, that would be very good for the people on the forum.Hope your recovery and lenthening keeps on getting better.
Quote from: Cr7 on January 21, 2019, 02:02:43 PMHello infullstryde, can u pls post some photos and x rays, that would be very good for the people on the forum.Hope your recovery and lenthening keeps on getting better.
My first post surgery x-rays which include my lengthening is on Friday, January 25th. I will try to take some pictures of those and post for the community.
Quote from: InFullStryde on January 21, 2019, 02:24:20 PMMy first post surgery x-rays which include my lengthening is on Friday, January 25th. I will try to take some pictures of those and post for the community.
Indeed that would be very helpful brother. Keep strong and achieve your goals. Lenthen and recover with the same positive mindset (it's kind of rare on this forum these days) that u have right now.
You mentioned you hired an caretaker.
May I ask what specific things the caretaker do?
- Making food
- Helping you with stretching ?
Quote from: BladeRunner on January 21, 2019, 04:10:04 PMYou mentioned you hired an caretaker.
May I ask what specific things the caretaker do?
- Making food
- Helping you with stretching ?
Hi BladeRunner,
It is absolutely needed that you have a supportive person whether it be family or caretaker for the first 3 weeks. I recommend up to 4 weeks, at least. If you can have someone with you for the entire distraction phase that is even better.
My current approach is the following:
My Sister helps me get started in the day - picks up things around my apartment, cleans dirty dishes, refreshing my vanity, fresh water and makes sure everything I need is within easy reach of my arms. She also helps me with PT. Basically, she pushes me to stretch more deeply, which is important.
My brother helps me in the evening and is spending night in my apartment also. In the beginning he helped me get to bed, and cleaned up around my place and prepared me for the evening. My brother also helps me with PT
I also, interviewed a care taker service and met with a care taker one time. I wanted to know what was available. I haven't used very much; but I have an agency I can call now and pay about $25/hour to take care of me on some hours where I need special assistance and no family member is available for me.
I do formal PT with Physical Therapist Home Health 3 days a week at the moment.
A Caretaker basically should take care of anything you need; including helping you transfer to bed, toilet, prepare meals, etc. I have my meals home delivered to me so that there is very little prep. I also use the Amazon Fresh for random groceries and things. I have tried to make everything as streamlined as possible. I will create a "game plan" for all future CLL'ers so that they are ready when they decide to go forward with this.
Day 18 - Challenging PT Session, Left leg started out rough, ended well and using walker more and more [1.122 Centimeters Taller]
Greetings LL'ers. Day 18 was a pretty decent one. I will say this... My left leg remains my biggest challenge. It is very sore at the knee and quad area and slows me down a bit. I will say this; the left leg IS still able to weight bear and I'm able to do wide range of motion stretches with it. When it comes to walking; the left leg is still tender. I'm going to keep working on it. This is just one of those things you discover the hard way; but you get through it. Each day the left leg gets a bit better; slowly yet surely.
Physical Therapy today was rigorous! My PT Pro, had me up on my legs with no walker, doing stretches to my chest, side stepping, holding onto my kitchen counter for dear life and circling it! ..You name it he had be doing it haha. I guess PT really does stand for pain and torture! All joking aside; he gave me a good work out and I learn about new PT training tips each time he comes and apply them to my private rehab. Remember WALKING is the best mode of PT. If you're walking all the time and you can tolerate it; you are doing 75% or more of what is needed to maintain your lengthening goals. Having said that; DO NOT push it the first 1 -3 weeks. Take it easier. Let those surgery pains and inflammation heal and settle a bit.
Other than PT; I am able to easily transfer to my bed. I'm using my walker to get to my bathroom sink, use the toliet, and I hope to conquer the shower by the end of the week. Still figuring this one out a bit. Another thing I'm going to try; since I'm getting fairly comfortable on the walker, Is working out on my BowFlex. This is a pretty decent workout machine; but it was hard for me to use it the first couple of weeks since it requires you to stand and sit. Tomorrow, I may give this a shot. I'll keep you all posted.
Other things I did today while LL'ing... I worked a complete work day of 8 hours, sat outside for a bit, and watched some YouTube videos. Everything is pretty calm. I'm hoping that this week I really see some magical 3rd week healing of my left leg. Once that is resolved; I'm going to be an excellent shape. I love the Styrde nail by the way. I am able to fully weight bear which is making for a great productive workout.
Pain level today was 2 or 3. Pain really was not a factor today. Hoping this trend continues.
Okay guys, I'm over 1 centimeter...every 10 days means another centimeter. Send me some good vibes for that left leg to get stronger! The right leg...well like I said before...I can kick a field goal with it...It's pretty strong.
Take care and best regards, talk to you tomorrow!
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