Diary - June 2019 - Stryde with Dr. Mahboubian of North Hollywood

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Hello!

Bishopcheck, thanks so much for sharing your journey with the limblengthening forum and it makes us so happy to see that you are supported by so many members here on the forum. The recovery process will only become more comfortable for you as each day goes by, and it must feel great knowing that there are so many people on here who want to help you have the best possible recovery! 

To everyone who is offering advice and support to Bishopcheck, you are awesome and we appreciate you more than you know! It really does warm our hearts to see past patients who are so open with their experiences and so willing to share and help. Thank you for your time and your support!

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Alright guys, It's been a while. I'll update and also clear up some stuff I said before.

Apologies for the long delay, this process is kicking my ass. When I first met Dr Mahboubian, I told him "I know pain." How foolish of me to be so arrogant. Certainly, having my ankle crushed in an IED blast was a more intense pain, while less severe, the lengthening pains never abate. They are a constant, debilitating, shadow. There seems to be no relief, and honestly every day has been worse than the last since every day all my tissue is tighter and tighter.

I've lived in a sort of pain coma for the last few weeks. I average 2 hours of continuous sleep a night, and typically can sleep in 30 minutes intervals until morning. For a total of 4 hours or so. And this is with Tramadol, ambien, and a muscle relaxer. Most nights after I toss and turn for a few hours, I end up turning my bathroom into a steam sauna by letting the hot water run with the door closed. And I alternate sitting on the floor and sitting on the toilet.

I have been going to PT 5 days a week. It's grueling, painful and completely necessary. I have been driving to PT, about a 20 minute drive, with relative ease. Driving is the easy part, getting to and from the parking lot is the difficult part.

Today is 6 weeks, and now only 1.4 inches remain. Still unsure if I'm going to make it, but here goes.

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Hey bishopcheck, sorry to hear about the pain you've been goin through. What part of the leg do you feel the most pain in? Do you think a rigorous stretching routine (for hamstrings) would've possibly helped before the surgery?

Also, have you considered reducing the number of lengthenings per day? I recall VerticalPush having pain issues as well and when he reduced to 2 lengthenings per day (from the usual 3) it was a big help.

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Hey guys
Today will be the big 2 inch day! A little crazy to think about. There hasn't been much change for me, If I'm lucky, I get a few hours of sleep, otherwise I simply go about my day in a haze of sorts. The constant pain is simply exhausting. And  2 days ago a new pain arrived, where the new bone is growing, or the bone gap as others have called it. The bone gap pain had me screaming and moaning in public and for nearly the whole hour of PT. One second I'm talking to my physical therapist, the next I'm screaming for 5 minutes because because the bone gap is so sensitive that even the slightest pressure can set it off.

There's still some swelling, and while I can get on my stomach, I can't stay on it. I still cannot find a comfortable position to sit or lay in, and obviously I can't stand for long either. Speaking of standing, my IT band is now in direct competition with my inner thigh muscles, like hip flexors and groin. The IT band is pulling my legs so far apart that the inner muscles are now forced to contract. Also I feel betrayed by my quads. This whole time my quads have been fine, but the same day the bone gap pain starts, my quads start to hurt as well.

Walking is well how do I describe this. I can maneuver around on crutches or a walker, but to call it walking would be a lie because of how far apart my feet are. Practicing to actually walk means moving even a few feet can take an extremely long time. But I spend at least 10 minutes a day practicing. And I've been doing PT 5 days a week, although to be honest my therapists seems a bit perplexed about what to do. But I did tell him the deep massages really helped reduce the pain of ERC sessions.

Quote from: JsElysianEagle on August 09, 2019, 10:56:04 PMHey bishopcheck, sorry to hear about the pain you've been goin through. What part of the leg do you feel the most pain in? Do you think a rigorous stretching routine (for hamstrings) would've possibly helped before the surgery?

Also, have you considered reducing the number of lengthenings per day? I recall VerticalPush having pain issues as well and when he reduced to 2 lengthenings per day (from the usual 3) it was a big help.
Honestly the IT band pulls on just about everything, and my IT band was tight on day 1. There's just so many different muscles that need stretching. Getting them all beforehand if you are non-flexible just doesn't seem possible.  DR M said the rate of my bone growth dictates the number of sessions a day I have to do, and 2 a day is too few.

Well now what do I do? Do I keep pushing? I want to at least get 2.5 inches that way with my starting height of 5 feet 5.5inch, I would be 5'8.While 3 inches would put met at 5'.8.5 and would allow me say I'm 5'.9-5'10 with shoes on even though I'd still be in the 5'8 club. I see dr M next Friday which means if I continue with the ERC until I see dr M, I'll only be 1 week away from 2.5inches. So I mean...I might as well continue until I see dr M and make sure the healing is going well and no matter how stupid I might look right now, that eventually I will be walking normally.

Any Q's?

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stay strong bishopcheck .... you can make it there

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push for your goal bro, after the tightness and issues you're having will subside

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Hi Bishop,

Hope all is well.  I would go forward with whatever recommendation Dr. M gives.  He knows best in these cases.

All the best,

IFS

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Hi Bishop,

Just checking in. How are things going?