Diary: Stryde Femurs with Dr. Paley September 2019

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Great news bro!!! good stuff congrats!

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That is outstanding news to hear and congratulations on the removal of hardware. I would greatly appreciate to hear your feedback on the overall experience. Dr. D performed Stryde femur surgery on me 11/20/20 and I am fully prepared for removal this December so would be very thankful to know more about your overall experience. Thank you!

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Wow rods removed that’s a big accomplishment!

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Pre Op (1 day before Rod Removal Surgery)

-Arrived at the LimbpastX Institute in Henderson Nevada. Impressed with the modern facility and robust team on site.
-The team measured me at 6 ft and a quarter inch in height- pleasant surprise as I've always thought I was barely 6 ft in the morning. I'll take that extra quarter inch.
-X Rays - went through the standard femur x rays at which point Dr. D came in to tell me my consolidation looked text book great and we're ready to get these things out.
-Dr. D then went through the procedure and the potential risks.

1) Surgical site infection- there are 3 incisions made on each leg (incisions at the lower and upper femur to unscrew + the rods are pulled out of the same incision that they were inserted)
2) Stryde Nail can break
3) Stripped Screws
4) Fractures
5) Surgical site pain

Dr. D assured me that the risks above are unlikely but could happen. After chatting a bit with Dr. D and his team, I thanked him for his time and headed home.

Mood: 90% excited, 10% nervous (going under anesthesia again + the thought of experiencing post surgical wound trauma again). Comparing and contrasting with my original surgery, I was much more relaxed and eager to get this over with in line with my expectation that for rod removals....in 1 to 2 weeks I'd be back to normal again.

Rod Removal Operation Day

-Woke up in the morning feeling fairly relaxed and eager to get the procedure done.

-As soon as I got to the surgery site I began the process of filling out paper work. Although the langauge in the paperwork was just as morbid as the language in the original operation, I was much less nervous this second go round.

-The nurses started to shave my hairy legs down around the incision sites  and then proceeded to put the IV in me.

-Met more nurses, an anesthesiologist, and PAs. Unlike my experience with Paley, I was still wide awake when they rolled me into the operation room. There was a team of about 6 people with their own distinct roles all around you - pretty amazing to see so many trained professionals here just for you with the mission of getting these rods out. The high $ fee starts to make more sense.

-The anesthesiologist starts giving me some happy juice and I slowly fade away.

-Suddently I wake up in the hospital and the team is gone, with just one lone nurse by my side. I ask "Am I still alive?" and the nurse smiled and said "you did great." I felt immense gratitude and relief that everything went as planned.

-I immediately recognize the lower half of my body as sore, in trauma, and "heavy". I can move my feet, heels and toe, but my quads, hips, and buttocks are incredibly sore.

-I am able to get out of the hospital bed and onto a wheelchair where I was then wheeled off to my family.

-Dr. D prescribed me Xarelto blood thinner and Percocet pain killers.

-Once I arrived home I immediately felt the physical limitations of the surgery. I could barely walk without support and experienced moderate pain levels (3 to 5 out of 10). At one point I threw up, probably a side effect of nausea after the anesthesia. I took a percocet which helped manage the pain. At this point, it was just a matter of resting and letting time do its thing. I took another percocet and passed out.

-Key takeaway - On day 1 of the surgery, the pain levels are relatively high and you are not ambulatory on your own -  I advise that folks have some form of care taking to help assist you through that first day or two after the surgery. Things like getting up and down from a seated position, to walking without support, are incredibly difficult on your own. In addition we are also a bit hazy as the anesthesia is still wearing off. Results may vary, as I've seen other diaries where patients bounced back immediately after the surgery, however in my case, post op surgical site trauma was bad enough that in hindsight, I'm thankful I had family around to watch over me.

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Update! Happy to report that, similar to the other LLer's rod removal experiences before me, there is significant day over day improvement in the days following your rod removal operation. At this rate I'd expect to be in good shape 7 days post op, with a targeted plan to fly back home about 10 days post op.

Day 1 Post Op - Rough Shape

-Rough shape. Still dependent on family/care. Not ambulatory on my own and relying on crutches/cane to get around. Getting up and down from a seated position take a lot of work and/or assistance from others.
-Pain level ranging from 2 to 5 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is minor, but any movement of legs triggers pain (3 to 5 out of 10) at the surgical wound sites, glutes, and quads.
-Managing pain through either percocets or tylenol.
-Had to take a quick work call and was not 100% there when it comes to cognitive analytical thinking. I think this was a combo of the minor pains, fatigue, trauma, and meds.
-Focus is on resting and letting time do its thing.

Day 2 Post Op - Rough but getting better

-Great day over day improvement (at least 20 to 30%). Independent and ambulatory without the need for crutches or cane - I'd describe my walk at about 70%, with hip sway and waddling.  Able to get up and down from a seated position on my own, however I need to use my upper body (triceps) to push up and down.
-Pain level averaging about 3 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is non existent, with any movement of legs triggering pain of 3 out of 10 at the surgical wound sites.
-Reducing my pain management to 2 percocets a day.
-Focus is still on resting and letting time do its thing.

Day 3 Post Op - Feeling much better

-Great day over day improvement (at least another 20%). Able to get up and down from a seated position on my own without the need to use my upper body. My walk is about 80% now, my first few steps after getting up still sway/waddle, but after about 5 to 10 steps I'd say my walk appears 95% fine and undetectable to the average observer.
-Pain level getting better and averaging about 2 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is non existent, with any movement of legs triggering pain of 2 out of 10 at the surgical wound sites.
-Reducing my pain management to just tylenol. No more need for percocets. 
-Focus is still on resting and letting time do its thing. However, my cognitive analytical thinking is back to normal now, and I'm able to function with work just fine.

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Day 4 Post Op - Feeling better

-Not much to update here other than ongoing day over day improvement (at least another 10%).
-Walk looks about 90% normal now however I've been limiting my daily walk to about 0.5 mile. I'd imagine if I went any further fatigue and soreness would set in.
-Pain level getting better and tolerable without any meds. The wounds feel like minor scrapes/bruises at this point.
-The one thing that I didn't mention was sleep - just ok, averaging about 6 hrs a night. Similar to the original surgery, it's dificult to sleep on your side given the surgery wound at the hip so you have to be comfortable with sleeping on your back.

I have a follow up appointment with Dr. D in a few days (post op day 8 ) and I'll definitely circle back then, but for now it appears its smooth sailing assuming this rate of improvement continues.

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Thumbs up 

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Thank you for the very detailed review of your experience. I really appreciate knowing what to expect in the very last steps of this ordeal. Good luck man, you're doing great!

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Quote from: LegSGo! on June 17, 2021, 10:41:28 PMThat is outstanding news to hear and congratulations on the removal of hardware. I would greatly appreciate to hear your feedback on the overall experience. Dr. D performed Stryde femur surgery on me 11/20/20 and I am fully prepared for removal this December so would be very thankful to know more about your overall experience. Thank you!

Thanks man. He's been a great doctor so far. Will keep everyone posted throughout the process.

Quote from: Thorfinnn on June 17, 2021, 10:43:36 PMWow rods removed that’s a big accomplishment!

Thank you!

Quote from: Movie on June 21, 2021, 03:38:00 AMThumbs up 

Thanks brotha!

Quote from: PerfectBody on June 21, 2021, 04:01:49 AMThank you for the very detailed review of your experience. I really appreciate knowing what to expect in the very last steps of this ordeal. Good luck man, you're doing great!

Of course. Rod removal diaries are not as common so thought I'd share my experience for future LLers!

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Hey brother

Congrats

Can you update if there was any corrosion in nails and if you had one year post pain or any issues with nails corrosion like everyone is making it out to be

Once again awesome news