1 week post-op updateEstimated height increase: 10mm (7mm from surgery, 3mm from clicking)The first week after the surgery, while challenging, was better than I expected. I'm trying not to be overoptimistic though as I hear the upcoming secondary inflammation phase is tough due to more tightness when clicking and the need for more clicks per day (21).
It's been extremely helpful to have a caretaker for the first week. Having to do everything by myself would be time-consuming and stressful distracting from recovery. Also, I'm sure being alone during such a vulnerable and trying time would have gotten me to a dark place mentally.
Pain and medicationThe pain during the day has been manageable, I'm having some issues during the night which I go into more detail below. I'm taking paracetamol every 6 hours, medicine for nerve pain once a day, and an opiod at night. Stretching also helps with pain due to tightness; definitely recommend getting very comfortable with stretching pre-op.
I've stopped taking glucosamine, collagen, arginin, and curcumin due to concerns from Dr G. on interactions with the blood thinners. Will consider resuming it later in the distraction phase.
MobilityI will not be allowed on crutches until 2-3 weeks post-op, so right now I'm relying on the wheelchair and walker. I've been progressively getting better on the walker, but it's hard to continuously use the walker for more than ~5 min at a time because my upper body gets tired. I'm able to stand still for longer periods of time though (~20min).
It takes a bit of practice to learn the different transfer skills (in order of difficulty): walker -> chair, walker -> bed, chair -> bed, walker -> toilet, walker -> shower seat, walker-> car seat. They all become easier with good upper body strength, so I'm very thankful that I prepped with weighted dips pre-op; 100% recommend.
Athens and the hotelAthens has been good so far. Taxis are widely available through and quick through Uber. Wolt for food delivery has many good protein-rich options. It's also been very sunny, which helps with the mood
The Grand Hyatt hotel at Athens was the right decision. I had to annoy them a little bit to improve the accessible room (remove carpets, fix loose handles in bathroom), but after settling in it's been great. There is a nice rooftop area to get sun with a great view of the Acropolis and pools with easy access that will be helpful when I'm cleared for it. The hotel was not much more expensive than Novotel when staying for a full month but the facilities seem much better.
Hotel rooftop pool and viewSleepI've been sleeping worse these past 3 days (1-3 hours) due to a burning pain in the muscle I'm using to stabilize my feet and legs. If I lay down straight, I feel pain in my hamstrings. When raising my feet, on the quads. When externally rotating, on the adductors. When internally rotating, on the IT band. There is no position where it's comfortable. I was able to to get slightly better sleep last night by using a cold pack, supporting my feet with additional pillows, and switching positions (sleep in 90min intervals).
Dr G. thinks it's micro sprains in the muscles due to stretching. However, I'm barely stretching my IT band and adductors but still feel the burning sensation on those. I'm worried that the secondary inflammation phase could be arriving earlier than expected. If so, I think it would make sense to start earlier on the anti-inflammatories.
The sleep I do get seems to be low quality according to my watch. My RHR is up to 72bpm (from ~52bpm pre-op) and HRV down to 20ms (from ~55ms pre-op) which worries me, but I hope it goes back as I recover from the surgery.
In days 4 & 5 post-op I was peeing ~5x during the night despite drinking about 10% of what I'm peeing out. I suspect this was liquid being expunged from my previously swollen legs.
ClickingFrom past diaries and speaking with other patients here, it seems that easiness of clicking is somewhat luck based. I've been lucky that clicking has been relatively straightforwards so far, being able to click by myself from day 1.
My left leg barely needs any rotation to click, and I can do 15 clicks in under a minute.
My right leg takes more rotation to get a click and I feel much more pressure on my muscles. It was taking ~8 min at the start for 15 clicks and now I'm down to ~3 min.
What I've found is that the most important thing is to completely relax your leg muscles (as if your leg was detached from your body).
BJR teamI'm getting daily visits from a nurse and physiotherapist that work for Dr G. full time. They've been empathetic and supportive and are quick to respond. There's also a dedicated driver that takes us to physio every day (7 euro) and can pick up clothes for laundry (10 euro).
Next steps- Tomorrow (+9d after surgery) I'll start on the stationary bike.
- Monday (+12d after surgery) Physio will get more intense, so far it's been just stretching and relaxation
- Monday (+12d after surgery) Inflammation phase is scheduled to begin, will start taking anti-inflammatories and increasing the click rate
- 21 days post-op I will start on the anti-gravity treadmill
Quote from: lucindaris on March 28, 2024, 07:59:12 PMGreat to hear so you think it's doable to even do some small IT work for 4 hours a day? Also this is a price that you've paid - Femoral lengthening with X-Os G-(Guichet) nails: 48900 Euro?
Yes, it would be doable if everything goes perfectly. Often it doesn't. Dr. G. recommends taking at least the first 2 full weeks from work. After going through the process I can 100% agree with this. I personally took 6 weeks of work, but I might reduce that to 4 weeks if things go well.
Quote from: Azerty12 on March 28, 2024, 11:32:50 PMThanks for Your answer. I am also really concerned about being able to do the same things as today. I am planning to do 6cm on femurs with dr guichet. Today i am able to squat 190kg and deadlift maybe 230kg. I have long tibias (36,3cm ) in proportion to my femurs (41,3). My height is 170,8 cm at my peak but usually its 169,8cm. If the first operation is good i Hope to do a the tibias for 4cm. To have a total of 10cm it would be perfect. Do you have informations about patients with good athletism before surgery having recover at 100% ?
I would look at the V21 diary who did 6cm with Dr G. in 2021. He seems to have gotten most of the athleticism back. I'll let you know how it goes for me in 2 years time
