Hello Four Inch Fold! Happy to see you're doing great! Are you able to upload your latest X-rays? I'm really interested how consolidation goes with fitbone. It seems its better than other nails when looking at auron and helloworld x-rays.
Thanks - Francis
Aren't you posting your X-rays? I would like to see th
Here is the link to my first xray, this was two weeks after surgery.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5ruqeljdaef2ub/xray-1.jpg?dl=0
If my calculations are correct, I should have lengthened about 2.3 cm so far. A few days ago i did start feeling enough pain in the knee area to keep me from sleeping much. I started a routine of walking around the apartment for about 30 minutes, then going back to bed. Walking seems to make the pain go away. Although I would fall back to sleep quickly, I was only sleeping 10 - 20 minutes before the pain would wake me up again. I would repeat my walking/sleeping cycle for most of the night.
Dr. Monegal suggested that I reduce the amount of lengthening per day just a tad to see if that helps with sleeping. However, I think I'll continue with the lengthening 1mm per day as long as I can. At the end of next week I'll also be returning home to continue lengthening - Yahoo!
Good job Bro! But actually you should listen to your doc! And remember: When you reduce the rate, you will have a better recovery!
Your x-ray looks interesting. What is that bone piece on the side? Do you have another view from the x-ray?
Francis
Thank you Francis! Yes, perhaps you are right; I think he was just concerned about the reducing the pain rather than thinking I was lengthening to much. I'll check with the doc to be sure.
The bone piece on the side is what Dr. Monegal described as "the lucky spike". He said it a good thing, i believe the way he described is that the "spike" will encourage the femur to heal with a greater diameter by including that fragment. He mentioned that it's purely coincidental and he does nothing to try to produce the spike, it just happens sometimes. He showed me several xrays where a spike was produced and the bone looks much stronger in that break area than those that were not lucky enough to get the lucky spike.
I'll be sure to check with him to be sure I'm explaining it accurately and report back if I need to retract or correct my explanation.
Ok interesting point. I don't have the experience to say anything about that. Do you have another view of your x-rays? How does the spike look from the side?
Was the spike already there on the x-rays right after the surgery?
francis
I just noticed that there is another xray on the disk that I received, I believe this is a side view.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xclicar6osgs8l5/ScreenHunter_83%20May.%2021%2006.22.jpg?dl=0
I'm not an expert for sure, but at a different angle it does not look nearly as alarming. From my laymen perspective, I does seem like that particular area with the so called "lucky spike" would produce more bone making it stronger as Dr. Monegal described. The two different angles certainly make the area of the fracture look quite different, I'll question Dr. Monegal so that he can put these two different views in perspective.
I don't have copies of the xrays taken a day after surgery, but Dr. Mongegla did show them to me on his phone and made mention of the "lucky spike".
On another note, I did sleep my better last night. The trick seems to be to elevate my upper body; I have no idea what that did; perhaps increased blood flow to my leg??? In any case, my leg did not bother me nearly as much and I slept for an hour or more at a time before having to get up and walk a bit. I also skipped the 50 minutes of stationary biking last night but will resume that routine today.
Cheers!
How are you doing, buddy?
Hey onemorefoot,
Doing very well I believe. Still lengthening but I'll be done in the next few days and will be returning to Spain in a little over a month to start work on my remaining leg. Looking forward to gaining 2.5 inches and getting this behind me. 
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