Femurs with Dr. Shahab Mahboubian - July 2020

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Quote from: StrydeNailChallenge on December 06, 2020, 06:45:19 PM
Day 132 Post-op (Tue., Dec. 1) - Consolidation Day 51
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Day 136 Post-op (Sat., Dec. 5) - Consolidation Day 55
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Walking: My average daily walks are above 5 miles. My longest walk with no breaks in between was on Day 136 (Sat. Dec. 5) for 5 miles and it took a bit shorter than two hours. I also tried to go as fast as I could this last Friday and I tried to set a record. I will try to break that record this coming week and I will post my numbers here to see if anyone can beat me on that Please stay tuned



Day 137 (Almost 4.5 Months) Post-op (Sun., Dec. 7) - Consolidation Day 56


I just wanted to give an update on my gait and walking. I am at a point in this CLL journey that I am confident, distance won't be a limit for me. As an example today I very comfortably walked for 10.3 miles already and I believe my gait remains normal and I don't have any pain. I did not carry my phone with me all the time today, and I will probably have to add a few 0.1 miles to it tonight to do some stuff in the house. Therefore the final number would be higher than 10.3. I am adding a snapshot of my Activity so far: https://imgur.com/1NHcDKE

I know if I can easily walk for much longer distances. I can hold myself for long times if needed, so no need to go to restrooms and I can have a sandwich with me and keep walking   I am very confident about my speed and endurance at this point. I know I would not get tired, before this other limit which is out of my control: what will end up happening is that something at work would come up and I have to be in front of a computer! I therefore do not plan to set a record in terms of distance for a 4.5 month mark time. Instead I will try to set a record in terms of speed. I will post my time record soon.

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the common believe is that with every cm there is 1 mm deviation eaing to valgus deformity what does your x ray say ? can you share it ?

another thing did dr mahoubian cut your biceps tendon to ease the procedure

did you have hip pain or front knee pain ?

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Quote from: 184dream on December 08, 2020, 08:13:11 AMthe common believe is that with every cm there is 1 mm deviation eaing to valgus deformity what does your x ray say ? can you share it ?


 Hi 184dream,
I am sorry to say that my knowledge on the deformity you mentioned is zero. I therefore cannot answer your question. I however have posted my x-rays. Please feel free to check them and see whether you can identify the deformity you mentioned here.


Quote from: 184dream on December 08, 2020, 08:13:11 AM
another thing did dr mahoubian cut your biceps tendon to ease the procedure



I don't believe Dr. Mahboubian did anything on my biceps


Quote from: 184dream on December 08, 2020, 08:13:11 AM
did you have hip pain or front knee pain ?

During the distraction phase, I did have front knee pain among all the random types of pain. However the pain spot would randomly move. The knee pain was not something that persisted, except for early days post-op when it did, for a few days. I have written about the pain in my diary. In short, it was most likely due to intense indoor cycling I had on early days. I stopped indoor cycling and that took care of the knee pain.   I never had a hip pain, except for a time in late November when I almost fell off a pedestrian curb and hurt my hip area (left leg, close to where the nails are). I recovered from the pain in about two days.

I hope these answer your questions, but let me know.

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Day 138 (Almost 4.5 Months) Post-op (Mon., Dec. 8 ) - Consolidation Day 57

Last week, I was finally able to bring my right heel to touch my butt. Today, I was able to do that for left leg. This is an important step for me towards the journey to "naturalization",

I can now easily sit on my legs, going all the way to heels touching butt. Also squats have become a lot easier for me.

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Fixing two typos:

Quote from: StrydeNailChallenge on December 07, 2020, 04:50:45 AM
Day 137 (Almost 4.5 Months) Post-op (Sun., Dec. 7 6) - Consolidation Day 56


Quote from: StrydeNailChallenge on December 08, 2020, 05:54:47 PMDay 138 (Almost 4.5 Months) Post-op (Mon., Dec. 8 Dec. 7 ) - Consolidation Day 57
...

Updates:

Day 139 Post-op (Tue., Dec. 8 ) - Consolidation Day 58
Day 140 Post-op (Wed., Dec. 9 ) - Consolidation Day 59
Day 141 Post-op (Thurs., Dec. 10 ) - Consolidation Day 60


My phone shows the following average daily walk numbers for the following months and days:
November:  3.8 miles (per day)
December: 5.9 miles
Last 7 days: 7.4 miles


My longest walk for the whole day has been 10.5 miles (on Sun., Dec. 6, Day 56 post-op). 
My lonest walk without any breaks or stops, was on Wed. (Day 140)  for 8.3 miles (check here: https://imgur.com/qeq9s8P). I was speaking on the phone for most of the part, and did not try to go fast, therefore it took a very long time of 3 and a half hours. The uphills in the park slow me down, but they help a lot with getting my strength back.

I however finally have a record in speed to report. Will do that shortly.


I remember before the surgery long walks would give me this soreness that would persist the following day or two. However now that I regularly walk and stretch every day, the soreness does not persist. Every morning I wake up, I feel fresh and soreness is gone. On that matter, I believe I am better than my old normal. 

I hope this update helps.

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I remember I had read online about the time it takes for each 1cm of bone gap to consolidate and also to harden. E.g., https://www.limblength.org/treatments/limb-lengthening-the-process/ states that 5cm consolidation and hardening take about 2 months and 2~3 additional months, respectively.
Extrapolating that for 8cm distraction, consolidation may take about 3 months and hardening about 3 to 5 months.

It would be great if anyone could post some more info (such as any article you've seen) on the consolidation and hardening durations for limb lengthening. I assume it's case dependent (i.e., diet, exercise, genetics, tibia vs femur, stryde vs precise, quality of surgery and doctor's work, etc.) but any info is appreciated.

 

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What have you found to be the most useful objects you brought with you for lengthening?

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Quote from: SpeedDialer on December 13, 2020, 12:48:00 AMWhat have you found to be the most useful objects you brought with you for lengthening?

Hi SpeedDialer,

I am glad you used the plural form "objects" so I can list several items (cause it would've been difficult for me to rank them and pick the topmost useful one ).


I believe physical and mental fitness, support of the friends and family have helped a lot.

There were other factors that I did not necessarily bring to the table myself, but got lucky to have them. E.g., it was a no brainer for me to choose Dr. M., considering his expertise in CLL and other deformities and the fact that I reside in the LA area.
COVID-19 has been one of the worst tragedies to humanity. A lot of lives, families and businesses were destroyed. It however had some bright sides for the CLL'ers like myself who did the surgery during the COVID-19 times. The fact that I could work from home helped a lot.


I would also like to clarify that prior physical and mental fitness would be necessary only if you'd aim for a fast recovery. Otherwise, I would say if you are content with a typical recovery (i.e., a recovery that would take more than a year), prior fitness would not be critical. Also I have seen CLL'ers who took care of themselves, while being away from home.

My goal is to break the norms and recover fully by the end of month 6. For that to happen, I believe prior physical fitness and mental fitness is a must and the help of family and friends is a must for me.

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Thank you. Aside from physical and mental fitness, what physical objects did you find most useful to bring with you?

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Quote from: SpeedDialer on December 14, 2020, 09:02:44 PMThank you. Aside from physical and mental fitness, what physical objects did you find most useful to bring with you?


I am not sure if I understood your question. Therefore please let me know if the following is not what you meant:

I you meant physical objects useful during distraction; in addition to some necessary stuff (like a walker and crutches), anything that helps with pain management would help. Like the pain relievers I have listed in my diary.

During consolidation, I did not find need for anything, other than stretching exercises, walking.

If you meant any stuff to bring during the hospital stay, I had my laptop, cellphone, toothbrush, and extra clothes, so I could change my clothes every day.

I believe a calcium and protein rich diet helps a lot with fast bone consolidation.