Thanks for the update SNC. Sounds like everything is going flawlessly! I can't believe you're already less than a month away from the 6 month mark.
Quote from: BelowTheMean on December 30, 2020, 02:33:35 PMThanks for the update SNC. Sounds like everything is going flawlessly! I can't believe you're already less than a month away from the 6 month mark.
Thanks BTM,
Happy New Year! Wish you and ALL a pandemic free 2021, full of good things!
Day 155 Post-op (Thurs., Dec. 24 ) - Consolidation Day 74
Day 156 Post-op (Fri., Dec. 25 ) - Consolidation Day 75
Day 157 Post-op (Sat., Dec. 26 ) - Consolidation Day 76
Jogging: I have been increasingly putting effort into jogging (in addition to the daily several mile walks) to help strengthening my legs.
Swimming: Due to the COVID-19 limitations, I stopped swimming (which has been my main workout for a long time) in early 2020 about 5 months before the surgery. It still looks scary to me to get into a pool with strangers swimming within a couple feet from me, but I thought I should take the risk and give it a try before the year ends.
The moment I got into the pool, I realized swimming is fortunately one of those activities that I feel completely normal with.
I was surprised that while swimming I did not feel like my legs are taller. It felt like old times, very normal and smooth! I have no idea why, but I take as as a good thing!
I did the first few laps cautiously to get to evaluate my legs and see whether I can kick as if I had not done any CLL. The following are some short videos from those easy laps:
Breaststroke : Although I took it easy at start, it felt so good to be back to swimming after about a year. Looking forward to a pandemic-free 2021 and regular swimming:
Freestyle including flipping (but easy, not pushing onto the wall too hard :
Butterfly : Back crawl followed by butterfly. This is my first butterfly lap since early 2020. I was hesitant on trying butterfly before getting into the pool, considering the heavy kicks it demands; however, the moment I started swimming; it felt so right and normal as if I had not done the CLL surgery:
I think I would have resumed swimming long ago during distraction, had we not have this lockdown situation or if I had my own private pool. I wish I can find a safe place to continue to swim. I feel like my body really needs that!
I hope at some point I swim even faster than before, using my new height! I will post more videos to show my progress.
Happy New Year, SNC! Thanks for another great post; at your pace of positive progress and return to athleticism I’m half expecting to see a video of you summiting Everest by the end of January! 🤣😂
Thanks for sharing. Very informative and inspiring. 💪
Quote from: L8GrowthSpurt on January 02, 2021, 03:13:23 AMHappy New Year, SNC! Thanks for another great post; at your pace of positive progress and return to athleticism I’m half expecting to see a video of you summiting Everest by the end of January! 🤣😂
Thanks for sharing. Very informative and inspiring. 💪
Happy New Year L8GrowthSpurt,
I am glad you liked the post. Looking forward to seeing your journey and all the accomplishments.
Climbing Mount Everest would be a dream come true. My main weakness is my low tolerance of extremely low temperatures. Mount Everest can get as cold as -40 degrees Celsius; adding wind and low pressure, I don't see high chances of survival for myself! In fact I had written in my diary about it! that one of the reasons I decided to do CLL, was my lack of confidence in climbing Mount Everest. It's like I could not climb 800,000 cm, so instead I went for CLL to be 8 cm closer to it 
Quote from: StrydeNailChallenge on January 02, 2021, 02:32:14 AMDay 155 Post-op (Thurs., Dec. 24 ) - Consolidation Day 74
...
As part of my daily stretching routine, I make sure to do some Forward Fold or Standing Forward poses, like this one:
I could resume such exercises, a couple weeks after the surgery. However I gradually lost flexibility during the distraction phase. The two week fast distraction time (of 1.33mm per day) was my worst time in terms of flexibility. About a week after the last day of distraction, I could resume the forward or standing fold pose and flexible enough to touch my toes or the floor; with a short warmup. Now I can do that without any warmup.
I would also like to write about another warmup time! I would like to call it the CLL'er Rebooting Time (CRT) 
By CRT , I mean the time it takes to start feeling normal while walking, after a long duration of being in a steady position, e.g., after a long drive, or being in a sitting position for a long time.
I think for someone to be back at normal, CRT should be zero. That is not the case for me yet. If I drive or sit for say more than an hour, then starting to walk, is also a reminder of my surgery. Not that I would necessarily have pain or soreness, but a general feeling that my walk does not feel normal and the gait may not be normal during CRT. However as I built strength, my CRT got shorter. E.g., back in November (around month 4 post-up) my CRT was around a minute. I would joke to my friends that I am like a Windows 95! I take time to reboot These days it is typically less than half a minute.
Happy new year! SNC, your flexibility is amazing!! I'm really impressed by your videos. Your gait is completely normal now! I think hard-working is the key to recovery.
I'm amazed by your flexibility as well. Before the surgery I might have been able to touch the road while standing on the curb, but right now I'm many inches away from even touching my toes. I've been working hard on my hamstring and calf flexibility but clearly I have a long way to go! Your swimming videos are great as well. I'm a bit wary of going to a public pool during the pandemic as well, but I'd love to try swimming in my current condition.
I stopped lengthening several months ago and I am several inches away from touching my toes too. I stretch several hours daily and work super hard at it. I am hoping to gain more flexibility in the coming months. Amazing recovery SNC!! 
Quote from: asian on January 03, 2021, 02:03:17 PMHappy new year! SNC, your flexibility is amazing!! I'm really impressed by your videos. Your gait is completely normal now! I think hard-working is the key to recovery.
Thanks Asian.
I hope your 2021 will turn out to be your best year so far, in every terms.
SNC
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