Hey everyone, I'm not usually a 'forum' type of guy but here I am, looking for both support and hopefully to help others if I can.
I'm American, mid 20's, and just returned to my apartment in Lecco after having surgery with Dr. Pili in Milan.
I should clarify- I had surgery on Thursday morning, stayed two nights in the hospital, and am now currently sitting on the bed that I occupied as an able-bodied person just a few days back.
I feel a little bit anxious at the moment, as I noticed a 'clicking' type of feeling below by knee at the top of the device- I'm worried I may have walked too aggressively with my crutches from the cab to the elevator, from the elevator to my front door.
I just emailed Dr. Pili, expressing my concerns, and am awaiting his reply.
***Here's my sob story...
Being short, you're never allowed to be the man you really are. Aside from the opportunities we are denied in this world due to our height(I'm 5'7), there have been countless opportunities (women,jobs,etc.) that I chose to walk away from because I could not handle the thought of further embarrassment. As I've read through the forum here (and the old one), I see that we all know these experiences: the disappointed expression of a girl you were sharing eye contact with before as she walks past you and sees your height: comparing your height to every other person you walk by in the streets--taking outrageous paths to make certain you don't have to pass a tall guy: just a general feeling of worthlessness.
Despite all of that, if I could go back in time to Thursday morning when I arrived at the hospital, I would turn around and book a ticket home. This is probably just the anxiety from the "clicking' I keep feeling but I'm kind of having a WTF moment. Too late though, I've got braces on my legs and even if I tell Dr. Pili to just take them off, I'm still looking at several months in casts.
Dr. Pili by the way is a very kind, straight forward man. He and his assistant have gone out of their ways to arrange things for my stay here.
I think I'm just going to chalk this up as a bad day.
Quote from: goodlucktomylegs on June 25, 2016, 06:04:46 PMBe srtong man
Wish you best of luck
Did u do any reseaches before operation?
Then how did u know dr pili with out reseach?
I appreciate it.
I've been lurking around this, and the old board, for years. I had narrowed it down to Pili and China, but decided on Pili after having a consultation with him a few months back.
Quote from: TIBIKE200 on June 25, 2016, 06:13:18 PMThis WTF moment is normal from stories of patients I have spoken to. Stay strong and PATIENT!
Btw, how much you planned to lengthen before you got your frames on?
I had planned on 8 cm, but even before the surgery I had started to think that I would be satisfied with 4 cm.
Thanks for your words guys, they really do help.
I think you're right, I'll just play it by ear.
Dr. Pili got back to me this morning-he assured me these 'clicking' feelings are quite normal and just to make sure the bolts on the device are kept tight.
-If you're not going to be staying in a clinic during your lengthening, you need to make certain you have thought everything out, in terms of what you will need in your apartment as well as the state you will be in after surgery. For example, I bought several cases of water before surgery, but had not thought of how I was going to access them afterwards. Eventually, I ended up balancing myself against a cabinet as I found a seat on top of an air conditioner next to the water. I was able to pull one out at a time and throw them across the room onto my bed. I would advice setting up 'stations' across your apartment prior to surgery to make things easier on yourself later on.
I don't have much to add at this point, only that Dr. Pili has stopped by my apartment a couple of times, making sure I have what I need as well as introducing me to a man who will be 'supervising' my pin site cleanings for a while.
No pain as of yet and I'm set to start lengthening next week.
Quote from: TIBIKE200 on June 29, 2016, 06:23:40 PMhow is your overall feeling? Did the "what the fk have I done" thought calmed down a bit?
Definitely. When I got back from the hospital everything sort of hit me at once and I just panicked. I'm not sure if there's any way I could have prepared myself mentally- it might just be one of those things you have to get through. Still, it really helped to have a forum like this to come to.
I started lengthening about a week ago at .75/day
Things were going pretty smooth, no pain, until yesterday afternoon when I stepped quite a bit harder than I meant to with my left foot. The pain came and left quickly but the muscle around my shin felt uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
Even now, I have a very slight throbbing pain that comes and goes located on either the osteotomy site or else a nearby screw (can't pinpoint it).
Aside from that, I'm doing pretty good.
Quote from: please on July 11, 2016, 09:09:08 PMHey Whereintheworld
You seems to be doing pretty well man!
I wish I had your straight and manage to have surgery like you did. I envy you for this.
Keep strong and keep us up to dated.
Pictures are welcome
I heard about ll surgery ten years ago and it's only just now that I'm here. It takes time to line everything up.
Quote from: Penguinn on July 11, 2016, 11:00:25 PMDude, 5'7 to 5'10 is an awesome gain. All the best.
I appreciate it-same to you.
It's hard to believe but I'm already over 3 weeks post op, lengthening for about 11 days at .75mm.
I met with Dr. P today and went over my x-rays(he says they look good). He also gave me a thorough explanation as to what caused the 'pain' I felt when I stepped too hard with my foot last weekend.
No problems with the pin/screw sites with the exception being the fibula/tibia fix point, which is a little redder than the rest, but still ok.
Dr. Catagni was in the hospital as well and stopped by for a moment, telling me to bear in mind that I'm already 1/10 of the way done (8cm).
I have a pretty good setup here. My apartment is by no means large but it suits me well enough. The chef from the restaurant upstairs brings me lunch everyday and also stops by the grocery store for me if I need anything.
Still, it was nice to get out of the apartment today, even if it was only a cab ride to the hospital and back to my apartment.
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