How is your pain situation now? is everything ok ? Thank you for your detailed diary. Your diary will be appreciated. You have completed the most difficult process, now all that remains is to heal and lengthening.
Quote from: Sigma on January 06, 2024, 12:12:32 PMHow is your pain situation now? is everything ok ? Thank you for your detailed diary. Your diary will be appreciated. You have completed the most difficult process, now all that remains is to heal and lengthening.
Hey, Sigma....
The pain been worse in the last 2 days.
Well, yes, I passed the surgery and the bad effects of Contramal which i don't take it anymore.
The soft tissue healing inside the muscles is my problem, thats why I cannot sleep.
I do PT every day and my flexibility is still great, as the therapist told me.
I am waiting for external healing, so I can go and walk in the pool...
Thank you for appreciation !
Quote from: Sigma on January 06, 2024, 12:39:23 PMYour flexibility is truly amazing. You also had quadrilateral surgery. People are afraid and give up even when doing only tibia or femur. You are a brave person who should be respected. Also, despite your surgery, you take the time to write a diary. Thanks for this.
Thank you, man...
Well, you know people... I only want them to read my diary and to appreciate my true and detailed content. And maybe I will help them to not do mistakes... For example, me, I cannot afford to do any mistake at my age !
Now I stay on the bed, moaning in pain...
This night I will start taking Melatonine. I hope it will help me in sleeping...
Chapter 4 – ARRIVING TO ISTANBUL AND PREPARATION FOR 4 MONTHS LIVING
The surgery was chosen by me, to be before Christmas, so will be on 23 Dec 2023.
I bought the airplane ticket for 21 Dec.
At the airport I found that the airplane arrived one hour later and I will fly with a small propeller airplane !...
Guys, those f-u-c-king propellers and engines are so noisy, that nobody understand what you say. And also is much slower than a jet, so I arrived 2 hours later … all being dizzy and confused because the noise. I think the same condition like in a WW2 military airplanes…
I arrived in Istanbul in the evening, in the dark.. We got out of the plane on its narrow staircase, like on small islands where basically they don’t have airport. And we’ve got rain and wind … Amazing !
The IST airport is very large, modern one and competitive one. I passed the checking passport for visa and then I was looking for my luggage. They even has a central boarding display for easy finding your luggage. I asked something to a young lady employee and she didn’t understand a word in English, so she turned on the translator… Ohh, that’s embarrassing for such a big and busy airport !
I tried to connect to the free airport’s wifi to let know Batu I arrived. But I couldn’t, because finally, after a signing-up process, it asked me for a Turkish phone number to confirm !.... so, another embarrassing moment for such a big airport !
Anyways, I found the guy waiting for me, at a certain point that I knew from Batu… and he was waiting for another 20 customers, as I could see on its long list. After 15 minutes they brought me a VIP luxury minivan, and it took 1 hour to drive me to the hotel, because the busy traffic. Also because raining…
I arrived to the hotel, the driver took care of my luggage and I met Batu. He presented me to receptionists, which took my passport and charged me 50 euro as a warranty for dishes, pans, forks and spoons that they let me use in my studio.
They assigned 2 cards for my room and elevator and we arrived in the room.
The room is decent 2 bed room, and has a nice kitchen with stove, oven, large cabinets, dishwasher, fridge and sink. Also I found a normal size clothing washer with embedded dryer, which is great !
Dishwasher I will never use, but I tried to figure out how to use the washer… and no luck because is in Turkish ! … I will keep trying, maybe I can find how to change the language…
The room has central ventilation and the window is locked. Also has classic heating system with radiators based on hot water… but is functional just in case. The windows are good isolate from the street noise but I still here noise from the 6 lanes freeway road on my side, which is busy 24 hours. Also, across the highway road is a mosque, which has very large and strong speakers...
The washroom is very nice and well organized, with cabinets. The shower area is large, but it doesn’t have soap and shampoo holder, so you have to put them on the floor and take it from there... And that is, again, embarrassing !
I organized my stuff everywhere, I installed my HDMI cable to tv and laptop, I took a shower and I went to bed, because next day I was scheduled for full examinations in the morning.
22 Dec 2023
Batu came to my room and I showed him what I need to buy.
Then we took another VIP minivan heading to hospital. We arrived and I met dr Ghokan. We talked all details left and he measured me roughly and I found I am taller !... Cool, but not really !
We made the classic picture together, where now I am shorter than him and after I should be taller than him.
He was impressed about my flexibility on hamstrings.
I also told him that all my life I had a problem in standing and some doctors told me I have a leg shorter and maybe he can measure my bones accurately…
Dr Taner came there as well…
Then I went to Xrays and blood test.
Finally he told me that I have the right femur 11mm shorter, so he will take care of me to fix it…
Doctor Ghokan is an exceptional person, not only a top LL surgeon !
I started to “negotiate” what I want, what I like and what I don’t, and he was opened, not a stiff and arrogant person. He listen you and he try to do what you want. Of course, my wishes was very acceptable, not stupid !
I tell you now the moments up to date, only first 2 are from that discussion:
1. I said I don’t want spinal anesthesia, only general, and he accepted
2. I said I don’t want urinary catheter after surgery and he accepted
3. Few days later he gave me a complicated scheduling for every day femur elongation, separate for left and right, but I said I prefer to go 7cm on both femurs and then stop the left and continue to 8cm on the right femur, because of my discrepancy… and he accepted
4. After those 3 days of torment with painkillers, I told him I will not take it anymore, at all !... So, he understood and agreed to it.
5. I never bothered him, but when I had an emergency he wasted his time to come and talk with me for 10 minutes !.... And, believe me, he is a very busy orthopedic specialist and the traffic in Istanbul is terrible !
Guys, YOU MUST ALWAYS GO FOR THE BEST SURGEON WITH THE BIGGEST HEART !... because that gives you confidence and help. Don’t look only for the best of the best, like Paley, and NO WAY to go for the cheapest one !
I went back to the hotel, but on the way I stopped in an area with stores to change money and to buy something. I bought a kind of soap and shampoo holder, so I can adapt, hang it to my shower.
Later I went alone in the city, in rain. I ask the receptionist to give me a guest umbrella… and he said “I don’t have”. Ok, thank you then !
I went to the closest mall, to buy natural leather insoles for my shoes, because mine were low quality synthetic leather, which was cracked and I put them in garbage bin. And I found good quality ones !
If you want to find good quality and cheap, any kind of leather products, come in Turkey !
Chapter 5 – THE SURGERY
23 Dec 2023 – the surgery day.
Now I am in doctor’s hands, guys !
I hope God will help me to undergo the surgery with no incidents or complications, to pass through all the pain and to recover my previous mobility and strength... otherwise I will be dead or crippled for the rest of my life !… It’s an expensive and risky procedure and these are the things we all fear, but none of us usually has the courage to say it loudly…
The day before they told me to not eat and drink for 8 hours before surgery, which actually was 14 hours because I can stay hungry and thirsty long period, so I had a really clean digestive tube and nothing in my bladder…
They moved me from the hotel to hospital with a different luxury minivan, and they gave me a single room. The room is very clean and very modern style, looks like a spaceship.
But I know what means a hospital, because I had a long practice for my medical school and I was many times to view live the “butchery” in action, including babies delivery…
I stayed in the hospital room one hour. They asked me to sign official papers that means I understand the risks.
After that they asked me to undress to nked and to put on the special surgical gown.
Few minutes later 2 nurses entered the room and they said: WE TAKE YOU TO THE SURGICAL OPERATING ROOM !
So, when they put you in bed with the face up and push your bed on the corridor… then you realize what is going on ! It is the toughest moment and many guys get very scared on the way to surgery room and they want to run back home...
In the surgery room they moved me to the surgery bed and I saw my two surgeons and few other person, whole team 6-7 people ready to start.
After 5 minutes they put me in sleep …
They put me in sleep at 4 pm and they woke me up at 8:30 pm. The surgery time was actually 3:30 hours and in the hour left they shave my whole hair on my both legs and other procedures.
I was ok after surgery and I felt to vomit, but I vomited just nothing, because my body was empty of food and liquids, as it should be.
I checked if I have urinary catheter inserted, and I didn’t have it… Thank you !
Then they moved me back to my room and the pain started, about 7/10…
24 – 26 Dec 2023 – THE 3 DAYS IN HOSPITAL
I couldn’t sleep well, because they came in my room every 15 minutes, to check my Blood pressure, to put me perfusion, to give me a pill for sleep to give me pain killer, anti depressive, blood thinner, etc
I slept maximum 3 hours combined, because of 10 test and checks.
They woke me up early, for blood test, new perfusion, etc
They moved me to x-rays room, so they can see what they have done. They x-rayed me through my clothes. Then, they showed me the x-rays, too… and I got scared.
I felt groggy all those days.
Next day they brought me a wheelchair and I felt the real pain while trying to move my body from the bed to wheelchair and from the wheelchair to toilet…. and reverse !
Keep in mind, guys, first days you are heavily sedated, so you are totally confused… sometime you don’t know where you are and you have hard time in remembering something. Many times you realize where you are and what was happened to you… and you get depressed. That’s why they gives you anti-depressive medication as well.
One day, in hospital, I felt no pain and I wanted to go to toilet. I raised up and I wanted to go normally, trying to step normally on the floor. But, I didn’t find my sleepers on the floor and I realized where am I and if I do an unassisted step on the floor… I will bend my nails !
The nurses was nice with me.
BTW, doctor Taner told me that the Precice nails are much stronger before starting elongation. So, they are same resistant as Stryde. So, in the hospital they brought me a wheel-walker with hand brakes and they taught me how to use it. It was tough, friends, because you cannot let your whole weight on the legs and nails, because its overwhelming painful... so you have to put 70% of your weight on walker. So, first you have to learn how to block your arms and shoulders to transmit the weight to the walker's handlebar... and then to move your legs !
Please, guys, don't ask me in private messages about how much I paid. Is not ethical for me to do that because the payment is different always.
Just go on Remedy webpage and launch a question to their Whatsapp number...
VERY IMPORTANT AFTER SURGERY:
- First check if you feel your legs
- Check if you feel your legs equally
- Check if you feel cold-warm difference on your legs
- Check if your legs moves equally under your commends
- Check for infection signs
- Very critics are next 48 hours when can happen embolia (blood clot or fat clot)
- In the first 2 weeks be carefully to not cut yourself, any kind of cut, because the bleeding is hard to be stopped
- When you learn to use the wheelchair, be carefully at the start, because on too fast startup or putting too much force in starting forward you can rotate backward (you know that effect in motorcycling)… and that could be bad for you and your nails !
- Never try to put the whole body weight on your Precice nails !... If they bend or the fine mechanism breaks down, will be a drama !
- You should train your fists before surgery, because most of the body moving from wheelchair to bed, you should do it on your fists, because you gain 2-3 inches (5-8 cm)
- If you feel and think that there is something dangerous for you, just react. Otherwise you will regret later
- Always you have to park the wheelchair in the perfect position and angle, so that will avoid accidents in transferring your body
- Always put the both brakes on wheelchair !.... If you don’t do that, your wheelchair will rotate and you can have an accident
- Don’t come fat at the surgery, because not all are losing weight. Some people didn’t lose anything for the whole period and that is a permanent risk for your nails, for your transfer from/to wheelchair and for your recover. The best candidates are skinny persons.
Following your diary, very interesting. I also did LL in Istanbul a few years ago (with different doctor), so I can feel and share everything you say.
Keep strong, you got this. Please continue your diary as often as possible, I'm sure there are a lot of silent readers.
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