Observations/tips two days ish after LL surgery

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Quote from: thankscience on September 26, 2022, 08:21:30 AMHas your appetite returned back to normal yet would you say?

Also, just curious if you chose to stay in the handicap room (with 1 guest) included, the double room, or double for single use?

Still tossing up my options as to what's realistic and best. Also considering Novotel if it ends up being cheaper when taking into consideration travel costs.

Staying handicap room for two weeks then moving to the single use room w/ the big bed (forgot what its called). Hopefully I don't regret my decision, I still need to figure out best arm placement during toilet transfer and shower transfer in the non-handicap room, which won't have the useful handle on the wall. Gonna try to work out the best technique. I think without the handles on the wall, I'll basically have to push off of the toilet itself or off of the shower chair itself, not sure yet, gonna ask the nurses

Appetite is not normal still, I'm rarely hungry

I still end up eating plenty though-- it would appear that I eat more for recreation/pleasure than out of hunger

Do the nurses ever go to novotel? I am a bit out of the loop

I think it is possibly useful to have slippers that have some grip on the bottom of them, I'm a bit worried about the slippery floor during showering, still working out the best steps in terms of arm placement/order of actions to do it safely

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Quote from: SpeedDialer on September 26, 2022, 08:43:35 AMStaying handicap room for two weeks then moving to the single use room w/ the big bed (forgot what its called). Hopefully I don't regret my decision, I still need to figure out best arm placement during toilet transfer and shower transfer in the non-handicap room, which won't have the useful handle on the wall. Gonna try to work out the best technique. I think without the handles on the wall, I'll basically have to push off of the toilet itself or off of the shower chair itself, not sure yet, gonna ask the nurses

Appetite is not normal still, I'm rarely hungry

I still end up eating plenty though-- it would appear that I eat more for recreation/pleasure than out of hunger

Do the nurses ever go to novotel? I am a bit out of the loop

I think it is possibly useful to have slippers that have some grip on the bottom of them, I'm a bit worried about the slippery floor during showering, still working out the best steps in terms of arm placement/order of actions to do it safely
I think the room you're referring to is the double for single use room. I'll be following your diary very closely to determine whether it's suitable! 

I think they do go to Novotel now because it was one of the options provided.

I'm also waiting to see whether you guys are offered to use the new SUV to transport you to and from the PT centre.

Have you lost much weight since surgery?

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Somehow I totally forgot to ask them to weigh me when I went to the doctor today

I mean I can tell I'm thinner, but maybe by only like 5 pounds? And maybe alot of that is muscle lost

I talked to someone much thinner than me, and he is having a problem where his butt is much thinner than before so sitting on the hard seats outside Dr. Giotikas's office caused him pain. I'm considering bringing a small backpack with a small cushion in it the next time I go in case they don't want me to sit on a wheelchair (at some point they prefer you don't bring wheelchair and just use the crutches it would appear) just in case I have to sit on those hard seats. Evidently he waited like an hour for the appointment because things were really busy

However, I wonder if that will happen to me any time soon, I don't look fat, but I think I'm the heaviest patient here at the moment, I feel like my butt has plenty of fat still, I should still be like 170 pounds I think even after losing some weight

Some days clicking is hardly painful at all and somedays is like a deep pain inside, especially the first click leaves some pain that lingers for like 5 seconds and is maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10 pain. Its usually the evening clicks that are a problem for me so maybe I should do more warmup (pretend leg cycle in the air) + take the tramadol + 2 paracetamol before eating dinner instead of after, not sure

I think the dinner beforehand might be causing the tramadol to take longer to kick in before the evening clicks

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Quote from: thankscience on September 26, 2022, 12:26:19 PMI think the room you're referring to is the double for single use room. I'll be following your diary very closely to determine whether it's suitable! 


One thing I'll say is that the table + the bed side tables are just very very small, a little bit hard to get work done on then

The TV is small enough to pretty much be not worth using, I guess unless you like random TV channels

I'll say that the first week and a half the legs were so swollen for me that it was painful to sit in a chair and I spent most of the time in bed

Handicap bathrooms have room to park your wheelchair right next to them to do a wheelchair->toilet transfer, which is super useful the first week when your legs are weaker

However, the double for single use room bathroom is so small that I don't think you can park the wheelchair side by side with the toilet and would need to transfer using the walker.

There's a small elevated barrier in the single for double room bathroom (not in the handicap room, where the floor is completely flat). This barrier prevents water from the shower from going to other parts of the bathroom. Cannot really get wheelchair into there I think, its a bit tight + that elevated barrier would probably stop the wheels. Also need to get into the shower by walker

Basically before I transfer rooms, I need to make sure I've mastered the walker -> toilet without a side metal rail handle + need to practice taking a shower without any side rails to help me. It should not be hard if I do the steps in the order they told me, but it is something I am slightly worried about screwing up when I'm tired one day

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Quote from: thankscience on September 26, 2022, 12:26:19 PM
I'm also waiting to see whether you guys are offered to use the new SUV to transport you to and from the PT centre.


Yeah I am also hopeful for this. The taxi costs are a bit cancer and there's not really a way around it

Today I went from hotel->physical therapy center -> hospital (for doctor's apointment)-> hotel
Three trips, it was like 20, 40, and 20 euros so like 80 euros total in one day

Thank god I split the cost with someone, which I think I was only able to do because I no longer need the wheelchair (I think the taxi can only fit one wheelchair? Actually not sure, probably can squeeze in a second one somehow in the trunk, it folds)

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Note to self: bring warm loose sweatpants if I ever do this again

Tearaway sweat pants might technically be better, not sure it matters too much after a certain level of recovery though

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are you  there by yourself man ?  be strong  !!  I was alone  for 2  month before I  went   home .

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Quote from: LIVELIFETHEWAYIWANT on September 26, 2022, 07:15:52 PMare you  there by yourself man ?  be strong  !!  I was alone  for 2  month before I  went   home .

I'm by myself but am at the Montaza Hotel where the nurses go. Gonna be splitting taxi bills with a patient hopefully

Tonight, clicking was more painful and took longer than usual. Legs were a bit stiff and sore going into the clicking. Which makes me think if I did the bicycle a bit before clicking it would have been better. But I'm still afraid of the transfer to the bicycle, it doesn't look that stable. Wish they had given us an on the floor magnetic pedaler, woulda been safer I think (but it would be a tripping hazard, so idk)

Tempted to buy my own magnetic small pedaler on the floor but I'm hoping I can just do other exercises instead

I think one LLer suggested doing pedaling in the air, I didn't have much luck with that as a warmup before clicking

I think I need to remember that for days when I come to the hotel late (ex: when see the doctor on a Monday every two weeks) I need to remember I'll get back at like 7-8pm so I should probably take the tramadol first thing when I get back instead of eating dinner first. Hoping that will cause the tramadol to kick in faster than eating it after dinner so it will be ready by the time of clicking

Tonight's sleep ---the club music nearby wasn't so bad but my thighs left very stiff and it was uncomfortable for a while until I fell asleep

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How frequently do you have to go to the hospital for check ups? It seems to me that with all the taxi rides it may end up being cheaper/about the same from Novotel.

Thanks for the details about the non handicap room. Have you moved into it yet?

Hope you get some good sleep!

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Out of laziness, I might just answer the questions after they accumulate and then answer in one huge post

The exercise bike at physical therapy- I'd say don't try to adjust it on your own, the seat can slide easily

today it rained and I gotta remember to bring a light jacket just in case the phone gets wet

hospital check up once every two weeks I think? ne1 wanna correct me?

haven't moved into non-handicap room yet but I've seen one before and the smallness means that the exercise bike will be a problem, not much space for it

Not sure about the novotel cost, but I've heard these rumors: I think its 86 Euros per night through some kind of deal the doctor arranged, a bit nicer, bigger, has an exercise bike that is easier to get onto in their gym and closer to the physical therapy center.  And has a pool but evidently has some steps that are a big problematic to go up. The thing is, I think the nurses only go to it when someone specifically needs help, anyone wanna correct me if I'm wrong? Also not sure if their arranged transportation coming up will go to Novotel or not (it should though if its so close to PT..)

Montaza I can't remember I think its like 55 Euros per night at the non handicap room and like 60 for the handicap room? Anyone know?

But if you save like 13 Euros four times per week lemme think

err ok comparing montaza hotel handicap room 61 ish euros per night

I remember there is tax, not sure if it was 1 euro or 1.5 so I just picked some very very rough numbers

61*7 = 427 euros per week at montaza handicap room

56*7 = 392 euros per week () something might be wrong with my calculation or setup

Novotel 86*7=602 euros but then subtract out 4*13 euros for money saved on shorter taxi trip
602 - 4*13 = 550 euros per week

Is my math right? I'm getting novotel is a bit more than 120 USD per week more expensive than the other options, am I mistaken?

The other x factor is the noise at Montaza is worse because of the strip clubs nearby

I'm also considering novotel if I go for internal tibias in a year or so, anyone have any other info to share about novotel and your thoughts? Not sure how the prices compare though and if novotel charges more for handicap room or not, anyone know?