Had my x-rays yesterday and somehow i'm miraculously 100% weightbearing now?!
x-rays: https://imgur.com/a/fvOx1Z6
Dr A says i have 3/4 cortices bone growth on one leg, a little less than 3 on the other which is a pretty good sign. If I remember correctly, I could start walking, but they still want me to walk with assistance for the next month since muscles are weak and the regenerate is pretty weak.
It's been exactly 4 months since surgery and a little less than a month since I finished lengthening, so this was really unexpected but welcome news - I thought it'd be at least another month till I was full-weightbearing. But definitely still have to take it slow and be very careful.
I got out of the wheelchair for the first time yesterday and tried walking with both a walker and crutches - apart from a bit of stiffness in my left leg and stress on the front of my foot, it honestly felt pretty normal. But my legs are definitely not used to holding my weight anymore, I feel my weight so acutely now, so a lot of strengthening is necessary. Will update more with exercises and videos soon!
Precice 2.2 Diary - Baltimore w/ Dr Assayag (April 2021)
Congratulations, ab608! Can't wait for your updates. How's your pain? Are you still taking painkillers after your workout? I hope your sleep quality has improved also! 
Quote from: mailer2 on August 17, 2021, 02:55:50 AMCongratulations, ab608! Can't wait for your updates. How's your pain? Are you still taking painkillers after your workout? I hope your sleep quality has improved also!
Thanks! Pain is fine most of the time but yeah, over the last week I've still been needing them after workouts. I typically take 1-2 tylenols. Sleep quality has also improved! My PT let me borrow his massage table to stretch my hip flexors from a taller height and it's truly been a miracle. My hip flexors are so much looser and my back is less arched, so I'm able to sleep better now!
Here are some videos of me walking with and without walker (i know i'm not supposed to, so i *rarely* walk without it, but my legs have gotten stronger so i felt comfortable taking a few steps): https://imgur.com/a/gEUqoSm
There's also a video of me going from sitting to standing from a pretty high seat height - that was taken a few days ago. Today I found out I'm now actually able to stand up from a lower seat height (my desk chair) but I practiced it so much that by the time I started taking these videos, my quads were literally fried and I couldn't do it for the video. But i hope to post it later!
Walking feels extremely weird - my left leg especially is as stiff as a board. literally feel like i have a wooden leg. and walking gets harder the more i work out obviously, because the weight training makes everything stiffer. but i really think the leg press, squats, resistance bike, etc is helping my quads get stronger. its hard for me to stand for more than 3-4 minutes at the moment because of how stiff and uncomfortable everything feels, and i can't really walk that much, even with the walker.. maybe like 5 mins max as well. but i'm sure with practice the stamina will improve.
Not sure if it's as apparent in the videos, but yesterday my PT noticed that when I walk, my right leg swings in a lot, towards my midline. He thinks its because my outer thigh muscles are weak and my inner thigh muscles overpower them and pull the leg in a lot, so he told me to strengthen the outer thigh muscles as well. So to work them out, I've been youtubing "outer thigh workout" and doing one of the 8 minute videos twice a day - hoping that improves things!
Beyond strengthening my legs, my routine is pretty much the same as it has always been. I take Vitamin D (5000 units) and Calcium (1500 mg) everyday and eat a lot. At my last appt when I got my X-rays, I found out I gained 6 lbs since surgery, so I wonder if diet/caloric intake played a really big role in the rate of my bone growth.
wow your proportions look great/ And your walking is not bad at all for being only 3 months post op. You're well on your way. Also your scars are non-existent. I have dark skin so hopefully mines are not noticeable.
Congrats ab608! Your walking looks great!…esp for the limited time since your surgery. So happy for you. 😊
Thank you both!! @Growing so my phone camera is very forgiving - I do have noticeable scars, and they're not very pretty. but at the moment I'm not too concerned about it - that's a later problem haha. i think i'll start taking care of them after removal because i think they do the incisions in the same places?
Your proportions look great! Thank you for the thread.
Your walking looks great! Congratulations on doing so well and on making it this far. Almost there!
Thanks for making this diary, ab608!
What would be your advice if you wanted to do nail removal w/ Assayag using insurance? I'm within driving of Assayag but my state doesn't have PPO insurance in the individual market, I'm not sure what to do or if there is any insurance I can pick
Quote from: SpeedDialer on August 31, 2021, 12:05:47 AMThanks for making this diary, ab608!
What would be your advice if you wanted to do nail removal w/ Assayag using insurance? I'm within driving of Assayag but my state doesn't have PPO insurance in the individual market, I'm not sure what to do or if there is any insurance I can pick
Hm, I don't know a lot about buying insurance as an individual, so I'm probably not the best for advice on this. I guess if PPOs aren't an option, I'd probably check to see if the plans that are offered in your state consider Dr Assayag an in-network doctor? I'm assuming that just because he's out of state for you, that doesn't mean a plan will definitely consider him out of network, but I could be wrong.
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