UniLateral Leg Lengthening - Surgeon Not Specified

Hi Fellow LLer's.
It has now been 5 days since LL on my Left Femur with a Precice Rod inserted.
I had GA for my surgery around 5 pm,  and woke up late in the evening, I found myself attached to a Ketamine delivery pump (with a Fentanyl push button - never used), I was a little groggy, but with with no obvious pain from the ~ 2 hour surgery.
I began lengthening Yesterday @ 0.75 mm (3 x 0.25mm ) Daily - this rate was set by my surgeon.
I spread each 0.25 mm session out ~ 5 hours apart as each session definitely increases the tension I feel in the leg.
I am now at home, and surviving on ~ 1500 mg daily panadol (I have Oxy, but choose to save it for emergencies rather than be constantly groggy and constipated) and very little sleep - this is no walk in the park !!!.

do u think unilateral is worth it vs bilateral? why did u decide to do unilateral?

Even Unilat. is painful and tough (with arguably less risk of embolism), but my Independence is intrinsically greater than BiLat. - After op. I could immediately move around bed, poop unassisted (and no catheter or spinal btw), I was up  on crutches and showering myself day 2, and now since out of hospital I can prepare own meals and will not be as much a burden on my family - far harder to achieve those things with Bilateral LL.

Quote from: Hope510 on February 18, 2018, 02:46:38 AMEven Unilat. is painful and tough (with arguably less risk of embolism), but my Independence is intrinsically greater than BiLat. - After op. I could immediately move around bed, poop unassisted (and no catheter or spinal btw), I was up  on crutches and showering myself day 2, and now since out of hospital I can prepare own meals and will not be as much a burden on my family - far harder to achieve those things with Bilateral LL.

Good points...

How long is your total LL journey going to take?

Wish you well Hope510!   Independence is huge.  I'm going through bilateral now and the first few weeks are tough, you are almost 100% dependent on others.

Can you share what you are planning to lengthen and your original height?

All the best.

Hope510,

Thank you for sharing your experience. You made a good point for those who can afford longer down time. Congrats and I wish you a successful journey.

Optimistic1

Hi Guys,
Thanks for your encouragement - it means a lot to know You are not aloe when its the middle of night and you cant sleep due that that ever present (but seems worse late at night) Deep, Dull ache in Your Femur and assocaited muscles/joints.
I am in my 50's, I was 170.9 cm, had Fitbone internal CLL on RFemur in early 2015 (I only gained 56 mm, and then unfortunately the device stopped prematurely at 176.5 CM tall  - I was aiming for 7cm to take me to 178 cm - hence "Hope510) ), and due to  financial/work/family commitments waited until Early Feb 2018 to have internal LL with using Precice.
I found getting around for 3 years with a built up Shoe was not so bad, I was still able to walk faster than most, and it created a talking point with people - but I did spin a lot of BS about the cause .
My mobility atm is really good, I weigh 57 Kg btw, I can travel 100's of meters quickly on crutches no problem, I am also able to get around on a single crutch for short distances - this is invaluable when I need to carry a cup of tea back to my trusty recliner -  my Wife is able to leave the house whenever She desires and know I can fend for myself.
I am doing many laps each day of my back yard (with my shirt off in an effort to catch all that Bone Building Vitamin D ), I am transferring a fair bit of weight to the LL leg so as to keep the muscles strong and ready for a quick return to form when required (I also heard some "irritation" of the broken leg will assist in maximising bone regrowth.
I also give myself a daily upper body workout on the Grand Kids Swing set so as to generate HGH boosts that should aid in healing of my LL.
I am officially lengthening for 56 mm and at the Surgeons advised rate of 0.75 mm per day, but I think this is too low atm (muscle stretching capacity is higher/easier at the start b4 the "slack gets taken up and things get REAL ), so I am actually doing 0.90 mm per day (I realise this rate will have to drop after some 4-5 cm of lengthening).
I am actually aiming for a 7cm gain (I plan to fix up the resulting 1.4 cm discrepancy on my R.Femur via a 1-2 month Ext femur LL at a later date), if I can achieve this and be walking at 5.5 months I will be very happy - note I am researching to see if this is possible - please feel free to advise.