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[azman]

Hey tiggy

Thank you for the quick reply.

Just wondering, was your consulation x-ray cover by your insurance, if not what was the cost?  Is HSS giving me the wrong information that my insurance will cover my consultation x-ray?

When you got your CPT billing codes from Dr. R, did HSS or his office do a pre-authorization prior to your surgery?

From SLM dairy, he states that if my insurance cover the consultation x-ray more than likely they will cover the HSS fee. 

Just trying to figure everything out before my consulation with Dr. R in June.

I have save enough for the surgery with Dr. R but was hoping that my insurance will cover HSS fee so I can do both my femurs and tibias.

Thank you for all your help.  Looking forward to reading your process.

[tiggy]

Can you walk unaided indoors? When do you think you will change the walker for crutches?

Good question, I was just thinking about that this morning during PT. I think I will try walking with crutches on Friday and see how that goes. And no, I cannot walk unaided, even though I haven't actually tried to do so, because to walk unaided you need to maintain balance. I am only 8 days post-op so walking unaided is way too soon for me right now. Safety comes first.

[tiggy]

Hey tiggy

Thank you for the quick reply.

Just wondering, was your consulation x-ray cover by your insurance, if not what was the cost?  Is HSS giving me the wrong information that my insurance will cover my consultation x-ray?

When you got your CPT billing codes from Dr. R, did HSS or his office do a pre-authorization prior to your surgery?

From SLM dairy, he states that if my insurance cover the consultation x-ray more than likely they will cover the HSS fee. 

Just trying to figure everything out before my consulation with Dr. R in June.

I have save enough for the surgery with Dr. R but was hoping that my insurance will cover HSS fee so I can do both my femurs and tibias.

Thank you for all your help.  Looking forward to reading your process.

Hi there,

I still don't know if my consultation x-ray was covered by my insurance because I haven't received a bill for it from dr R yet nor any correspondence from my insurance company regarding the visit. I also have no idea how much the x-ray actually costs at his office because I gave them my insurance info assuming it should be covered. I will keep everyone updated as soon as I have any info on that front.

Yes HSS did try to obtain pre-authorization for my surgery but my insurance company denied the pre-authorization about 4 days before my surgery date. So everything was done properly, its not as if there was a mistake in the way this claim was handled. I have appealed my insurance company's decision to deny the surgery and I will also update everyone once I get a better sense of the final outcome.

[tiggy]

Hey guys, a quick update:

Today is day 9. My left leg is still giving me issues, I woke up without any pain on both legs, although both legs were tight. As soon as I moved my left leg, the pain kicked in to a level 5-6. I did some stretches while stil in bed, sat up straight and the pain slowly went down to a 2-3. I just took one oxy to hopefully eliminate the pain entirely so that I can do my PT in an hour. I think I'll try to not put much weight onto my left leg today to see if that helps with decreasing the pain in that leg.

In other news, so far I've distracted 6.25mm and will be hitting 7mm after today's lengthening session. That's all for now. I will have a professional PT come in on Saturday so I'll update the forum after that as well

[InFullStryde]

Hey guys, a quick update:

Today is day 9. My left leg is still giving me issues, I woke up without any pain on both legs, although both legs were tight. As soon as I moved my left leg, the pain kicked in to a level 5-6. I did some stretches while stil in bed, sat up straight and the pain slowly went down to a 2-3. I just took one oxy to hopefully eliminate the pain entirely so that I can do my PT in an hour. I think I'll try to not put much weight onto my left leg today to see if that helps with decreasing the pain in that leg.

In other news, so far I've distracted 6.25mm and will be hitting 7mm after today's lengthening session. That's all for now. I will have a professional PT come in on Saturday so I'll update the forum after that as well

My left leg was always a bit of a nag for me during the CLL process.   It does actually help to keep some weight off of it.  No need to force it. Since your surgery is still relatively fresh; you have some surgical pains that will eventually wear down. The left leg will get better and catch up with the right leg.  The sense of humor side of CLL that we don't laugh at much is when the right leg and left leg constantly switch off as the problem leg.    A great diary and so helpful to those undergoing CLL with Styrde.

[tiggy]

Hey IFS,

Yea man I remember your left leg pains very well. How long did it take for the pain to subside in your left leg? I wonder how long these surgical pains will last!

[InFullStryde]

Hey IFS,

Yea man I remember your left leg pains very well. How long did it take for the pain to subside in your left leg? I wonder how long these surgical pains will last!

I understand and I felt the same way!  Week 3 and 4 you will find as "golden" weeks.  All very suddenly improvement in the pain, discomforts and even the naggy left will start to show good sign of improvement.  Having said that; you'll have your dull pains and other pains here and there throughout, but week 3 and 4 always prove to be a milestone; they were for me also, and I have no doubt they will be for you as well.  As you enter into week 5, things continue to improve.   Around week 6,7,8 you begin to contest with discomfort from tightness and mobility restrictions like leg straightening and posture...and this is due to the lengthening.  Stretch and stand up as much as you can, even if not walking.  This will help you get to that 2.5-3 inch range without too much posture issues.   (Like the ones I had been fighting but thankfully are improving now) It all gets better, guaranteed.

[azman]

Do you get muscle cramps during the lengthening phase?

If so, how do you control the pain?

[tiggy]

I understand and I felt the same way!  Week 3 and 4 you will find as "golden" weeks.  All very suddenly improvement in the pain, discomforts and even the naggy left will start to show good sign of improvement.  Having said that; you'll have your dull pains and other pains here and there throughout, but week 3 and 4 always prove to be a milestone; they were for me also, and I have no doubt they will be for you as well.  As you enter into week 5, things continue to improve.   Around week 6,7,8 you begin to contest with discomfort from tightness and mobility restrictions like leg straightening and posture...and this is due to the lengthening.  Stretch and stand up as much as you can, even if not walking.  This will help you get to that 2.5-3 inch range without too much posture issues.   (Like the ones I had been fighting but thankfully are improving now) It all gets better, guaranteed.

Great reply, I now have something to look forward to. We need to set these small milestones for ourselves to make the process easier and you have given me that, so thank you very much my friend

[tiggy]

Do you get muscle cramps during the lengthening phase?

If so, how do you control the pain?

I wouldn't say what I feel is muscle cramps. It just feels like regular type of pain like an additional level 1 pain added to what's already there. After I finish the session the pain usually goes away on its own. I haven't felt any pain during a lengthening session that would warrant taking an oxy for. And as I've said earlier, I only feel pain on the left leg. That right doesn't respond to the lengthening whatsoever.

[tiggy]

Hey guys, here is a quick update:

Day 12:
Yesterday I've reached 1cm. I also had a PT come to my house. I'm happy to report that according to him I am very flexible and doing great so far in terms of how well I am bending the knee and doing all the other exercises. He even said he was going to contact dr R and update him on my good progress. I asked whether he thinks I should be able to reach the 3 inch mark and he observed that I should have no problems reaching it. I keep my fingers crossed that he is right. I realize that I'm still in the very beginning of this process so I'm not letting anything he said get into my head.

In other news, pain remains at about a 0-1 during the day in my left leg, the right has no pain. Evening time the pain in my left leg reaches a 3 or 4 sometimes but an oxy brings it down to 0-1. Funny thing is, oxy is taking at least an hour and half to start working for me. I don't know if this is a norm or just my body being weird.

I continue using the walker. I haven't tried crutches yet and I asked the PT whether transitioning  to crutches would speed up the healing process. He said it makes no difference and I should use what I feel comfortable with. I will ask dr R about this as well when I see him for a follow up next week. I'm also moving faster when walking and I'm putting almost all of my weight on my legs.

 I still get 6-8 hrs of sleep every night though it is not uninterrupted sleep. I wake up once at night to pee and once more toward early morning hrs like 5 or 6am. During this time I also get bothered because of discomfort of sleeping on my back. So I try stretching a little and go back to sleep until about 8am.

So that's about it for now. Let me know if you have questions. My plan is to update the forum again in few days after I see dr R for a follow up. Thanks for reading guys.

[PANDA:BEAR..]

Hey ... Tiggy... thanks for the update.. it's great to hear your doing well.. just take it easy and I'm sure you will reach your ... hight goal..,

Panda 

[InFullStryde]

Hey guys, here is a quick update:

Day 12:
Yesterday I've reached 1cm. I also had a PT come to my house. I'm happy to report that according to him I am very flexible and doing great so far in terms of how well I am bending the knee and doing all the other exercises. He even said he was going to contact dr R and update him on my good progress. I asked whether he thinks I should be able to reach the 3 inch mark and he observed that I should have no problems reaching it. I keep my fingers crossed that he is right. I realize that I'm still in the very beginning of this process so I'm not letting anything he said get into my head.

In other news, pain remains at about a 0-1 during the day in my left leg, the right has no pain. Evening time the pain in my left leg reaches a 3 or 4 sometimes but an oxy brings it down to 0-1. Funny thing is, oxy is taking at least an hour and half to start working for me. I don't know if this is a norm or just my body being weird.

I continue using the walker. I haven't tried crutches yet and I asked the PT whether transitioning  to crutches would speed up the healing process. He said it makes no difference and I should use what I feel comfortable with. I will ask dr R about this as well when I see him for a follow up next week. I'm also moving faster when walking and I'm putting almost all of my weight on my legs.

 I still get 6-8 hrs of sleep every night though it is not uninterrupted sleep. I wake up once at night to pee and once more toward early morning hrs like 5 or 6am. During this time I also get bothered because of the discomfort of sleeping on my back. So I try stretching a little and go back to sleep until about 8am.

So that's about it for now. Let me know if you have questions. My plan is to update the forum again in few days after I see dr R for a follow up. Thanks for reading guys.

Sounds like everything is going great so far.   I'm just going to do my daily reminder to stretch those hams, quads and hip flexors! :-) Sounds like your PT routine is covering it all.  Good job, buddy. 

[tiggy]

Thanks Panda and IFS for your kind replies. You are also doing great IFS, keep up those stretches my friend. It's funny how since surgery, the days have been flying by so quickly. Yet today I'm reaching 11cm, and that seems sooo far from the 75mm I hope to gain and it feels as though it will never happen. I envy you for having completed the distraction phase already! This process requires a lot of patience man

[tiggy]

Day 15: 13.25mm

Guys, as promised, here is my update after seeing dr R for my first follow up since surgery. So far everything is looking good. I am to continue lengthening at the same pace and stretching at the same pace as well. Previously I had expressed concerns that my left leg was growing faster than the right but Dr R officially put that concern to rest. The X-rays show equal distraction and I'm very relieved about that. I am due for another follow up in 2 weeks. Unless something comes up, I will update the forum again after my visit. Thanks for reading.

[Ghostfish]

Hi tiggy
I am so happy for you that everything is going so well so far.  Just one question is that you lengthened 13.25mm in 15 days after surgery.  That sounds too fast. How much do you lengthen everyday?

[tiggy]

Hi tiggy
I am so happy for you that everything is going so well so far.  Just one question is that you lengthened 13.25mm in 15 days after surgery.  That sounds too fast. How much do you lengthen everyday?

Hi Ghostfish,
I am lengthening .25 per day 4 times a day. But for the first 4 days I was lengthening 5 times a day. All of this was per dr Rs instructions. So those first days gave me a nice boost!

[TheAlchemist]

Awesome progress so far Tiggy. We're rooting for you! Couple of questions for you

1) How's your sleep now? Still at 6 to 8 hrs?

2) Are you able to sit down? If so, how long?

3)  At this stage, do you still need aide 24/7 or just partial, or nothing at all?

[tiggy]

Awesome progress so far Tiggy. We're rooting for you! Couple of questions for you

1) How's your sleep now? Still at 6 to 8 hrs?

2) Are you able to sit down? If so, how long?

3)  At this stage, do you still need aide 24/7 or just partial, or nothing at all?

Hey Alchemist,

1. Yes sleep is still the same
2. I am able to sit down and was always able to. On a chair the longest I've sat was probably around 10 min when doing PT. I'm sure I can sit much longer, I just never tried because I feel more comfortable sitting on my bed with legs extended. These days my butt is feeling more discomfort the longer I sit or even when laying down. This contributes to my taking longer to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. I hope it starts getting better soon because frankly it's quite annoying!
3. I certainly do not need an aide 24/7. Mostly I just need help with meal preparation and for someone to bring the plates to me. I'm using a walker so there is no way for me to do any of that on my own since those require at least one of your hands to be free. Everything else I do on my own.

[InFullStryde]

Hey Alchemist,

1. Yes sleep is still the same
2. I am able to sit down and was always able to. On a chair the longest I've sat was probably around 10 min when doing PT. I'm sure I can sit much longer, I just never tried because I feel more comfortable sitting on my bed with legs extended. These days my butt is feeling more discomfort the longer I sit or even when laying down. This contributes to my taking longer to find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. I hope it starts getting better soon because frankly it's quite annoying!
3. I certainly do not need an aide 24/7. Mostly I just need help with meal preparation and for someone to bring the plates to me. I'm using a walker so there is no way for me to do any of that on my own since those require at least one of your hands to be free. Everything else I do on my own.

Hi Buddy, when the time comes - these helped me a ton.

Walker Trays - https://www.amazon.com/Miles-Kimball-4332479062-EasyComforts-Walker/dp/B00BJAC8R8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=walker+tray&qid=1559162284&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 

Walker Bags - https://www.amazon.com/Walker-Bag-Vive-Accessory-Attachment/dp/B01AOBN78Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=walker+bag&qid=1559162337&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Also, for the walker, concentrate on standing as straight up as possible.  You may be doing this already which is golden.  I had a tendency to fold over a bit and that again shortens the hip flexors. Stand straight as an arrow on the walker if you can.

Glad to hear things are going pretty darn good.

All The Best,

IFS

[tiggy]

Hi Buddy, when the time comes - these helped me a ton.

Walker Trays - https://www.amazon.com/Miles-Kimball-4332479062-EasyComforts-Walker/dp/B00BJAC8R8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=walker+tray&qid=1559162284&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1 

Walker Bags - https://www.amazon.com/Walker-Bag-Vive-Accessory-Attachment/dp/B01AOBN78Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=walker+bag&qid=1559162337&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Also, for the walker, concentrate on standing as straight up as possible.  You may be doing this already which is golden.  I had a tendency to fold over a bit and that again shortens the hip flexors. Stand straight as an arrow on the walker if you can.

Glad to hear things are going pretty darn good.

All The Best,

IFS

Hey IFS,
It's as if you are reading my mind man! Just today as I was walking it suddenly hit me that I was hunching over while sticking my butt out. While this would speed up my walk I realized I must stand up straight. Doing so was actually very difficult. I first stood up straight for about 10 min to feel the stretch. Doing that made me realize that I was actually getting tight in that region. Walking up straight is also more difficult and I move much slower but I know that this is the correct way to do this. So thank you so much for looking out for me brother. I wish I could return the favor. Also thank you for the links above.
When were you able to be completely self sufficient in every respect?

[InFullStryde]

Hey IFS,
It's as if you are reading my mind man! Just today as I was walking it suddenly hit me that I was hunching over while sticking my butt out. While this would speed up my walk I realized I must stand up straight. Doing so was actually very difficult. I first stood up straight for about 10 min to feel the stretch. Doing that made me realize that I was actually getting tight in that region. Walking up straight is also more difficult and I move much slower but I know that this is the correct way to do this. So thank you so much for looking out for me brother. I wish I could return the favor. Also thank you for the links above.
When were you able to be completely self sufficient in every respect?

Glad to assist, man.   I would say toward the end of week 3 or 4, I was pretty much independent (in my apartment) meaning that I could go use the restroom, shower (when I really wanted to), make my self some food (Mainly microwavable) and just roam around as I needed to.  I'll be honest, I still would give my self a break sometimes and wheelchair my self to get some food.   I didn't feel like struggling and going, Ouch, bad word, bad word, ouch, lol, just because I wanted to make a sandwich.  With all this in mind, week 3ish, 4ish..things really start to come under control for you, while inside the home. I still needed to be assisted to drive places and I was never really comfortable doing much alone throughout the lengthening process as it related to going outside to places. That is just me, but I relished the support of family.   You're on about day 15, so around day 23..24...28ish..etc...things start to take shape.  You're on your way!

[tiggy]

Glad to assist, man.   I would say toward the end of week 3 or 4, I was pretty much independent (in my apartment) meaning that I could go use the restroom, shower (when I really wanted to), make my self some food (Mainly microwavable) and just roam around as I needed to.  I'll be honest, I still would give my self a break sometimes and wheelchair my self to get some food.   I didn't feel like struggling and going, Ouch, bad word, bad word, ouch, lol, just because I wanted to make a sandwich.  With all this in mind, week 3ish, 4ish..things really start to come under control for you, while inside the home. I still needed to be assisted to drive places and I was never really comfortable doing much alone throughout the lengthening process as it related to going outside to places. That is just me, but I relished the support of family.   You're on about day 15, so around day 23..24...28ish..etc...things start to take shape.  You're on your way!

Sounds good, and when was it that you could get around without a walker?

[InFullStryde]

Sounds good, and when was it that you could get around without a walker?

Hmm, for me, it was mid to late month 2.  I honestly liked using the walker way more than the crutches. The walker allowed me use it as a stretching apparatus. Additionally, I could open doors, and use my hands with the walker.  I resisted moving to crutches  but eventually I did want to progress to the next stage... Walker --> Crutches --> Cane --> Unassisted. 

I would say around week  6-8, I moved to crutches.

[tiggy]

Hmm, for me, it was mid to late month 2.  I honestly liked using the walker way more than the crutches. The walker allowed me use it as a stretching apparatus. Additionally, I could open doors, and use my hands with the walker.  I resisted moving to crutches  but eventually I did want to progress to the next stage... Walker --> Crutches --> Cane --> Unassisted. 

I would say around week  6-8, I moved to crutches.

Well I too hate the crutches and feel much more secure with a walker. I wonder if I can just transition from walker to cane without getting on crutches. This would be a good question to ask my dr during next visit. Today I haven't taken any oxy as dr R urged me to get off them due to the risk for addiction. I won't be taking any tonight before bed just to see how I manage during the night. But the pain in my left leg at the incision site is quite pronounced right now. I just took Tylenol so hopefully that does the trick but I was wondering when that osteotomy site pain went away or significantly decreased for you.

[InFullStryde]

Well I too hate the crutches and feel much more secure with a walker. I wonder if I can just transition from walker to cane without getting on crutches. This would be a good question to ask my dr during next visit. Today I haven't taken any oxy as dr R urged me to get off them due to the risk for addiction. I won't be taking any tonight before bed just to see how I manage during the night. But the pain in my left leg at the incision site is quite pronounced right now. I just took Tylenol so hopefully that does the trick but I was wondering when that osteotomy site pain went away or significantly decreased for you.

It's interesting how I find that most CLL patients, including my self, hurt more with the left leg, post-surgery.   You could actually go from walker to cane if you prefer.  Here is one thing I used to do... I would use the Walker to function my everyday life around the apartment such as, use the restroom, get food, go into the shower, work out, etc.  The walker allowed me to do much more on the functional side while my legs were still hurting too much to get around safely without assistance.  When my left leg was ready and not hurting so much, I would then leverage the walker to get me to my "crutches" which were usually resting somewhere in my living room; which is large and had lots of room to walk. I would abandon my walker at this moment and then use my crutches to exercise and strengthen my legs.  The crutches will force you to put more weight on your legs and it also helps you simulate a more normal walking gait, helps you in standing more straight up and down, etc.   I would get up and "crutch-walk" 1 time every 40 minutes or so for at least 15 - 20 minutes. This helped me strengthen my legs.   You will find that you're able to take unassisted steps very soon here, meaning, no walker, no crutches, etc; but just keep in mind that 2000 crutches steps are WAY more effective than taking 100 unassisted steps and getting too tired and/or risking injury.   I can almost promise you that by the time you're done with lengthening that within a couple of weeks you will be walking and starting to shed all assistive devices...so you should feel no rush to graduate to crutches or cane.  I know that its a common theme in the forum to try to rush to walking as quickly as possible; but the "robot duck" style of the walk has little benefit to us especially while we are stretching ourselves 1...2...goodness 3 inches! Ha ha.   Let me know if you have any questions and you're doing great tiggy. You're right in line with where you need to be and actually sound like you're ahead of the game. Dr. R will likely confirm that again after your next appointment.  I'll be here to help; just ping me as needed. 

P.S.  The pain in left leg (that nasty pain in the side of the leg) started to "chill-out" around week 5-6 for me.   It was a lingering thing throughout my entire LL experience. It is completely gone now thankfully. It will go away.  Another piece of advise... do not feel that you need to "hurt" your left leg in order to get through the pain. Try to avoid movements that are making you feel to much pain in the left leg.  It's just naggy surgery pain.   Take it slow.. be sure to put as much weight on the left as possible (even 100% if you can tolerate it).....and take careful steps.   CLL in the first 4 week is NOT a "No pain, No Gain" proposition. If you ignite too much pain on the inflamamation areas it will preven you from performing the stretces you need with PT.  Nothing is more important than the stretching at this phase.   

Remember...

Quads / Hip flexors cause the duck ass (APT)
Hamstrings cause the knee straightening issue

One last thing, ha ha..go a bit further (just a bit) than you are comfortable with during stretching.  You'll know why you did when you're all done with lengthening.

I'm here to help! reach out as needed

All the best,

IFS

[tiggy]

It's interesting how I find that most CLL patients, including my self, hurt more with the left leg, post-surgery.   You could actually go from walker to cane if you prefer.  Here is one thing I used to do... I would use the Walker to function my everyday life around the apartment such as, use the restroom, get food, go into the shower, work out, etc.  The walker allowed me to do much more on the functional side while my legs were still hurting too much to get around safely without assistance.  When my left leg was ready and not hurting so much, I would then leverage the walker to get me to my "crutches" which were usually resting somewhere in my living room; which is large and had lots of room to walk. I would abandon my walker at this moment and then use my crutches to exercise and strengthen my legs.  The crutches will force you to put more weight on your legs and it also helps you simulate a more normal walking gait, helps you in standing more straight up and down, etc.   I would get up and "crutch-walk" 1 time every 40 minutes or so for at least 15 - 20 minutes. This helped me strengthen my legs.   You will find that you're able to take unassisted steps very soon here, meaning, no walker, no crutches, etc; but just keep in mind that 2000 crutches steps are WAY more effective than taking 100 unassisted steps and getting too tired and/or risking injury.   I can almost promise you that by the time you're done with lengthening that within a couple of weeks you will be walking and starting to shed all assistive devices...so you should feel no rush to graduate to crutches or cane.  I know that its a common theme in the forum to try to rush to walking as quickly as possible; but the "robot duck" style of the walk has little benefit to us especially while we are stretching ourselves 1...2...goodness 3 inches! Ha ha.   Let me know if you have any questions and you're doing great tiggy. You're right in line with where you need to be and actually sound like you're ahead of the game. Dr. R will likely confirm that again after your next appointment.  I'll be here to help; just ping me as needed. 

P.S.  The pain in left leg (that nasty pain in the side of the leg) started to "chill-out" around week 5-6 for me.   It was a lingering thing throughout my entire LL experience. It is completely gone now thankfully. It will go away.  Another piece of advise... do not feel that you need to "hurt" your left leg in order to get through the pain. Try to avoid movements that are making you feel to much pain in the left leg.  It's just naggy surgery pain.   Take it slow.. be sure to put as much weight on the left as possible (even 100% if you can tolerate it).....and take careful steps.   CLL in the first 4 week is NOT a "No pain, No Gain" proposition. If you ignite too much pain on the inflamamation areas it will preven you from performing the stretces you need with PT.  Nothing is more important than the stretching at this phase.   

Remember...

Quads / Hip flexors cause the duck ass (APT)
Hamstrings cause the knee straightening issue

One last thing, ha ha..go a bit further (just a bit) than you are comfortable with during stretching.  You'll know why you did when you're all done with lengthening.

I'm here to help! reach out as needed

All the best,

IFS

Excellent reply IFS, as usual.

I can easily put full weight on my legs using the walker but what stops me is the paranoia that I will break the nails. I know the nails hold 200lb and I weigh 145 and technically there shouldn't be issues but again it's possible that the nail is defective or something of that nature and that's why I try to be extremely careful. Your suggestion about not hurting the legs too much is golden, I am also of the opinion that creatingr more unnecessary pain on the legs doesn't help the process along. This entire process is a delicate dance!

So far I'm working to fix the slight duck ass I had developed and so far I think I'm doing ok by keeping my posture straight as I walk. I don't have any knee bending issues just yet but I'm sure that's in store for me, after all I'm only hitting 15mm today and I'm still 10 days away from a full inch.

Anyway I'll continue on the walker for another week or so and see how that goes. Thanks again for your helpful and encouraging replies brother, it means the world!

[InFullStryde]

Excellent reply IFS, as usual.

I can easily put full weight on my legs using the walker but what stops me is the paranoia that I will break the nails. I know the nails hold 200lb and I weigh 145 and technically there shouldn't be issues but again it's possible that the nail is defective or something of that nature and that's why I try to be extremely careful. Your suggestion about not hurting the legs too much is golden, I am also of the opinion that creatingr more unnecessary pain on the legs doesn't help the process along. This entire process is a delicate dance!

So far I'm working to fix the slight duck ass I had developed and so far I think I'm doing ok by keeping my posture straight as I walk. I don't have any knee bending issues just yet but I'm sure that's in store for me, after all I'm only hitting 15mm today and I'm still 10 days away from a full inch.

Anyway I'll continue on the walker for another week or so and see how that goes. Thanks again for your helpful and encouraging replies brother, it means the world!

Glad to assist.  Regarding Duck Ass; in addition to the quad and hip stretches, also see about incorporating some glute/lower ab exercises if not already.  Whatever you can tolerate at this stage, of course. I know it can be painful. 

I understand the paranoia.  Rest assured, however; that the nails will not break.  You're safe and secured on those metal rods. 

Talk soon!

IFS

[azman]

Can you walk up/down the stairs with the Stryde in your femurs?  How soon, a week or two or within a month?

[tiggy]

Glad to assist.  Regarding Duck Ass; in addition to the quad and hip stretches, also see about incorporating some glute/lower ab exercises if not already.  Whatever you can tolerate at this stage, of course. I know it can be painful. 

I understand the paranoia.  Rest assured, however; that the nails will not break.  You're safe and secured on those metal rods. 

Talk soon!

IFS

What would be some glute/lower an exercises IFS?

[tiggy]

Can you walk up/down the stairs with the Stryde in your femurs?  How soon, a week or two or within a month?

Azman,
I walked up the stairs in my house 2 weeks post op in order to take a shower (my shower is upstairs). To do this I used a walker to get to the staircase and then while holding on to the rails with one hand I used a crutch to give me support to go up. This is what the PT showed me when he came over. The same process is used to go back down. However I was completely drained of energy after this trip up and down.