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[MyEvolution]

DO NOT b depressed my man!! You waited your whole life for this
Instead I advise to pickup a fun hobby. This is the only time in your life where you can become a gamer with NO guilt. I gamed all day yesterday 8 hours blew by

Regards to pain: ya man first 2-3 weeks r known as hell weeks
Walk only when u need to
Let inflammation go away
Take pain meds

Take tylenol pm to help u sleep that   will knock u out
But ya dude 2-3 weeks sucks
Just do as little as u can to keep the inflamation down

[Bastouille]

Any update sir?? 

[TheAlchemist]

3 Week Post Op Update- 1.4 CM

It's been exactly 3 weeks since my surgery and things have been getting better everyday. Just had my first post op visit with Dr. Robbins (he does the surgery together with Paley) and I'm exactly where I should be, lengthened about 1.4 CM, legs are symmetrical. Seeing that x ray with your legs longer as an indicator of progress is a great motivator. With 1.4 CM under my belt I don't 'feel' taller, but I think once I cross that 1 inch threshold things will change. Things have been challenging but you feel the progress, above all else, IMO this is a mental challenge.

Pain

Week 2- This week was tough but you power through it. Pain hovered around a 3 to 4 throughout the day, peaking at a 5 or 6 that I would attribute to acute post surgery pains. You're sore, weak, and still adjusting to LL life, everything feels foreign, and every movement amplifies the pain. The highest pain points for me were around my knee, where I'd get a shooting, throbbing pain randomly throughout the day. Definitely difficult but manageable with OTC Tylenol, you just grind through it.

Week 3 - Pain gradually gets better day by day, probably averaged a 2 to 3 throughout the day. The post surgery acute pain starts to fade away during this week and is replaced by a dull pain that I would describe as more annoying than painful. Imagine coming home from an all day long hike on a hill with a steep incline with your legs tired and sore- this is how it feels all day. After a couple weeks of LL experience under your belt, your mind gets sharper, you learn how to manage the pain, what movements hurt, and you adjust and adapt.

As I kick off week 4 of my journey, it's getting better and I'd say I'm at a 1 or 2 throughout the day, sometimes 0.


Sleep

I'm averaging about 5 hours of sleep a night. Restlessness, which I would describe as more of a nagging discomfort rather than a pain,  will wake you up after 2 or 3 hrs. I'm unable to sleep on my sides, and have to stay fixated on my back with my legs straight so tossing and turning isn't an option.

When I wake up, instead of fighting it, I'll just stretch, or warm up my legs, and ease back into sleep.

I don't feel sleep deprived yet, but we'll see how it goes as the 5 hr nights start to compound.

Tip: Heat pads work wonders with helping me sleep. The heat is really soothing and numbs the pain and nagging restlessness. Tylenol PM has also been a great aid.

Mobility

I'm still using my walker, but I'm moving around just fine at a decent pace, with a good gait and a proper heal to toe action walk. When using my walker, I'm limiting the amount of weight I put on the walker/arms, and just using it as a guide/balance/safety more than anything. I would say I'm putting about 90% of my weight on my feet now. In the next few days I'm going to try to move to a cane.

Getting up from a seated position has gotten way better since week 2. Earlier, I had to rely entirely on my upper body to get up from a seated position, now I primarily use my legs with a little help from my arms.

I consciously try to walk around at least 3x a day to 1) build strength and 2) increase blood flow to help prevent the risk of blood clots / pulmonary embolism (scary stuff that can lead to death.) I also find that walking around is good for the mind.

Flexibility

Maintaining a disciplined PT / Flexibility routine is key. Stretch, stretch, stretch like it's a full time job. It's a constant battle to not get stiff, and to stay ahead of the curve you've got to stretch hard. If you take a break from stretching, you definitely feel it and pay the price through stiffness and challenging sleep. I'm stretching 3x a day, with each session bordering 1 hour and experimenting with more sessions / lower duration. The Paley PT's took my measurements last week and I'm doing above average with my range of motion, but I feel like it's going to be an uphill battle from here the more I lengthen as I can feel the stretches start to get more difficult the more I lengthen.

The PT's at Paley will give you a variety of exercises to do at home which focus on strength and stretching. Personally, I'd dedicate more of your time to stretching rather than strengthening as you get most of your strength back simply from walking. As I'm doing this alone, it's difficult to get a full stretch by yourself, so when I'm at Paley's PT and tell them to push me to the limit.

After stretching you feel much better- you just feel a lot looser, way more mobile and get a little sense of accomplishment.

Mood/ Mindset

Like I said earlier, for me, above all else this is a mental challenge. The physical pain is tough but you just grind through it. Mentally, this process will test you, especially if you are doing it solo with no contact with friends/family like I am. LL is a journey with a huge transition/adjustment where you have several WTF am I doing moments. Imagine going  from pre-LL w/ a relatively happy life, where you get a sense of purpose and accomplishment from work, dopamine hits from seeing friends/sxx with women/going out/working out, to going to this LL life where every day is the same, you sleep, wake up, stretch, go to PT, eat, stretch, eat, sleep, repeat....... huge transition.

You're isolated, and have to actively train yourself to not let things get to your head. I haven't had a good dopamine hit since this journey started, and the highlight of my day is either PT or hanging out with other LL people at the hotel. You want time to go faster but the pain/stiffness/lack of sleep just makes time feel a lot slower.

Pre LL I considered working remotely, I'm glad I didn't. It would be hard to be a high performer at work while doing LL as the process puts a strain on you mentally with the lack of sleep, medications, and dull pain + the unpredictability of when the pain will hit. I think my performance would definitely suffer had I decided to work remotely.

Tip: The best remedy to prevent getting lost in your head is staying busy and active around other peopld. I would not recommend doing this alone like I am. If you can do it with a friend or family, definitely do that. The best aids in helping the time go by is being social. My source has been hanging with other LLers here at the hotel. I'm going to try to transition to other activities like books/hobbies but you are just tired and dealing with dull pains to get really excited about anything.

Welp that's it guys. The best part about this stage is you get a sense that things keep getting better day by day, and you are starting to see the progress with the lengthening.

In my next update I'll try to go over recommended purchases for the LL journey based on my experience so far.

[PANDA:BEAR..]

 TheAlchemist ..... great update.... your in safe hands and doing well... every millimetre counts:)
Stay strong... my friend.

[Movie]

I don't know how you can sleep on your back with your legs straight, that'd cause me pain, I always sleep with a pillow under my knees otherwise I couldn't. but so far you're doing great man week 4 you'll feel much better keep going bro cheers

[CodyTheDog]

Alright LL fam, it’s been nearly a week since my surgery and I’ll try to recap the journey so far.  So far so good , I’m doing well and in good spirits.  I’ll recap surgery day and the days after.

SURGERY DAY 0 -  9/17/19
To my surprise I was able to sleep the night before surgery despite having so much on my mind. Woke at 4:30 AM, went straight to the shower and washed myself off with a pre surgery antibacterial soap provided by the Paley team. As instructed, no food and limited water the night of surgery (cutoff was midnight the night before surgery.)

Ordered a Lyft and got to the hospital at around 6 AM as instructed. Cherished every step I took around the hospital as I knew it would be a long time till I’d be comfortably mobile on my own two feet again.

Mood/ Mental State: For the most part anxious and ready to get the show on the road. So much planning and anticipation over the past year for this moment, although there was much to be fearful about, I kept thinking about what awaits me on the other side of the finish line of this journey, what life will be like a year from now, living a happy, healthy life, and continuing to contribute to the world without the constraints of my personal mental issues surrounding my height. There is a thin line between excitement and fear/anxiety, and with this positive mindset I felt energized and excited, I truly felt like I was moving forward.

Surgery Prep:
They wheel you into the pre surgery room where the nurses take your vitals again and proceed to have you undress into your hospital gown and store your belongings in a security locker. 
Then one of the nurses shaves your legs around the surgery site.
They have you fill out a bunch of paperwork providing consent and defining liability, scary morbid stuff to read through, I scanned through it, said a prayer (not at all religious) and signed them.
Then, the anesthesiologist comes by and walks you through the process. I opted to go with a spinal block instead of an epidural to avoid the catheter, in hindsight am glad I did.
They put the IV in you, about a half hour later the anesthesiologist comes back and give you the “happy juice”, which contained fentanyl. I’m not here to glamorize drugs but there was in instant hit of immense euphoria, calmness, and a general happy numbness flowing throughout my body…my eyes rolled to the back of my head and a smile formed from cheek to cheek. It was an amazing high. Fentanyl is powerful stuff, and I can see why it’s an epidemic. A few seconds later the lights went out……

Surgery:
Woke up in a new room. Dazed and disoriented. Not knowing where I was, what time or date it was, or why I was there…..until an attractive blonde nurse comes in and informs me my surgery is done and was successful, its late afternoon, and I’m in recovery. I slowly gather my thoughts and am thankful to be alive and healthy. They take my vitals and I’m in good health. A feeling of immense gratitude and positive emotions fills my body.

Pain and other rehab: Virtually no pain. At a stand still pain is a 0. When you move your legs around pain is maybe a 1. The anesthesia lingers in your system for 24 hrs of so. On top of that, you are on a combination of Taradol, Tylenol, and Oxy.
Your lower legs are wrapped in an automated sleeve that intermittently squeezes and applies pressure to promote blood circulation.
Your thighs / femurs are elevated  wrapped in ice pad to help with the swelling.

Exercises: The PT comes in and teaches you three movements to help promote blood circulation and stimulate your muscles

1)   Toe/heel flexes – point your toes towards and your outwards 20x.
2)   Quad stretches- straighten out your leg so that the back of your knee makes contact with the bed (your legs tend to slightly bend.) 20x
3)   Squeeze your butt cheeks 20x

I was able to do all the above relatively easy, and did a few leg raises and 90 degree knee bends while laying down. PT and nurse were impressed.

Food: They bring you standard cafeteria food for dinner, a decent mix of protein ( meat), veggies and dessert.  I didn’t get any morphine so I didn’t feel nauseous at all and was able to clean my plate. Your body needs calories after experiencing so much trauma, so even after this meal, I was still hungry and ate a protein bar I packed which hit the spot.

Going to bathroom: I was able to urinate on surgery date relatively easy. As I mentioned earlier, I opted to not use an epidural and therefore I did not need a catheter. I felt the urge to pee the night of surgery. At this point the anesthesia is still in effect and your bodily functions are still slowly coming back, so with a little more effort I was able to pee into a urine bottle. Made a little mess but you learn as you go. 

Mood / mental state: Post surgery your body is  recovering from significant trauma. Although you don’t feel it thanks to the meds, you are constantly dipping in and out of sleep. I would say I’d be awake for 1 to 2 hrs, fall asleep for 2 to 3 hrs, and repeat.

Hospital Care: The nurses are great. They check on you frequently, probably every hour or so, and take your vitals every 4 hrs. My biggest fear for the surgery was fat embolism, and the nurses coming in, checking my vitals, seeing my oxygen levels at optimum levels, really eased my concerns.

Surgery Day Tips:
1)   Pack a long phone charging cord, at least 10 ft. Your bed is quite far from the power outlet in your hospital room.
2)   Pack tons of snacks and meal replacements. The hospital feeds you decent cafeteria food 3 times a day, but I personally don’t feel like it’s enough. you’ll be starving post op and your body will need calories and protein. I packed a bunch of protein bars and Cliff bars which helped a lot. 
3)   If you are hiring a care taker, you will NOT need them during your hospital stay as the round the clock service from the nurses is more than enough. You can call the nurses at your will, but they pop in frequently enough that I felt safe and watched over.
4)   The nurses won’t proactively provide you with oral hygeine care. Ask them for a tooth brush and mouth wash and they’ll provide.

Wow...didn't expect the surgery day recap to be this long, I'll follow up with recaps on the subsequent days later today....

1. Thanks!!! For people who are not from West Palm Beach (ex: most people don't happen to have a house there), how much money would you budget for the entire process (surgery, apartment cost, everything) etc?

2. Which apartment did you choose in the end and why?

Thanks

[TheAlchemist]

Day 27 Post Op Update - 2 CM

Mobility - Transitioned from a walker to crutches and cane a few days ago. Mobility is much better in terms of speed and endurance. Yesterday I was able to move around my hotel floor, lobby, and pool area on a cane which felt amazing after being glued to the walker for the past few weeks....feeling a bit sore so resting a bit today and staying on crutches.

Pain - Primary source of pain is knee pain occurring 3 to 4 times a day. Would describe as a shooting pain at a level 4 or 5  on top of, and around, the knee cap that lasts for 5 or 10 second- I'm able to get pain relief through icing the knee. Other than that, starting to feel a bit of stiffness but pain is manageable at a 1 or 2. I'm only on Tylenol throughout the day and Tylenol PM before bed.

Sleep - I'm continuing to average 5 or 6 hrs a night. Tylenol PM + heating pads helps a lot.

Physical Therapy - Continuing to stretch 3 to 4 times a day w/ an emphasis on stretching hamstrings and quads. I've eased up on the strength exercises as walking alone feels sufficient for building strength. The Paley Physical Therapists all say my flexibility and strength is above average at this stage. Trying to keep it going.

Mood/ Mindset - Starting to hit that point where days feel a bit monotonous. Life feels like a never ending cycle of stretching, resting, pain management, sleep, repeat. I think it's a rough patch because I'm approaching nearly a month post op which feels like a considerable amount of time, yet don't have the satisfaction of feeling taller yet. I think that will change in the next week as I cross the inch threshold and start to feel taller. 

My goal this week is to spend 20% to 30% of my day on productive activities (career, reading, music production) to help feel normal and pass the time.

Adjusting my goal to 7.5CM.....hitting 7.5 CM will be life changing! Everyday is a step closer....

 

[TheAlchemist]

1. Thanks!!! For people who are not from West Palm Beach (ex: most people don't happen to have a house there), how much money would you budget for the entire process (surgery, apartment cost, everything) etc?

2. Which apartment did you choose in the end and why?

Thanks

1. For bilateral femurs I would budget 150% of the surgery cost for everything (around $150k.) This includes a little cushion in the event you have to pay for unexpected medical costs which would be wise to have. Thankfully everything has been textbook so far for me but you never know.  If you are doing this solo in WPB expect to spend anywhere from $7 to $10k on a hotel/housing and another $3k on a caretaker for the first few weeks. 

2. I ended up staying at the Homewood Suites out here. Primary reasons were costs and access to shuttle transportation to and from Paley PT. A big bonus is there are a good amount of other Paley patients here that you can hang with for support and to help pass the time.

I don't know how you can sleep on your back with your legs straight, that'd cause me pain, I always sleep with a pillow under my knees otherwise I couldn't. but so far you're doing great man week 4 you'll feel much better keep going bro cheers

You're right bro, I tried the pillow below the knees and it helped a lot. Thanks man! 

[CodyTheDog]

1. For bilateral femurs I would budget 150% of the surgery cost for everything (around $150k.) This includes a little cushion in the event you have to pay for unexpected medical costs which would be wise to have. Thankfully everything has been textbook so far for me but you never know.  If you are doing this solo in WPB expect to spend anywhere from $7 to $10k on a hotel/housing and another $3k on a caretaker for the first few weeks. 

2. I ended up staying at the Homewood Suites out here. Primary reasons were costs and access to shuttle transportation to and from Paley PT. A big bonus is there are a good amount of other Paley patients here that you can hang with for support and to help pass the time.

You're right bro, I tried the pillow below the knees and it helped a lot. Thanks man!

Thanks! " and another $3k on a caretaker for the first few weeks.  "

1. Roughly how many weeks of paying for a caretaker is common? 3 weeks? Four weeks?

2. Where do people typically find their caretaker?

3. What advice would you have for choosing a caretaker?

I'm trying to create a giant spreadsheet of everything, just trying to get a rough idea.

[TheAlchemist]

Thanks! " and another $3k on a caretaker for the first few weeks.  "

1. Roughly how many weeks of paying for a caretaker is common? 3 weeks? Four weeks?

2. Where do people typically find their caretaker?

3. What advice would you have for choosing a caretaker?

I'm trying to create a giant spreadsheet of everything, just trying to get a rough idea.

1) 2 to 3 weeks depending on the individual as this is the time where you will not be mobile and will need assistance with basic functions like sitting, standing, taking meds, grabbing things, etc. Plus, the risks of things like fat embolism or pulmonary embolism are still there during this time and you want someone around in the unlikely event something unfortunate happens.

2) Paley provided a recommended list of care taker agencies in West Palm Beach.

3) Find one that has had experience with LL patients and who is willing to assist with physical therapy

[CodyTheDog]

1) 2 to 3 weeks depending on the individual as this is the time where you will not be mobile and will need assistance with basic functions like sitting, standing, taking meds, grabbing things, etc. Plus, the risks of things like fat embolism or pulmonary embolism are still there during this time and you want someone around in the unlikely event something unfortunate happens.

2) Paley provided a recommended list of care taker agencies in West Palm Beach.

3) Find one that has had experience with LL patients and who is willing to assist with physical therapy

For the caretaker, how many hours each day do patients typically have the caretaker stick around?

[robbie1984]

Can I just lengthening at home (do PT myself)without going to the PT room in hospital

[Ghostfish]

Hi TheAlchemist
I have been away from this forum for awhile.  Wow you have done it!!  Congrats on your successful start for your LL journey!
You have already gone through the most difficult time (first month) so it will be just fine.  As you have prepared well for this journey, I am sure you will succeed in your goal.
Keep up the good work! 

[OGfivesevener]

Keep it up dude! You'll be taller than me in 2 weeks. punk...

[TheAlchemist]

Day 39 - 3.1 CM

Hey everyone, things are moving along these days. Another day another millimeter. All things considered things are pretty cruise control, with pain manageable. The stiffness is starting to kick in. The biggest challenge is time, monotony, and mental stability.

Pain

Pain is manageable. Occasionally I'll experience a shooting knee pain or a mild shin pain a few times a day. There is an ongoing nagging discomfort from my body getting stiff and restlessness taking over that I would describe as more annoying than painful. Occasionally you'll feel parts of your bodies (veins, ligaments) stretched/pulled with a mild pain. I'm only on Tylenol for pain these days.

Based on other diaries and conversation with other LLers here, pain from stiffness / nerve pain will start to kick in at around 5 cm....we'll see.

Mobility

Ambulatory on a cane now. In my hotel room I generally walk cane less. Speed and endurance improves every day. This is where Stryde is a game changer.

Flexibility

Once I crossed 2 or 2.5 CM the stiffness started to kick in. My hamstrings, IT bands and quads get tighter and tighter everyday, and this is compounded by starting to lose the motivation to hit stretching exercises hard as they are starting to feel monotonous. The first month of this surgery I came in super motivated to stretch each day, but that motivation starts to fade.

On the bright side, you do see a direct relationship between the intensity of your stretch and your stiffness pretty much immediately. After every deep stretch, I feel amazing, loose and comfortable, with a much better gait.

I've slightly modified my approach to stretching. I used to do 3 very long (one hour), intense stretches each day, and now  moved to 5 half hour stretches per day at a higher frequency. I make sure to do one right before bed and right when I wake up.  If you minimize the time in between your stretches, your body never really gets a chance to get super stiff.


Mental State / Mood

The nagging discomfort I described earlier makes it difficult to focus and be productive. I remember going into LL, I thought that all this free time away from work would provide me with endless opportunities to work on side hustles, hobbies, read, etc. I was wrong....

You know how when you have a mild headache or mild tooth ache...that nagging discomfort makes it hard to focus and be efficient and productive at whatever task you have at hand? The same can be said for the LL nagging discomfort that stiffness/restlessness brings along. The pain isn't that bad but it's constant and impossible to ignore, so you just can't focus on anything at 100%. On top of that, every couple of hours you are stretching like it's a full time job, so you can't really hunker down and focus on something for long hours on end.

The message to future LLers is for those of you planning to work through LL, take this into account, you will not be 100% and your work will suffer. Could I work right now? Sure probably remotely, but I would say I would be a shell of my former self and my work performance would definitely take a hit. In hindsight I'm glad I took a leave of absence as working through this would be a challenge.

The days feel long but when you look back at the weeks/months and CMs sometimes it feels like time is flying. By EOW next week I'll be at the half way point....I remember my surgery like it was yesterday.

[TheAlchemist]

Keep it up dude! You'll be taller than me in 2 weeks. punk...

Lol!

Hi TheAlchemist
I have been away from this forum for awhile.  Wow you have done it!!  Congrats on your successful start for your LL journey!
You have already gone through the most difficult time (first month) so it will be just fine.  As you have prepared well for this journey, I am sure you will succeed in your goal.
Keep up the good work! 

Thanks Ghostfish! Appreciate the support man! 

[TheAlchemist]

s

[superusercj1]

Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

[Ghostfish]

Mental State / Mood

The nagging discomfort I described earlier makes it difficult to focus and be productive. I remember going into LL, I thought that all this free time away from work would provide me with endless opportunities to work on side hustles, hobbies, read, etc. I was wrong....

You know how when you have a mild headache or mild tooth ache...that nagging discomfort makes it hard to focus and be efficient and productive at whatever task you have at hand? The same can be said for the LL nagging discomfort that stiffness/restlessness brings along. The pain isn't that bad but it's constant and impossible to ignore, so you just can't focus on anything at 100%. On top of that, every couple of hours you are stretching like it's a full time job, so you can't really hunker down and focus on something for long hours on end.

The message to future LLers is for those of you planning to work through LL, take this into account, you will not be 100% and your work will suffer. Could I work right now? Sure probably remotely, but I would say I would be a shell of my former self and my work performance would definitely take a hit. In hindsight I'm glad I took a leave of absence as working through this would be a challenge.

The days feel long but when you look back at the weeks/months and CMs sometimes it feels like time is flying. By EOW next week I'll be at the half way point....I remember my surgery like it was yesterday.

Yeah, this journey is a not joke or a sort of break/vacation.  Especially after Stryde came to be the power of CLL, many people in this forum think or hope to work or to get back to normal soon after the surgery.  I wrote back several times that it is a bad idea to get back to work during lengthening, although it is not impossible.  It is just not possible to be productive during lengthening.  It is not even easy to keep motivation to finish LL journey.   

You just have to be positive and somewhat relaxed to face and to enjoy LL.  Another day will pass by.  Doing stretches more often with less intensity or less time is a good idea.  You will get there soon!!

Best, 

[TheAlchemist]

Day 48 - 4 CM

Hit 4 CM last night, it's a great feeling knowing you are at the > halfway point. Locked in and ready to finish strong.

Pain

Started to feel numbness in my shins, accompanied by random nerve pains that feel like brief/suddden electric shocks. Nothing too intense yet, I'd say the electric shocks are around a level 4 or 5 pain and last for a few seconds. I have an appt with the Dr. tomorrow so we'll see if I need to get meds for the numbness/ shocking pains.

The nagging, dull pains continue to persist. Again, wouldn't describe as painful, more annoying, impossible to ignore, and make it difficult to focus on anything that requires cognitive thinking.

Flexibility

I think I hit my peak flexibility around 3 cm, around the time the surgery pains wore off and the stiffness hadn't set in. Now that I'm at 4 CM I can start to feel the stiffness and I have to work harder during PT to fight it off. The good thing is the results of hard work do pay off, at one point my left hamstring got really stiff, I spent a few days doubling down on hamstring stretches and remediated it.

I'm at about 5 stretches a day. 3 major ones (comprehensive set w/ strength exercises) and 2 quick ones (few concentrated stretches focused on quads and hamstrings.) I try to keep the cadence at every 3 hrs during the day. I make sure to do one big stretch immediately before going to bed to ensure that I start my sleeping loose. I think this has helped with sleeping and avoiding being woken up early from stiffness.

Sleep

Not great but not terrible. Averaging about 5 hrs a night. Will get about an hour napping during the day. Taking Tylenol PM as a sleep aid has helped tremendously.

Mood/ Mindset

I gave up on being productive with side hustles, hobbies, reading, etc. The nagging dull pain and stiffness make it impossible to focus and do cognitive work. I've sort of embraced feeling "isolated and useless" and made PT / stretching my full time job and purpose. To kill time I'll watch youtube/netflix/reddit, things that require almost no critical thinking. I think crossing the halfway point milestone will help me get through this.

[InFullStryde]

You're on your way, buddy. Keep.Going.Strong.

[Movie]

half way bro! nice the next half will fly by even faster if it's similar to my experience. keep pushing bro ! good luck

[TheAlchemist]

You're on your way, buddy. Keep.Going.Strong.

Thanks IFS! Trying to maintain that mindset. Going back to your diary every now and then for info and inspiration!

half way bro! nice the next half will fly by even faster if it's similar to my experience. keep pushing bro ! good luck

Thanks Movie! Your latest video just got me juiced. Amazing outcome bro and I hope to achieve the same results!

[Nestor]

Hey Alchemis,t, great diary awesome progress you're making!  I'm on the same boat in terms of doing this solo, just had surgery yesterday and gotta admit feeling a bit depressed today, it's tough not having any family or friends around at a time like this. I struggled to get out of bed this morning to and could barely walk two steps never felt so pathetic, my legs are in agony. You got any advice?

[TheAlchemist]

Hey Alchemis,t, great diary awesome progress you're making!  I'm on the same boat in terms of doing this solo, just had surgery yesterday and gotta admit feeling a bit depressed today, it's tough not having any family or friends around at a time like this. I struggled to get out of bed this morning to and could barely walk two steps never felt so pathetic, my legs are in agony. You got any advice?

Congrats on starting your journey man! I hear ya, doing this solo is a mental challenge. Just know it gets better relatively fast. You've just started your journey, the next 3 weeks will be tough, but it will get better shortly after and you'll back at this and laugh. Avoid idle time where you are alone in your room by yourself where the pain and lack of mobility will get to your head. If you can, talk to other patients, talk to your caretaker if you have one (you should!), distract yourself with movies/shows/videos. Sleep as much as you can to make time go by faster, use sleeping aids as advised by your doctor. Once you get to around the 3 week / 4 week mark, you'll feel better man!

[Nestor]

Thanks man appreciate that. Yeah it really is as much a mental challenge as well as physical. I try and distract myself with you tubes videos etc but it's like my mind is not in the mood. You're right it's important to interact with others, although aside from the PT guys I don't really have many to talk to at the moment, just lying in bed like an upturned turtle unable to move  I cried like a bitch yesterday after I was only able to walk about two steps. The inside of my hips are really sore is that normal?

[Movie]

I was mostly accompanied through out my distraction phase that really helped my sanity, honestly the days I wouldn't interact with people would make me feel a little off, lonely ... enhanced the pain and fact that I'm really handicapped during that time lol. but yeah youtube, netflix, movies really come through to kill time, it's very normal to feel the inside of your hips really sore in day 2 Nestor, your hips honestly will feel sore for a while. you should make your diary nestor, best of luck and sending positivity your way.

[Nestor]

Thanks Movie appreciate it dude. I had planned on doing a diary but my mood and energy is so low at the moment, maybe I'll try push myself to do one soon. I think one of the reasons you & the likes of IFS made such good progress is by being surrounded by family, I don't care how tough anyone thinks they are doing something like this alone will test your limits. It's tough going being totally confined to a bed for days, I can't wait to get out of hospital hopefully it might lift my mood a little. The past couple of days all I've been thinking is WTF have I done lol

[Movie]

Dang I can only imagine being alone in the hospital bed, I at least had my girlfriend for support there with me most of the time. I remember I had similar thoughts but not in a regretful manner, more like "haha I'm crazy wtf did I do, oh well no turning back now, let's get it" got to keep a positive mindset bro that's going to help you improve faster. Make the diary ASAP bro! although you may be alone physically you'll feel the support from the forum even if it's through the laptop screen, don't feel down bro, you'll soon feel much better in a couple weeks, time goes fast!

[Nestor]

Thanks for the support man it means a lot. My PT was just here I walked a few very painful half assed steps but it's an improvement from yesterday at least. He left me sitting on the edge of the bed here to stretch out my quads, can't believe how tight they are! Might not seem much but feels good to not be lying on the bed for a change

[MyEvolution]

Day 48 - 4 CM

Hit 4 CM last night, it's a great feeling knowing you are at the > halfway point. Locked in and ready to finish strong.

Pain

Started to feel numbness in my shins, accompanied by random nerve pains that feel like brief/suddden electric shocks. Nothing too intense yet, I'd say the electric shocks are around a level 4 or 5 pain and last for a few seconds. I have an appt with the Dr. tomorrow so we'll see if I need to get meds for the numbness/ shocking pains.

The nagging, dull pains continue to persist. Again, wouldn't describe as painful, more annoying, impossible to ignore, and make it difficult to focus on anything that requires cognitive thinking.

Flexibility

I think I hit my peak flexibility around 3 cm, around the time the surgery pains wore off and the stiffness hadn't set in. Now that I'm at 4 CM I can start to feel the stiffness and I have to work harder during PT to fight it off. The good thing is the results of hard work do pay off, at one point my left hamstring got really stiff, I spent a few days doubling down on hamstring stretches and remediated it.

I'm at about 5 stretches a day. 3 major ones (comprehensive set w/ strength exercises) and 2 quick ones (few concentrated stretches focused on quads and hamstrings.) I try to keep the cadence at every 3 hrs during the day. I make sure to do one big stretch immediately before going to bed to ensure that I start my sleeping loose. I think this has helped with sleeping and avoiding being woken up early from stiffness.

Sleep

Not great but not terrible. Averaging about 5 hrs a night. Will get about an hour napping during the day. Taking Tylenol PM as a sleep aid has helped tremendously.

Mood/ Mindset

I gave up on being productive with side hustles, hobbies, reading, etc. The nagging dull pain and stiffness make it impossible to focus and do cognitive work. I've sort of embraced feeling "isolated and useless" and made PT / stretching my full time job and purpose. To kill time I'll watch youtube/netflix/reddit, things that require almost no critical thinking. I think crossing the halfway point milestone will help me get through this.

Man ik that feeling! My goal this yr was to eat 3,000 calories/day to gain weight, even that i said fk it jus gonna focus on recovery

Keep pushing bro trust me its well worth it in the end