hi guys!
sorry for not posting for a while.. i could blame the intense schedule of training/phisioterapy, or the logistics required to attend all the training's.. (every limb lenghtener currently in Milan complains about the same.. "if only there was a guesthouse and a collective mean of transportation to the training.. this would be so much easy and cheap..").. but the true is that i'm not even going to all the trainings.. the true is that i'm not posting because i lost some motivation and i'm a little bit down on the psychological game..
physically and psychologically i'm not better since last post.. between new pains and old pains, i feel broken.. i just wonder how it would have been if i wasn't with Caribe on this journey.. i though that the mental game was my best strength but now i think i was really lucky in having Caribe sharing the flat with me..
i mean i don't regret yet doing this surgery.. and i think i will not regret unless i have a very bad complication in the future.. i'm at 4,9 cm right now, still clicking at 15 clicks a day.. even if i stop right now, i would be already satisfied and it would already make a big difference to me..
the problem is my expectations about this surgery versus the reality.. and the expectation of how i would react to this situation versus the reality of how i'm reacting to this situation..
for instance, i thought that around 5 cm i would be without pain and only with minor stretching issues, i would be walking to the isokinetic and taking the metro to train with Serge, and i would be feeling good, sleeping good, clicking easy, spending some time reading, seeing movies, etc..
the reality is that i still have pain on my left leg on some movements, i can't walk with my legs straighten right now, and i feel uncomfortable trying to sleep with my legs strengthen, i feel very tiered every time i walk, and if i walk very much i feel pain in my chest afterwards, and i stay the rest of the day very uncomfortable with my legs, i only took the subway once and i regret it because i walked a lot and got the symptoms i described for waking a lot (very uncomfortable on the legs and with pain in the chest for the rest of the day), i'm spending so much money on taxis..
.. when i get in bed, i don't feel like doing nothing of useful, just waist time on youtube and facebook to try to ignore the unconfort of stretching the legs on the bed.. clicking is getting really painful on my left leg (level 6 out of 10).. i wonder if i have again pre-consolidation.. last time i had it, it was on my right leg.. and i was only at a couple of cm into my lengthening.. i can click but it takes a long time and its getting harder every time.. i will raise the issue to Dr. Guichet in the next consultation or before if i stop being able to click on my own..
i was unsure about the date i would leave back to my country.. but this week i decided to bought a ticket back to my home country for mid second half of August..i will not be done with clicking by then.. but Caribe is leaving on mid August and i don't think i can stay with a healthy mind for a long time after Caribe leave, so i will leave a week after.. i will stay with my parents.. i will finally explain them the real reason of my stay in milano, and make them promise not to tell anybody..
Caribe is a little better, he can stretch is legs without problem, but if he walks a lot, he gets a very acute pain in his tibia, probably a nerve to much stretched.. he still clicks easily.. but mentally he is not so good also.. he is counting the days he goes back to his country, he was suppose to do dishes while i cook, but he just gave up on doing that.. now he just hires a cleaning lady every 2 days to do the dishes..
regarding other complications.. the thing i notice is that i lost sensibility on my heals.. but i don't know if it is because of the stretching of the lengthening or is because of staying in bed so much time with heals sunk on the mattress.. it painless and does not bother me so i din't mention it yet to Dr. Guichet..
Caribe had some more serious issue, he got an infection on one of his scars.. he was leaving is scars without dressing and putting only superglue on them.. it turn out not a good idea.. he then bought some oral antibiotics even against Dr. Guichet recommendation and cleaned the scar and dressed it.. i think it is now ok because he didn't complain about it anymore..
i want to share with you guys my latest x-rays.. see bellow in attachment.. they were taken 2 days ago.. i was suppose to be at 4,7cm but i measure around 4,5 cm (considering the nail is 1,3cm..)
Thank you, Jerry: yesterday at 23.00, Guichet answered me, with his attitude of "the professor so fully busy" ...he told me he is caring about his patients in order of "urgency" and that he is going to operate for 36 hours till the end of this week (so many LLers over there!!!)...He will answer my e-mail properly when he will be less busy.
Thanks for his e-mail anyway!
hi antoky..
great that you get an answer.. i hope i start seeing more people in the training's.. until know, in the gym and isokinetic we are always the same 3 patients.. me, Caribe, and the guy the took us out of the hospital after surgery.. maybe there is people training with different schedules.. i meet some patients that i never saw after in training.. next time the first thing i will do is get their phone number and don't trust i will see them again..
- For some reasons, i experienced the exact same scheme. easy on left n harder on right at the beginning, exact opposite after 1 month. Nothing to worry about, the first click is always a bit harder since u have to find the most confortable position.
- Was a good day too when i got back some money from clinic^^
- Sitting position is no good as u know, just avoid it as much as u can.
- don't think about the rythm u r lengthening, think about ur forthcoming recovery. I made my 7,5 in 74 days ending with a rythm of 10 clicks/day with the results u know. It's very good thing to slowly lower the rythm of clicks so u don't lose too much flexibility, your soft issues can adapt n u'll be able to get rid off your crutches very fastly.
- These r so minor things lol U do realize that til now u r still complication free?
- Try the subway 1 day, that's a good challenge!!! u'll meet tons of people, that might give u roughly an idea of ur actual height
hi ShyShy!
its a honor to have you posting o my diary!!
you where one of the inspirations to my journey.. but now i understand that you were really more prepared and probably much more strict on the training because your journey seamed uncomparably more easy that mine has been until now.. thank you for your comments and advice.. i think i will ask Dr. Guichet to reduce my clicking when i go back to my home country because i want to be better by then, i don't want my parents to see the mess i am right now.. anyway, it is still a long time to go, so lets see how i feel close to the date of traveling.. yes.. i'm complication free, and i should be happy for that.. i will try to concentrate o that and maybe my mood will get better..
..
as i wrote above, the subway challenge didn't went so good.. but i didn't gave up on it.. i will try again.. maybe its a matter of getting used to it and the next time the unconfort and the pain will last less..
Great diary,
Question for Ubermensch and Shyshy,
If I decide to have surgery with Dr. Guichet, is it better to come for consultation and surgery at the same time (all one visit). I live in the US. How far in advance did you guys schedule your surgery dates.
Thanks
hi Plzen!
i had a consultation on February this year.. and went back to my home country for training.. then i travel to milan in june to train for 1 month in the isokinetic because the training in my home country was not good enough according to Dr. Guichet .. Dr. Guichet schedule my surgery some days before i leave to milan for traiining in the isokinetic.. so it was around 1 month before
there is people like Caribe that trained at home and went directly to surgery without having had a consultation before, only email contacts .. but he is also only doing 6 cm.. he schedule the surgery in the same date as i did.. he came to milan 3 days before surgery.. but it was very stressful 3 days.. i had already rented the flat, but he had a lot of exams to do before surgery and lots of things to solve, but he manage to do everything with my help..
good luck if you decide to go ahead with the surgery!