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[Ted68]

How is your pain situation now? is everything ok ? Thank you for your detailed diary. Your diary will be appreciated. You have completed the most difficult process, now all that remains is to heal and lengthening.

Hey, Sigma....
The pain been worse in the last 2 days.
Well, yes, I passed the surgery and the bad effects of Contramal which i don't take it anymore.
The soft tissue healing inside the muscles is my problem, thats why I cannot sleep.
I do PT every day and my flexibility is still great, as the therapist told me.
I am waiting for external healing, so I can go and walk in the pool...
Thank you for appreciation !

[Sigma]

Your flexibility is truly amazing. You also had quadrilateral surgery. People are afraid and give up even when doing only tibia or femur. You are a brave person who should be respected. Also, despite your surgery, you take the time to write a diary. Thanks for this.

[Ted68]

Your flexibility is truly amazing. You also had quadrilateral surgery. People are afraid and give up even when doing only tibia or femur. You are a brave person who should be respected. Also, despite your surgery, you take the time to write a diary. Thanks for this.

Thank you, man...
Well, you know people... I only want them to read my diary and to appreciate my true and detailed content. And maybe I will help them to not do mistakes... For example, me, I cannot afford to do any mistake at my age !
Now I stay on the bed, moaning in pain...
This night I will start taking Melatonine. I hope it will help me in sleeping...

[Ted68]

Chapter 4 – ARRIVING TO ISTANBUL AND PREPARATION FOR 4 MONTHS LIVING

The surgery was chosen by me, to be before Christmas, so will be on 23 Dec 2023.
I bought the airplane ticket for 21 Dec.
At the airport I found that the airplane arrived one hour later and I will fly with a small propeller airplane !...
Guys, those f-u-c-king propellers and engines are so noisy, that nobody understand what you say. And also is much slower than a jet, so I arrived 2 hours later … all being dizzy and confused because the noise. I think the same condition like in a WW2 military airplanes…
I arrived in Istanbul  in the evening, in the dark..  We got out of the plane on its narrow staircase, like on small islands where basically they don’t have airport. And we’ve got rain and wind … Amazing !

The IST airport is very large, modern one and competitive one. I passed the checking passport for visa and then I was looking for my luggage. They even has a central boarding display for easy finding your luggage. I asked something to a young lady employee and she didn’t understand a word in English, so she turned on the translator… Ohh, that’s embarrassing for such a big and busy airport !
I tried to connect to the free airport’s wifi to let know Batu I arrived. But I couldn’t, because finally, after a signing-up process,  it asked me for a Turkish phone number to confirm !.... so, another embarrassing moment for such a big airport !
Anyways, I found the guy waiting for me, at a certain point that I knew from Batu… and he was waiting for another 20 customers, as I could see on its long list. After 15 minutes they brought me a VIP luxury minivan, and it took 1 hour to drive me to the hotel, because the busy traffic. Also because raining…

I arrived to the hotel, the driver took care of my luggage and I met Batu. He presented me to receptionists, which took my passport and charged me 50 euro as a warranty for dishes, pans, forks and spoons that they let me use in my studio.
They assigned  2 cards for my room and elevator and we arrived in the room.
The room is decent  2 bed room, and has a nice kitchen with stove, oven, large cabinets, dishwasher, fridge and sink. Also I found a normal size clothing washer with embedded dryer, which is great !
Dishwasher I will never use, but I tried to figure out how to use the washer… and no luck because is in Turkish ! … I will keep trying, maybe I can find how to change the language…
The room has central ventilation and the window is locked.  Also has classic heating system with radiators based on hot water… but is functional just in case. The windows are good  isolate from the street noise but I still here noise from the 6 lanes freeway road on my side, which is busy 24 hours. Also, across the highway road is a mosque, which has very large and strong speakers...
 
The washroom is very nice and well organized, with cabinets. The shower area is large, but it doesn’t have soap and shampoo holder, so you have to put them on the floor and take it from there... And that is, again, embarrassing !

I organized my stuff everywhere, I installed my HDMI cable to tv and laptop, I took a shower and I went to bed, because next day I was scheduled for full examinations in the morning.

22 Dec 2023

Batu came to my room and I showed him what I need to buy.
Then we took another VIP minivan heading to hospital. We arrived and I met dr Ghokan. We talked all details left and he measured me roughly and I found I am taller !... Cool, but not really !
We made the classic picture together, where now I am shorter than him and after I should be taller than him.
He was impressed about my flexibility on hamstrings.
I also told him that all my life I had a problem in standing and some doctors told me I have a leg shorter and maybe he can measure my bones accurately…
Dr Taner came there as well…
Then I went to Xrays and blood test.
Finally he told me that I have  the right femur 11mm shorter, so he will take care of me to fix it…
Doctor Ghokan is an exceptional person, not only a top LL surgeon !
I started to “negotiate” what I want, what I like and what I don’t, and he was opened,  not a stiff and arrogant person. He listen you and he try to do what you want. Of course, my wishes was very acceptable, not stupid !

I tell you now the moments up to date, only first 2 are from that discussion:
1.   I said I don’t want spinal anesthesia, only general, and he accepted
2.   I said I don’t want urinary catheter after surgery and he accepted
3.   Few days later he gave me a complicated scheduling for every day femur elongation,   separate for left and right, but I said I prefer to go 7cm on both femurs and then stop the left and continue to 8cm on the right femur, because of my discrepancy… and he accepted
4.   After those 3 days of torment with painkillers, I told him I will not take it anymore, at all !... So, he understood and agreed to it.
5.   I never bothered him, but when I had an emergency he wasted his time to come and talk with me for 10 minutes !.... And, believe me, he is a very busy orthopedic specialist and the traffic in Istanbul is terrible !
Guys, YOU MUST ALWAYS GO FOR THE BEST SURGEON WITH THE BIGGEST HEART !... because that gives you confidence and help. Don’t look only for the best of the best, like Paley, and NO WAY to go for the cheapest one !

I went back to the hotel, but on the way I stopped in an area with stores to change money and to buy something. I bought a kind of soap and shampoo holder, so I can adapt, hang it to my shower.
Later I went alone in the city, in rain. I ask the receptionist to give me a guest umbrella… and he said “I don’t have”. Ok, thank you then !
I went to the closest mall, to buy natural leather insoles for my shoes, because mine were low quality synthetic leather, which was cracked and I put them in garbage bin. And I found good quality ones !
If you want to find good quality and cheap, any kind of leather products, come in Turkey !

[Ted68]

Chapter 5 – THE SURGERY

23 Dec 2023 – the surgery day.

Now I am in doctor’s hands, guys !
I hope God will help me to undergo the surgery with no incidents or complications, to pass through all the pain and to recover my previous mobility and strength... otherwise I will be dead or crippled for the rest of my life !… It’s an expensive and risky procedure  and these are the things we all fear, but none of us usually has the courage to say it loudly…
The day before they told me to not eat and drink for 8 hours before surgery, which actually was 14 hours because I can stay hungry and thirsty long period, so I had a really clean digestive tube and nothing in my bladder…
They moved me from the hotel to hospital with a different luxury minivan, and they gave me a single room. The room is very clean and very modern style, looks like a spaceship.
But I know what means a hospital, because I had a long practice for my medical school and I was many times to view live the “butchery” in action, including babies delivery…
I stayed in the hospital room one hour. They asked me to sign official papers that means I understand the risks.
After that they asked me to undress to nked and to put on the special surgical gown.
Few minutes later 2 nurses entered the room and they said: WE TAKE YOU TO THE SURGICAL OPERATING ROOM !
So, when they put you in bed with the face up and push your bed on the corridor… then you realize what is going on !   It is the toughest moment and many guys get very scared on the way to surgery room and they want to run back home...
In the surgery room they moved me to the surgery bed and I saw my two surgeons and few other person,  whole team 6-7 people ready to start.
After 5 minutes they put me in sleep …
They put me in sleep at 4 pm and they woke me up at 8:30 pm. The surgery time was actually 3:30 hours and in the hour left they shave my whole hair on my both legs and other procedures.
I was ok after surgery and I felt to vomit, but I vomited just nothing, because my body was empty of food and liquids, as it should be.
I checked if I have urinary catheter inserted, and I didn’t have it… Thank you !
Then they moved me back to my room  and the pain started, about 7/10…

[Ted68]

24 – 26   Dec 2023 – THE 3 DAYS IN HOSPITAL

I couldn’t sleep well, because they came in my room every 15 minutes, to check my Blood pressure, to put me perfusion, to give me a pill for sleep to give me pain killer, anti depressive, blood thinner, etc
I slept maximum 3 hours combined, because of 10 test and checks.
They woke me up early, for blood test, new perfusion, etc
They moved me to x-rays room, so they can see what they have done. They x-rayed me through my clothes. Then, they showed me the x-rays, too… and I got scared.
I felt groggy all those days.
Next day they brought me a wheelchair and I felt the real pain while trying to move my body from the bed to wheelchair and from the wheelchair to toilet…. and reverse !
Keep in mind, guys, first days you are heavily sedated, so you are totally confused…  sometime you don’t know where you are and you have hard time in remembering something. Many times you realize where you are and what was happened to you… and you get depressed. That’s why they gives you anti-depressive medication as well.
One day, in hospital, I felt no pain and I wanted to go to toilet. I raised up and I wanted to go normally, trying to step normally on the floor. But, I didn’t find my sleepers on the floor and I realized where am I and if I do an unassisted step on the floor… I will bend my nails !
The nurses was nice with me.
BTW, doctor Taner told me that the Precice nails are much stronger before starting elongation. So, they are same resistant as Stryde. So, in the hospital they brought me a wheel-walker with hand brakes and they taught me how to use it. It was tough, friends, because you cannot let your whole weight on the legs and nails, because its overwhelming painful... so you have to put 70% of your weight on walker. So, first you have to learn how to block your arms and shoulders to transmit the weight to the walker's handlebar... and then to move your legs !

[Uchiha]

Doctor Ghokan is an exceptional person, not only a top LL surgeon !
I started to “negotiate” what I want, what I like and what I don’t, and he was opened,  not a stiff and arrogant person. He listen you and he try to do what you want.

+1 I agree. Dr Mustafa Gokhan is the best doctor in Turkey. And He is an amazing surgeon and treats all his patients well. He helped me a lot on my journey and I am grateful to him. I wish you a painless and complication-free journey.

[Ted68]

Thank you, Uchiha...
I have read your topic here.
I have no regrets about choosing him.

[Ted68]

Please, guys, don't ask me in private messages about how much I paid. Is not ethical for me to do that because the payment is different always.
Just go on Remedy webpage and launch a question to their Whatsapp number...

[Ted68]

VERY IMPORTANT AFTER SURGERY:

-   First check if you feel your legs
-   Check if you feel your legs equally
-   Check if you feel cold-warm difference on your legs
-   Check if your legs moves equally under your commends
-   Check for infection signs
-   Very critics are next 48 hours when can happen embolia (blood clot or fat clot)
-   In the first 2 weeks be carefully to not cut yourself, any kind of cut, because the bleeding is hard to be stopped
-   When you learn to use the wheelchair, be carefully at the start, because on too fast startup or putting too much force in starting forward you can rotate backward  (you know that effect in motorcycling)… and that could be bad for you and your nails !
-   Never try to put the whole body weight on your Precice nails !... If they bend or the fine mechanism breaks down, will be a drama !
-   You should train your fists before surgery, because most of the body moving from wheelchair to bed, you should do it on your fists, because you gain 2-3 inches (5-8 cm)
-   If you feel and think that there is something dangerous for you, just react. Otherwise you will regret later
-   Always you have to park the wheelchair in the perfect position and angle, so that will avoid accidents in transferring your body
-   Always put the both brakes on wheelchair !.... If you don’t do that, your wheelchair will rotate and you can have an accident
-   Don’t come fat at the surgery, because not all are losing weight. Some people didn’t lose anything for the whole period and that is a permanent risk for your nails, for your transfer from/to wheelchair and for your recover. The best candidates are skinny persons.

[guzman]

Following your diary, very interesting. I also did LL in Istanbul a few years ago (with different doctor), so I can feel and share everything you say.

Keep strong, you got this. Please continue your diary as often as possible, I'm sure there are a lot of silent readers.

[Ted68]

Following your diary, very interesting. I also did LL in Istanbul a few years ago (with different doctor), so I can feel and share everything you say.

Keep strong, you got this. Please continue your diary as often as possible, I'm sure there are a lot of silent readers.

Hello, Guzman...
Thank you for your good wishes.
If you have time, just send me a message in pm and to tell me your story and how do you feel now !

[Ted68]

Chapter 6 – LEAVING THE HOSPITAL AND THE DAILY ROUTINE IN THE HOTEL ROOM

On the morning of 26 Dec they brought me back to the hotel, with an ambulance.
In the room I found everything not touched, because I asked Batu to let them know that.
They brought me from the main floor a wheelchair and a walker.
I organized everything to be easy accessible.
I moved on wheelchair and Batu went with me to show me how is the buffet area. I took a dish with me and I picked something to bring it home. He told me that I can call them to order food to my bed. I never did that yet.
On the way back from buffet, the entry card stopped working, so we had to go back to reception to re-activation…

PT guy came and brought a special massage bed and few other devices and he started to teach me how to use the new walker. But, guys, in the hotel rooms all the floors are slippery and the wheels of the walker has a kind of hard plastic wheels, not real rubber, so it has ZERO grip. I couldn’t lift my body safely at all, because at any simple accidentally push, the wheels run fast forward and when you try to lift your body… the walker is gone and you are suddenly down on the floor. I got nervous and the PT guy got irritated because my “attitude” and I said: “Sorry, man, if the hotel didn’t care about us, I don’t risk my nails and my health using this unsafely walker !... I will ONLY use the wheelchair from now on !... and after he left I pushed the walker in the cabinet and I forgot about it.

Wheelchair has a much better grip !
I also got a bunch of drugs that I have to take daily, with different schedules:
RANEX, CONTRAMAL, GERALGINE, CIPRO, CORASPIN, LYRICA, LAROXYL,
I set 4 daily alarms on my phone to remind me about the drugs and magnet, at: 8:00 / 16:00 / 20:00 / 00:00, because some are one/day, or two/day, or three/day

27 dec

I woke up at 8 and I moved to wheelchair, so to go to food area.
I put 2 big towels on me and I went there to pick some food. On the way back, the card stopped working, now in the elevator. And me, with the dish of food on my lap, I had to go again to reactivate the card…

At 4 pm the nurse came to my room with a guy. He opened a big plastic case and showed me the wonder: a special device called External Remote Controller (ERC) that is used to make the Precice nail slowly lengthen. The ERC has a magnet inside it that rotates. He put it on my point of osteotomy and showed me how to use it. I did the whole time loop on the other leg and done. Then asked me to give a signature that I am responsible for the machine… and he left.
BTW, doctor Ghokan told me that the space between bones after surgery is 4-5 mm. So, starting today I have to add these mm to total calculation.
I negotiated with doctor and he accepted 3 times a day, instead of 4, because I really want to sleep at night, not to wake up at 3 am !
So, every session has 0.35 mm and total per day is 1.05 mm.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT ADVICE:
Never drink water before sleeping, because you have to use the duck or to get more pain moving yourself to the bathroom, instead of sleeping !
And, guys, duck is not for us !... Nobody can do it perfect so not peeing himself !
I did it twice, because I thought is "convenient"... but actually its only a pain and you will hate yourself about how stupid you are... and then going to bathroom anyways, to clean yourself and change your underwear + bed sheet !

[4cm]

Respect man

[Ted68]

Respect man

Thanks, man !

[Ted68]

28-30 Dec

All these days was same. I pushed drugs in me, I had an acceptable 4/10 pain, I was same groggy and I used the ERC on schedule.
Also, almost every day the card stopped working in elevator or at the front of my door. So embarrassing for the hotel !... and they never apologized for that, saying I kept it near phone, near metals, etc… but actually I never touched the card to anything.
I was embarrassed to go for food wrapped in big towels, so I asked for a bathrobe, but everybody said that they don’t have. Hmmm, how come ?
So I found a flier of hotel with the massage service and bathrobes in picture. I showed
to my nurse and suddenly she remembered “Yes, we have it”…. No kidding !
She called somebody and in 5 minutes I had 2 clean bathrobes. Next day I went to the buffet, proud like a king with a new white bathrobe… with the dish on my lap.
Guys, I am telling you all these, so you can understand that YOU HAVE TO CREATE YOUR CONDITIONS, YOUR HOME, otherwise nobody cares !

31 Dec - 2 Jan

After those days of normal suffer and adapting to the new condition... in the morning i woke up and my body was full of sweat !.... Man, I never seen that sweat on my body, ever !  All my hair, face, clothes, bed sheets, pillow.... just full of sweat !
I lift my torso vertically and I felt next second a BAD nausea ... I started to vomit in bed, hopefully I had a bag.... and i went to the bathroom to take a shower.
I had the special chair there, but I never took a shower before, because the bandages.
I took the shower, and I vomit again, in the shower !.....and I did it 4 times !
I was scared, desperate and confused... everything worked well and predictable, so far…
Other big problem was the constipation, because was a silent one for 7 days ...
First hours I thought I was eating some rotten food, I got toxi-infection and... done. But NOT, was much worse !!
I finished vomiting, I washed my body, I pushed lots of warm water in my full colon and I started the enema... eliminated most of them, but I found a big piece of rock and I wondered how it get there... but actually was my poop transformed in a hard rock. So,  I put lubricant, I prayed to God and I started pushing. After 20 minutets was out.... I was lucky was no bleeding, but I still felt the pain after 3 days !
Guys, doctor didn't tell me 3 bad reactions after taking 2 painkillers, 3 times a day, plus a Morphine sticker:  MASSIVE SWEATING, NAUSEA WITH VOMITING AND SOLID ROCK CONSTIPATION !
I had all of them for all my life, but on a much lower level...
Doctor came to see me and he explained to me told me that happened because the high Adrenaline after the surgery my body fought a lot. Once the Adrenaline decreased, the body became vulnerable to anything... So, I got it, IN A BAD WAY !
After taking pain killers again, I realized had nothing to do with the food and toxi-infection... it was because the Morphine !
I said to doctor that I will never take those 2 pain killers and he accepted. Actually I stopped 24 h to take any pills. But now my anus was extremely affected and swelled, so finally he gave me a cream to heal it...
So, these 3 days was worse than the days after surgery !

[Ted68]

3-4 Jan – everything was stable

5 Jan

I started to feel an increased pain in the right thigh and I couldn’t sleep anymore. Usually I sleep with the lower legs on a pillow and another 2 pillows onbsides. But now, whatever I put, nothing worked !
For my continuous increased pain, the PT guy suggested me to take Geralgine only, not Contramal, because Geralgine is a light analgesic and doesn’t give those bad effects as the morphine is giving. Yes, I checked and contain only Paracetamol + Codeine. So, I started to take 3/day…
6 January
The Geralgine did NOTHING !... I have the same continuous pain in the right thigh. I am so stressed about, because is too much !
Today afternoon I did enema, again, because its been 7 days and I suspect that the constipation is back. And it was a good decision, because I had only few hard small stones, but if I had delayed few more days, it could have been much worse !
The pain increased in the right thigh and is permanent. I cannot sleep and I cannot do PT normally !
When going to sleep tonight, I will start to take Melatonine.
Today I should have around of 15 mm longer gap, as I calculated…

7 Jan

The Melatonine didn’t work at all. Same level of pain. I am desperate. This kind of continuous pain can drive you to depression !
Today is Sunday and the second PT guy came !... I appreciate that !
And when the guy started the PT procedures, in my room came a manager or supervisor, telling me “they had today 5 (FIVE) complaints against me because I came in the buffet area in bathrobe”. I asked him: - Sir this is a stupid joke ?... How can I have 5 complaints today, suddenly ? – No, is not and we ask you to dress properly with t-shirt and pants !
I was confuse listening this idiot request and I told him: - Sir, I came in bathrobe more than 10 times and you never reacted against. Also, I have pain 24/7 and I stay only in underwear all the time, and only for 5 minutes in the morning, and not every day, I put my bathrobe. – We ask you to change your clothes. – I said I will not because it gives me more pain. But, in this case I will start to order food in my room ! – OK
I called Batu, he did a research and he found something incredible: it was 5 muslim women together,  who was “horrified” because my bathrobe and because they saw my hair on the chest. Obviously I am sure they also saw my Christian Cross on necklace and that was more horrifying... 
So, guys, I am the only person in the whole hotel who stays for 4 months… and the rest of them stays only few days. So, the hotel didn’t give a s-hit on the most important guest… but they acted right away in favor of people who stays maybe only 2 days !
Another embarrassing moment of the hotel…
…………………………
Coming back to the PT session, the problem is that the pain increased to 7/10 and I crawled like a snake in the bed, moaning loudly, to can get on his special table. I asked him: - Man, WTF is going on, is worse and worse !... Do you have any analgesic cream ?... He looked around, and he found a tube with a cream, which was left by the other PT guy and he said: this is good for you, it has anti-inflammatory and analgesic !  The substance is Ibuprofen.
Right away I used the cream on my right leg…and after  one hour it reduced my pain from 7/10 to 4/10… Unbelievable !
The tragi-comic fact is that cream stayed 3 days up on the shelf and no one of PT guys told me about it… and I was moaning and screaming for 3 days !
So, this is the f-u-c-king life, you know !
At the night,  one hour before sleeping I used it again and, guys…. I COULD SLEEP CONTINUOUSLY, WITH VERY LOW PAIN !
I thanked to God for my inspiration to ask the guy for a cream, otherwise, the PT guys would ignore the cream few more days, until eventually I could die by suicide…
Fortunately, now I have a powerful ally, named Ibuprofen and I feel more confident and  with the will to live !
Again, I resolved by myself something…

[Ted68]

8 Jan - finally the up to date diary !

I asked one of the PT guys to bring me some plastic ties so I can hang the soap/shampoo holder that I bought it with Batu in the second day after arriving. So, today he brought ties and I hang it very well by the tap. I put 4, just to be sure will stay, so today I took my first normal shower… because they have nothing on the wall.

So, another problem resolved by myself !

The PT guy was nice always with me and 10 days ago he helped me covering the LED of smoke sensor with a electric tape, which disturbed me every night, being like a flash in my eyes.
Today I have 13 days of lengthening, so that means 14 mm total and in few days I will do the checking x-rays.
Now I want to tell you something about ERC machine. This primitive machine doesn’t show you if actually is doing something. On the display you can see only the lengthen you set and it stops when the countdown finished.
But if the nails are defective or bent, you put it in wrong place on the limb or the rotation is not complete… it doesn’t say.
So, for example me, I struggled to respect the schedule for 2 weeks, I supported the magnet weight on my legs, etc… but I can find in x-rays that it actually did nothing !
So, this Nuvasive company should improve his ERC as soon is possible !

[TheDream]

Good thing the Ibuprofen cream works! Hope you get more nights of good sleep.

The hotel setup sounds a bit awkward though as the only person there doing LL mixed with normal guests.

[Ted68]

Good thing the Ibuprofen cream works! Hope you get more nights of good sleep.

The hotel setup sounds a bit awkward though as the only person there doing LL mixed with normal guests.

Yes, man, Ibuprofen saved me !
With the hotel I have every day problems... but I prefer to not escalate conflicts.

[Acemace86]

You had x-rays that showed the nails did not lengthen?

[Ted68]

You had x-rays that showed the nails did not lengthen?

Not yet. They scheduled me for Friday 12.
The problem is that I don't know anything because this primitive ERC, as I said.
Friday I should have ~ 17.5 mm already... but I can have a bad surprise to find zero mm !
So, I need a better device which says exactly if the nail receive the signal, the rate of spinning in nails, if I positioned correctly the magnet, the power of signal, etc. So, I need a device with a good communication with nails and a permanent feedback.
But, in my case, I do it blindly and I have to wait and stay stressed 2 weeks to see the x-rays result... otherwise I don't know anything ! 

[Robert Adam]

Hi. Write about everything you do. I am 49 years old.

[Ted68]

Hi. Write about everything you do. I am 49 years old.

Welcome to my diary, Adam !
The age is just a number, as long as you have a clean life and you do maximum to improve it... because looking to new generations you can see they ruin their health before 40's !
We can talk in pm, so you can tell me details about you...

[Acemace86]

Ok please update when you get the x-rays.

[Ted68]

Ok please update when you get the x-rays.

Of course, man !
I will put here the xrays that I got next day after surgery and then the surgery got Friday, so we can compare.
For me its a very important moment !

[Ted68]

9 - 10 Jan

Today doctor Ghokan gave me a surprise and came to me. I told him I am MUCH BETTER after stopping the Contramal  and after finding Ibuprofen cream.
He was happy to see me ok, because last time he saw me ruined…
We talked about many things, including personal things. I found I am 5 years older than him, and that was a bit funny, but my respect for him didn’t decrease at all. For me he is maybe the best orthopedist in Turkey and one of the kindest person I ever met in my life !
He told me that my entry incisions healed, so not need to put bandages anymore and now I can entry in the swimming pool.
I showed him my left brake of my wheelchair loose, so my wheelchair became unstable and very unsafe. So, doctor right away turned it upside down to see what is going on. I was so embarrassed that my doctor  is doing that. I said: Please, doctor, you make me feel embarrassed and I don’t want to bother you !
When he turned it upside down I saw right away where are the adjustment screws, because I am good technician, worked all my life with tools and worked 20 years in bikes industry. I said: - Sir, I can fix it in few seconds, but I need a 4mm hex wrench. Next second he called the technical department in the hotel and after 15 minutes a guy came with the cheapest hex set I ever seen… like a Dollar Store one. I thought: Wow, these guys from the hotels are really cheap, or they hired cheap workers asking them to bring their personal tools !
Anyways,  I didn't disturb him and he tight it somehow, but after doctor left I used the chair and the brake was just a bit better than before. I called the PT guy and I asked him to bring me a hex set tomorrow, so I can adjust it with my hand...

Next day he came with the hexes and I adjusted both properly and equally, telling him how good quality wheelchair is this… He answered:  - Of course is good, because is a very expensive one. So how come ?... And he said: - Because this is 5000 Euro one, left by an ex patient to me after he finished !
Ohh, this is not a wheelchair from the hotel ?... – Ohh, no. They have only crappy regular ones. But I brought it special for you !
Ohh, man, now I realized my wheelchair is a Carbon fiber, Folding one and, of course, the hotel will NEVER buy such an amazing wheelchairs for customers. The model is a Ottobock Zenit Carbon.
I appreciated a lot what he did and I told him that…

Few minutes later we went to main level, for MY FIRST DAY IN THE POOL !
For me is the most important day since the surgery !
After 2 weeks of suffering finally I can feel I am a normal free walking person, not a crippled one.
 I put a swim brief on me, the bathrobe and I grab the swimming cap, because is mandatory. BTW, the hotel told me, when I had the hotel tour, that they charge me 8 Euro for the cap. No kidding, I said. And I found a used one, I wash it… and done.
So, we arrived to the pool and I was excited like a boy, because I can walk freely, after 2 weeks of staying only in bed and wheelchair…
They, PT guy and the nurse, supervised me to safely move from wheelchair to plastic sunbed and then to the floor. Then, being to the edge of the pool, going straight in the water. They was happy I did it well from the first time and after 2 minutes they left.
The pool is large enough and the entry in the water it has a special slope to the bottom, with handle rails along the entire length of the slope. Good job Antwell hotel !
The deepness  is 1.50 m, perfect for adults, but not for children.
The temperature is 20 C, but it should be 24-25 C for muscles and bones, so I felt it a bit colder, for the whole our.
Guys, again, if the hotel hadn’t have this pool… I wouldn’t start this crazy LL journey !...Period !
So, being my profession, the PT guy leaved me alone to do whatever I need.
I did many walking exercises and different static exercises, for one hour. Then I lift the body to the floor, then to the sunbed, then to the wheelchair where I put a thick towel…
It was great, as expected !

[Ted68]

12 Jan - the big day

Hi, guys.
For me its a big day because finally I could see what happened with my bone after starting elongation.

X-rays - 2 days after surgery:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XiJ2yf4UdAAXUhkp9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Mxz53bYtU915eDfw5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zoUjEnDu3pfHRBf38
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dk2UDtHtYSqhQw3V9

X-rays - 20 days after surgery
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kVF54FDH1ZCj5WC2A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UUnwRt8g9WgKmBnR7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9jPtsxmTLptuhmqG9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2nDs6ECKA4Zw5yXC9

I don't know how many mm I gained, but, at least I am happy it worked and now I got a bigger gap !

Guys, as I told you, they brought me the oldest ERC model, named ERC1 which doesn't give you any "live" information about the nail. It only says the elongation setup rate and when it finished to work... BUT NOTHING ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENS WITH THE NAILS.
I didn't tell you first time, because another embarrassing moment, but I tell you now...The brought me a very dirty unit (I am pretty sure never been cleaned). So, I used 5 cotton pads with alcohol, so I could clean the machine, the display unit and cables. They just take the unit from a patient... and give it to another... just as it is !
 
Now, the Nuvasive factory released the 4-th generation one, named ERC-4P, which is much more evolved.

Here is dr. Paley talking about it:




And here you have the ERC-4P user manual:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj278qegNiDAxU0D7kGHdvLCl0QFnoECAoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nuvasive.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F06%2FLC0265_D_English.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2qeJG_3j7jcleeb2JUXoE2&opi=89978449


I would like to have it and, guys, we pay big money for these surgeries, so we deserve to have and use the best technology, not to give us crappy old devices... don't you think ?

[Acemace86]

What did your Doctor say about your bone growth?

[Ted68]

What did your Doctor say about your bone growth?

He said "is very good, with already started callus formation around gap".
He said the gap now is 18-19 mm.
My big concern is the left femur, where the proximal bone is not aligned with the distal one anymore, in sagittal plane !
But, still, doctor said its ok... So, all I have to do is to hope that everything will be ok...

[Sigma]

X-rays look good. How are you right now? I hope you are well.