Keep pushing through. The pain is intense but remember that it is temporary. You've put in a lot of time, money and dedication to get to where you are right now.
Think of it this way. You are incredibly blessed to be where you are right now. You have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get taller. An opportunity that millions of men and women around the world WISH they had but can't due to financial / economic/ regulatory constraints. You are here with your legs voluntarily broken, $100k in, with the best doctor in the world overseeing you, with the most advanced limb lengthening technology ever, with a simple goal, to get taller. Be thankful for that and make the most of this incredible opportunity.
Pain is completely normal at this stage. Tightness is completely normal at this stage. What you are experiencing is the same thing that I myself, and hundreds of other LL patients at Paley's experienced before you. You aren't special in that regard. Push through.
Couple of questions:
1) How much time are you putting in stretching and physical therapy? Stretching is key. I can't stress this enough. For context, I stretched 4 to 5 hours a day throughout distraction in ADDITION to going to PT at Paleys. I had below average flexibility. All my life before LL I couldn't even touch my toes while standing. I stretched every day leading up to it and got to the point where I could do it. Point is our bodies are amazing and with the right mindset and discipline you can hit milestones.
2) Were you dependent on pain meds / oxy? I'm surprised you have finished your oxy this early. I rationed mine out throughout the entire lengthening stage. I only used it when the pain escalated to extreme highs. Yes I felt a dull pain throughout the whole experience but I stayed off the oxy and my body soon developed a tolerance for the pain. I took Tylenol regularly. A lot of people who quit early took way too much oxy in the beginning and neglected PT and stretching and once the oxy ran out and their prescription wasn't refilled guess what......they couldn't handle the pain and gave up. Oxy is not a cheat code, it should be viewed as a last resort emergency resolution to when pain escalates, outside of that, PT and pain tolerance should carry you through.
3) How did you finance this procedure? If you paid with your hard earned cash just think about how much this will set you back financially for a couple of CMs.
4) I know the pain is intense now, but try to think back on how bad the height neurosis was before LL. Imagine going through all this, not hit your height goal, only to quit and return to life with height neurosis. For me, after doing LL it completely freed me of height neurosis. The pain from the surgery and tightness is nothing compared to the daily pain and shame I felt with height neurosis. Embrace the pain now knowing that it will all be worth it on the other side.
Author
Topic: 2nd post for me...just got out of surgery today (Read 2527 times)