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[SpeedDialer]

Yeah hm... What will you use for nail removal? Pay Assayag out of pocket?

I'm debating whether I can became a part time online student in a cheap university not too far away from assayag https://shs.gmu.edu/insurance/ - > Then I would try to get on their school PPO healthcare plan, I was going to a class somewhere anyway

They have a Aetna ACA compliant PPO

But how do we find out the codes / numbers to verify with Dr. Assayag and insurance that nail removal would be covered? What kind of code or number would we need to give to the insurance to verify beforehand?

I am trying to avoid going to India because I'm afraid of the covid variants but before I was thinking Parihar for nail removal, not sure how much that costs

[ab608]

Yeah hm... What will you use for nail removal? Pay Assayag out of pocket?

I'm debating whether I can became a part time online student in a cheap university not too far away from assayag https://shs.gmu.edu/insurance/ - > Then I would try to get on their school PPO healthcare plan, I was going to a class somewhere anyway

They have a Aetna ACA compliant PPO

But how do we find out the codes / numbers to verify with Dr. Assayag and insurance that nail removal would be covered? What kind of code or number would we need to give to the insurance to verify beforehand?

I am trying to avoid going to India because I'm afraid of the covid variants but before I was thinking Parihar for nail removal, not sure how much that costs

He's in-network in my insurance, I have Aetna. I should still doublecheck whether removal will be covered though, I have to do that. You can email him or another American surgeon and ask him what CPT and/or ICD codes he has to bill nail removal under

[ab608]

Week 3!

walking, getting up from a chair, wall sits: https://imgur.com/a/CRRMqW5

[SpeedDialer]

!! Looking great!

When does Assayag recommend doing nail removal and how long does it usually take to recover?

[ab608]

I think it’s when he judges your bone to be healed enough, which is typically around a year. and from what i’ve read/seen on interviews and diaries, it takes around 6 weeks (give or take) to recover from it.

[LU213]

Your journal is very helpful.  Thank you for the spreadsheets and giving back to the community in such a big way.

[ab608]

Your journal is very helpful.  Thank you for the spreadsheets and giving back to the community in such a big way.

of course! so glad it's helpful. even though this forum can be a little wild at times, i'm so glad it exists because i've learned so much from it.

[mailer2]

How's your recovery so far, ab608? Are you able to go up and down stairs? Has the numbness in your shins gone away at all?

[PerfectBody]

congratulations! you're making awesome recovery!!

I remember us starting at roughly the same time. It's good to see you're doing well.

[ab608]

congratulations! you're making awesome recovery!!

I remember us starting at roughly the same time. It's good to see you're doing well.

hey, thanks so much! same to you, glad you're done and your recovery was smooth!

re: stairs - i can go up pretty well, but coming down is tougher. landing on my quad and then progressing down to the next step with the other leg, all in a controlled way is tough, i basically kind of crash down lol. need to keep doing more lunges, squats, etc to continue building quad/glute strength.

shins - i actually felt that numbness during lengthening, but somewhere towards the end of the process it disappeared. i can feel my shins fine now. but i do feel random nerve sensations all over still, with the majority being in my feet and shins. the worst it can get are what feel like electric zaps or shocks which last for 3-5 mins, but its not bad and goes away quickly.

otherwise, recovery is going pretty well, but it definitely has its ups and downs. these past 2 weeks i've been slacking so much on PT/training because work has been crazy. so during the weekdays, my gait is absolutely terrible and my stiffness is at its peak because i'm sitting for most of the day. and then to compensate for that, i stretch and work out really hard on the weekends, which helps a lot in making me feel less stiff, but then also causes a lot of pain haha. like all things, it's all about prioritizing and balancing. and in general, you have to accept that your walk is going to look different throughout the day, because the stiffness is always coming and going. but on the whole, things are definitely looking up.

i also had a followup with Dr A today which was great! giving a shoutout once again to him and his team for everything so far -- responsiveness, attention to detail, everything-- i'm so grateful to them; they're absolute legends. bone growth is looking great, i think one of my legs is completely healed and the other one is almost there. i still can't do any jumping or running/jogging, at least for the next 3 months/until the next follow up. the priorities are to keep strengthening and to continue stretching my IT bands, because they're messing with my gait.

i have to say that i'm feeling so much better and optimistic now that i can walk. getting the independence back is literally priceless. and tbh i'm really enjoying the process of learning how to walk again. i feel like i'm at a stage in my life where most of my big goals are vague and take such a long time to attain, so i love having such a concrete, straightforward goal like learning how to walk again to work on everyday. it's such a breath of fresh air! random but thought i'd share.

[ChangeMyLife]

Had my x-rays yesterday and somehow i'm miraculously 100% weightbearing now?!

x-rays: https://imgur.com/a/fvOx1Z6

Hey ab608! Your journey is amazing, and I wish you well in your recovery. It seems to me like there's a mild bend in the nail in your left leg. This is visible in the side view x-ray. Is this really the case, or is the photograph making it look that way? Either way, you are doing great. Keep up the progress!

[ab608]

Hey ab608! Your journey is amazing, and I wish you well in your recovery. It seems to me like there's a mild bend in the nail in your left leg. This is visible in the side view x-ray. Is this really the case, or is the photograph making it look that way? Either way, you are doing great. Keep up the progress!

thank you! hm yeah, i sort of see what you're saying. that x-ray was taken mid august and i've had another x-ray since then, and Dr Assayag didn't mention anything about a bend. i'm guessing the nails have a little bit of flexibility, and since the majority of my weight was being taken by my bones at that point, that much of a bend may not have been problematic. i'm not totally sure though; i can try to ask Dr A next time we speak

[ChangeMyLife]

I just noticed your newer x rays and there doesn't seem to be any nail bending. How has your progress been so far? How is your walking gait/leg strength?

[pokemon go]

hey ab608,

I want to ask you - what is the written on your official surgery papers for this procedure? LL or bilateral LL or cosmetic LL? Or something else like osteopathy or bone surgery?

it's better if the papers hide the fact that it was LL so I was asking...

thank you

[ab608]

I just noticed your newer x rays and there doesn't seem to be any nail bending. How has your progress been so far? How is your walking gait/leg strength?

i hope there's no bend! i didn't take pictures of my sept x-rays but yeah, i don't remember there being any noticeable bend + i think i had 4 cortices bone growth at that point, so i think my bones were and are taking a majority of my weight.

my gait looks pretty decent now, i'll try to take videos soon, but i still feel quite a bit of tightness around the side of my left thigh. definitely still dealing with tight IT band there which affects my gait - it makes my left leg swing out a bit instead of going straight in front of me. my strength has improved, i can go up stairs unassisted, but when coming down i still have to hold onto the railing. i'm able to stand up from chairs without holding onto things, but it still takes effort. i'm also still working on balance alongside all of that

[ab608]

hey ab608,

I want to ask you - what is the written on your official surgery papers for this procedure? LL or bilateral LL or cosmetic LL? Or something else like osteopathy or bone surgery?

it's better if the papers hide the fact that it was LL so I was asking...

thank you

not sure i get you - papers for what? do you mean for getting off from work? for that, i had to ask Dr A to send a letter/email directly to my company's HR. the letter was pretty vague - it just said i was getting surgery for an orthopedic condition on both legs and i needed 3 weeks to recover, and my HR was fine with that.

[ChangeMyLife]

Hey ab! How are things going for you?

[ab608]

i'm doing really well! my walk looks like 98% normal now. i keep procrastinating on taking a video but i will post it soon. i think it started to look really normal beginning/mid november, which was ~3 months after being cleared to weightbear. i'm also getting x-rays on monday so i'll try to post those. hopefully i'll be cleared to run and jump (although it'll probably take some time for me to actually begin doing that normally). strength-wise, i can do all of my normal daily activities perfectly normally, but i still struggle with lunges and squats. squats feel so awkward now because of the added length, but they're getting a lot deeper/my quads are getting stronger.

my hips get irritated very quickly though. i've had 2 episodes of bad hip pain, one of which i'm going through right now. the first time around, i'm not sure i did anything to trigger it, but this time i think i brought it on by being a bit more aggressive than i should've at the gym. also,  i mentioned this a few months ago, but my right leg still appears slightly shorter than the left. we've confirmed there isn't a bone length discrepancy, so the cause is definitely muscular. if i stretch my right leg really aggressively, it'll become the same length as the left, but otherwise, it'll be a bit shorter. my PT thinks that the muscles around the right hip are really tight and basically pulling the leg up - i wonder if that's what's happening. it's not a noticeable difference and doesn't affect my gait, but i do worry that having that difference puts stress on my left hip and causes it to flare up painfully more often, and just causes my pelvis to be off/out of alignment (this is also according to my PT - she always has me "reset" my hips whenever i see her. i'm not sure if that actually helps, but i hope it does). i think eventually it'll stretch out, i'll just need to keep stretching. my uneducated theory is that my hip muscles are still really tight and guarded because of the surgery and that it'll take a while for them to loosen up.

[lostinsole]

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing the video.

[height-dream]

Hi! Thanks for the update!! Hope you are doing well!


I have question regarding pre surgery, did you in anyway tried to get "ready" for surgery? Eating healthier, working out, taking supplements - etc?

[ab608]

Hi! Thanks for the update!! Hope you are doing well!


I have question regarding pre surgery, did you in anyway tried to get "ready" for surgery? Eating healthier, working out, taking supplements - etc?

hi! i did stretch hamstrings/quads/hip flexors quite a bit before surgery, but it was all in the month before, so i'm not sure how effective it was. i think i got lucky in terms of flexibility because i've always been naturally flexible, so i didn't have *so* much trouble with tightness during lengthening (i definitely did at times with quads + hip flexors, but overall i didn't run into any huge issues). but if i were to do this again, i would def stretch a lot more well in advance of the procedure. i think that'll just set you up for success during lengthening + get you used to the discipline that you'll need for stretching both during lengthening and after. i think you could also start taking vitamin D and calcium supplements before surgery too, but i would confirm that with your surgeon before starting that. in terms of working out, i hear/read on the forums that bulking up muscle mass may make you tighter, so maybe stay away from that? i don't know, the jury might be out still on that. but definitely work out upper body if you're doing precice!

[alwayslucky]

Hey, ab608，it's nice to see you recover well! This is a great progress
I would like to ask you, what tests did you undergo before operation? For example, check some hidden diseases. Recently, I'm worried about whether there are some hidden diseases that will make me unable to perform surgery.
Thank you for your answer!

[Californian]

great progress, how many months are you post OP now? are you able to run/jump/treadmill jog?
how long did you stay in Baltimore? im planning for 5 months post OP, and how long until you stopped PT by Sinai? thanks!

[musicloverincal]

It has been a while since the last post.  Are you back 100%?  Anything you would do differently?  Also did Aetna cover the surgery or just the nail removal.