My muscles are among the thickest they have ever worked with- because of this mixed with the fact I was pressing down lighter on my left, I lengthened significantly less. I'm pretty bummed something totally preventable is A. causing me a ton of pain and B. Gonna set things back presumably.
Regardless I am still in a good place overall considering no serious issue.
Had to use a lot of painkillers to get through yesterday but all good here now for the most part. Really can't believe how much worse doing 2 MM(even 1 MM wasn't fun, took a minute break between), but the last half of the second MM became insanely painful in a way I can't even explain which lasted that way for the next 12 hours or so.
I haven't been sleeping very well- mostly for an hour or so, usually waking up stiff, dry mouthed, and sometimes in a bit of a confusion. I blame the pain meds, but barring any more really excruciating lengthening sessions I think the worst of the pain is done and that I'll be able to scale those back. Water, getting up. moving around. and stretching for awhile gets me feeling like a new person within the hour- So I advise everyone to keep as active as possible if they are feeling like death, much like the hospital, but to a lesser extent.
Somewhat dreading lengthening my left leg today but I am sure even pressing down hard as hell, that doing it in smaller increments won't come close to triggering an extended painful response.
I took no pain meds today and already did Pt and honestly am not that very pained- lengthening(at least hopefully, though I'm pressing down with a good couple hundred pounds of force)my left side fortunately wasn't excruciating and I'm all recovered on my left from the 2mm. I'm noting more aches overall in my more lengthened right side, but nothing too bad.
Sleep schedule is very odd. Last night couldn't fall asleep till pretty late, slept for an hour, woke up, slept for two or so hours and woke up pretty close to PT/breakfast. Did those then came back and passed out for another hour or two.
Right now, oddly, the thing thats bothering me is feeling like I need to go to the bathroom a lot(both 1 and/or 2), I figure its either me coming off the pain meds or the other meds Im taking, but its just a very perpetual uncomfortable feeling.
Right now my hopes are that all issues that really eat up my focus dissipate so I can be comfortable and entertained, and that with me applying a ton of pressure that my left leg is now lengthening equally, which is certainly my biggest concern.
Didn't sleep well as usual last night, but once I'm actually tackling the day I feel fine. Pt went well as usual and I ended up lapsing into sleep when I got back to the hotel.
Ended up hanging out with that girl again now that I'm more capable and feeling more human and we went shopping, with me resolving to use my walker as much as possible starting today. I got new shorts since my swollen hips had my others not fitting and an overpriced foam roller for PT.
Also got some heating pads to see if they help with the sleep, and took a valium as per my PT's recommendation.
Will see how tonight goes, and more importantly the x rays tomorrow morning.
I do think the pads helped- I managed a solid 2 and a half or 3 hours of sleep, but awoke to the usual extreme discomfort. It is tolerable though and there is always the literal light at the end of the tunnel of morning, moving around, eating, being distracted by conversation/company(which really does help).
Weirdest thing is- I'm no longer really medicated but when I wake up its in a delirium, almost without fail- Which is not normal for me. Usually I think something is happening that isn't, like just now I woke and an entire scenario of people coming up to get me for PT played out in my mind and I was jostling around starting to get ready(more just jostling around but I'd convinced myself it was for the purpose of the latter), and it literally took around five or ten minutes to realize it was 2 30 am. Usually these bouts of confusion are shorter, and I think thats in part due to the fact my sleep tonight was deeper.
I'm not really complaining mind you, its just strange since its clearly correlated to the surgery- not just a change of scenery since the week I spent here pre op I slept like a baby and woke up totally normal.
So, I know although I seem like I've been a bit of a downer about things, I do usually compose them at night, when things don't seem so great. It does seem like things are getting better, I am certainly the most well rested from a single sleep than I have been in a long while. Also embracing the company was a good idea, it makes the days go faster and just talking to people. Spending a "normal" day out and about did seem to fix my troublesome bathroom issues too.
Its just a matter of hours until the big news about my left legs lengthening rate. I actually have a good feeling though since my left leg is certainly seemingly feeling stretched and having similar sensations as my right.
So far so good besides "minor problems" keep it up bud!
Fantastic news- My legs are lengthening beautifully and the discrepancy from before is negligible at this point. Beyond this, I have been given pool approval which I took full advantage of right after PT, with my friend from Hong Kong who showed me the ropes.
I've talked to my LL friends and they report similar sleeping issues. Hopefully this improves at least somewhat however- this is really my main complaint at the moment- but as bad as it is then, during the day it is like a distant memory. At this current rate I will have reached my goal by mid october or so, assuming I decide to lengthen the full amount.
Let this be a cautionary tale to muscular LL'ers to always press down HARD when using the magnet.
Today was packed with exercise- going everywhere on the walker really takes it out of you- plus the time spent in the pool. Heck I may actually sleep semi properly tonight due to exhaustion, which would be more than welcome!
Good to hear that you are doing great.
Did you go shopping with your walker, how was that trip, was it exhausting?
If you don't sleep good at night, can you take naps during the day, or you don't want to do that?
In the pool, do you just walk or do you swim?
Lots of good questions. I think a long shopping trip on the walker would by physically impossible- I walked from my room to the elevator, took it from 3 to 1, walked to the lobby, out front where my lady friend had brought her vehicle and got inside. We drove to the store and I got on one of those ridiculous scooter things for the actual shopping. After getting back I felt bold and told her just to park and I'd walk through the parking lot instead of being dropped off in front. That proved exhausting and more than I should have bit off for my first day using the walker seriously.
I do nap sometimes when truly exhausted but these are equally unfulfilling, although anything to chip away at time I consider a good thing. Its not the actual hour of day that makes sleeping difficult, just that sleeping in general is rough.
In the pool I do both, usually with a noodle because you will find balance to be surprisingly difficult to achieve. Kicking is much harder than I thought it would be but great exercise.
I had easily my best sleep last night, of around 4-5 hours and after breakfast, came back for several more. So it seems like exercise is gonna be the name of the game for me, which had been my original plan anyhow.
One new annoyance is my butt(or lack of it at this point) is starting to get sore from anything, even just lying down in bed.
Overall things are again, looking better. Hopefully the days start melting away now that I'm sleeping more. I googled trying to find an outcall PT since my insurance covers it, but had no success. Something like that would be phenomenal in terms of keeping me loose before bed/in general and passing the hours, especially on days like today where I have no PT at the center.
You might want to google, Home health nursing company. Usually, home health nursing and physical therapy are all the same company and provide variety of services.
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