It has now been a month and a few weeks since my leg surgery and things I must say are moving quite satisfactorily. My leg bones have stretched a little more than an inch which means we are at the halfway point of the leg extension process. In the mean time, I have been keeping myself busy with writing stories and articles about my recovery and other brilliant ideas that come to mind! (chuckle) Writing is the perfect activity for someone who has to ‘sit’ all day! I also make good use of  laptop time while driving here and there to my therapies and my weekly hikes to Orlando.

“Ring, someone’s at the gate. Surprise!” I have been receiving visits from a few friends, beautiful flowers and get well cards. They want to check up on me, encourage me and brighten my day. Their visits made me pleased to know that I had many other people who cared for me. I didn’t realize how many special friends I have.

I placed pink roses in a blue vase at my writing desk that Ms. Michelle gave me. I smell the fragrance of the roses as I write. It makes me happy inside when I look at them. I propped a Minion balloon, which is incredibly still floating after a month, on the kitchen bar which looks at me while I write.

Visitations are a good distraction in my day and help it move faster. My days can often feel as if everything around me is moving in slow motion. My mom and sisters speak to me in a warbled voice. The images on the tv screen while I watch a movie seem to move at 39,000 FPS.  “Is this day going to ennnnnnnnd?” I sometimes think to myself. “How much longer do I have to bear the thought of not being able to walk?”

I’ve settled into a routine. If you have this type of surgery this is what you can expect. You will have to to see your doctor once a week so they can take x-rays and tell you how much longer your leg has gotten since your previous visit. The magnet therapy is 6x a day but it only takes 48 seconds each time. It’s a tiny 0.12 meter extension every time it is done. The magnet actually does the stretching.

I feel no pain whatsoever which makes it very cool when you think about it. My bones are pulling apart continuously yet I don’t feel it! The Precise inventors are geniuses! You’ll have to frequent your local rehab center 2x a week. I am a patient at Cleveland Clinic. I arrive at a high tech, modernly decorated facility. My mom wheels me inside. I check in and proceed to the waiting room and wait for my therapist.

I am with people of all ages with various medical conditions waiting to be called in. The color of the cream like walls are soothing and inviting. The comfortable looking chairs don’t matter to me since I can’t sit in them. I am greeted by my friendly therapist who takes me in.

Once inside he guides my chair to a bed where I then lie down and begin my therapy session. The therapist stretches the muscles of my legs so they don’t remain stiff while the extensioning is under way. He gently bends my knees, he has me pull my leg against a rubber band, he makes me squeeze a ball between my knees, and lastly push my foot down against his hand.

When I do these exercises my legs feel strange as if the muscles were actually made out of rubber. It is an annoying feeling at the beginning but as the the exercises progress my legs start to get some relief. There are no clocks in the room so I don’t even know how long my sessions are. But, I do know that by the end of the session I feel much better. Ahhh!       

On the bright side of things, my doctor estimated that I only have 4 to 5 weeks left! Yay! We can then move on to the next stage, but it all depends on the progress that I continue making. My doctor explained that we are now at the critical point of the extension. Since my legs are one inch longer, my doctor is concerned with how far my muscles can pull. That is why it is crucial for me to have physical therapy, so that my muscles are pliable and can take the extension until we have reached the goal of two inches. “Stretch...yikes!”

The almost final stage will be the healing and reattachment of the femur and the tibia bones. I hope my bones, tendons and muscles regenerate quickly and easily. Once the bones have filled in the gap I will begin my walking therapy. Since it has been many months since I last walked, I must relearn. It sounds crazy but I will be like a toddler again having to learn to take my first step. My family’s support keeps me going. They will stand by my side ‘every step of the way’ until I can walk on my own again,”Double, triple yay!”