molly2010 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Hi, I also had this surgery quite recently (in May), so will try to answer some of your questions. Firstly, I wouldn't advise going alone. I had it done at the same time as 2 other ladies I met on this forum and it made going through the whole operation so much easier. It is quite tough - you're in a lot of pain after, can't do very much for yourself and are pretty much confined to your hotel room for a few weeks, so having other people who were going through the same thing was great, and we actually ended up having a lot of fun together. I had general anaesthesia, and did not feel like eating much for a few days after. The other 2 girls had spinal and were much less tired than I was after & had no loss of appetite etc.. We stayed in the Young Dong hotel - there's a shop about 100m up the road, I could walk there about 2 days after the surgery, but it literally took about an hour to get there and back and I had to stop to take breaks on the way. You also swell up a lot in the first few days whenever you walk anywhere, so you should try to stock up as much as you can on water, fruit, yoghurt etc., things that are easy to eat so you don't have to go to the shop too soon. I had read a lot here about people saying they were able to walk normally after a few weeks, but even a few months after I had the surgery, I was still walking with a limp, and I know the same was true for the other girls who had it done at the same time as me. Flying back to Europe after 2 weeks was quite difficult - if you can wait a little longer you should, even 2.5 or 3 weeks would be a lot easier. I still couldn't walk too much at this stage. After around 4 weeks I could walk longer distances, but as I mentioned before, with a limp and swelling afterwards. The pain after the surgery was quite bad for the first week - I also had this kind of setback around day 5 or day 6 that a lot of people on here have mentioned, where I seemed to regress and wasn't able to walk or do the stretches too much again. Getting up in the morning was always the most painful as you stiffen up overnight and initially, it would take me half an hour to gradually inch my way into standing position. (Even now my calves are still stiff in the morning and I have to stretch a little) All of this was, though, made so much easier by having other people there with me who were also going through the same thing, so if you can organise to go at the same time as someone else from here I would definitely recommend you do that. The scar from the procedure is quite small and already I can barely see it unless I look very closely - just use some medipore/steristrips on them and they fade very quickly. Dr Park himself is great, very kind & very relaxed about the whole thing which puts you at ease. So otherwise feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try to respond as best I can! M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaredcat Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I think Dr Park was responsible for the South Korean legs.....hehehe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaredcat Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Mangochutney, thank you for this. Will definitely bring probiotics. I dont suppose we can skip the antibiotics? I feel so bad for my good bacteria so I definitely think I will be very upset whenever I am taking the antibiotics. I have not taken any for a looong time. Did you feel anything after taking them? Another stupid question. Would crutches help with the pain you think? I wonder if anyone used crutches in the first week? Just to take the weight off the legs when standing up, walking etc.... S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaredcat Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Molly, thanks-yes, was thinking of staying longer in Korea. Do you feel that you are still in recovery? Do you think the stiffness in the morning is to stay or is it getting better? Any more pain? Could you also share why you decided on GA and not SA? How are your results? Happy with them? Was it worth it? S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaredcat Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hello girls (and boys?), just want to say, hey, it will be 2012 soon! Thank you all for reading and replying to me. I hope 2012 will be a good year and a new beginning for many! This forum has been so great. Started out giving me a headache because though I have known of this procedure for sometime, I never seriously considered it until this forum. I used to think only really crazy girls do this. Then I read your posts, and read the decision making stages, the deliberations, the thoughts, the experiences, fears, joy, pain etc etc and I realise, hey, these are all intelligent women! Not just fanatics! And so it gave me 3 days of headache because for the first time, I had to make a decision too because this could really be an option! So thanks girls. I do not know if I will do it eventually. I hope so but even if I back out, I want to thank you all because it is not the same. I know so much more now about calves, G muscle, S muscle etc etc, exercises to avoid. HAPPY 2012!! xxx S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keleidoscope36 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I was thinking of going around end of feb but it may be too soon. Let me know how your plans firm up. I may decide to go second week of may till end of may. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangochutney Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Scaredcat, I didn't bring probiotics with me and it was my mistake. I have some digestive issues anyway, have not taken antibiotics for a long time too and therefore very sensitive for this stuff. When I was back home I started taking good quality probiotics immediately and now, 3 months later, I feel my digestion is almost restored. As for crutches... hmmm.. I saw the german site where they recommend using them for the first 2-3 days after this surgery, but Dr Park has never mentioned they would be useful. Actually, he pushes you to stand up and start doing stretches and walking (moderate ofc) as soon as possible (10-12 hours after the surgery and it hurts like hell:greengrin. So, my idea is crutches do help to reduce the pain but they make the recovery process a bit longer since you don't push yourself to start trying moving around on yourself. I would definitely bring lap top and something to read with you. The night you stay in a pretty small room in the clinic after the operation is soooo long if you cannot sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangochutney Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Before the operation I was wondering what the pain is like? Now from my own experience I would say my calves felt like tree trunks filled with burning cast iron (= swollen up + burning pain + terrible stiffness and tightness). My swelling was pretty bad and even Dr Park told me he wouldn't expect it to be so severe. What helped me to improve it tremendously is massaging my calves, although it also felt painful. My walking looked strange because I couldn't bend my legs properly and first 4-5 days was walking on almost completely straight legs. Also, I couldn't stay just standing straight (without moving) even for a couple of minutes due to poor blood circulation. I actually had a feeling my legs were going to explode. And ofc, as Molly2010 mentioned, getting up in the morning was a hell. But I guess I was lucky coz I never was walking with a limp and already one month after the surgery I was able to walk up to 7-8 km. Now I don't feel any pain on my calves at all, only a little bit tightness first thing in the morning but it disappears just after several first steps. But I have to mention that I always was an active one and maybe walking, pilates and jogging helped to speed up my recovery as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangochutney Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Flight back to Europe was just great thanks to airline assistance. I sent them an e-mail 3 days before my flight back asking if they could arrange something for a post-op passenger restricted in movement. At first they offered me to buy a seat in business class but then, since it was not an option for me, they managed to put us on the row with 4 seats so that 2 seats next to me were free so I could perfectly stretch my legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keleidoscope36 Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Happy new year to all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keleidoscope36 Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi Molly, how is it now more than 6 mos post-op? Did u see a definite change in your calves? Happy that u underwent the surgery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keleidoscope36 Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 hi Molly, but overall, six months after the ops, were u satisfied with the results? How many cms did u lose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glamorosa Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Yoga. some say that by just raising your legs up for couple of minutes after tiring day will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaredcat Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi Keleidoscope36, I am going to S Korea. I recall you said you were unsuitable and will be going to Taiwan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keleidoscope36 Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Hi scared cat, I think that was cristy? I mean, the one who Wants to try the doctor in Taiwan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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