joo_joo2704 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I'm wondering which type of sports you did after the surgery? Did you use your legs a lot in those? I have been also active for a long time(that's why my calves are muscular) but I am gonna just do aero dance, zumba, aerobics after the op! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linney Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 hi gondolarez, thanks for sharing your story. I tried PM but couldn't send anything to you. feel free to PM me if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gondolarez Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I picked up martial arts because it's something I've been dreaming about since I was young! And I'm glad I picked it up because it's so much fun but yeah, I do use my legs a lot. I actually use more of my left leg than my right, but I guess with any training, both would develop muscles But it really depends on the shape of your muscles! My right calf muscle was pretty long to begin with so Dr. Park couldn't excise all of it. He says that the gastroblabla muscle isn't really needed for us to move about, that the muscle behind it will support our movements right? So I guess when we lead an active lifestyle, that gets muscular, and on top of my un-excised calf muscle... it's a horror I tried to take some pictures but the tiptoe part didn't come out quite right cox it's difficult taking them alone! Left leg:imageshack.com/a/img819/2199/1m9s.jpgUploaded with ImageShack.com Right leg:imageshack.com/a/img19/6729/h0y7.jpgUploaded with ImageShack.com Right leg when I tiptoe:imageshack.com/a/img14/4065/urnt.jpgUploaded with ImageShack.com Both legs from the back when I tiptoe (this is pretty bad quality, I know):imageshack.com/a/img96/5733/vgwf.jpgUploaded with ImageShack.com Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gondolarez Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Hey! I'm still a new member, and although I've posted more than 10 posts, I still haven't reached the minimum of 5 days of using this account yet! I will PM you once I do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linney Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 sounds good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joo_joo2704 Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 gondolarez! Thank you so much for sharing your photos. The muscular part of my lower legs is pretty bulged up! But the fact is that basically my muscles are very potential to develop! So do you think I will regain muscle by even zumba, aerobics...after the op? By the way, I know that Dr.Park does not do TOTAL resection of the gastro muscle (in the method of calf resection surgery) cause the other muscles will compensate for it so I couldn't get you when you said he couldn't excise all of the gastro muscle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gondolarez Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I think it depends on how long your original muscle is, not how bulged up it is! Cox it seems that girls with very short bulging calf muscle tend to end up looking picture perfect after the surgery. I think it's because he can only excise the top like, 1/3 of your lower leg? He said he can't go too low, it's not safe etc. I actually emailed a German doctor before about my problem and he said he can't do anything about it cox the muscle behind the gastro muscle is compensating for it, but since Dr. Park does not do total resection of the gastro muscle cox the other muscles will compensate for it... I have no idea. I can only guess that either the remaining gastro muscle developed, or other muscles developed and kind of push the remaining gastro muscle out, or horror of horrors, it's a combination of both. I know how some members have talked about the hollow part in their lower legs being filled out slowly as time went by, but in my case, when I tiptoe, there's a horrible empty space where my muscle was, but then again, it may be because of the problem above. I didn't pick up sports right after the surgery.. In fact, I gave it a year of rest before I even did anything strenuous. I can't remember where I read this, but some girl was saying that she loves sports and she waited a year to play again, and she seemed okay. That was waaay back then before I started the surgery, so I don't know if she has the same problem as me now. I don't blame Dr. Park. In fact, I think he's a skilled doctor, but maybe in my kind of case, the surgery doesn't give us the results that we wanted and it's just such a disappointment because 6k isn't a small amount of money. So a word of advice for girls like me, either stop leading an active lifestyle altogether, or go for nerve ablation surgery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skim3 Posted October 11, 2013 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Gondolarez, Thanks for sharing your experience. I think I have muscles like yours so I am losing hope that I can have this surgery. Have you tried Botox injections of the hypertrophied part? Some do it for their whole legs, but you only need it on a small part. Every muscle group of my legs are hypertrophied. Every time I get a massage the masseuse always makes a huge comment about them that TOTALLY ruins the mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linney Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 sorry i haven't been able to update everyone on my status. here is a quick recap of how my recovery is going so far. after the 5th day, i did experience the extreme tightness that most people go through. i felt like i was going backwards in my recovery since my calves became tighter and stretching became much more difficult. i flew out on the 8th day and dr. park aspirated for me before i headed to the airport. i requested for wheelchair assistance at the check-in counter which was really helpful since it would have been physically uncomfortable to stand in line for customs and security clearance, as well as walk through such a large airport. on the plane, they gave me a seat where i had a wall in front of me which allowed for more room to elevate and stretch. i had a 13 hour fight and couldn't sleep much since i wanted to make sure i was stretching or walking around every 30-60 minutes. on the 8th day, i was still walking with a limp and very slowly. 6 week post op: i would highly recommend switching from wedges to flat shoes as soon as possible as this will help with continuous stretching. i started walking normally on day 11 and was fine to drive to work. the tightness in my calves still occurs whenever i get up from bed, although it is gradually getting better. i have been pretty religious about getting up every 30-45 minutes to stretch or walk around while at work so don't really feel much tightness from getting up from sitting when i'm in the office. however, i went to watch a movie on friday night and it was the first time i sat two hours straight without getting up and it did feel noticeably tighter. as far as strength, i am slowly regaining strength in my legs. i walked 3 miles (4.8 km) around a lake earlier today in less than one hour. i noticed i tired a bit more easily though, but just kept going. it is a big improvement compared to three weeks ago when i went to costco and became tired after 15 minutes of grocery shopping. so you have to slowly build up your strength i suppose. i am also seeing a physical therapist who is helping me with strengthening, balancing and stretching exercises. i second what ffxlulu says in regards to the time spent in stretching, massaging, bandaging, scar cream, etc. - the monotony of it all is annoying. this is a serious surgery, so be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for the recovery period of at least 6 months. the hardest part for me wasn't the actual surgery, it has been the recovery process and it doesn't help that i'm impatient. but overall, i feel my recovery is going fairly well. i was 39/40cm before surgery and now i am around 35.5/36. i am hoping i'll have more shape as the empty space starts to fill out a bit in the next several months. i have numbness in my outer left feet and right heel, but the numb patch is getting smaller compared to a few weeks ago so hopefully with time it will disappear soon. i want to thank a few gals (MnG, ffxlulu, jess) who have been a tremendous support during this recovery period! please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or would like more details. i'd love to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gondolarez Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Hi Skim, I didn't do botox because I figured it's gonna be really really temporary, so it's kinda like a waste of money? I heard that the muscles come back within 6 months, and because the doctor needs to use a lot more botox for your calves, it's more expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyglittery Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 and more dangerous... if it's the face it's pretty safe but calves would need so much more... sounds really risky! :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skim3 Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Gondolarez, you're right it is more expensive long term! I thought maybe the area needed to be treated wasn't too big since you already had surgery. My friend had it done to her calves pre surgery to see what it would look like prior to getting permanent surgery done. I don't know what it cost her, but she said it did decrease the bulkiness. She moved away and has not gotten the permanent surgery. I know Botox is a toxin but they give it to kids with cerebral palsy to loosen their contractures of their hands or arms. Anyway it was a thought. I wasn't attempting to poison you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skim3 Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 Linney and Ffxlulu, Thank you so much for your thoughtful reports. It is really appreciated believe me! In my head I think I'm a fast healer and surely I would be walking normally soon. I was even thinking about scheduling a hiking vacation a month after the surgery! So thanks for the humble pie! I plan to take 2 weeks off in April, work a week (sadly my job does require a decent amount of walking) then another 5 days off for a work conference where we just sit around and try to tell other people what to do . Your dedication is going to pay off! I had to wear a skirt for a play at church. I have 40cm calves and I am short. Two people pointed at my calves and asked me if I was training for a bike race. I didn't want to explain how I was born this way. I just said "yes" and went to confession for lying in church Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyangel11 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hi Gera36 Your calves look fine n good! I don't think you should do the surgery at all. If I have such calves like yours I wouldn't bother. But my calves are really fat n bulky n that's why Im contemplating this surgery which im so scared of as it seems so invasive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyangel11 Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hi Lavenderose Do you know what is the name of the surgeon n do you have his website? cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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