Day one post-surgery marks the beginning of your recovery after this life-changing procedure. In the morning, you’ll still be in the intensive care unit. Both your anesthesiologist and I, along with a physiotherapist, will visit you to perform a risk assessment. We’ll determine whether you’re stable enough to be transferred to the general ward. For over 90% of patients, this is the point where we decide to move you to the normal ward, where the remainder of your hospital care will take place.
By now, the physiotherapist will have started guiding you through basic exercises, focusing on early mobility. These exercises are not just for regaining movement but are also vital for reducing the risk of blood clots, as movement helps prevent them. At this stage, your risk of fat embolism has significantly dropped, almost to zero. If your oxygen levels are stable, we’re confident that most of the immediate risks are behind you, which is why we proceed with the transfer to the general ward.
In the normal ward, you’ll have your own private room, complete with a bathroom, essentially a small apartment within the hospital. This will be your space for the next 10 to 14 days, where you’ll focus on recovery, but more importantly, you’ll begin learning how to adapt to your new reality following the surgery.
This involves mastering everyday tasks like using the bathroom, showering, eating, and getting dressed. Our multidisciplinary team will be with you daily, helping you regain your independence, and it’s incredible to see how quickly patients make progress even after such a significant surgery. I refer to it as “massive” because it involves both legs and has a considerable impact on your immediate post-operative function. However, thanks to our team’s support, patients usually recover quickly.
During this recovery phase, I will visit you at least once a day, often twice, to monitor your progress and ensure everything is proceeding safely. We’ll also perform x-rays to verify the results of the surgery, and I’ll share this with you so you can see the work we’ve done.
The exciting part begins between days 10 and 14 when we start the distraction process, which marks the beginning of your lengthening journey. Once you’re comfortable with the lengthening process, we’ll transfer you to our rehabilitation facility outside the hospital, where the next phase of your journey will unfold.
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