How can I make my calves smaller?

[linney]

day 1:

i met with dr. park right before surgery and he drew on my calves. later, i was taken to the operation room. i was really nervous at this point - must have been the longest 30 minutes ever. they prepared the IV saline drip, then the anesthesiologist came in and had me turn on my side (in fetal position) so he can locate where to inject. the nurses wiped my legs down to prepare for surgery. my legs started feeling numb at this point and after that i went to sleep shortly after.

i woke up as they were wrapping up my legs. and was moved to the recovery room. i didn't experience the shivering most gals felt, but felt the heat they put underneath me. i was mostly in a daze and i couldn't quite go back to sleep afterwards. throughout the night, i needed help going to the restroom twice and the other three times i managed to go by myself. amy showed me the belly to wall stretch. she gave me the thumbs up and said i was doing it well.

 

[linney]

day 2:

the stretches were definitely much harder today. it is so painful doing the stretches, so far susan (other nurse) showed me two exercises - belly to wall and squat. i haven't been religious about doing them consistently every 30 minutes so each time i try it hurts like hell. i'll be back to work on day 10 and am afraid i will be walking like a humpback grandma. right when i get up, i have to hunch over since it's hard for my knees to be straight. after i get myself to do the stretches, i manage to go upright for a bit. i'm trying to walk barefoot in the hotel room, but man it kills. ffxlulu - does the tightness get better? if so, what day do the stretches and tightness get easier?

as for my legs, i can't tell the difference yet since it's bandaged and very bruised and swollen. at this point, i just want to recover soon. i am at 8 posts now, so hopefully can PM soon.

 

[linney]

day 3:

i am timing myself today to make sure i am stretching every 30 minutes. but each time i get up from my legs resting and elevated for 25 minutes, it still feels really tight. i know it will eventually help with the recovery, but so hard to stay positive because each time i get up to stretch again it goes back to being super tight. hopefully by dinner time, i will start feeling better to do light walking outside of the hotel. this surgery is taking a lot out of me and i'm just counting the days for the recovery process to be over.

 

[Skim3]

Linney and Ffxlulu ! My heroes! Good for you two! I admire your spirit and courage and I am so thankful that you two are sharing your experiences so honestly. Linney, my calves are the same size as yours only I'm sure I am way shorter than you! 36 would not be proportionate for me but I'll take it anyway! After I go snowboarding they are gigantic! I'm hoping the best for the two of you! Ffxlulu is already seeing the improvement and you will too!

 

[shinyglittery]

I brought $10,000 USD, but I spent a lot more because of shopping.

lol wow... this is not helpful at all. You spent way too much... In reality, you can get accommodation in Korea for 17 days for less than $250 or less than $500 if you want something a little better. Don't expect room service. $10k is just insane... Which the fact that your surgery cost half of that proves. Hey, it's your money, no judgment! But some people might want to spend less...

 

[plasticbuns]

Thanks ffxlulu!

i just had the operation with dr. park at oz clinic. just to give you some background, i have always hated my legs and finally decided to go through with this surgery thanks to all you ladies that have given me the courage to do this.

consultation day:
flew in to incheon airport at 3pm and took the limousine bus for $15 US to sinsa bus station. we were able to find young dong hotel and check-in to our room. the front desk assisted with arranging a driver to take me to oz clinic right away (after i told them i was heading to the clinic soon).

i arrived at oz clinic and amy greeted me. she took my bloodwork and afterwards i met dr. park. he took a look at my calves, walked me through the complications (expected for any kind of surgery) and answered all questions i had. he told me that with 40cm calf circumference for me a 36 cm result could be expected which would be proportionate with my body. but it all depends on my post-operative care for what the final result will be. we scheduled for surgery for the next day at 10am.

How much was your operation?

 

[ffxlulu]

day 2:

the stretches were definitely much harder today. it is so painful doing the stretches, so far susan (other nurse) showed me two exercises - belly to wall and squat. i haven't been religious about doing them consistently every 30 minutes so each time i try it hurts like hell. i'll be back to work on day 10 and am afraid i will be walking like a humpback grandma. right when i get up, i have to hunch over since it's hard for my knees to be straight. after i get myself to do the stretches, i manage to go upright for a bit. i'm trying to walk barefoot in the hotel room, but man it kills. ffxlulu - does the tightness get better? if so, what day do the stretches and tightness get easier?

as for my legs, i can't tell the difference yet since it's bandaged and very bruised and swollen. at this point, i just want to recover soon. i am at 8 posts now, so hopefully can PM soon.

Hey Linney! CONGRATS !!!! So happy for you!!! I feel like I'm back to Korea again while reading your entries. Don't be lazy on your stretches and make sure your lower belly touches the wall! It will be hard from the beginning, but if you do them properly the pain will reduce greatly! I did my stretches for five minutes non stop and relax through the pain. The tightness will get better the more you stretch. Just be patient and don't be lazy! Once you stop doing stretches, your calf muscle will get shorter and it is very hard to lengthen them back. The stretching was not that difficult for me ever since day 1. I avoided wearing flats in the beginning (big mistake), because it hurts pretty bad in the beginning when wearing flats. I could not wear flats for too long even around day 13. I could not tell the calf difference until around 3 weeks.You will be limping and walking like a grandma when you are back to work. Just tell everyone you twisted your ankles badly, instead of trying to hide it.. I felt a lot better afterwards, because everyone will understand.

 

[ffxlulu]

lol wow... this is not helpful at all. You spent way too much... In reality, you can get accommodation in Korea for 17 days for less than $250 or less than $500 if you want something a little better. Don't expect room service. $10k is just insane... Which the fact that your surgery cost half of that proves. Hey, it's your money, no judgment! But some people might want to spend less...

Yup, I agree you don't need $10k for the whole trip. You can definitely go to a motel or something similar to save more money. I just chose to live at Young Dong Hotel, which cost around 100,000 KWR per night. Sorry, I forgot to mention that the budget also includes flight ticket as well. I had this mentality that I must go outside to eat and shop instead of staying in hotel everyday since I was in Korea.

 

[Gera36 Rus]

day 2:

the stretches were definitely much harder today. it is so painful doing the stretches, so far susan (other nurse) showed me two exercises - belly to wall and squat. i haven't been religious about doing them consistently every 30 minutes so each time i try it hurts like hell. i'll be back to work on day 10 and am afraid i will be walking like a humpback grandma. right when i get up, i have to hunch over since it's hard for my knees to be straight. after i get myself to do the stretches, i manage to go upright for a bit. i'm trying to walk barefoot in the hotel room, but man it kills. ffxlulu - does the tightness get better? if so, what day do the stretches and tightness get easier?

as for my legs, i can't tell the difference yet since it's bandaged and very bruised and swollen. at this point, i just want to recover soon. i am at 8 posts now, so hopefully can PM soon.

I'm happy new patient. You're a brave man. I also plan to go on the operation. At this time raising money. My doctor said that my surgery worth 6.800.000 Korean won. Where are you staying? How do you find yourself now? I will be glad to see your new feet) Please don't go away. Write about everything)

 

[cranberri100]

Yup, I agree you don't need $10k for the whole trip. You can definitely go to a motel or something similar to save more money. I just chose to live at Young Dong Hotel, which cost around 100,000 KWR per night. Sorry, I forgot to mention that the budget also includes flight ticket as well. I had this mentality that I must go outside to eat and shop instead of staying in hotel everyday since I was in Korea.

Haha, ffxlulu, I thought to myself that you must have done a lot of shopping to have spent that much. With the flight from Canada, this price makes a lot of sense!
I just finished school, so my plan is to travel for a few months around New Zealand, Australia, and parts of Asia. I'll have a chance to see a good chunk of the world before finally arriving in Korea. I've managed to save a ton of money, and I'm thinking of leaving in mid-November.
I'm still very undecided about this surgery - the thought makes me really nervous. But then I just think about how dissatisfied I am with my calves, and have been for as long as I can remember. Reading the posts on this forum have been so helpful, and are definitely influencing my decision to just go for it.
ffxlulu, how are you doing now?

 

[linney]

i forgot to mention i have a bit of tingly numbness that comes and goes on my both feet too. no pain though.

 

[linney]

ffxlulu - are the stretches going to be just as tight in day 8 or day 15?

 

[ffxlulu]

cranberri100 - Ya, flight alone costs $2000 for me since I went in August from Canada (high season). I'm glad my posts helped you out. I was DESPERATE to have smaller calves, because I just don't feel attractive enough wearing pants. I feel even more uglier when I do wear a dress or skirt without boots. At the same time, I have been going through a lot of hestiations about the surgery You really need to be positive and ready for the surgery. I would suggest to have someone to company you. I believe this alone can make a BIG difference for your recovery.

Linney - Do you have anyone to accompany you in Korea? I would suggest you to make some friends who also did the surgery as well. I have bumped into 3 girls and I believe you will get some mental support from them. We get to go out for dinner by taxi and you will feel so much better than staying in your hotel all day long. You will definately feel less emotional, and that can affect the speed up your recovery! My calves feel really tight in the mornings when I get up. Your calves will not feel that stiff compare to the previous days as long as you do the stretches religiously. You will feel a difference day by day, but it's a slow progress.

 

[joo_joo2704]

Hi linney!
CONGRATS I am so happy to hear that you are doing well in your post op! The complete recovery takes time! So just be patient and don't expect everything gets perfect in a short while! Then you feel a lot better when you see your improvement every day!

 

[linney]

joo_joo2704 and ffxlulu,

thank you for the encouraging words. fortunately, i have my husband here to support me mentally. i definitely highly recommend bringing someone with you or timing it so that you can do the surgery around the same time as another person from this forum. it was so hard to stay positive my first few days (and it could be the after effects of the anesthesia), but i am feeling much better today at day 5. here is a quick update on my recovery process:

day 4:
i continued to stretch every 30 minutes throughout the day, elevated legs and was able to do a short walk to yum thai restaurant for dinner in my wedges. there is definitely still tightness when i get up, but like ffxlulu says much better today compared to the previous day. when i sit, my feet start to feel more numb and tingly which makes it a bit uncomfortable but tolerable. also, it's hard to stand in place for too long. i can feel my feet swelling more when that happens.

day 5:
woke up and had my follow up appointment at 10am with dr. park. he re-bandaged my legs and asked me to do the belly to wall and squat exercises. i was really happy when he told me my recovery seems to be going well. i decided to go to my appointment in flat flip-flops to see how my feet will do. it actually forces me to constantly stretch and somehow feels more comfortable for me. when i told dr. park this, he said most people find walking in wedges easier but that it's fine for me if flats are more comfortable.

after the appointment, i was able to walk to the closest subway station (sinsa) and went to myeongdong (which required me to transfer) for shopping. i walked slowly in flats for about 1.5 hours and did some window shopping. i took a couple of 10-20 minute breaks in between at a cafe and another time at a bench. i'm now back at the hotel elevating my legs and stretching. tomorrow is day 6 and i'm nervous about potentially getting muscle spasms. hopefully things won't go backwards for me.

how are you feeling ffxlulu? hope your recovery is continuing to progress!