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+--- Thread: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT (/t-how-long-to-heal-leg-nerves-after-alt)
How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Wolfbane - 08-04-2019
I am a 66-year-old intersex male who had an ALT stage one phalloplasty without urinary hook-up (due to my age). Everything has gone very smoothly, but I am wondering if anyone knows about how long it takes for the nerves in the legs to settle down. My left leg from which the skin graft was taken burns like hell off and on, but my right leg (donor site) only has issues with numbness and pain only when bumped at certain spots. I know there is a variation on this for each individual, but I'd just like to hear some general ideas about this. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Ryuichi13 - 08-05-2019
(08-04-2019, 08:23 AM)Wolfbane Wrote: I am a 66-year-old intersex male who had an ALT stage one phalloplasty without urinary hook-up (due to my age). Everything has gone very smoothly, but I am wondering if anyone knows about how long it takes for the nerves in the legs to settle down. My left leg from which the skin graft was taken burns like hell off and on, but my right leg (donor site) only has issues with numbness and pain only when bumped at certain spots. I know there is a variation on this for each individual, but I'd just like to hear some general ideas about this. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
You, my friend, are on the wrong forum. This place is all but dead.
Try posting your problem on Susan's Place instead. I don't work for them, but its a very active forum where you might find someone that can answer your questions.
Good luck!
Ryuichi
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Joshua - 08-06-2019
Congratulations on your surgery! The leg that they took the split thickness graft from should settle down within a few weeks. Moisturizing helps. I used coconut oil. Some numbness on your donor site leg is to be expected, as a nerve was taken. When was your surgery? Are you back to pre-op levels of activity yet?
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Wolfbane - 08-11-2019
(08-06-2019, 03:35 PM)Joshua Wrote: Congratulations on your surgery! The leg that they took the split thickness graft from should settle down within a few weeks. Moisturizing helps. I used coconut oil. Some numbness on your donor site leg is to be expected, as a nerve was taken. When was your surgery? Are you back to pre-op levels of activity yet?
Thanks for your response. I have been moisturizing consistently. I'm not back to pre-op levels of activity yet as my legs are not quite there. We own a ranch, so there's a lot that is just too much for me to handle yet. If I'm up on my feet for too long, my left leg (the graft site) really fires up, and my right knee starts collapsing. I'm guessing my age is slowing me down a bit more than I'd like. Patience is always key.
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Joshua - 08-11-2019
I think you nailed it: patience.
My stage 1 surgery was May 2018, at age 44. I didn't have much pain from the graft site, and that has healed to be nearly invisible. I was running up hills at about 8 weeks post-op, but my right knee (donor leg) sometimes still feels... awkward is the best way I can describe it. I mostly notice it going down stairs. It's still a little bit swollen, it might always be, I don't know. During workouts, my right thigh muscle seems to fatigue a bit faster than my left. The real test will be when I get back into cycling.
Would a compression garment/knee brace help stabilize the knee? Have you seen a physiotherapist?
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Wolfbane - 08-11-2019
(08-11-2019, 12:02 PM)Joshua Wrote: I think you nailed it: patience.
My stage 1 surgery was May 2018, at age 44. I didn't have much pain from the graft site, and that has healed to be nearly invisible. I was running up hills at about 8 weeks post-op, but my right knee (donor leg) sometimes still feels... awkward is the best way I can describe it. I mostly notice it going down stairs. It's still a little bit swollen, it might always be, I don't know. During workouts, my right thigh muscle seems to fatigue a bit faster than my left. The real test will be when I get back into cycling.
Would a compression garment/knee brace help stabilize the knee? Have you seen a physiotherapist?
I haven't seen a PT person yet. I figured I'd wait a bit to see if that would really be necessary as we have to drive 150 miles just to get to one. Going down stairs is also an occasional challenge for me right now. I actually healed very quickly and had virtually no pain after surgery at either site - until I started walking around more. The graft site bothers me more than the donor site because the burn runs all the way down my left leg. I plan to just gradually increase my activity outside in the mornings because the heat lately just really affects both legs. (I'm more of a cold weather person anyway.) I may try a knee brace as I have one from an old injury I could use. Thanks, again, Joshua! Helpful to know all this.
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Joshua - 08-11-2019
Yeah, I haven't seen a PT either, but I know someone who had some problems with getting back to activity and they got great advice from the PT.
When was your surgery again?
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Wolfbane - 08-12-2019
(08-11-2019, 05:29 PM)Joshua Wrote: Yeah, I haven't seen a PT either, but I know someone who had some problems with getting back to activity and they got great advice from the PT.
When was your surgery again?
June. My surgeon cautioned me that, although I healed very quickly on the outside, the nerves could take longer due to my age, combined with the unusual heat we have had here in the Rockies this summer. I could afford to just wait if this were winter, but I have a large fencing project that my wife and I have to complete before winter, so this has been a bit more frustrating than it would have been.
RE: How long to heal leg nerves after ALT - Joshua - 08-12-2019
Oh June! That's pretty recent! Fencing, lol... my wife and I completed a fencing project in the spring while I was healing from surgery. I get the frustration! Day by day it should improve.