Hope This Will Be the End of the Chicken Calves (Pre-surgery) - Toronto, ON

Genetically I inherited extremely narrow bone structure on the ankles and lower leg area which makes my calves horrible looking chicken calves. I have over the past years made an effort to compensate for the chicken calves by doing all sorts of calf exercises however even when they would grow if i ever took a break they would shrink. Unlike my upper body which responds fast and keep its gains, the legs, and more so primarily the calves have been a real challenge. Then in 2012 I herniated my L5S1 and ended up with nerve compression with sciatica down the right leg. This created muscle atrophy in the leg and the calf just basically become soft tissue. Since then Ive tried my best to bring it up to speed but left calf remains bigger and stronger and the medial calf's weakness is compensated by outer calf and other calf area muscles which means it continues to lag no matter what I do. Finally, I started researching the doctors who could perform this surgery and short listed two, one in Toronto and another in Miami. I decided to go with the Doctor in Toronto after having spoken with him at length about my concerns and considering recovery period one is very immobile being at home might be more convenient, specially in case of complications. Price wise Dr. Marc Dupree is the most expensive I doctor I found (USD 14,000 for 2 implants per calf for total of 4) but I would rather in one shot get what I want then multiple attempts with possibly getting into complications. He took his time to explain the procedure and his experience with one/two per calf implants etc and assured me that going with two per calf is manageable. I am looking forward to this surgery and while I dont expect to get the dream calves out of this one surgery I do hope for better looking calves, fuller and thicker. If all goes well maybe in a few years I will consider custom large size implants as I will be going for max standard size this time around.

Well...I gotta say this surgery is painful post op. When I woke up in the clinic I immediately felt the pain. Ive been taking the pain killers which I suppose is helping somewhat but its difficult because you have to walk a bit to the toilet and my bedroom is ensuite so its not far and fortunately I have things i can put weight on along the way. My left calf is doing better and Im able to put the weight on it. Right is too sensitive for now, not stretching. I keep updating the doc the condition pain sensation etc and he replies by text that its all good/normal. I can see the shape of the augmented calves and it looks good, now Im just waiting for this to heal so the compression garmet comes off and I can see the actual look. Of coursre waiting for all of this to heal so I can be normal again.

Much has happened over the week but some has not changed. So my left foot is like 80% recovered. Fortunately for my left foot, I can use crutches. My right leg remains swollen and does not stretch all the way down to step on for now. The doctor took the drain out from the left one as the fluid was significantly lower, on the right decided to keep in few more days since higher output. I must confess I walked into the surgery not really comprehending its full intensity. This is a serious surgery. I do not blame anyone for this, maybe because of my past experience with rhinoplasty I thought how difficult can it be. This is a surgery for the die hard. You must really have crap calves and REALLY want to improve them. Having said that - the new shape is beautiful. Its plump, its round, its bigger, and its not the final result. Im just hoping the swelling on right foot goes down, doctor said maybe take another week, maybe take a few weeks. The doctor has always been comforting, sometimes which makes me think that he is saying it just for positive confirmation, but post surgery recovery is all about mind over matter - because there can be moments of question and confusion. With positive mindset the body continues to recover fast as possible. I would say that so far my experience of Dr. Marc is good, he is a doctor who has in detailed been able to explain anything I ever asked, he understands the post op issues and I think is a no nonsense doctor. I want to wait and see final result before I comment on that but with positive spirits I am looking forward to full recovery within next two weeks. I am wearing a compression garment and this should also help reduce swelling. The most important thing I would say post op is having your setup in place to go from bed to toilet and someone feeding you. And enough pain killers to manage the pain in the first week. My pain killers have run out (well one of them) and I im on very low dose now and its still fine so expect pain and difficult and slow recovery first week.