Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: HelloThere on March 21, 2014, 01:11:23 AM
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Hello,
I've never posted here or on old forum , but this just seems like a much better place, so I wanted to start my journal here. I'll be posting with my mobile device, so there may be weird spelling errors due to my mistakes or auto-correct... And formatting may not be optimal, but bear with me and I'll do my best!
I just had my femurs operated on this morning by Dr. Rozbruch of HSS in New York, with Precice 2.0 rods. I woke up at 5am this morning to head to the hospital to check-in (check-in time is 2-3 hours prior to the procedure) and was briefed by various nurses and doctors as to what was going to happen. I wasn't feeling nervous, surprisingly, just numb... Maybe because it just seems so surreal.
At around 830, they took me into the operating room and gave me a sedative via IV. Next thing I know, I'm waking up with a nurse inserting a catheter and pain all over my lower body. It was manageable because my body has been through a lot and I want to say I have a higher pain threshold than most... Out of a 10, I'd say the pain level was about a 2, which gradually increased to a 5, as the sedative wore off. I was being given a pain killer via an implant near my spine (I forgot what it was called). I was told that I could increase the dosage by pressing a button, but chose not to because I wanted to see how bad the pain would really get. I managed to hold off for a few hours and then decided to press the button because I was curious and bored... It was a good idea.
I'm now laying in bed at the hospital as I'm writing this. It's been amazing so far and really not as bad as I thought it'd be. Everyone has been very kind to me and kept me well-fed once I was able to eat. HSS is a great place to be, I'd highly recommend it. Dr. Rozbruch is a very kind and patient doctor and I really enjoy working with his team thus far. I'll be visiting him every 2 weeks, so I'll be getting a place here in the city.
I'll keep you all updated, let me know if you have any questions!
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Hello there, HelloThere (I had to ;))
Great to have a cosmetic limb lengthening patient of Dr. Rozbruch on the forum and equally great to know you're doing well so far. I'd love to know more about what urged you to get limb lengthening, how you found out about the procedure, and how you decided on Dr. Rozbruch.
Look forward to more of your posts. I think you'll find that this a pretty cool forum. We've got a fun bunch of personalities on here to say the least. :D
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Hi Hellothere,
Congrats on your surgery, the "implant" is called epidural.
I dont know if you read other diaries, but I also had my femur surgery today :) only with Dr. Paley.
Wish us luck and quick recovery! ;)
P.s: I would be interesting to know a little bit about yourself, your height, age, gender...
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Hello hello,
Welcome to the forum. I consulted with dr. Rozbruch year ago. He is amazing doctor with great kindness. You are in great hands and best hospital...lucky you!!
What's your goal for lengthening?
Keep us informed
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Welcome to the forum!
Great to hear your pain threshold is high.
Keep us updated.
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Welcome to LL Forum! :D This would be the first Rozbruch diary I've seen.
Did Dr. Rozbruch perform any releases on you?
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Welcome to LL Forum, and good luck! ;)
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I am so happy to have chosen such a supportive forum - thank you for all the well wishes and I'd like to offer mine to you all as well... May we recovery speedily and safely!
@kilokahn (thank you for the warm welcome!)
I've always been called short since as early as I could remember and it's just something I've internalized and been insecure about. I believe what urged me to find a way to lengthen my limbs was a breakup with an ex-gf two years back (I knew about it, but was only serious about it one year ago, which was when I started preparing) I actually found out about Dr. Rozbruch while lurking on old forum . He was one of the recommended doctors and I was trying to find someone who would be able to offer me the best care, with the most credibility... HSS seemed quite prestigious, so in turn I felt a lot safer going through with the operation. I know there were other qualified doctors as well that I could've gone to, but Dr. Rozbruch replied in the most timely fashion and after meeting him and his team, I was sold. I had previously contacted Dr. Guichet, but he took a very long time to respond and I didn't want to go all the way to France or Italy.
@sweatpants ("epidural", so that's what it's called! Thanks for that and the well wishes.. I'm praying for you and hoping we'll be able to support each other as we're going through this operation! Good luck, sweatpants)
A little about myself: I'm in my mid-20s, enjoy sports, weightlifting, I'm 5'4" (measured by Dr. Rozbruch), and a male. I don't know too much about my wingspan or sitting height as I haven't been measured by the good doctor and wasn't sure about how much it mattered.
@cooper (I'm glad you liked Dr. Rozbruch! I like him too.
He's such a nice guy and very knowledgeable. I like that he's willing to communicate via email in a timely manner, which was very convenient for me when I first started inquiring about the operation with him.)
My goal for lengthening is 6.5cm.
@BilateralDamage (haha I noticed that too.. I'm glad to be the first)
Pardon, what's a release?
As of this morning (6am EST) they turned down my painkillers that were delivered via an epidural. I was given an oral painkiller called Norco. The pain was actually pretty bad last night and I had to press the button. It helps because it allows me to stretch my legs without hurting too much. I was literally just visited by Dr. Bernstein (Dr. Rozbruch's assistant) who told me that everything went great and explained how much faster the femur bones would heal compared to the tibia bones.
My brother is out looking for a place for us now and we'll be ordering an exercise bike, along with a stretching machine, and pull-up bars for the place. I have no intention of letting my physical health slip away... So I'm doing all I can to combat that. I'll also be going on an intermittent diet plan, something I was doing before the operation, which will help with rapid fat loss. I will keep you guys updated on exactly what I plan on doing, but the goal for the next 3 months is to eat healthily, exercise daily, stretch hourly, and get work done/read books.
I did not re-read what I wrote, I'm getting a little drowsy from the pain med, so pardon me for any spelling errors/grammatical mistakes. Let me know if you guys have any other questions!
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Hello There!!))) welcome to the LL club!))hehe
The best of luck and from the bottom of my heart, much love!
One suggestion thou, I wouldnt be doing any diet, you need as much food as you can take, your bones need all you can take. I also wouldn't be working out if I was you, diet and working out would only slow down your bone regeneration, you can ask your doctor. Normal stretching and exercises are ok but do not work out your musles other than your legs)))
I made this mistake that is why Im telling you. I didnt want to gain weight because it took me so long to get in shape before LL and I did not want to get all the fat i had lost so I was eating mostly milk and meet and little carbohydrates, also I was working out my upper body with resistant rubber bands i bought, well at the end of that month my bone regeneration was really bad. My doctor explained me that your body will take the nutrients and place it where is needed, and if you work out your nutrients will go else where but your broken bone. So I changed that, and my callus has been healing a lot better!!
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Hi HelloThere!
Finally a Rozbruch diary :D
I'm sure you'll do fine under him.
Good luck! Keep us posted.
So most of us who have been considering Dr. Rozbruch got terrified by one thing: the PRICE. How much was it? Any breakdown you can provide would be useful.
Thanks
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Hey HT,
How you feel?
Did you try to get out of bed already? How is your pain from 1 to 10?
I am already feeling much more pain, cause the anaesthesia came out, but it's tolerable for now.
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@RGKey
Thanks for the warm wishes, I really do appreciate it, and much love from my end as well.. I feel we've a bond just from having both gone through this operation. As for advice on diet/exercise, I had no idea about that, thank you for the information! I'll ask the doctors and see what I can do. I do plan to eat a lot, around 2,500-3,000 calories a day, consisting mostly of protein and some fat/carbs as well. As for exercise, it wasn't going to be anything too intense and Dr. Rozbruch did say it would be totally fine to use the exercise bike. I'm really glad to hear that you're recovering a lot better now, I hope everything works out smoothly for you from here on out!
@TheRisingShorty
Thank you so much for your kind words, good luck on your femur surgery this summer, I'm sure you won't regret it! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought and the pain honestly isn't that bad with all the medicine they give you. Please keep us posted, we're here to help and support you!
@short_and_depressed
I was aware that Dr. Rozbruch was one of the most expensive doctors, but also with good reason. I've paid about $110,000 so far, out of my own pocket... And that doesn't include hotel fees or the upcoming rent. I really do believe it's worth it, because I don't like to gamble with my health, especially with such a drastic operation and I felt that I'd be in the best hands here at HSS with Dr. Rozbruch's team.
@sweatpants
I've been nauseous all morning from the Norco, but they've given me a few things to help me. I'd say the pain is sitting at a 3 right now. My legs just feel really sore and it's hard to move them, though I am attempting to stretch them. It may hurt now, but it'll really help for later. I haven't gotten out of bed yet... Have you? Have you attempted any stretching exercises? I'm sure it'll be worth the pain, you can do it!!!
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I am out of bed now :) it was very hard and painfull for me and took a while.
Start to do some exercises, so you won't become too stiff, otherwise it will be much more painfull. I learnt from my previous surgery, the more you move, the faster your recovery will be and less pain (although I am not always stick to it ::))
Good luck standing up
Be strong 8)
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Hi man,
Hope you're feeling good.
I think you should do an "about me" post. We're all curious.
Where are you from by the way? Anyone else apart from your brother with you for the surgery?
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@sweatpants
Thanks for the advice! They put me on a stretching machine and I'm trying to move around as much as I can. My rods can only handle 30lbs per leg, due to having to use the smallest 8.5mm ones... My canals are very small, so it won't be able to handle the bigger Precice 2.0 rods. I'm very grateful that I chose to do it now though, since I would've needed to ream my bones with the Precice 1.0.
How are you feeling right now with 4 nails in? You're amazing!
@short_and_depressed
I'm not sure what to write about myself, but I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. I'm from California and my brother is the only one with me. He'll be my savior in this case and I'm very grateful for him!
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So you are moving, that's great!
My nails allow 50lbs, I have bigger ones in femurs, but the weight bearing goes by smaller ones.
I have a lot of pain right now, every little movement is a torture. I dont feel any pain in my tibias, cause my body is dealing with much stronger pain right now.
Hope tomorrow will be a better day. Judging by my previous surgery it's gonna take about two weeks, till it become much easier, less painful etc. For the first two weeks, you gonna be dependent on your brother.
What you mean by stretching mashine? I never heard about it.
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Hello,
Your goal is inline with mine, BD and rising shorty. We all have in common 6.5cm distraction. I think this is reasonable. The pain will subside over the time in about two weeks you will notice. Hang tight and keep fighting. We are rooting for you. The forum is great community to help you on this difficult journey. Stay strong my friend.
God bless you.
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@sweatypants
Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it :) the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.
@cooper
Thank you so much for the well wishes. May we all swiftly hit our 6.5cm goals and walk home taller, better men/women. God bless you, Cooper.
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@sweatypants
Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it :) the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.
Dr. Paley will allow not do PT by professional but just you?
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I'm doing this operation with Dr. Rozbruch and a PT professional will not be required, as long as I am diligent and can handle it myself.
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Sorry hello, I got mixed up on the post. I thought that was comment made my sweatpants. I am fully aware you are with dr. Rozbruch. He mentioned same thing to me as well. Most of PT can done by yourself. Make sure you do though enough and be discipline about it.
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@sweatypants
Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it :) the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.
Cool machine! :P
If you are not going to have a PT at Dr. Rozbruch center, do they at least give you some examples of exercises or any video?
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Does Dr. Rozbruch have any PTs that work with his practice? It's a little concerning that he doesn't have a PT specifically for LL.. I'm glad you're committed to do it by yourself at least. Dr. Paley told me that one patient who brought his own physical therapist to Florida breezed by LL and lengthened 8 cm.
Are you mostly in a wheelchair, or can you use the walker at all?
In regards to releases, I meant was there any soft tissue that was cut to make your lengthening easier? Such as the biceps femoris, ITB, etc. Please ask Dr. Rozbruch if you get the chance! (and what his opinion on that is)
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I asked about the release on my consultation. He favors that on performs during the surgery. Was not sure if he does on every patient though.
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@cooper
Thank you for the good advice, my friend! I definitely plan on being diligent about my PT and whatever exercise I can possibly get in.
@sweatypants
They did give me info regarding PT exercises, no videos, just a booklet. I'll be sharing my stretching routine when I get a chance to look at it and plan things out.
@BilateralDamage
I believe he does have PTs that work with his practice, but I prefer to do it on my own, with the help of my little brother. I kinda see it like a personal trainer at the gym... Your results will usually be a lot better without them if you just know what you're doing. I will be educating myself on various stretches and exercises, so that I'll receive comparable, if not better results.
I'll be renting my own wheelchair and walker from the hospital, spoke with one of their people about it today! Right now I'm just laying in bed, since it's been only 1-day post op.
I had no idea about releases. I'll ask him about that next time I see him and get back to you! I won't see him for another two weeks though.
I'll be removing my dressings tomorrow and I will be able to leave the hospital Sunday. Excited to get started. I was told that with the Precice 2.0, I will be lengthening 1.32mm on the 4th post op day for 4 days and then after that .99mm per day until I reach my goal of 6.5cm.
Thanks for the questions guys! Now for one of my own...
Does anyone know how you could tell if you've bent a nail or put too much weight load on it?
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Hey!
Since you say you can contact him only after 2 weeks, I'm wondering if you can get to him in case of any emergencies.
Like you feel this new terrible pain and you want to call him and tell him about it?
(leechlet seems to able to do that under Dr. Guichet)
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@short_and_depressed
I meant he'll be checking in on me every two weeks, so I was going to ask him then. I could email him anytime I want and request a call anytime as well. I just didn't feel like I had any urgent reason to contact him, so I thought I'd wait till I saw him.
I took my dressings off today. The pain isn't as bad as the first day, but it definitely spikes to a 7 or 8 out of 10 when I try to adjust my leg. I only just realized how much the epidural helped. It's more of an internal pain now.. Before it was mainly pain from my swollen thighs. I'm constantly sitting at a 0 out of 10 in terms of pain, until I have to move the entire leg. Raising and lowering my feet do not cause any pain. However, straightening out my leg and bringing my feet together do cause minor pains.
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Physical therapist just came in to help me walk. Finally hit 10/10 on the pain scale. I had to be put back in my bed because of how pale and sweaty I was. If anything, I think I should just increase my painkiller dosage and everything should be ok. Right now taking 2x 5/325mg Norcos, they're going to up me to 7.5 and then 10. I don't plan on taking painkillers for a long time, just long enough for me to not have to not pass out when trying to stand.
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Hello,
Your pain barometer is 1 being the worst and 10 is painless or zero pain correct? The stretching and light PT even on your own definitely helps. When I had ACL surgery I used to wake up middle of the night with excruciating pain and stiffness. I then stretched and the pain went away. The solution of stiffness is light exercise. More PT, better flexibility and manageable pain.
Keep it up buddy!
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I'm so grateful for your advice and support, cooper, thank you!
10 is the worst for me. I thought I could tough this out and not take as many pain meds and do stretching to get back to where I was.. But the moment I tried to weightbear even just a bit.. It was a nightmare and unlike everything I've felt before; I've had enough accidents and incidences where I've hurt myself very badly... This definitely takes the cake though, in terms of pain (when trying to stand).
I was about to puke, so they had to set me back on the bed. Only 3rd day post op though, so hopefully I'll be better. My leg swelling has gone down a lot and laying in bed the pain is a 0-1 now, instead of 2-3 like it was the past two days. Hopefully by next week I won't have a problem standing and walking a bit! I still plan on using the exercise bike the moment it arrives though, as I don't feel I'd be really weight bearing. They actually proposed me staying here another day, but I refuse to shell out another $25k-30k just to rest up. I'd rather my little brother carry me out of here haha.
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Hey HT,
How is it going? Are you home already? How is you pain management?
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Hi Sweatpants,
Things are going well.. I'm starting to move my legs without the help of my arms and my right leg is doing spectacularly. My left leg on the other hand is still hurting very badly. With spikes of 10/10 on the pain scale. Right leg is about a 0-5/10 max.
I'm now at this place we rented for the next 3 months and I'm taking 2 Norcos every 4 hours 7.5mg/325mg.
I'm going to post in your thread and see how you're doing. :)
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Tried going to the bathroom earlier with my brother's help... definitely one of the hardest/most painful things I've had to do so far. I'm going to try to see if I could just hold it in for a few more days, hopefully I'll be healed enough by then for it to not be as painful.
I've tried doing a little bit of weight bearing today, still painful even just standing there with the walker... however, my in-bed PT stretches are definitely paying off. My flexibility is coming back big time and I can now hug my thighs to my chest, with just a bit of pain. Legs also hurt unequally, with the left being quite painful and still a bit swollen, while my right one is barely hurting at all.
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Lengthened with the Precice 2.0 device yesterday for the first time. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable, in fact, I m couldn't tell whether the nails were lengthening or not. This morning however... Different story. All the lengthening yesterday (1.32mm) has my made legs incredibly sore today. I could barely get to the side of the bed to pee in the bottle, it was really bad. I'm laying here now, working on getting some stretches in. In about 1 hour I'll be taking my lovenox (blood thinner) and my prescribed vitamins.
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Hello,once again Hellothere
Congratulations on starting the distraction phase! How is your pain management, do you feel pain while on painkillers? I always read that the first two weeks is always the hardest so hang in there bro, days will go by quickly and you will be a taller man in no time :) BTW how flexible were you pre CLL and update us on whether any prophylactic release surgeries were performed on you once you get the chance to meet Dr.Rozbruch.
Wish you all the best!!
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Hey HelloThere,
Almost a week, yeay! :D
How is it going? How the lengthening, still have this soreness after?
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Thanks a lot for checking in RisingShort & Sweatpants! I really appreciate the kind words, you guys always my bring my spirits up!
Pain was really bad on the 3rd and 4th day post op. However, I emailed in and Dr. Rozbruch's assistant gave me a new prescription for Oxycontin, which I can take once every 12 hours and also combine with my Norcos. Ever since then, I've been fine and I seem to be getting a lot stronger/be able to do more things on my own.
I've been reading more diaries on old forum , as it seems that theirs are more in number and more established, since I'm thinking their forum has been around for a lot longer. I haven't really updated much here since there's nothing new going on for me.
Pain has been managed very well with the introduction of the new drug and the days are going by fairly quickly because I'm either reading, stretching, or sleeping most of the time. I'm only really sore in the mornings and after I lengthen with the Precice 2.0 device.
By end of today, I should have lengthened 4.96mm, about half a centimeter. My operation was on the 20th of this month and I started lengthening on the 24th at 1.32mm per day. Dr. Rozbruch said I'll be lengthening 1.32mm per day for four days, then dial it down to 1mm/day. I have an appt. to see him on the 3rd of April, so if things are going well, I will ask him if it'd be ok for me to continue lengthening more than 1mm like Dr. Donghoo Lee's patients are doing in Korea. If I could continue 1.32mm per day instead of 1mm per day, I'd get to finish my distracting in less than 50 days vs. 65 days.
My fear right now is that one leg my not be lengthening as much as the other or early consolidation of the bone... which would lead to another surgery. I'll keep you guys posted as anything new goes on, as well as after my appointment with the doctor on the 3rd of next month.
As for the release, I'm not sure whether he performed any on me, but I read that doing those would permanently hamper your athletic abilities by 10-15%? I'm not sure how valid it is, I only just read it in one of the old forum diaries. I was flexible enough to keep both legs straight and touch the floor with the palm of my hand. I also did a lot of weightlifting and could squat 265lbs and do around 295lb dead lifts, so my legs were built pretty well. I'm making sure to press the Precice down down on my leg, in case my muscles are interfering with the magnet's ability to interact with the rod.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I'll be checking in on you guys in your threads as well (Rising, you won't be doing your surgery till later, right?)
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Hey,
Sounds like a normal recovery. I take oxycontin once in 12 hours as well since my first surgery, I agree it helps a lot.
I know by my first surgery and also by general statistics from all diaries and people's stories, first two weeks are really hard and pain is really strong, but after it is getting considerably better.
I was off the wheelchair by the end of the third week and was moving around with a walker. Now I am waiting for it to happen again.
Feel good!
Cheers
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Doctors are very divided on ITB releases. Dr. Paley is a strong proponent of leg lengthening patients doing them while Guichet is very against the idea entirely. Dr. Lee in South Korea is also against ITB releases (and the one who quoted the 10% - 15% reduction in athletic ability) but a few diaries from his patients here stated that they had lengthening complications with the a PRECICE 2. I personally believe releases are a good thing because the soft tissues are going under immense strain when lengthening any amount. But I'm curious to hear Dr. Rozbruch's take on it.
Btw thanks for keeping such an excellent an detailed diary so far! Stay strong, you're in the thick of the pain right now but sooner than later the pain will seem a distant dream to you. :)
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@sweatpants thanks, same with you!!!
@bilateraldamage thanks for the kind words bud, I'm doing my best! I emailed him today, hopefully he'll get back to me with a detailed response, if not, I will ask him in person next week.
The pain has definitely gone down a lot on day 6 post op... I feel that by next week I should be walking around with the help of a walker. I hear a lot of people saying that weight training and stretching could increase the pain that you experience during the surgery... however, I saw that Dr. Guichet was so adamant about only taking on patients who have trained and met certain requirements that I felt that it must've been for good reason. Even if I did experience more pain, it was well worth it because I feel like I'm healing very fast, compared to a good amount of the diaries I've read. I'm also lengthening 1.32mm per day. If Dr. Rozbruch says it's ok, I'll be continuing to lengthen that amount, instead of going down to the standard 1mm that he normally recommends.
Once you do your surgery, I highly recommend asking for an extra prescription of pain killer that would complement the one that they prescribe you initially at the hospital... I think it's been a game changer for me because it allows me to really push the limits of how much I can stretch, allowing me to get back to full flexibility and build strength faster.
Please let me know if you have any questions, I can't wait to see you get started.
I apologize if my responses are redundant or don't fully make sense, I'm constantly on pain killers.
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I'm glad to hear your pain is going down. ;D
Were there any reasons that you didn't consider other doctors? (like Dr. Paley, Guichet, etc.) Rozbruch is a great doctor but Paley definitely surpasses him in CLL experience.
How tall are you originally? Also how old? I'd also love to hear about your story and why you're doing such a drastic surgery like LL.
I can't wait to join you with LL 2 months from now. In a weird way, I'm envious of the pain you're in. :o It's going to be so worth it for all of us!
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He is indeed conservative when it comes to weight bearing, but I should be ok as long as I put a majority of my weight on my arms, I think. I'll be speaking with him and getting back to you with details about that!
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He is indeed conservative when it comes to weight bearing, but I should be ok as long as I put a majority of my weight on my arms, I think. I'll be speaking with him and getting back to you with details about that!
Thanks! Keep us updated :)
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Today was the first day I woke up without pain. I know it's not the painkillers because I slept for 8 hours and normally when I wake up I'd be asking my little brother to bring the Norcos. However, even though there was no pain, I was very stiff and stretching my legs did bring minor pain due to having to loosen up the muscles. I really believe that stretching plays a HUGE role in recovery. I'm going to attempt to stretch for 15-30 minutes every 45-60 minutes now.
My technique right now is to stretch a muscle up to the point that it hurts, hold it in that position for a few minutes, then try to push further... usually you should be able to. It'll be sore and tired, but you'll wake up feeling amazing! My fear now is that the Precice device isn't stretching my muscles as much as I think it is (some other patients seem to be having the same problem in Korea), so I really am anxious and excited to see Dr. Rozbruch to check my progress.
I read in some diaries that patients' legs would start separating as they lengthening more. One thing I'm noticing for myself is that my legs are actually coming together. When I first met with Dr. Rozbruch, he told me that I had a varus deformity (one leg is more bowed than the other?) and a rotational deformity. Therefore I believe that with this operation, I'll be knocking out three birds with one stone... height, bow leg deformity, my rotational deformity. If you can, do ask the doctor to check if your legs could use any sort of "fixing". They made all those corrections for me at the same time that they inserted the rod, so I'd like to think that I am quite lucky!
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. By end of today, I should be around the 6mm mark of lengthening... I started on the 24th.
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You didn't answer my questions. :P
Were there any reasons that you didn't consider other doctors? (like Dr. Paley, Guichet, etc.) Rozbruch is a great doctor but Paley definitely surpasses him in CLL experience.
How tall are you originally? Also how old? I'd also love to hear about your story and why you're doing such a drastic surgery like LL.
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Amatan was consolidating too quickly and that caused his "malfunction".
Keep a close eye, I wish there was a way to know that your actually distracting other than X-rays.
precice is so painless that you don't know if your lengthening or not...
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@BilateralDamage
I'm sorry about that, I didn't see your post!
I'm 5'4" originally and I'm 24. I've been called "short" as far as I could remember and it's definitely affected my confidence and caused me to be insecure in certain areas of my life. I know some girls don't care as much for height (or at least they don't voice it), but if I see a taller guy when I'm with a gf, I'll usually have insecure thoughts about them wanting to leave me for the other guy, just because of his height alone. I also close myself off from girls who are my height or appear to be slightly taller because I figure that with heels they'll tower over me... when in reality I'm sure some of them won't mind at all, so it's more a mental issue than anything. Anyway, I figured it's time that I get out of that mindset and do something about all of it, which is why I pursued this surgery. I did a lot of weight lifting, for about a year, before going ahead with this and stretch every single time after a workout to increase my flexibility. Before I came to have my surgery, I was able to squat around 265lbs, dead lift 295lbs, and bench press 175lbs. I could touch my palms to the ground if I tried hard enough with both legs straight. I worked very hard at this because I saw how much Dr. Guichet wanted his patients to be in excellent shape before lengthening and thought it was a great idea that made a ton of sense.
Another thing that really pushed me are my leg deformities, which were brought to light when I saw Dr. Rozbruch for a consultation. They told me that I'd probably come back later either way for surgery, due to the combination of my bow leg, rotational, and flat feet deformities, and that this would delay having operations for joint replacements and things like that by 10s of years. I've always had problems with my lower back/hip and figured that one of my legs might be a little off... so it was nice to confirm my suspicions with a qualified team of doctor/physicians. Knowing that this surgery would also benefit my life in the long-run definitely sweetened up the pot and really pushed me ahead.
@rickybobby
Thanks for letting me know about that. I don't see consolidating too quickly as a problem if you're increasing the amount lengthened to compensate? I'm hoping that my bones are consolidating at a good rate as well, that way I can continue with 1.32mm of distraction instead of having to go down to 1mm. It would speed up things by 15 days, which would be great for me... since I could use that time to heal and get back to as close to where I was before the surgery.
I just emailed Dr. Rozbruch and his team today to see if it'd be possible to have an earlier appointment than April 3rd, that way I will have a better idea of what's going on and if my suspicions are valid before it's too late. I feel like I'm healing way too fast, so it may not be lengthening as much as I think... or maybe I'm underestimating my age and all the training that I did before the operation? I'll find out soon enough.
I have been able to do nearly every stretch in the PT booklet without any help and reach my previous level of flexibility, surprisingly... a few days ago I thought this would've all been impossible, but persistence really pays off and if there's anything to take away from this study, it's that you've really got to push yourself to stretch! Even if you're not doing a lot, just do what you can.
My biggest thing problem are my knees, which appear to be somewhat tighter than the rest of my muscles. I'm massaging them and constantly stretching them now, hopefully they'll get better, but it's nothing too serious.
I'll write a quick summary of the past 7 days for anyone interested:
May 20th - Lengthening surgery. Anesthesia/sedative knocked me right out, felt no pain. Woke up to catheter being put in, body was still numb from anesthesia/sedative/epidural. Ate a ton of food and asked for more. I feel that just gorging is really important because your body is in total shock from what's going on and the food will help provide energy for it to be able to handle what's going on.
May 21st-23rd - Ate a lot of foods, pretty much anything I could get my hands on. Slept a ton. *I cannot stress eating as much as much as much as you can and resting.* Received visits from physicians and doctors who checked in on and me and removed my dressings. They also taught me how to use the Precice 2.0 device which is incredibly simple. I also went to my apartment here in the city on the 23rd.
May 24th - Woke up to a ton of pain, took two 7.5mg Norcos every 3-4 hours. Totally underestimated how bad things got and lost hope as to how fast I could recover. Could barely move my legs and did my best to stretch whenever I could... probably spent most of my time sleeping and a total of 1 hour combined of stretching and moving. Went to the bathroom for a bowel movement for the first time and succeeded, but the weight bearing was hell on Earth. I'm still scared that I bent my nails, since they can only hold 30lbs each, but I believe I should be ok.
May 25th - Woke up with legs tights and pain at all times, so I emailed Dr. Rozbruch's assistant about feeling major pain. They prescribed me with another pain killer, 10mg of OxyContin, which I proceeded to take with the Norcos that I received from the hospital's prescription. Did my best to stretch, but slept most of the day, probably spent an hour or two stretching and the rest laying down/sleeping.
May 26th - Felt a lot better, proceeded to spend more time stretching... probably 3 to 4 hours now? Slept most of the day still.
I'd like to note that each day I had at least 3 meals (each meal was very heavy in protein, moderate in carbs and fat), multiple types of vitamins (multi-vitamin, fish oil, l-lysine, calcium supplement, among others that were given to me by the hospital), a lot of water (drank 4 bottles or so per day), went to the bathroom at least once per day for bowel movement, but multiple times for peeing, lengthened 1.32mm per day with Precice 2.0, and did my best to stretch and move my legs whenever able, I would try to weight bear just a very tiny bit here and there... but nothing crazy.
May 27th - I feel nearly 100%. My legs were tight when I woke up, but I just stretched them and massaged them and everything was ok, there wasn't really any pain from the femurs being broken. I can pretty much do everything myself now... transfer myself to the wheelchair without help, go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen, things like that. I'm confident that I could do a bit more walking with the help of the walker... but I don't want to take the risk due to low weight bearing ability from my tiny rods.
The recovery today was so drastic that I actually contacted Dr. Rozbruch for fear that I wasn't lengthening enough and I'm trying to schedule an earlier check-up. I still don't know if that's the case, but I will update the moment I hear back. If I really was lengthening what I thought I was and still able to recover so quickly, I credit it to the major amount of rest, good diet, and stretching that I was able to do. When I first started my lengthening I thought it would've taken me at least 1 month to do what I'm currently doing now. I've also reduced my pain killer dose by about half and feel perfectly fine. Only pain is from the soreness or muscles being tired from me working them/stretching them.
If it was all a sham, then I plan on doubling my efforts at stretching, as well as increasing my lengthening with the Precice to properly lengthen my legs. I was really disheartened over the past few days to see that the device malfunctioned for some patients and was not as effective as they thought. I don't understand how it couldn't have been corrected by increasing the amount lengthened to combat the bone consolidation... so if anyone could explain it to me, I'd really appreciate it. I've been on pain killers the whole time, so I don't feel like my brain is working at full capacity right now. I'll be re-reading Amatan's diary on old forum to see if there's anything I can learn.. now that my head is clearer today with the reduction in pain killers.
If there's anything I missed, please let me know. I welcome all and any questions. Thank you so much for your support, I look forward to keeping you all updated!
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You sound like the most ideal candidate for LL I've seen so far. Really impressive with the amount of stretching and muscle building you did pre-surgery and how dedicated you are so far post-op.
The fact that you can't tell if you're pre-consolidating is a huge worry (really push for that follow-up with Dr. Rozbruch).
Questions:
- Why did you pick Dr. Rozbruch over all the other options?
- Did you try to get your insurance to cover any costs? (due to your deformities)
- How tall is your brother? Are your parents okay with you doing this surgery?
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Your kind words mean a lot to me BilateralDamage and I really appreciate it! I made sure I put as much work in as I can now, so that everything goes smoothly... so that later on I won't have to put in as much work if it all went wrong and there were complications.
I just confirmed the new appointment time with his secretary, it'll be on the 31st, only 4 days away instead of 7... I'll keep you updated and let you know exactly what's going on!
1. I picked Dr. Rozbruch because I spent a good amount of my time researching and making sure that he was a qualified doctor to be able to handle a surgery like this (most of what I could find was through articles or his website/HSS' website). I found that he had awards and honors for being a respected and great physician, and he was also operating out of HSS, one of the most prestigious orthopedic hospitals in the country.
The thing that sealed the deal was my consultation with him and his team, who are all excellent people and willing any questions I had. Dr. Rozbruch was very realistic, relayed as much information as he could from what he saw on my x-rays, and made sure I knew exactly what I was getting into and what I was getting out of it. Not once did he try to push me to do the surgery with him specifically. If anything, I felt like he was a good doctor who tried to provide me as much information as possible and if I wanted to go with him then I could, if not, I could've gone with another doctor and I'm sure he would've still helped me as much as he was able. *I paid for his consultation, so I have no doubt that he wanted to provide me as much as he could for what I paid* His responses were very quick via email and he did not have any problems speaking with me on the phone.
That's why I went with him.
2. My insurance did not cover any part of this operation, unfortunately. We attempted to contact them and have them cover it partially, but they don't cover anything "out-of-network". Upon learning this, Dr. Rozbruch actually reduced his fees, so that I would not have to pay so much. However, it still sucked because I had to pay for everything out of pocket... but if I had to do it again and he didn't lower his fees, I'd still pay every penny (I'll know for sure once this is all said and done with).
3. My brother is 5'8". I haven't told them that I'm doing this surgery because I know they'd worry and I didn't want them to. I'll explain to them everything once I get back. I'm not very close with them, which is why I didn't feel that I needed to... I actually haven't really lived with them since I was around 14 and have been independent ever since then.
Thanks for the questions, I enjoyed answering them!
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"To cope with the pain, I've gone from lengthening 0.5mm 5x per day to 0.25mm 10x per day. I still feel pain between each lengthening, but it isn't crippling pain the way doing 0.5mm was. I usually split the lengthening even more by lengthening 0.12-0.13m each time, taking a 5 minute break to massage my legs, and then lengthening the rest. This lets me avoid most of the pain, which seems to have subsided from yesterday. "
This is from Amatan's diary with the Precice 2.0 device with Dr. Donghoon Lee on old forum ... I wonder if he means he's doing 0.5mm 5x per day PER LEG? That would be insane. 2.5mm per leg is nearly double what I'm currently doing and I'm still feeling tightness. I can only imagine what it would feel like.. could this be why he was having problems with leg pain and stiffness? Still doesn't explain why the device had such lengthening discrepancies though, hopefully I'm not having the same problems with my Precice 2.0 rods.
I was told by Dr. Rozbruch that I should be pressing the device down to get as close to the rod as possible, since I have muscular thighs. Amatan also mentioned that he had more muscular thighs as well, so the problem could've been due to the magnet lengthening device not interacting with the rod somehow. I'll see if that's an issue with me when I see Dr. Rozbruch on the 31st!
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Managed to hop on the exercise bike today for about 15 minutes -- not sure what's the deal with the machine, but it appears to be set on some sort of default resistance... which tires me out very easily. Anyway, I feel that it'll play a big part in my recovery, as the motion and slight weight bearing will help build back some of my strength to continue walking again. My legs are insanely sore today from the workout and all the stretching/PT yesterday... so I may just rest for a couple days, while continuing to do stretching and lengthening, but no PT/biking for the next couple of days in order to heal.
I went from around 6-10 norcos a day + 2 oxycontin to just a single oxycontin when I woke up... hopefully it'll last me till end of day, but the pain has completely gone away. Only thing left is the soreness of my legs from all the activity.
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You're lucky to have a brother who's helping you through this. It's really awesome he can empathize with you.
Btw, how old is he?
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@Short_and_depressed I totally agree with you! He's taken better care of me than all of the nurses over at HSS... waking up at all hours to help me out and giving me medicine for my pain or emptying my "bathroom bottles". He's 21 as of this year. I would highly highly recommend having someone who cares about you coming along. It won't be super fun for them, but I can say my journey to a healthy recovery has been sped up and kept smooth because of him.
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Tangential but,
What is it like to be rich?
What is it like to be rich short and male?
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I don't consider myself "rich", I suppose we all have different definitions of that, but I do well for myself and pretty much have full freedom... for me, it can be lonely, but that's because I choose to sit inside and work all day, instead of going out and socializing. When I do go out into the world though, I can tell I carry myself more confidently than most other males and I'm a lot more direct when it comes to communicating. I also believe that I have better luck meeting women because of that, even compared to guys taller than me, though I'm not necessarily happier than those guys because I feel like my height is a hindrance.
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Hello, i feel similar. I am very confident and lots of positive energy but the height some how messed me up. Hoping to fix it very shortly :). I am waiting passionately to transform from very short to some what average.
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Down to two "narcos" (narcotics -- I've been spelling it wrong all along, my apologies) before bed now. I was going through a very slight case of withdrawals, over the past few days, when I stopped my normal dose of two narcos (every two hours) + oxycontin (every 12 hours)... it felt like I was coming down with the flu and there was this odd chill within my bones.
The pain from the operation has pretty much gone away, all I'm left with are muscle aches and soreness, which really sucks if I'm trying to sleep, which is why I'm still taking two pills right before bedtime.
I had my check-up with Dr. Rozbruch on the 31st and everything is going perfectly. There doesn't seem to be any sort of premature consolidation of the bones and we've decided to stick to the 1mm/day schedule. I did request that we speed up the lengthening and the doctor told me that even if I do finish lengthening faster, it doesn't necessarily mean my bone will heal faster... if anything I would probably finish around the same time as if I had left it at 1mm/day and I'd be opening doors to new risks by trying to rush the lengthening process.
I've started using the stationary biking machine and it's definitely a good workout and I feel great when I'm on it, but after I get off I'm incredibly sore and my muscles feel very tight. I have a harder time stretching when my muscles are "warm", after biking, than when they're "cold". Either way I will still be biking for about 20 minutes a day and continue stretching throughout the day.
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Way to go HelloThere!
You can also say opioid, less criminal-sounding than narcos.
;)
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Glad to hear you're lengthening properly and feeling less pain :)
Did you get a chance to ask him about ITB releases?
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Way to go HelloThere!
You can also say opioid, less criminal-sounding than narcos.
;)
Haha thanks for that, mediocre! Opioid sounds way cooler too 8)
@BilateralDamage
Thanks a lot, I feel a lot better now!
I actually sent him an entirely separate email about it and he didn't respond, so it totally dropped from my mind... I'll ask him the next time I see him, which will be next week. Sorry about that, I did tell you that I'd ask him.
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Hey BD and hello,
I asked him about IT band and he performs this like dr. Paley. If you do not know dr. R was trained by dr. Paley in Maryland.
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Thanks for finding that out Cooper! I'm really curious if Hello had it done or not. And any other sort of releases, since he's a muscular guy. I'm having both my ITB and biceps femoris being released (a little intimidating, but I'm hoping I'll regain that strength).
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@cooper
Thanks a lot for finding that out!
@bilateraldamage
I'm actually very interested in knowing whether this was done or not to me, as I read that some doctors believe it'll weaken the overall leg strength? I wonder under what circumstances the doctor would actually perform this surgery. They've measured how flexible I was on multiple occasions and they never once mentioned any sort of release surgeries to me. Thanks for bringing this to light BD!
These muscle aches/tightness are starting to really get to me, I believe it's due to the amount lengthened thus far... Which is a pitiful 1.5cm. I can only imagine how it'll feel when I hit the 6.5cm mark, but I am determined! I believe that being diligent about PT and stretching is a huge deal, so if possible, I would recommend doing a lot of it before your surgery and after. I'll be starting a yoga routine soon and keep track of my progress for each stretch. I'll keep you all updated!
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Thanks for finding that out Cooper! I'm really curious if Hello had it done or not. And any other sort of releases, since he's a muscular guy. I'm having both my ITB and biceps femoris being released (a little intimidating, but I'm hoping I'll regain that strength).
Hey bd, do not worry. Dr. Paley do this for almost all patient. He said he did that for 50% for p1 patient and almost all on p2 cases. He does in way it will regenerate the soft tissues.
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Hey bd, do not worry. Dr. Paley do this for almost all patient. He said he did that for 50% for p1 patient and almost all on p2 cases. He does in way it will regenerate the soft tissues.
Thanks for enlightening me about that, Cooper!
Ok, once again, I forgot to ask him about the ITB release. I haven't been myself lately. After my first check-up, I've been having a hard time sleeping at night, which causes me to sleep during the day or not being able to function properly. I received a prescription for more narcos today, which I'll be taking, though sparingly, from now on.
I had another check-up with Dr. Rozbruch today and everything is moving forward as planned. I'm currently around the 20mm mark (just 45mm more to go!) for each femur and I feel pretty ok. I'm stretching throughout the day, though a little less now due to the pain, and I plan on starting up again more vigorously now that I've got some pain killers to help me. I figured that even if I have to wean myself off of them later, I'll still have at least been able to stretch a lot more, leading to better recovery, and actually be able to get work done.
My legs have lost most of whatever muscle I had built up from lifting, but my upper body is pretty much the same as when I first got the surgery. I highly, highly recommend working on your upper body before going in for the surgery. It'll be a lot easier when you're able to support a good deal of your weight with just your arms.
There's nothing else, which is why I haven't been posting as much... but I wanted to update you all nonetheless. It gets frustrating sometimes and this is as much emotional as it is physical. There have been times when I wanted to give up because I hate that I have to depend on my brother and that doing things that I'm used to doing is causing me great pain. I really miss walking, but I know the day will come when I can walk normally again AND taller. Something that gave me great hope today was standing straight up with the help of a walker and seeing how close I was to being my brother's height.. which was about 3 or so inches taller than my original height.
Just gotta find those little things that keep you going. It's tough, but if you're truly willing to pay the price, the reward will be better than you've ever dreamed of. What's 3-4 months of pain for a lifetime of being happy and secure with yourself? It's but a small sacrifice to make.
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It's good to hear from you after a long time :) It is great that your an inch taller now and finished 1/3 of your lengthening journey without any complications. When this is all done and achieve your goal you will not regret it! Keep it up buddy!!! 8)
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It's good to hear from you after a long time :) It is great that your an inch taller now and finished 1/3 of your lengthening journey without any complications. When this is all done and achieve your goal you will not regret it! Keep it up buddy!!! 8)
Thanks for the kind words buddy! I read something in MDOW's diary... it was something along the lines of, "It will end." and that really gives me hope. When are you doing your operation? I'll be rooting for you ;)
I woke up today after taking two painkillers last night and feel worse than when I took the Tylenol. I don't know what it is, but my muscles get very stiff and painful. I'm going to experiment between Tylenol and the narcos and figure out what the best combination of taking them would be.
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I stopped taking the narcos altogether (7.5mg hydrocodone/325mg acetaminophen). I found that when I took them, my body would get really hot, and I'd end up feeling more sore and stiff than if I hadn't taken them, though they definitely helped with knocking me out. Lately I've just been taking two extra strength Tylenols (2x 500mg acetaminophen) for any sort of pain I have and it's working like a charm now, for some reason. I believe I was in so much pain before because I was being so aggressive with my stretching/PT. I would recommend gradually ramping up your stretching/strength building exercises for the sake of having your body getting used to it and not injuring yourself. The pain from overdoing something is unnecessary and I don't think it helps at all.
Another theory I have about why I was in so much pain before was because my muscles may not have been as used to the stretching from the lengthening (I did heavy weightlifting before and built up a good amount of muscle in my legs). I've lost A LOT of muscle since then and my two legs look like twigs, but a lot of my pain has gone away as well (after I healed from pulling my muscles from the aggressive stretching). The only time I'm feeling pain is when I'm laying in bed, about to sleep, or when I'm just waking up. Sitting up in a chair or being somewhat active helps relieve the pain a lot, since I think it loosens them up.
I forgot to mention that Dr. Rozbruch said that after the next check-up, if my bone healing rate is continuing like it is now, we can speed things up to 1.25mm per day, right now we're just still moving along at 1mm/day for the lengthening. The device I was given to speed up bone healing makes my legs tingle and hurt sometimes, but if it does it's job, then it'll be worth it.
I've also started a workout routine today, which I'll share, since I feel it'll help build the necessary muscles for functioning during a bilateral femur/tibia operation:
- 10 assisted dips, three sets
- Standing with the walker and a scale under my feet for 100 seconds, three sets
- 5 minutes on the stationary bike
- 10 leg extensions, three sets
- Hugging your knee, with your ankle touching your glute, and raising your toes 60 times. Repeat for other leg.
I do this every hour at the :45 mark.
It's a pretty simple workout plan, which I'm still adding to and refining, but I made it based on what I feel would help me the most in my current condition without risking any chance of bending the rods or injuring any muscles. I'm playing it safe now, especially after thinking that I bent my rods twice, and praying to God for a chance to just lengthen patiently.
I hope this helps somebody!
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It's been 10 days since the last update. How you doing OP?
Also, 24 and able to afford a $110k+ surgery. Would you happen to be an IM'er? ;)
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It's been 10 days since the last update. How you doing OP?
Also, 24 and able to afford a $110k+ surgery. Would you happen to be an IM'er? ;)
Hi Snivy,
Thanks for checking in, I'm doing a lot better now. Still sore from biking and lengthening. I visited Dr. Rozbruch the other day and the great news is that I can now move forward at 4x .33mm per day, instead of just 3x .33mm per day. The reason for this is because my bones are consolidating quickly and he's afraid there may be problems if I don't increase the amount of distraction.
I credit my progress to the weight lifting from before (increased blood circulation in my legs?), as well as the exercise/stretching routine I'm doing right now (stationary bike and about 10-15 different leg/hip stretches), and my diet... which currently consists of steamed chicken with soy sauce and occasional "cheat meals" that are still high in protein. I'm also taking a plethora of vitamins: multi-vitamin, digestive supplement, calcium, vitamin D, GSM, and vitamin C.
^Hopefully this helps somebody!
I'd prefer to keep what I do private, but it is not this "IM" you speak of, sorry!
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Brain dump:
My muscles are getting tighter and I'm starting to feel pain again in my legs ever since increasing to 1.32mm/day. I'm starting to take one narco every 4 hours as of last night. It helps me sleep and does a great job at killing the pain. I don't feel woozy or uncomfortable from taking them anymore, probably because I'm only taking one vs. the two I took before, so I'll continue to take one right before my lengthening sessions and before sleeping. I find that when I'm being wheeled around during the day I'm in a lot less pain, so being "active" helps with the pain a lot.
My pain is mainly around the knees; they feel rusty. From time to time I'll have a bit of pain in the front part of my calves and my thigh area just feels tight all the time, but it's manageable with Tylenol or the narcos, so it's really not a big issue. When I'm on painkillers, I find that it's a great time to stretch, since you can somewhat push yourself a bit and get a better stretch than you normally would.
I'm currently around the 35mm mark now, so over half way towards my goal! I'm excited to see how 2 1/2 inches will be affecting my life. I feel a little taller already with the inch and a half I've gained, so I can imagine another inch would be amazing.
In the beginning, I thought my femurs were getting way too long for my tibias, but that was due to them looking skinny as twigs from the muscle loss. As I've been exercising, my leg muscles have started coming back and now my legs look perfectly fine (or at least a lot less freakish), according to my opinion and my brother's. I don't think another inch would really affect proportions, as my femurs have always been somewhat shorter anyway.
I would like to stress that getting a big comfortable bed would be a very wise decision. This way you will be able to make the most out of your sleep, as well as have adequate room for stretching when you wake up or when you're laying in bed, which, for me, has been a good amount of hours per day.
Right now, everything is going as planned, the last month has been a blur and I'm ready to just push through the lengthening process, so that I can start the recovery phase. My only regret is not getting a more comfortable wheelchair, as I'm starting to have strange pain in my right hip area. I think this is due to sitting in the chair so much and not having any sort of glutes to support my lower body. Other than that, if I had to start over again right now, I wouldn't change a thing.
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Halfway there!!
Can you post some pics?
Thanks
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Halfway there!!
Can you post some pics?
Thanks
Hey Blackhawk,
Are there any specific pics you would like to see? I'll see if I can get some help taking some today.
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I think some pics showing the scars and your proportions would be great. Maybe a front view pic from about 10 ft away without loose fitting clothes so we can see your proportions.
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Will do - I'm actually 3 weeks away from finishing my lengthening, so I'll take pics then.
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"Numbness"
Ever since increasing the lengthening to 1.32mm per day, I've started to experience numbness in my right knee. I would say I've lost about 80-90% of feeling in the front of that area, but I have full range of motion and there is no weakness in my leg... if anything, my legs both feel better than ever. I believe it's due to the increase in lengthening, but it could also be due to the fact that I've been sleeping a lot more and mainly on my right side.
The reason for my increase in sleep is because I've started taking the hydrocodone/acetaminophen again, not because of pain, but because I ran out of Tylenol. My brother has just come back from a trip, so he'll be going with me today to pick up some more.
Here is a picture of the nerve: http://bluestarr.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/common-peroneal-nerve-injury.jpg and the same exact area where I feel numbness.
I've spoken to Dr. Rozbruch and he suggested that I lower the amount of lengthening back down to 1mm per day, which I'll be doing, as well as sleeping a lot less and paying attention to my sleeping position. I'd be lying if this didn't worry me a bit, but I'll keep you all updated as to how I do. If everything goes as planned, the numbness should be going away by end of week.
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Hey hello there! I am a long time lurker on this forum, I just wanted to check up on you HT, you seem like a bright young man, and honestly very courageous to be going through the entire process. I think by this time oyu should be done lengthening? How are you feeling? When will you be able to walk?
I hope for you the best of luck and pray for your recovery. I am considering the surgery as I think it'll make a big difference for me, however would love to hear what you would say having gone through the process.
You also document things in a very organized fashion, you can tell you are someone of higher education, may I ask your profession? I hear that people after LL presume to change their goals, please don't ever stop what you are doing and go for what you believe in!
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Hey man! So happy for you that you are more than half way! Hopefully that numbness goes away. I am surprised you were lengthening over 1mm each day. I thought 1mm was the max. I have a question if you dont mind answering. How was your confidence level before the surgery and now? I know you have only gained an inch and a half so far. I am also 5'4 and I want to do LL soon but I am nervous that even after I increase my height a couple inches that my confidence level will still be bad and my height dysphoria because I will still only be around 5'7. Thank you and good luck with the rest of your journey.
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Stay positive, HelloThere! You're in good hands :D
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@Prodigy
Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement!
I'm actually done with my lengthening and started the recovery process roughly 3-4 weeks ago -- I stopped at 5.5cm, as I didn't feel a need to risk the health of my legs for another cm (I was experiencing severe pain at around the 5cm mark). I spoke to Dr. Rozbruch recently and my bones are now healed enough for me to bear full weight on them. I'm going to stop using my wheelchair 90% of the time and putting full weight on both my legs, while using my walker for guidance until I'm able to walk normally. My muscles are still weak from having not used them for so long, so I won't be able to walk normally for another 3-4 weeks according to the doctor.
Prodigy, if you are truly determined to become taller and won't let anything stand in your way, then I would highly recommend you go through with it! Having only gained two inches, I feel a whole lot taller than I did before (this is from standing with the walker and seeing people around me from my newfound height) and the excitement and joy it brings me is indescribable. I have a feeling you'll be able to enjoy the same happiness if height is what you're after.
I've been running my own business for a few years and I definitely don't consider myself organized. Possibly more organized than most, but I can definitely improve upon that skill.
Once again, thanks a ton for the kind words, they really do mean a lot, and I wish you luck on your lengthening journey as well! Don't hesitate to ask me any questions, either via PM or this thread.
@shortkid
Hey shortkid! Thanks a lot, I'm actually done with my lengthening now and I'm starting the recovery/rehabilitation process. I was able to lengthen more than 1mm/day for my femurs, but only intermittently... the reason for this was because I started experiencing numbness in my front right calf and knee pain on both legs. The doctor wanted me to lengthen more than 1mm/day because my bones were starting to consolidate very quickly and he didn't want the risk of me not being able to hit my goals.
Something odd that happened at the end of my lengthening was, even though the Precice machine said I was lengthening 1mm, I was actually only getting about .5mm. This could have been due to my muscles resisting the amount of lengthening from loss of flexibility, reaching the limits of my legs being able to lengthen, or a number of other reasons. I just thought it was very interesting and was something to make note of.
If you're willing to go through a few months of discomfort, some pain, and not being able to function like you normally would, then I would highly recommend it. It's really not as bad as it sounds, and to be honest, the pain/discomfort wasn't the worst part of this whole journey for me; it was the loneliness and being unable to walk/function normally.
It's a little too early to be able to tell how confident I'll be with my new height, but I do have to say that I feel very good about being able to see things from a taller perspective. You'd be surprised at how much of a difference 2 inches makes! I'm very excited to heal properly and to get back to my life.
Thank you for the questions and the nice words, shortkid!
@Kilokahn
Thanks a lot Kilo, I wish you the best on your journey as well, my friend.
Hi everybody, I just wanted to say I'm not checking this forum as much as I used to and it was only chance that I stumbled back on here today. I think it's true when people say that journals/diaries are abandoned because the people who were writing them just want to get back on with their lives. I want to apologize to anyone who posts in my diary or tries to reach out to me via PM; my response time will be slow.
To anyone who wishes to proceed with LL, I have you in my prayers for a quick and speedy lengthening journey and hope that you find what you are looking for. These three months have been very eyeopening for me and I have a feeling I will look at life from a different perspective here on out. I can't wait to get back to my life and to work on improving myself in other ways, now that I feel my height isn't all that big of an issue anymore.
Good luck all and farewell, for now.
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Thanks for the update HelloThere!
I'm happy that you have progressed so much since your first post several months ago.
You are a intelligent person and I respect you for listening to your body, hence avoiding potential complications and a longer recovery.
You did not get trapped into the numbers game. Future LL'ers should look up to you as a LL role model!
I wish you all the best in your recovery and success in life after consolidation :)
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Hope you are fine
Any updates please
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Thanks for the update HelloThere!
I'm happy that you have progressed so much since your first post several months ago.
You are a intelligent person and I respect you for listening to your body, hence avoiding potential complications and a longer recovery.
You did not get trapped into the numbers game. Future LL'ers should look up to you as a LL role model!
I wish you all the best in your recovery and success in life after consolidation :)
Thanks so much, TRS! I missed your kind words when you first posted them, so I wasn't able to thank you properly. I'm truly appreciative of what you've done for the community and continue to do to this day.
Thank you goodlucktomylegs, I'm doing well now!
Here's a quick update. I removed my rods last year and have been recovering quite swiftly. At first I was dreading the idea of it, since I didn't want to go under the knife again, but found that the rods and nails were hindering my body's healing process, so it had to be done. After removing them, I was able to regain most (I'd say I'm at 95%) of my flexibility and leg functionality after 6 months of embarrassingly light physical therapy (if you have the opportunity to allocate a lot of time towards PT you should do so! I wish I had, since I may have healed even sooner.)
To whomever (whoever?) is reading this... whether you're considering LL, currently going through it now, or recovering, I cannot stress enough the benefits of having a proper diet and getting consistent exercise. You have the chance to change your life here for the better... don't screw it up! It's not easy - rarely anything worthwhile in life ever is - but I can tell you it's been worth every moment of pain over the past 3 years (and then some).
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Thank you for coming back to the forum and replying HelloThere. I was completely unaware there was another Rozbruch diary on here until you posted this reply. It's been almost 3 years since you stopped lengthening and began consolidation and recovery which means your information and experience is one of the most valuable to share as most stop posting on the forum after they have finished lengthening which means we have very little data or experience on the long term effects. If you don't mind answering, I would like to ask some questions;
Do you believe removing the rods had a major impact on your recovery and well being?
You say you have regained 95% of flexibility and functionality, by this do you mean in comparison to before or just in terms of walking and day to day activity?
You trained extensively prior to the procedure and appeared to be in good physical condition, how does your condition now compare to then? Do you still exercise/weight lift and how are you compared to previously? Do you believe you will be able to recover to a higher degree than now?
Do you have any lasting aches and pains? Is the drop in physical ability noticeable or present in day to day life?
If you could change anything, would you? Any advice to share?
It's great to see that it has benefited you so much, thanks for coming back with an update and congratulations on achieving what you set out to accomplish, I wish you a fantastic time from here on out.
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did he use 6 month on recover or 3 years ?