Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: fujitora on May 06, 2016, 05:59:08 AM
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4/4/2016 – Day of the surgery
Initial Height: 160.5 cm
Target Height: 166 cm
Wingspan: 173 cm
Method: Externals using TSF
Doctor: Manesh Dhawan
Cost: 15k USD
Preface: Before I begin this diary, I would like to thank KiloKhan and Phoenix for all the valuable information/support they have provided on this forum, which has immensely helped me in choosing the right doctor.
On the day of the surgery: I was very nervous on the day of my surgery. I got admitted the night before the surgery on 4/3/2016, at around 10:00pm. I was told not to eat or drink after 12:00am, and to sleep tight and wake up at 6:00am.I couldn’t sleep at all due to the nervousness and anxiety. At 6:00 am, my surgery preparations have started - which includes conducting a series of tests like blood test, urine test etc. I had history of seizures. So my surgeon and the anesthesia team had to get consent from neurology department that I’m ready for the surgery and don’t show any signs of seizures. So I was taken to the neurology department. They performed MRI scan and ECR reports, and gave their blessings for the surgery. I was then on my way to the operation theatre at around 11:00am.
During the procedure: On my way to the Operation theatre, I got to have a quick chat with one of the anesthetist. She explained the finer details of the procedure – like how many folks would be present in the surgery room and what their responsibilities were. We have the anesthesia team (3 members), Surgeon’s team which includes Dr. Dhawan and his two assistants, three nurses (dedicated to clean blood), and couple of folks from TSF team (they need to keep track of and provide necessary TSF equipment – like rings, screws, pins and distractors, to Surgeon’s team). First the anesthesia team would induce local anesthesia, and once it’s active the Surgeon team and the remaining teams would start operating. They put a green robe front of my chest, while lying down on the surgery bed, so that I don’t see my lower half. I looked around the room for any reflective surfaces :P behind me, so that I can peep, but couldn’t find any. So I just stayed relaxed and waited for the procedure to be over.
I was given spinal anesthesia, instead of general anesthesia, because I have a history of seizures. Spinal anesthesia wouldn’t knock you off completely. It’s a form of regional anesthesia – In my case, I couldn’t feel the lower half of my body, but I was awake during the procedure. So I got to see how the team operates, how they coordinate and interact with each other, and trust me it was very funny and scary at the same time. Funny because the Dr. Dhawan was constantly yelling (like tough love) at his team members to ensure they do their work correctly, and scary because I could hear loud noises of my bones getting broken with the chisel. The procedure was done first on my right leg, which took about 3 hours. Then the teams took about 30 mins break and performed the same procedure on my right leg. After operating on my right leg, Dr. Dhawan’s team members were swapped by new folks. He however continued to remain throughout the procedure. From what I heard during the procedure, he handles critical aspects of the surgery, leaving the rest less critical jobs to his team mates under his supervision.
I would like to mention that Dr. Dhawan had reiterated multiple times to everyone in the operation theatre that this is a cosmetic surgery and not a typical leg lengthening surgery for trauma or leg-length discrepancy patients. So the room for error should be zero, and the teams have to make sure they don’t introduce any new complication, and I should be able to return back normal after the procedure. That felt very reassuring that I chose the right doctor.
Post-surgery, I was taken back to my room at around 11:00pm. I was given pain killers round the clock for the next 4 days, so I didn’t feel much pain. On day 2, the physiotherapist asked me to stand up with assistance of Zimmer frame. On day 4, he asked me to walk for few steps. I was able to manage both the sessions with little pain. I was discharged from the hospital on April 7th. Dr. Dhawan said that lengthening would begin from 10th day. I came home on April 7th, and relaxed for the next couple of days. I was given medication for the next two weeks. It includes anti-biotics, pain killers (I’ll include a separate post about pain killers), antacid tablets. I started physiotherapy sessions at home from April 9th for 1 hour. Antacid neutralized acidity in the stomach. I had to take this pill first thing in the morning on empty stomach, for as long as I’m taking anti-biotics.
Images:
X-Ray of my legs before surgery:
(http://i.imgur.com/xFnpfpZ.jpg)
TSF Frames:
(http://i.imgur.com/MsJPzBv.jpg)
Key Info regarding my frames –
TSF frames have about 2 or 3 big rods, per leg, that protrude outside the ring. These rods are usually placed in such a way that they protrude towards the other leg. This kind of set up would lead to constant collision while walking, sleeping and while cycling in gym, which is very inconvenient. To my pleasant surprise, these rods where placed towards outward side of the leg, so I’m able to perform above tasks without collision of rods. If you have plans for LL, you may request your doctor to install these rods like mine, which can be a huge deal. See below screenshot for clarity.
(http://i.imgur.com/rwGkznf.jpg)
Why did I decide to go with TSF?
I have mild bowleg and I’m quite over weight (76kgs – BMI = 29.8 ). TSF allows for very precise correction of Varus (bowleg). Also, Dr. Dhawan insisted to go with TSF as the complications are less, and it provides full weight bearing (which is a must for fat ass like me) from next day of the surgery. It also provides better structural rigidity over other illizarov frames, and it has only two rings with ample space above my ankle (Standard illizarov frame has 3 rings, and the bottom ring would be very close to ankle, making it difficult to exercise ankle. This makes difficult to control foot drop). See below screenshot for clarity
Right Leg:
(http://i.imgur.com/4bmr7r6.jpg)
Left Leg:
(http://i.imgur.com/e1yO3Zw.jpg)
April 15th – Unbearable nerve pain that made me cry; More about Painkillers for dummies
On the night of April 15th, I got severe nerve pain on my left leg near the pin site (left side) below my knee. It was unbearable and I cried couple of times due to the severity. I had to put my left leg in static position the whole night (9:00pm to 8:00am). I never in my life experienced such a pain. I called doctor at 8:00 in the morning and he prescribed Lyrica tablet. I ordered it in the nearby medical store and they delivered it at around 12:00pm. I took the tablet and slept tight for few hours. Since this incident, I developed stiffness in my left knee which lasted for the next 10 days. Now, I want to take a moment and explain of various types of pains I experienced post-surgery.
- Skin pain near the pin sites. Prescription – Hifenac-D is prescribed for this pain. This is a heavy dosage pain-killer, therefore doctor asked me to take this only for the first two weeks post-surgery. Ultracet tablet is prescribed after two weeks, which is a milder version of Hifenac.
- Muscle ache/tightness/stiffness/Sprain – I apply some pain killer spray (used for sprain) and massage on the target area. This pain is prevalent on my calf. Sometimes it gets so annoying that you cannot sleep. You can also heat coconut oil and massage daily on your thighs and calf, it feels very relaxing.
- Nerve Pain – This is the worst pain that I encountered so far. Doctor has not given me any medication for this pain because I shouldn’t be getting this pain in ideal scenario. But you know that LL journey is nothing but ideal. I was taking Hifenac pills but they didn’t work at all. Lyrica tablet should be used for this. The way it works is that it numbs your neurons, making them less susceptible to pain. This is a very addictive tablet, so I only took these pills for 3 days (1 pill per day). I suggest you to keep this pill with you, even if your doctor doesn’t prescribe it, as it can help you in emergency situations like mine.
May 4th – 1.5 cm done
I finished lengthening 1.5 cm. So far, my journey has been smooth with little discomfort. I felt severe calf pains when I distracted 1mm per day. I then distracted .75 mm for 3 days, and the pain reduced. I’m now distracting .75 mm per day to avoid muscle pain. I’m also having a tough time sleeping. I sleep only for around 2-4 hours per day. Regarding physiotherapy, I perform 2-3 sets of physiotherapy exercises on my bed per day. One the morning, one in the evening and the last one late night. Along with that, I stand up/walk for about 30-45 mins per day during evening/late night. We have a gym downstairs, so I spend 30 mins cycling and about 30 mins on upper body exercises. I think I’m getting used to this life.
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Wish you all the best, Man...
Those looks like some Sci-Fi-Ilizarov-Fixators compared to what you can see in those russian diaries...
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Thanks for posting this. Congrats on the surgery and I'm sorry about the pain. It will be worth it in the long run, just stay strong
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Wish you all the best, Man...
Those looks like some Sci-Fi-Ilizarov-Fixators compared to what you can see in those russian diaries...
This has nothing to do with the country you´re getting operated in, the reason he has them on is because the TSF is better for treating deformities.
@OP
Wish you all the best!
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@Cheez - Thanks man. Yes, TSF looks bulky as it has 6 distractors. But I can assure you that it's comfortable enough and very stable, considering the fact that I do tend to move my legs a lot.
@ub40 - Thank you. The pain has now become manageable. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
@Alittletooshort - Thank you.
@All - Let me know if there is anything in particular that you want me to elaborate on. I'll try my best to answer your queries.
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Hi Fujitora,
In your post: "It also provides better structural rigidity over other illizarov frames, and it has only two rings with ample space above my ankle (Standard illizarov frame has 3 rings, and the bottom ring would be very close to ankle, making it difficult to exercise ankle. This makes difficult to control foot drop). See below screenshot for clarity"
It´s not true!, I have Ilizarov Standard frame and I have not any problem with exercise ankle.
(http://i.imgur.com/EzsqJb2.jpg?1)
Thanks.
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Hi varusilizarov
I'm not expert about standard illizarov frame because I never had it on my legs. However, I've closely watched couple of LL'ers over here, one with standard illizarov frame and another with TSF. My statement on this matter is nothing but the feedback I got from both of them. Even when I spoke to the doctor on this topic, he mentioned that Standard Illizarov frame would restrict ankle movements a bit, because there would be lot of soft tissue and nerves towards end of the bone, and having pins accumulated close to such an area would make ankle movements not so flexible (compared to TSF, where there are zero pins near ankle) and inconvenient. I'm however happy for you that you have no problem with exercising ankle.
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I did not understand how this frame works.
Can you tell us in short sentence please?
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Hi Fujitora,
I understand very well the explanation from your doctor, not problem.
Ilizarov method is less invasive all others, wire are only of 1.8mm. A doctor specialist must to be very experienced for used this method, sometimes this method is very complicated to learning for doctors. If a doctor is expert in Ilizarov´s method, you will not have any problems with ankle, contractions, pains, feel like a electrical shock, nerve damage, skin scare, etc.
Scars are very little if you compare with scars of a screws.
Note: Taylor system is more expensive, some times doctors need to make a lot of money!
Congratulations, you have a god daily.
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@determination - TSF has two rings per leg. The one near the knee is a half ring, and the one below is a full ring. Each leg has 6 struts that have scale grading in millimeter. TSF comes with a software. When we enter the initial grading of each strut in that software, it automatically gives us a the correction chart. Depending on the severity of varus(bow leg), the number of days of correction chart varies. Similarly, if we want to use the software to provide chart for lengthening, we need to enter the desired length (like 5 cms or 6 cms), and it gives the distraction sheet of each strut per day. I've posted a picture of distraction sheet of my right leg below.
(http://i.imgur.com/WG2qm58.jpg)
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May 11th Update:
Completed 2 cms of lengthening.Things are going well for the most part. The only inconvenience I have is that I have a hard time getting into sleep mode.
Physical Activities:
I keep my day physically very active to avoid sore calf and muscle stiffness/pain. Below is the schedule I've been following for the last 3 days, and it's working pretty well.
Walking/Standing - 1.5 to 2 hours.
Physiotherapy session with physiotherapist - 1 hour
Physiotherapy/Exercises (myself) - 1 to 2 hours
Gym (work out on upper boy) - 1 hour
Also, I wanted to show you guys how the distractors are turned on TSF frame. Hope this is informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV7rjR_WPlk&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV7rjR_WPlk&feature=youtu.be)
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May 24th Update:
Hi everyone. Today, I reached 3 cm. The extra length is definitely noticeable. I got feedback from my friends over here that my tibia earlier was considerably short with respect to my overall body length. At 3 cm, it now looks good and proportionate.
Things are going well over all. I lost quite a bit of weight - became 70 Kg (was 76 Kg prior to the surgery). I guess major reason for the weight loss can be attributed to muscle atrophy. I still see chunks of fat and loose skin hanging around my thighs and hips. I'm trying my best to exercise and get in good shape.
I met the doctor today. He stated that my bone growth looks good and I should continue walking and exercising, and retain my current physical state for the next few cm. Now that I completed 3 cm of lengthening, my bow leg correction would start from today. I'm guessing it would last for next couple weeks, and then further lengthening would resume.
X-Ray:
(http://i.imgur.com/RPFknrt.jpg)
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Please help! Need some information regarding bone grafting.
Hi Everyone. I'm trying to find information regarding bone grafting. As you know, I'm currently undergoing lengthening using external frames, which can take up to an year for recovery. So I'm trying to find out if bone grafting can help reduce the consolidation period. Specifically, I want to know if allograft can be used for my case, as it doesn't need another surgery to extract bone from my body. I want to know if it's feasible or advisable to perform on tibia bone, and what's the recovery rate - for say 6 cms.
I found couple of posts on this forum about grafting, but they only state that grafting is performed in the event of non-union. I couldn't find if grafting is performed in a situation where there isn't a non-union, but to accelerate bone formation and speedy consolidation.
Appreciate your support on this. Thank you.
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I haven't heard of bone grafting being used to just speed up recovery. I think they'd have to take the bone from your fibula for the graft. Has Dr Dhawan said anything to you about what he thinks of your idea? If it were me I'd just go through the process normally and avoid the grafting. With any surgery there are risks. Why take more?
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Thanks Kilo. I haven't asked the doctor about it yet, I was planning on asking him after lengthening is done. I wanted to get the input from Sr. Members of the forum prior to that so that I have sufficient information. On the same note, I found few diaries where they've used low intensity ultrasound device to accelerate bone healing (like Exogen and Sonic 628 WD). I called Exogen customer care to find out the price and I'm surprised that it costs a whopping 4000$ without insurance. So Exogen is out of reach. I don't know if there are other affordable ultrasonic devices, I'll keep researching. Please let me know if you know of any.
I'm thinking of "plating" post lengthening. I was told that plating can hamper bone growth. I read an article few months ago that plating done with bone graft can significantly reduce the consolidation time. In that article, the average consolidation rate was 20 weeks, which is 5 months. I want to be able to get back to my life as early and safely as possible, which is why I'm researching options like grafting etc. You're right that there are risks with extra surgeries, so I'm also researching for non-surgical options like ultra-sound device etc.
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Gym Workout Video
I'm sharing this video to provide my current state of movement, flexibility & proportions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyJS-ZJ2nt0
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Any updates?
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I'm going through few complications over the last few weeks. I'm waiting to get them fixed before posting on the forum, so that I post factual information rather than something emotional and biased info (which I'll regret later).
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In the states they take it from the hip.
I haven't heard of bone grafting being used to just speed up recovery. I think they'd have to take the bone from your fibula for the graft. Has Dr Dhawan said anything to you about what he thinks of your idea? If it were me I'd just go through the process normally and avoid the grafting. With any surgery there are risks. Why take more?
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Thanks Kilo. I haven't asked the doctor about it yet, I was planning on asking him after lengthening is done. I wanted to get the input from Sr. Members of the forum prior to that so that I have sufficient information. On the same note, I found few diaries where they've used low intensity ultrasound device to accelerate bone healing (like Exogen and Sonic 628 WD). I called Exogen customer care to find out the price and I'm surprised that it costs a whopping 4000$ without insurance. So Exogen is out of reach. I don't know if there are other affordable ultrasonic devices, I'll keep researching. Please let me know if you know of any.
I'm thinking of "plating" post lengthening. I was told that plating can hamper bone growth. I read an article few months ago that plating done with bone graft can significantly reduce the consolidation time. In that article, the average consolidation rate was 20 weeks, which is 5 months. I want to be able to get back to my life as early and safely as possible, which is why I'm researching options like grafting etc. You're right that there are risks with extra surgeries, so I'm also researching for non-surgical options like ultra-sound device etc.
When I got back to the states the doctor gave me whats called a bone marrow stem cell shot, which is an innovative way to speed up the bone healing and just recovery in general.
Here is a link:http://www.andrewssportsmedicine.com/getpage.php?name=regenerative-injection-bone-marrow
Since it is so new, it may be hard to find. The best places you could start in India is SPORTS therapy hospitals. OR sports therapy doctors, since the best candidates for this procedure are athletes, you will want to reach out to there doctors.
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Thanks man. This looks like a valuable find, thanks for sharing it with the forum.
Luckily, this therapy is available in India/Delhi. Site: http://www.stemcellcure.in/
I reached out to them and explained my case. They've confirmed that they provide this procedure and asked me to provide latest X-ray to assess my case and suggest appropriate course of action.
I met Dr. Dhawan yesterday and asked him what his thoughts are about this procedure. He was totally against it and told me not to take short cuts.
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Status Update: Completed Lengthening and started consolidation.
Hi All
I haven't updated my diary in a while because I was going through some complications over the last couple of months. I was worried that I might say something in that emotional state, which I might not necessarily find true later. So I refrained from posting anything because I don't want to provide biased information or rant about doctors, which is not beneficial to anyone. I wanted to wait until the dust settles, look at the events objectively and provide my honest thoughts. I took note of critical events in a local diary so that I don't miss anything when I retrospect. For now, I just want to give a brief update as to how I'm doing now and what my next steps are.
As of now, all the complications are fixed and I stopped lengthening couple of weeks ago. I achieved 5 cm gain which puts me at 165 cm. I feel little sad that I didn't hit the sweet spot (6 cm) but I'm very happy otherwise because my complications are fixed and I'm ready to start the consolidation. I know 165 is still perceived as short by a lot of people but I have to respect the science of LL and biology of my body, and don't want to push too hard and end up causing irreparable damage. Moreover, I have a short torso, so lengthening any further would have taken a toll on my proportions. I'll provide a detailed post in coming days about what these complications were and the way they're dealt.
Even with just 5 cm lengthening, I have 1 inch ballerina. I'll be honest, I became little lethargic over the last few weeks and didn't exercise as much I used to. So I have to focus more and get this fixed.
Regarding consolidation, I was looking for any therapies that can speed up the bone growth. I got to know about Stem cell therapy (thanks to Oregonmade) and I researched about it. I have a consultation today with Dr. Ranyal to discuss about this. I'll update you more later today.
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2 inches is still a good gain with which you will have a great recovery. Congratulations.
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Thanks man. Yeah, I read many diaries that recommend almost full recovery at 2 inches. So I'm optimistic.
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Yup and TSF is very good, I am considering using that.
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<WIP>
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Consultation with Dr. Jaspal Singh Ranyal about Stem Cell Therapy
Profile:
https://www.practo.com/delhi/doctor/dr-jaspal-singh-ranyal-orthopedist?subscription_id=0
Services Offered:
General Orthopedics
PRP & Stem Cell Therapy
Prolotherapy
Address:
The Bone and Joint Clinic, G-44, Pushkar Enclave, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110063
My consultation:
I called Dr. Ranyal last week to enquire about Stem cell therapy. I explained my case that I had limb lengthening surgery 5 months ago, and I'm looking for options to reduce my consolidation period. He told me to schedule an appointment. He said he cannot provide cost details over the phone as it's subjective, and he wants to examine my case in detail before commenting on options. So I scheduled an appointment for today, and visited his clinic. The consultation fee was 700 INR (11 USD).
Here is a gist of our conversation.
Me: Hello Dr. Ranyal.
Doc: Hello, Please come in.
Me: Should I pay the consultation fee at the reception ?
Doc: We can see that later, after consultation is over. Please come in.
I got my wheelchair, so I wheeled in. I didn't know that the clinic provides wheelchair. The clinic staff were kind and supportive. I told him that we talked over phone last week and he remembered me. He asked why I got LL surgery done at the age of 27. I just smiled and said my height was very short and I wanted to gain few inches. He didn't judge or pass on any comments/feedback.
Doc: Where did you get your surgery done ?
Me: In Gangaram Hospital, under Dr. Dhawan.
Doc: So you want to know if Stem cells can speed up your bone formation ? What do you know about stem cells ?
Me: I read some articles about Mesenchymal stem cells, which are taken from Iliac crest bone, that can help in healing bone fractures.
Doc: Let me explain in detail. There are three different types of stem cells available in the market.
1) Embryonic Stem Cells - Found in the mothers womb when the first zygote is formed.
2) Adult Stem Cells - Mesenchymal stem cells found in bone marrow or body fat. These are autologous, as in taken from the patients own body.
3) Umbilical cord - You know where these come from.
Each of the above stem cells have different characteristics. Let me explain them.
1) Embryonic stem cells have a tendency to multiply rapidly, and sometimes it becomes uncontrollable. So I don't recommend these to anyone, lets skip it.
2) Adult Stem Cells cells are the safest, but it requires a surgery to extract them, and the surgery can cost upto 2.5 lakhs (4000 USD), and you'll have to be hospitalized for couple of days.
3) Umbilical cord Stem cells are available from labs at the cost of 2000 INR per ml. I would need about 10ml per each leg, so the total cost will be 40,000 INR. These don't have antigens or antibodies, so there is no risk of body rejecting them. The only drawback of these stem cells is contamination, and inherent challenges. E.g. The lab may not have stored them in proper conditions which can contaminate the stem cells. When such cells are injected, it can lead to bone infection.
Me: (Interrupted him and asked) Do you think stem cells really speed up fracture healing ?
Doc: Stem cells help in accelerating bone formation. I have done it on other patients, but not on someone who had cosmetic limb lengthening, where the bone gap is so huge. So I cannot promise that you'll heal faster through stem cells. Did you ask Dr. Dhawan about his thoughts on stem cells ?
Me: Yes, I asked him but he didn't know much and he was totally against it. He was worried that I'm looking for shortcuts.
Doc: Yeah, Even I haven't done it on cosmetic patients. I have however done it on regular fractures and the results are quite good. I dealt with a case of minor fracture case which didn't heal since 3 months. I did Stem Cell Therapy along with PRP and he was able to get back to normal in 3-4 weeks. I'll give you his no. and you can talk to him.
Me: Okay sure. I read about PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) as well, but I didn't knew it was that effective for bone healing.
Doc: Yeah, PRP works well too but not as effective as stem cells. PRP is also cheaper. For stem cells (Umbilical cord), the total cost would add up to 65,000 INR (1000 USD) where as for PRP the cost would be 40,000 INR (600 USD). PRP however is lot safer as the platelets are collected from your own blood, and there is no risk of bone infection.
Me: I want to take the safest route. My natural bone formation is also very good, so I don't want to take risks and want to tread cautiously.
Doc: Okay, sounds fair. So I've provided you with all the options, think about it and let me know how you want to proceed. Based on your psychology, I would suggest to go with PRP first. This is because we don't know if stem cells would work on you. So if you spend 2.5 lakhs (Adult stem cells) or 70K (Umbilical cord stem cells), and then if it doesn't work then you'll be terribly disappointed. So let's go with PRP first, look at the consolidation after 1.5 months and then see if we need a second PRP therapy or to go with stem cells.
We then talked about my personal life, and other stuff. He said that he used to Limb Lengthening back when he was in Libya. That was however on polio cases, which was pretty prevalent at that time in Libya . He told that he operated on lot of girls there who had crooked legs and leg deformities due to polio. He smiled saying that they used to come before marriage to get their legs straightened. He then said I need to be positive and optimistic, and not to lose faith this will all be over soon and I'll start walking again.
My thoughts on consultation: I think it went well. I'm glad that he didn't sell it. He was honest that he didn't perform this therapy on cosmetic patients, and he didn't make magical promises that stem cells will magically fix my bone in 1-2 months. He gave me contact No. of another patient who has underdone this surgery, to get his feedback. The costing details for PRP or Stem cell procedure was reasonable. He was very attentive and patiently listened to all my queries. I'll meet other doctors and I'll wouldn't hesitate to go to him for PRP procedure.
Let me know if you have any questions.
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Hi fujitora,
i have been following this forum for about a month and untill now i tried to find the answers of my question from the posts. but i think i should ask you something about LL and bow legs correction.
Im 173cm and 73kg but my legs have been always thin and i have bow legs. so i have been considering about bow leg correction for a few years but i also read that its worth to get LL if i will have bowleg correction surgery anyway. so i thought it would be ofcourse great to gain a few extra inches...
My questions are,
1- Is it really worth LL+bowleg correction, or is only bowleg correction muuuuch easier?
2- Which methods can be used for LL+bowleg correction at the same time? is the only method classic ilizarov for it? or with LON method is it possible to do LL and bowleg correction at the same time?
3- I would like to gain 5-6 cm, and as i read your diary, it seems possible, but how long would it take to come back to normal life again. for example: walking without any support, riding a bicycle, swimming, dancing etc.
4- Would you get taller if you had just bowleg correction surgery? so as you wrote you gained 5 cm, but did you get it only from LL or did you gain any cm from bowleg correction as well?
i just want know your opinion and your answers about those questions..
thanks..
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Hi Fritz
Happy to help. Here are my responses.
My questions are,
1- Is it really worth LL+bowleg correction, or is only bowleg correction muuuuch easier?
To answer if LL+bowleg correction is worth it, you have to take multiple factors into account - like your initial height, extent of height neurosis, amount of time you have, affordability, type of social life you have. I was very short (at 160 cm) and I have height neurosis, had 1 year time for this procedure, and not so active social life apart from my family. So I see so much value in it.
I don't think bow leg is easier than LL. In either cases, your tibia is broken. You go through almost same level of trauma albeit for less duration in case of bowleg correction. Bow leg correction is usually on one leg at a time, and required 3 months per leg with 1 month gap (so total of 7 months). You can insist the doctor on doing both the legs at once, in which case it would be over in 3-4 months. Also, the external fixator that Parihar uses for bowleg is much smaller and very convenient as compared to standard Illizarov. So you can say bow leg correction is more convenient than LL. However, I only felt inconvenience only for 1st two months during LL. Then your body gets used to it and time runs faster. I can't believe that I'm already 6 months past my surgery. Time really flies :) Anyways, I'm giving you the facts and my experiences to help you make the right choice. So if you have time, then LL is not difficult as compared to bowleg correction, but inconvenient for sure.
Only last thing that to consider is full recovery. During LL, your legs are not as active as they normally are. So you don't perform all the leg movements that you used to perform when you're normal. Your muscles forget those movements when you don't perform them for long time (like 6-12 months). It takes effort, persistence and dedication to train them and get back to normal, but it's not very easy. So if you want full recovery, I suggest you do only bow leg correction because you'll be in that dormant state only for 3-4 months, so your chances of becoming normal again are higher and faster.
2- Which methods can be used for LL+bowleg correction at the same time? is the only method classic Illizarov for it? or with LON method is it possible to do LL and bowleg correction at the same time?
TSF, in my opinion, is the best for LL+Bowleg correction. It's full weight bearing, and very convenient with just 2 rings. Full weight bearing is very beneficial - it allows you to walk with full weight on your legs, even during lengthening phase. This is very helpful to fight ballerina and callus formation. TSF is a bit expensive, around 15k with Dr. Dhawan. So if money is a concern, you can go with standard Illizarov frames where bow leg correction is done post lengthening using Hexapod struts. Dhawan doesn't do Hexapod anymore (just FYI), he only prefers TSF and I totally see why he made that choice.
LON is not possible if you have bow leg, because it's not possible to put in a nail. To put it simply, you cannot put a "straight nail" in "bent legs". However, it also depends on the extent of bowlegs. If you have very mild bow leg, then I think LON is possible. If you're worried about wearing frames during consolidation, you can choose to get plating surgery post lengthening but most doctors are against it (even Dhawan) because it's not considered as stable and sturdy as nail fixation. I've recently been reading about stem cell therapy to speed up bone consolidation, but there is no concrete evidence so far. But if it works, then I would think that's a much better option to go as compared to Nailing or Plating.
3- I would like to gain 5-6 cm, and as i read your diary, it seems possible, but how long would it take to come back to normal life again. for example: walking without any support, riding a bicycle, swimming, dancing etc.
I cannot answer this question correctly because I'm not back to my normal life yet. But, I'm in touch with Phoenix and based on his recovery you can start walking without support with in 9 months. Note, he was able to walk with out support but he still had frames on. His frames got off after 1 year, and he was able to go back to his normal life. You'll be able to walk but you'd have very difficulty in jumping, running or dancing. You wont have your previous strength in your legs, it can take up to 1.5-2 years or even more to be honest, to run/jump/dance.
4- Would you get taller if you had just bowleg correction surgery? so as you wrote you gained 5 cm, but did you get it only from LL or did you gain any cm from bowleg correction as well?
I don't know. Please ask "varusilizarov" - he has done only bowleg correction. He might be able to provide accurate answer. But logically speaking, yeah I think you would gain some height with bow leg correction and the amount you gain would depend on the extent of bowleggedness (I just made up that word :P). The more bent they are, the more you'd gain.
I hope I answered your questions. Let me know if you need any more info.
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Hi fujitora ,
first of all thanks a lot for your detailed answers!
As i understood, it takes about min 3-4 months even if i have only bowleg correction but healing time will be shorter shorter than LL.
I live and work in Germany but im from Turkey. So if i compare the prices, LL is much cheaper in Turkey. So i was thinking of having bowleg correction (even maybe with LL) in Turkey and then come back to Germany and normal life(working etc). In this forum i found Muharrem Inan; who does LL in Istanbul and he uses classic ilizarov and LON..LON seemed to me better(i might be wrong though), thats why i asked about LON method..
Actually there no huge difference between 4 months and 6 months for me. Also for me the most important part is, when i can begin to work again, walk without support and when i wont need any physiotherapy?... Because when i come back to germany i dont want to visit any physiotherapist. I just want to walk without any support and to be able to work... (doing sports, jumping, dancing etc are important too, but for them i can wait 1-2 years). For example, you said 3-4 months for bowlegs if they are done at the same time... so after 3-4 month wont i need any physiotherapy anymore? or 3-4 months + phsysiotherapy?
and another part which i couldnt understand very well, do you mean that i cannot jump, dance etc anymore like before the surgery if i get LL? or do you mean that, i can jump, do any sports after LL like before the surgery, but it may take 1,5-2 years?
I know i should ask the doctor these questions but i dont wanna go to doctor without any idea :)
Thanks again for your answers
and Good luck! :)
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Hi Fritz
Happy to help. Please see my responses below -
For bow leg correction, you'd need physiotherapy for 3-4 months. Post that, you wouldn't need physiotherapist because you'll be aware of what exercises to perform and you'll be able to do those exercises on your own. For example, I only took physiotherapy during lengthening. During consolidation, I do all the exercises myself.
Regarding your second question, I meant that after you go back to your regular life, which is 1 year post surgery for pure externals method, you can walk normally but wouldn't be able to jump or dance like before. Note that to jump, you'd have to exert very strong force through your legs to get you off the ground. It's very hard and unlikely for you to possess such strength in your legs when you start your normal life. You'll also take a big hit on your flexibility and agility, so dancing would be challenging too. It would take a year or more to do these things.
Again, I'm sharing these things based on my personal experiences or LL friends that I personally met and still stay in touch with.
Hope my answers are clear now. I'm happy to help and the reason I started this diary to help my fellow LL friends :) . So feel free to ask anything.
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Hi fujitora,
so the problem isnt only with bones, its also with the muscles. I think, they must be stretched and lengthened as bones...
by the way, ist everything alright with you now?
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Yes, it's not just bones but muscles and tendons also play a major role in this procedure.
Everything is fine for now except for couple things -
1)I have ballerina in left leg, about 2-3 cm. It's been there for two months now. I'm trying hard but it's not getting any better. Right leg is fine. (LL Veterans - If anyone know of any exercises that can work the best, please suggest.)
2)I have a shattered bone in my right leg which wasn't fixated by my doctor. It got drifted away little bit, so my body would have to generate more bone to consolidate, so I'm guessing my consolidation time would increase due to this. I asked my doctor numerous time to fixate it and bring it closer, but he insisted not to.
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Hey Fujitora! When are you going to update the diary and tell us what complications you had and how Dr. Dhawan handled it?
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I'll write it the coming weeks. I'm relaxing these days as I just finished lengthening, No more freq visits to clinic, I'm sleeping for 12-13 hours a day :)
LL is also a good time to eat how much ever you want and not to gain weight :) I've been eating like crazy over the last couple months, Pizzas burgers rice chicken fish ice creams chocolates biscuits fruits (mostly bananas) , but I haven't gained any weight. Feels so good :)
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Why is it you wont gain weight.
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Energy for recovery basically.
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Would that mean you could lose a lot of weight if you ate less.
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Yeah, You'd lose weight if you eat less. I was 76 Kg before the surgery and I lot my appetite post surgery. I'm was 69 2 months ago, and I'm eating like crazy since then and I'm still at 69. I donno the exact reason for this but I'm so glad I'm not gaining weight....
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Hi Fujitora,
You have a very intersting apparatus. It looks very stable and controlled, I bet you never had any unexpected moves on your knees or bone bending ( on front or side). I'm I correct?
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Hi Mark
Yes, from what I've seen so far, TSF looks very stable. I put my legs through lot of abuse, like, to fight ballerina in my left leg I raise my left leg and try to put all my weight on my left leg. Couple of times, I even tried climbing stairs holding the side rails which is very painful on muscles and I'd have to put most of my weight in one leg when I climb each step (some weight is transferred on hands as I'm holding the siderails). I didn't notice any bone bending or compression so far.
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More Brainstorming on Stem Cells.
I consulted with couple more orthopedic doctors to get clarity on efficacy of stem cells. Wanted to share those details with the group -
1)Dr. J.P.Singh
Profile:
https://www.practo.com/delhi/doctor/dr-j-p-singh-orthopedist?subscription_id=1095334
Address:
Bone and Joint Clinic, #9, Basement, Road No. 33, Punjabi Bagh Extension, Delhi
My consultation:
I talked to him last week over the phone and explained my situation. He told to book an appointment on Monday (October 3rd), and send my helper to the clinic with my X-Rays and reports and some pictures. We then had telephonic consultation.
He said that the callus formation looks good in my left leg. In the right leg, the callus formation is not good. I told him that I had a second surgery (coticotomy) on right tibia, which is the reason for low regenerate formation. He asked what my initial height was, and why I choose to go with limb lengthening. He insisted that this surgery is meant for dwarfs or extremely short people. I said I agree, but I anyways had to spend 7 months for bow leg correction, so why not wait for few more months to gain couple of extra inches. He was not convinced why I choose to undertake such a painful journey, and he thinks that anything above 160cm is a good Indian average height. This discussion went on, but I'll end it here because it's not beneficial to anyone.
I then snapped out of it and said I just want to know if stem cells will improve the rate of my callus formation. He said mesenchymal stem cells (the one found in bone marrow or umbilical cord) are used as a last resort for fractures when there is no callus formation. They don't create bone cells (osteoblasts), which tends to be a common misperception. The only option I have to speed up the recovery is to reverse the lengthening by 5 mm, wait for 2 weeks to see any progress in callus formation, and then lengthen back to 5mm. He also insisted not to lengthen back to 5mm, as I'm 165 now and loosing 5mm is not a big deal. He said I shouldn't worry about height at this point, and should focus on recovery.
I then asked him how long it would take for enough callus formation to occur, to take my frames off. He said he cannot answer that as he doesn't have my earlier X-rays (I've only sent him the most recent X-ray) to look at the rate of callus formation.
Finally, he said stem cells are costly (costs upto 3000 USD) and not effective for my situation. He told me try that pull back technique, and extensive physiotherapy to speed up consolidation.
2)Clinic counselors
Website Link: http://www.clinicounselors.com/contact-us.html
Consultation:
This one was also a telephonic consultation. This time, I got to speak to someone who claims to be a scientist and researcher on stem cells. They has a dedicated stem cell research team, stem cell culture lab, and are affiliated with few big hospitals in delhi. I shared my X-Rays and reports, and the guy contacted with their orthopedic team and got back to me. He also said that stem cell therapy will not be effective for my situation. He said there are lot of doctors who make exaggerated and miraculous claims about stem cells, and cautioned me to stay away from them. He said the same thing as the earlier doctor, that stem cells are only helpful for the cases of non-union. He said stem cells don't increase the rate of callus formation, and I should focus on physio and calcium supplements to speed up recovery.
My final thoughts:
After contacting three doctors on this matter, I'm now feeling skeptical on going with stem cells. Dr. Dhawan might be right after all, that I shouldn't take shortcuts and try not to deviate from the natural process as much as possible. May be I should go with apple's way of doing things here - to try not to fix something that's not broken (pun intended).
Also very disappointed with the looks of google pixel phone that released yesterday - looks like a blatant ripoff of iphone.
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Seems like prb might be the only possible option and eveb thay is uncertain looks like the best thing to do is go hard in phyiso and increase calcium intake.
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I'm no doctor but personally I think after coming this far you shouldn't get invasive in the consolidation process, especially with something that your LL doctor doesn't recommend.
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Agreed. But it sucks to stay handicapped for an entire year. It psychologically kills you.
I wish I was Wolverine, so that I heal in seconds rather than years. Fun fact : Wolverine is also 5'3" (the comic book one).
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I've received some PMs about the cost of living in delhi, cost of physio etc. Please find those details below in INR.
Initial Surgery: 9,00,000
Physio: Rs. 500 per 1 hour session.
Dr. Dhawan doesn't provide any physiotherapist post surgery. I booked one through portea.com. The physio visits your home as per your convenience. I took Physio sessions everyday for the first two months, and every alternate day for the next 4 months. If you don't have ballerina then you wouldn't be needing one post lengthening phase.
Rent: 27,000 per month.
Second Surgery: 33,000
I had a mal-union due to improper rod placement in my right leg. So I had a second surgery that included corticotomy in my tibia and fibula, replace bent wires, remove improperly placed rods and replace them in right positions.
Food: 5000 per month
I cook my food most of the time. I sometimes order food from zomato or foodpanda apps, like once a week.
Helper: 2000 per month
I hired a helper to assist with shopping stuff, take me to the hospital.
Other Expenses: 50,000 - 80,000 so far
These include X-Rays, cabs to travel to hospital or clinic for consultation, and doctor fees during consolidation, medicines, dressing & pin site cleaning materials etc.
Let me know if I missed something.
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The cheaper rent makes it more enticing to go there.
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Yes, cost of living in delhi is quite cheap compared to Mumbai. I also like the people of delhi, they're very kind and eager to help.
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I’ve been waiting to publish about my complications but was holding off because I don’t know from where I should start. Finally, I decided to muster some patience and courage, and share the details with you.
Note that I did my best to be as factual, honest and unbiased as I can. You would notice some emotional elements here, which are purely subjective and indicative of only my personality and how my brain responded to these emotional hurdles, but not the competence of my doctor.
To make it convenient to read, I’ll write about each leg separately.
May 31st
Right Leg: I went to hospital to get X-Rays. He (Doctor) said that the callus formation looks good, and I have to keep up with the exercises. He said that he’ll perform bow leg correction while lengthening the next cm, and asked me to come to the clinic the coming weekend to perform calculations.
Left Leg: Nothing specific.
June 5th
Right Leg: I didn’t lengthen from May 31th till now. I was waiting for the next distraction sheet from the doctor.
I was given the bow leg correction program for the next 1 cm. So I’m supposed to complete bow leg correction and 1 cm lengthening in the next 20 days.
Note: To generate the distraction sheet, the doctor would have to run the TSF software from his laptop. Whenever there is a need to correct deformities like Varus or alignment, he performs some calculations on the X-Rays and then inputs those values to the TSF software, which gives us the distraction sheet to correct the deformity.
Left Leg: Nothing specific.
June 23rd
Right Leg:For the next few days, I continued distraction as provided. I stared noticing a hump developing on my right leg, near the area where the tibia was broken. It looked like lower segment of the broken bone is protruding outside, under the skin. So I went to a local X-Ray center near my home and took an X-Ray to see what’s happening. I saw that the bone was right under the skin, protruding out of the skin. The bones are way off, unaligned and very bad. I got scared and called the doctor, and explained what I saw. He told me to come on empty stomach next day at 9:00 am, because he suspected that I might need another surgery to fix that.
- Screenshot of Hump (http://i.imgur.com/fntGivl.jpg)
- X-Ray of hump (http://i.imgur.com/B4R2VY3.jpg)
Left Leg: I noticed that my left legs going from bow to knock. I wanted to tell him this during our next consultation.
- Screenshot of Knock Knees (http://i.imgur.com/fYs4940.jpg)
June 24th
Right Leg:I went the next day at 9:00 am to the hospital on empty stomach. He wasn’t there and I was waiting in the hallway in front of his cabin. I would’ve started later, had I known he wasn’t there. I called him couple of times to ask how long it’s going to take, he told me to wait as I don’t have anything else to do. He finally arrived at 1:00pm. He checked everything and said surgery wasn’t required. The rod that was placed in the right leg were locking the lower bone, which prevent it from any angular movement. So he removed one of the rods (without anesthesia, and it wasn’t that painful). He took a new set of X-Rays to perform re-correction. He asked me to come to clinic next Sunday, on 26th, to run the software and give the new distraction sheet.
Left Leg: I told him that my legs look knock. He said that he might have over corrected it, and told me not to worry. He said when I come next time, he’ll reverse some of the correction during the next lengthening, and bring it back to normal.
June 26th
Right Leg:I went to the clinic and he performed calculations on the X-Rays and gave me new distraction sheet.
Left Leg: Nothing new on this leg, he asked me to continue with the earlier program. Once that is complete, he said he’ll give a second correction sheet to bring the legs back to normal.
July 10th
Right Leg:I completed the program given on June 26th but the hump was still there. He took a new X-Ray, and said that this is a complex correction and would take multiple corrections. So he gave me a new distraction sheet that includes 5mm lengthening and correction of the hump for the next 10 days. I insisted to do correction later and complete lengthening first, because there is a risk of pre-consolidation as we’re lengthening the bone very slowly. He said that it’s not the right way to do, and told me not to worry too much and everything will be alright, and to trust him.
Left Leg: He took X-Rays and performed calculations again to fix my Knock Knees, on left leg. He gave me a new distraction that includes 5mm lengthening and correction of knock knees.
July 19th
Right Leg:I completed the distraction program that was given during the last visit but the hump was still there. I went for the consultation. He took X-rays and said that the bone pre-consolidated in a malunion state in the right leg – both tibia and fibula. He said I would need a second surgery to re-break the tibia and fibula. I asked him if there is a way to avoid the surgery, and I’m okay to stop the lengthening. He said no, and that this is a malunion so the distraction program wouldn’t work as the bones are fused.
We planned for the surgery to be on July 25th. He gave me few blood tests to be performed prior to the surgery. I reminded him again that I have history of seizures and I should be given spinal anesthesia during the surgery, instead of general anesthesia. He said he remembers it, and we can double check on the surgery day.
- X-Ray of Right Leg, LAT view, taken at this stage (http://i.imgur.com/jvzF2Bs.jpg[/url)
Left Leg: He took new X-Rays and said that the left leg looks straight, and knock knees is fixed. He said that he’ll continue lengthening after the surgery on my right leg. He told me not to distract until then. I asked if we should continue lengthening left leg, and waiting any longer, there is a risk of consolidation. He said that we should treat both the legs together, and the callus formation in my left leg is not as vigorous as my right, and there is little chance of union.
I was however skeptical because the X-Ray showed equal callus formation as my right leg, and worried about consolidation.
- X-Ray of Left Leg taken, AP View, at this stage (http://i.imgur.com/9ngTmA7.jpg)
July 25th
Right Leg:I got admitted at around 9:00am for the surgery. I spoke to the anesthesia team prior the surgery about my situation that I got seizures before and that I need spinal anesthesia.
The surgery happened at around 3:00pm. I was so sick of waiting on the bed in the recovery room from 9:00am to 3:00pm on empty stomach. I felt so hungry and on top of that Dhawan’s team members used to come once in a while and try to pass on judgmental comments, or brainwash me.
When I was taken to the surgery room, a guy tried to inject me something and I told him to hold off until doctor arrives. I was worried that this guy might be trying to knock me off with general anesthesia. However, he didn’t listen to me. He spoke to me a while ago while I was in the recovery room, and was furious that I got this surgery to increase height. He told me to be quiet and they know what they’re doing, and that he spoke to the anesthetist and will be proceeding accordingly. While this is happening, the doctor walked into the room. I told him to fixate the shattered bone as well, because it can slow down my recovery. He said he’ll see and ……… I got knocked off. When I woke up, I was in the recovery room again. It was around 6 pm. The surgery was over. I got so pissed that I was given general anesthesia, in spite of telling them repeatedly. I could’ve died there, if something had gone wrong.
After about an hour, the doctor arrived. He said that the surgery went fine. He said that he didn’t carry his laptop with him, so asked me to come to the hospital the next day to take new set of X-Rays to calculate for distraction sheet. I asked him why General anesthesia was given, and he said there is a slight miscommunication and that it’s no big deal because nothing happened. I asked him if he fixed the shattered piece of tibia, he said no and it’s not necessary. He said that the bone will remodel itself and I shouldn’t be worried about it. I said I agree but it’ll delay my consolidation period, but he disagreed. I was very pissed for multitude of reasons, and I have to come next day again in spite of the pain and trauma I went through today.
Left Leg: It’s been 6 days since I didn’t lengthen this leg. I was worried about pre-consolidation. I knew that if I turn all the distractors by 1mm, it equates to 1 mm lengthening without changing the alignment or angle. Moreover, I only had to do lengthening on this leg, as correction is already done. So I decided to lengthen this myself at 1mm per day, without waiting for him to run the software. The distractors were becoming very tight as I turn, which was an indication that the bones are starting to fuse. By this time, I only did 4.5 cm, so I knew it wasn’t my muscles stiffness. So I decided to lengthen this by 5mm by the time he completes surgery in right leg and gives me a new distraction sheet.
July 26th
Right Leg:I went to the hospital. It was raining like hell, and it was very difficult for me to get out of the car and go inside the hospital. I just had the surgery yesterday and wounds are still fresh with stiches on. So I was worried about rain water getting onto the wounds and causing infection. I got lucky and somehow managed to get onto the wheelchair without wetting myself, and went into the hospital.
The doctor asked me to get new X-Rays which took about an hour. Then my wounds were cleaned and dressing was changed. Then the doctor said that he doesn’t have he forgot again to being his laptop, and asked me to come to the clinic tomorrow with those new X-Rays, to perform calculation again.
I said I don’t want to travel again tomorrow, because I had surgery yesterday and I’m in lot of pain and I’ve been travelling for the last two days back and forth to the hospital. I said I’ll come to the clinic tonight itself, and requested him to take some time out for me considering the situation I’m in. He agreed. I then waited in the hospital, sitting in the wheelchair near the corridor as people stare at me, for 3 hours and then took a cab to the clinic.
My house is in the middle of hospital and clinic. It takes an hour for me to go to the hospital, 30 mins when there is less traffic. So it took 2 hours to go from hospital to clinic. It was night 9pm by the time I reached clinic. The doctor ran the calculations and gave me a new distraction sheet for 14 days to fix he hump and lengthen by 7mm. I was out of the clinic by 10 pm.
- Picture of surgical wounds (http://i.imgur.com/cdr2Mkw.jpg)
Left Leg: When I met him at 9:00pm at his clinic, I told him that I continued lengthening without his sheet. He said not to do that again, and I shouldn’t take my own decisions. I said it’s just lengthening, and there is no need for the sheet as we know that turning all the struts by 1mm equates to 1mm lengthening. He said it’s alright, but not to do it again. He gave me a new distraction sheet for 1cm.
So I left the clinic. I was in a wheelchair, and my helper accompanied me. The clinic is situated in a dark roadway, and the network signal is usually very weak there, and cabs have hard time getting into this roadway (even with GPS) because it’s a very narrow way. So I had to go on wheelchair from the clinic to the main road, which is about 200 meters, and there we so many mosquitoes biting all over me. I couldn’t kill them by slapping against the skin because of the frames. I felt miserable. On top of that, there were street dogs all over that narrow roadway and some them were growling at us. My wounds were fresh, and I knew they could smell blood. Some dogs tried to come closer at the smell of blood, but my helper chased them away. I had a scary and emotional breakdown moment then, and almost had tears in my eyes. I felt like what the hell did I put myself in, and wished things to get better soon and my final height better be worth all the torture I had gone through.
August 7th
Right Leg:So I went home and followed the distraction program that was given to me on July 26th, completed it and for consultation on August 7th.The hump was still there.
He took a new X-Ray and saw that the bone was still protruding out. He said that I need another correction to fix the hump, so he performed calculations again on the X-Ray, ran the TSF software, and gave me a new distraction sheet.
After I went home, I was worried whether the hump would be fixed or not. So I wanted to take opinion of another doctor. I emailed Dr. Parihar if he would be willing to do a Skype video consultation. He replied in couple of days that he’s okay with a skype call, but wanted to check my reports and X-Rays first. He said if he still couldn’t figure out by the reports the let’s do a Skype call. So I sent him my X-Rays and reports.
Left Leg: I completed lengthening 5.5 cm, and I told him that I’ll stop. Even though the bone gap shows 5.5 cm, If I calculate the entire tibia length and compare it against my original bone length, I found that the actual height achieved is only 5cm. I was however so pissed off at the way things are going with my right leg, and I don’t want to risk another surgery. Also, I started to develop ballerina in my left leg, so I decided to stop lengthening.
I told him to take a full length X-Ray and ensure that Bowness is completely fixed in my left leg, just a final check as lengthening is complete and I wouldn’t turn the distractors anymore. He took an X-Ray and said that it all looks good. However, when I look at my legs when still look curvy. I wasn’t convinced with his reply and asked him multiple times to double check, but he said it all looks good and I can rest the bone for consolidation.
- Picture of Left Leg at this stage (http://i.imgur.com/HOji5Wa.jpg)
August 24th
Right Leg:By the time Parihar reviewed my reports and responded back, I noticed that the hump was receding (Finally!!). So I replied the same to Parihar, and requested him to give me couple of weeks and I would contact him I the issue still persists.
By August 24th, the distraction program was complete and the hump was almost gone. When I went for consultation, the doctor said that the hump is gone and bones are also aligned. He also said that the little hump I see is a trough caused by weak skin (weak because it was cut twice at the same place), and it will disappear in few more days.
He gave me a new distraction sheet for just lengthening.
Left Leg: Nothing specific.
Sept 6th
Right Leg:I completed the distraction and went for consultation on September 6th. He took a new full length X-Ray to check for bow leg and leg length. He said that the right leg is smaller by 8mm, and would need further distraction. He gave me a new distraction sheet for 10days, for 8mm.
Left Leg: When he took the full length X-Ray and checked for Bowness, he said that I need further correction on my left leg. I said – I asked you multiple times 1 month ago and you said everything was fine. What changed now? He said that he would have to look at both the legs together to verify that, and that I need just a bit more correction on my left leg. I said I was worried that the bones are already fused, as it’s been a month. He said that it won’t be fused that told me not to worry too much. (I get pissed when someone tells me that. Of course I’m worried, these are my legs and my life on the line). He’s taken X-Ray of my left leg again, performed calculations and given me a distraction sheet for couple of days to correct bow leg.
September 18th
Right Leg:I completed the distraction program that was given to me on Sept 6th, and went for the consultation to the clinic on September 18th.
He took full length X-Ray and said that the bow leg correction is complete and both the legs look good, and are of equal length. The left leg was shorter by 2 mm, but he said it’s not a big deal and ignore it.
- Final X-Ray of lower legs taken at the end of lengthening phase (http://i.imgur.com/MonFr3D.jpg)
Left Leg: My left leg was still looking curvy, so I wasn’t convinced that the bow leg was fixed. So I visited couple of other orthopedic doctors to confirm it. They both have confirmed that I don’t have bow leg, and that my bones have a natural curvature which gives it that curvy look.
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The surgery happened at around 3:00pm. I was so sick of waiting on the bed in the recovery room from 9:00am to 3:00pm on empty stomach. I felt so hungry and on top of that Dhawan’s team members used to come once in a while and try to pass on judgmental comments, or brainwash me.
When I was taken to the surgery room, a guy tried to inject me something and I told him to hold off until doctor arrives. I was worried that this guy might be trying to knock me off with general anesthesia. However, he didn’t listen to me. He spoke to me a while ago while I was in the recovery room, and was furious that I got this surgery to increase height. He told me to be quiet and they know what they’re doing, and that he spoke to the anesthetist and will be proceeding accordingly. While this is happening, the doctor walked into the room. I told him to fixate the shattered bone as well, because it can slow down my recovery. He said he’ll see and ……… I got knocked off. When I woke up, I was in the recovery room again. It was around 6 pm. The surgery was over. I got so pissed that I was given general anesthesia, in spite of telling them repeatedly. I could’ve died there, if something had gone wrong.
After about an hour, the doctor arrived. He said that the surgery went fine. He said that he didn’t carry his laptop with him, so asked me to come to the hospital the next day to take new set of X-Rays to calculate for distraction sheet. I asked him why General anesthesia was given, and he said there is a slight miscommunication and that it’s no big deal because nothing happened. I asked him if he fixed the shattered piece of tibia, he said no and it’s not necessary. He said that the bone will remodel itself and I shouldn’t be worried about it. I said I agree but it’ll delay my consolidation period, but he disagreed. I was very pissed for multitude of reasons, and I have to come next day again in spite of the pain and trauma I went through today.
Sounds like his entire staff is made of baboons. "Slight miscommunication" rofl. "Hey, you almost died, but you didn't, uh my bad! Don't tell your mother!"
Sucks that you had to go through all that especially considering it could all be avoided on their end. How do you feel now?
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Sounds like his entire staff is made of baboons. "Slight miscommunication" rofl. "Hey, you almost died, but you didn't, uh my bad! Don't tell your mother!"
Sucks that you had to go through all that especially considering it could all be avoided on their end. How do you feel now?
Yeah, I dodged a bullet there!!! Sure.
I'm doing good now. In fact, much better. I got a bit lazy last month and didn't exercise much. But now I'm back on my feet, walking a lot and cycling. My ballerina has gotten better and I'm optimistic that if I continue this way I'll be in good shape.
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Sounds like his entire staff is made of baboons. "Slight miscommunication" rofl. "Hey, you almost died, but you didn't, uh my bad! Don't tell your mother!"
Sucks that you had to go through all that especially considering it could all be avoided on their end. How do you feel now?
Seriously, what a bunch of utter imbeciles, but that's what happens when people aren't gambling with their own lives.
Btw fuji, i know you posted an x-ray but how bad was your bowleg? And did you experience any pain because of it?
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Seriously, what a bunch of utter imbeciles, but that's what happens when people aren't gambling with their own lives.
Btw fuji, i know you posted an x-ray but how bad was your bowleg? And did you experience any pain because of it?
Honestly, I didn't expect things to go this way. Phoenix's journey went a lot smoothly which is why I made this choice, but I guess true color comes out when complications arise. Also, Phoenix was his first patient to undergo this procedure with TSF from this forum, which might be the reason why his case was dealt with more attention. Anyways, I'm happy that things are good now, in spite of all that happened.
Regarding the severity of bow legs - I used to get calf pains and knee pains before during extended physical activity.
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so bad! I'm sorry
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Honestly, I didn't expect things to go this way. Phoenix's journey went a lot smoothly which is why I made this choice, but I guess true color comes out when complications arise. Also, Phoenix was his first patient to undergo this procedure with TSF from this forum, which might be the reason why his case was dealt with more attention. Anyways, I'm happy that things are good now, in spite of all that happened.
Regarding the severity of bow legs - I used to get calf pains and knee pains before during extended physical activity.
It's fine, i'm glad that it went smoothly.
I mostly ask about bowleg because i have constant knee pains and mild bowleg but i didn't get refunded surgery(not bowed enough) so ye.
Anyways good luck buddy, hope it will go smooth from now on.
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Seems to me that Dr. Dhawan doesn't really give a sh*t about his patients.
In my opinion, a doctor's level of care towards the patient is just as important as the doctor's skill.
Making you come at 9 AM and then making you wait till 1 PM is bullsh*t, man! Who does that to a guy with 2 broken legs? And forgetting the laptop TWICE in a row? Never heard of.
And even I hate the term, "Don't worry". Yeah, don't worry because you can buy a new pair of legs at any open market, or better still you could order them online, get them delivered to you and just fix them on after throwing away your old ones. Why worry?
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. But, in the end, you still have your new height, and I hope you'll soon forget all this and live your life with your new height happily.
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so bad! I'm sorry
Thanks you, things are good now. I'm happy that the worst part is over.
It's fine, i'm glad that it went smoothly.
I mostly ask about bowleg because i have constant knee pains and mild bowleg but i didn't get refunded surgery(not bowed enough) so ye.
Anyways good luck buddy, hope it will go smooth from now on.
I thought of that too - I was working with a private firm and they were willing to cover my expenses on the basis of bow leg correction surgery. However, I was afraid that if they come to know about height thing, it would compromise my integrity. So I did what was ethical, and bore the expenses myself.
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Seems to me that Dr. Dhawan doesn't really give a sh*t about his patients.
In my opinion, a doctor's level of care towards the patient is just as important as the doctor's skill.
Making you come at 9 AM and then making you wait till 1 PM is bullsh*t, man! Who does that to a guy with 2 broken legs? And forgetting the laptop TWICE in a row? Never heard of.
And even I hate the term, "Don't worry". Yeah, don't worry because you can buy a new pair of legs at any open market, or better still you could order them online, get them delivered to you and just fix them on after throwing away your old ones. Why worry?
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. But, in the end, you still have your new height, and I hope you'll soon forget all this and live your life with your new height happily.
Thanks man, yeah I'm happy with the new height and that consolidation phase is more relaxing than lengthening phase. He's not the nicest guy on the planet but end of the day he did fix all my complications, albeit a little adventurously.
Some aspects, like coming late are somewhat of an accepted norms with many Indian doctors. So I was somewhat mentally prepared to face these type of things when I decided to do this surgery in India. My intent in revealing this information is not to speak ill about anyone, but to let future LL'ers know what the facts are and how things are dealt with over in India, so that they have realistic expectations about the level of care and attention.
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Thanks man, yeah I'm happy with the new height and that consolidation phase is more relaxing than lengthening phase. He's not the nicest guy on the planet but end of the day he did fix all my complications, albeit a little adventurously.
Some aspects, like coming late are somewhat of an accepted norms with many Indian doctors. So I was somewhat mentally prepared to face these type of things when I decided to do this surgery in India. My intent in revealing this information is not to speak ill about anyone, but to let future LL'ers know what the facts are and how things are dealt with over in India, so that they have realistic expectations about the level of care and attention.
Fujitora, you seem to be playing it down.
Giving you General Anaesthesia when you instructed them not to is serious medical negligence.
And telling you that everything is fine and then 2 weeks later telling you that you need surgery to fix that is just pure carelessness.
You have a right to be angrier than you are now.
I actually admire your restraint
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That General Anesthesia story is very worrying.
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Nov 6th Update
I went to the hospital today to get new set of X-Rays. Callus formation looks good considering that I'm at 7 months post surgery. Ballerina has also gotten lot better. When I stand for 10 minutes my heel touches the ground. I intend to continue the current exercise regime to keep up the progress. Also, I decided not to go with PRP therapy or Stem cell therapy for accelerated bone healing because the callus formation looks good and I want to avoid any unnecessary complications by taking short cuts.
X-Rays:
- Nov 6th Left - AP (http://i.imgur.com/M2hSrsO.jpg)
- Nov 6th Left - LAT (http://i.imgur.com/iAi2OaJ.jpg)
- Nov 6th Right - AP (http://i.imgur.com/VxVrwmp.jpg)
- Nov 6th Right - LAT (http://i.imgur.com/z5jUVpe.jpg)
Supplements that I'm taking since beginning of consolidation:
- Spirex Forte: This is a tablet form of supplement for Calcium, Zinc & Vitamin D3. I'm taking 1 pill a day at random time
- Depura 60k Vitamin D3 Oral Solution: This is an oral liquid form of supplement to rapidly boost Vitamin D3 levels, which is essential to improve your calcium absorption capacity. It comes in a 5ml ready to drink shot that I take one every week on empty stomach first thing in the morning.
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It looks like you're making a good recovery. So you have 5 more months then of wearing the device.
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It looks like you're making a good recovery. So you have 5 more months then of wearing the device.
Yep! Hopefully things go smooth from here. I'm aiming for March for frames removal. Phoenix also had surgery in April and got off the frames in March.
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Hi there!
Hope you are doing fine, I have read your diary carefully and it's a shame he didn't fixed your leg in a proper way.
It turned out to be ok afterwards but still...
I'm very amazed how your consolidation is going very well!
Trust me, you do not want to take shortcuts, just let it heal naturally, you have good bone formation unlike some others.
Keep us updated, and have a good day!
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Hi there!
Hope you are doing fine, I have read your diary carefully and it's a shame he didn't fixed your leg in a proper way.
It turned out to be ok afterwards but still...
I'm very amazed how your consolidation is going very well!
Trust me, you do not want to take shortcuts, just let it heal naturally, you have good bone formation unlike some others.
Keep us updated, and have a good day!
Thanks Arch. Sure, will do.
I also want to cover how about ballerina in a separate response - in terms of what worked for me and what didn't, what's the least painful yet effective way to treat it. That should be very helpful for folks who choose tibia lengthening.
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Yo Fujitora,
You have only lenghtened 5-6Cm, wich is considered very safe, I dont think you should be worried that much about ballerina foot, with many people it goes after a period of time.
Just do not forget to stretch your legs everyday properly.
I am more concerned about your bone overall, it has gone thru a lot.
Have you been stretching and walking properly during your distraction phase?
Sorry if you already posted about this.
Have a good journey!
Arch
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Yo Fujitora,
You have only lenghtened 5-6Cm, wich is considered very safe, I dont think you should be worried that much about ballerina foot, with many people it goes after a period of time.
Just do not forget to stretch your legs everyday properly.
I am more concerned about your bone overall, it has gone thru a lot.
Have you been stretching and walking properly during your distraction phase?
Sorry if you already posted about this.
Have a good journey!
Arch
Hey
Don't underestimate ballerina. Just because a person did less than 6 cm doesn't guarantee that you wont get ballerina. Even with regular stretching and walking (yes- I did walk during lengthening phase as well, about 30 - 2 hours daily) I got ballerina in left leg. Because I didn't lengthen both the legs in parallel, I had severe ballerina in left leg and very minimal in my right. So when I walk it was difficult to balance my weight as all the weight gets transferred onto the right leg. It also results in knee bending while walking, to compensate for the ankle lift.
Everybody responds differently to this procedure and it took me about 3 months to see visible results. Ballerina is very very stubborn. I cannot insist more. Ballerina has to be dealt with proper technique and perseverance, otherwise you'll end up with gait (walking on toes) forever.
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Update#Dec 23rd 2016
Things have gone extremely well since my last update, 46 days ago. Ballerina is almost gone, I only have muscle tightness in the morning and when I sit for extended hours. Once I stand for couple of minutes it goes away. My walking has also improved significantly. I'm now walking with crutches and no longer using zimmer frame. I can walk without any support but I bend my back and don't have a strong footing. So I want to continue on crutches for some more time. I met with a local orthopedic doctor last month and he also suggested me not to walk without support as my legs are still weak, and I might develop duck a$$ (anterior pelvis tilt) if I continue to do so.
My bone growth has also been significant. I posted the most recent X-Rays, so you can take a look. I met with Dr. Deepak Raina today to discuss about estimated time period for frame removal and possibility of plating if necessary. He mentioned that my bone growth is excellent and I don't need plating at this stage. He said I can start loosing some struts to transfer more weight onto the bone. He suggested that I start with a particular strut on each leg and start loosening one every couple of days, until I'm left with only 3 struts on each leg. If the remaining struts can hold the bone then the frames can be removed by end of January. I was so excited to hear that. However, I want to take things slowly. I want to hold off for couple more weeks before I start doing it, and I'm okay even if I get my frames off by end of February. Like KiloKahn mentioned in his diary - "A month late is much safer than a day early."
I hope things stay on track and I get off the frames by end of Feb. Fingers crossed!!
I want to finish this post wishing you all in advance merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous new year.
Latest X-Rays:
- Dec 23rd Right Leg AP/LAT (http://imgur.com/dmZMLsd)
- Dec 23rd Left Leg AP/LAT (http://imgur.com/WVAShpo)
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A happy and healthy new year to you.
If I read correctly, you will likely be in frames for almost an entire year after the surgery. Isn't this a rather long time for a lengthening of "only" 5 cms, or is such a long timeframe really the norm?
Cheers.
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A happy and healthy new year to you.
If I read correctly, you will likely be in frames for almost an entire year after the surgery. Isn't this a rather long time for a lengthening of "only" 5 cms, or is such a long timeframe really the norm?
Cheers.
Thank you, wish you the same.
Yeah, I must be honest here. Being one year in frames is not worth for just gaining 5cm. But I had to deal with some complications along the way and I'm just happy that I didn't end up having any permanent problems. Also, I wouldn't have opted for having a Nail which can potentially open up a whole array of problems (like Knee pain, bone infection and another surgery for removal). So I way I see it is that I traded short term convenience for long term safety.
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Thank you, wish you the same.
Yeah, I must be honest here. Being one year in frames is not worth for just gaining 5cm. But I had to deal with some complications along the way and I'm just happy that I didn't end up having any permanent problems. Also, I wouldn't have opted for having a Nail which can potentially open up a whole array of problems (like Knee pain, bone infection and another surgery for removal). So I way I see it is that I traded short term convenience for long term safety.
It's ok man. Time flies. If this process made height an insignificant matter to you, I think then it served its purpose.
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It's ok man. Time flies. If this process made height an insignificant matter to you, I think then it served its purpose.
Hey man! How are you doing ? Yep, time flew by like anything. I can't believe that I'm almost towards the end of the journey. Height, right now, doesn't feel so significant anymore. I don't know if that's because I have greater problems to deal with, or because my height fits in better now, at least to Indian standards. Only time will tell. But I'm sure as hell that I'm not going to try something like this again, as in break my femur for few more cms. I now have a greater sense of appreciation of what I had or still have, which I took for granted before this journey.
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Hey man! How are you doing ? Yep, time flew by like anything. I can't believe that I'm almost towards the end of the journey. Height, right now, doesn't feel so significant anymore. I don't know if that's because I have greater problems to deal with, or because my height fits in better now, at least to Indian standards. Only time will tell. But I'm sure as hell that I'm not going to try something like this again, as in break my femur for few more cms. I now have a greater sense of appreciation of what I had or still have, which I took for granted before this journey.
Would you do it again if you could go back in time?
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Would you do it again if you could go back in time?
Nope. I would not. It doesn't feel worth it, considering the fact that I ended up crippled for a year and would need a year more to gain back my old flexibility and strength. Since I was extremely short, my desire to become averagely tall made me underestimate the amount of pain and suffering I had to go through. I'm a couch potato and hardly ever went to gym in my life. So exercising up to 4 hours everyday and eating healthy food is very challenging for me.
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Brutal honesty. Thank you for telling us that.
But there will still be benefits for you, no? Your height neurosis existed, and had you not done the surgery, it might have existed for god knows how long, perhaps until the end of your life. And even though your new height is not "perfect", it's already a good chunk better than your old one, and this will always benefit you regarding your previous bad feelings about your height. This counts for something I assume. But if the price was too high, perhaps you still regret having it done.
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Brutal honesty. Thank you for telling us that.
But there will still be benefits for you, no? Your height neurosis existed, and had you not done the surgery, it might have existed for god knows how long, perhaps until the end of your life. And even though your new height is not "perfect", it's already a good chunk better than your old one, and this will always benefit you regarding your previous bad feelings about your height. This counts for something I assume. But if the price was too high, perhaps you still regret having it done.
You're right. If I hadn't done this surgery I would've had height neurosis all my life and regret for not doing it. I still haven't met any people that were part of my life prior to LL. So I don't know how these 5 cms gain translates exactly. Perhaps I would have a better appreciation when I meet them.
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12/31/2016: Walking Video
I would like to finish this year by posting a video of me walking. It was shot today, which is approximately 9 months post surgery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tnd8giu1Tk
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Feb 21st 2017 Update:- Almost there!!
I went to consult with a local orthopedic surgeon, someone that I've consulted couple of times over the last few months, to discuss about frame removal and my progress. I've been walking unaided a lot (2 to 3 hours a day) for the past two months, so I was hoping to get positive feedback. Good news is that the callus formation has been quite good. It's also distributed and not saturated in one area, which is a testament for my walking and other physical efforts. He examined by legs, pressed around the area where the corticotomy was done to analyse bone density and strength. Goods news is that my left leg is almost done and quite strong. My right leg, which I feared the most as it had gone through two surgeries, has caught up quite a bit with very good callus formation. The callus however was not as strong as on the left leg. So he advised me to plan for frame removal process over a span of one and half month (end of march).
Frame removal approach suggested by him:
He suggested to get the thick rods taken out first. That would transfer more load on to the wires and the newly formed callus. Stay mobile (walking and physical therapy) for few weeks and then unscrew one distractor at a time (I have 6 distractors per leg) for the next few weeks. Once all the distractors are unscrewed, remove the wires and the TSF frame, and walk with the support of brace. Brace is nothing but a plastic custom made support that latches onto your knees and lower leg (till ankle), that firmly holds your leg. It helps keep the bone aligned and straight against the angular forces that your bones are subjected to when you walk. I told him that I don't wish to go through surgery for frame removal because I want to limit my expenses and would be willing to tolerate some pain if needed.
I'm still thinking about his suggestion. I'll make up my mind by end of this week. I don't want to rush. I couldn't share X-Ray pictures because imgur seems to be down since yesterday. I'll post them in my next update. Also, I still have slight ballerina in my left leg. I also have morning tightness and need to stretch for few mins to keep the leg muscles going. I can walk unaided but I still have difficulty standing still. When I stand still, my body topples and I have to exert counter force on my ankles to stay still. My hips, knees and ankle should stay neutral and at ease when I stand still, but that isn't whats happening in my case. I guess I need a bit more flexibility in my ankles before I can walk or stand normally.
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Hi fujitora
Can you post your xrays from the side view?
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Here are the X-Rays -
- X-Ray Left Leg Feb 20th (http://i65.tinypic.com/2hprryc.jpg)
- X-Ray Right Leg Feb 20th (http://i68.tinypic.com/125jk1u.jpg)
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March 17th Update - Suffered bad skin infection for the past 15 days.
Hi All -
Just want to update you what has happened over the last few weeks. Few days after my update on Feb 20th, I got a severe skin infection. I'll copy paste the update I posted on Unicorn's diary, in case you haven't read it.
I got bad skin infection/itch near one of the pin site. I found out the next day that I got it from one of the servant here who cleans up my room. He had a bad infection on his toes, and he cleaned my room with the same dirty hands he uses to scratch his itch on his toes. That's gross and he didn't bother telling me until it's too late.That's unacceptable, and I forbid him from entering my room from that day. The infection was spreading badly, so I went to a near by dermatologist. I spent 15 mins and explained my whole story. After listening to everything, he outright refused to treat me. He said he hasn't dealt with an infection involving external frames, and I should seek medication from no one else but my orthopedist. Then I had to go to another orthopedist, who said it's a superficial skin infection (which means its just peripheral infection over the skin and not a deep infection, which could potentially lead to bone infection) and only a dermatologist is the right person to treat it. Then I had to find another dermatologist with good ratings on the internet, as the first one refused to treat me. I took an Uber cab to get there. After reaching the destination, I found out that the address posted on google was obsolete. I was just left there alone with dirty and crowd roads. I couldn't ask the same cab to continue the journey because he got another ride. Then the unexpected happened. I lost mobile network coverage in that area!!! I had to walk past couple of lanes on these metal frames while everyone on the road are watching me, had to restart my phone twice, and then the signal was back. Then I finally got the signal back and booked a cab again to go the dermatologist. I got there, waited for 30 mins as there were other patients waiting in the queue, and then I got to meet her(dermatologist) and spent time explaining the whole thing again and she prescribed some medication and antibiotics for 5 days. I took the medicines for 5 days but was no improvement and I had to go back to her after 5 days and she gave me another ointment. I took them for 5 days and now the infection has spread to all the other pin sites. Good thing is that this new ointment healed the infection that I originally had. So at least I now have hope from that it works, and I have to apply that to all the pin sites. I'm also getting blood tests and skin culture tests performed tomorrow, just to be sure. Remember I was all alone and had to go everywhere on foot with these big metal around your legs, you become an eye magnet.
Luckily, the infection has receded over the last week. I'm so glad that things didn't become worse. It sucks to go through this when you're almost at the end of your LL journey. Here is a picture of the infection.
Here are some technical details for LL nerds (no offence):
Root cause identified by dermatologist: Bacterial Infection.
Prescribed medication:
- Supirocin Ointment for 5 days. It didn't work.
- Momate F Cream ointment was prescribed later, when Supirocin rendered ineffective. After applying that for 5 days, things started to get better
- Clavan 625. This is an antibiotic. Prescribed for 5 days, twice a day. Then extended for 5 more days
- Xyzal. This is for anti-infection, and minimize itching sensation around infected areas. Had to take this pill once a day, for 10 days, before going to bed
- I also had blood test and skin culture tests performed, just to be cautious.
(http://i.imgur.com/0vcxDdV.png)
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Scars look rly decent
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Scars look rly decent
Yeah, I feel the same too. I found in general that the whiter your skin is, the less prominent scars are.
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Yeah, I feel the same too. I found in general that the whiter your skin is, the less prominent scars are.
My scars would not be too bad then since my legs are white.
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My scars would not be too bad then since my legs are white.
Yep. Good for you.
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I'm glad you got this infection under control.
I had necrosis around one of my pins on my right leg. I didn't mention it in my diary, maybe I should.
Anyway... I know how stressful it is to sit there "in spe" that something might finally cure it.
Good luck with the rest of your journey :)
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I'm glad you got this infection under control.
I had necrosis around one of my pins on my right leg. I didn't mention it in my diary, maybe I should.
Anyway... I know how stressful it is to sit there "in spe" that something might finally cure it.
Good luck with the rest of your journey :)
I think you should chris. People need to know all risks possible. And if you had necrosis, it means it is also one of them
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I'm glad you got this infection under control.
I had necrosis around one of my pins on my right leg. I didn't mention it in my diary, maybe I should.
Anyway... I know how stressful it is to sit there "in spe" that something might finally cure it.
Good luck with the rest of your journey :)
Thanks Chris.
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March 19th Update: Frames are finally taken off :)
I had my frames taken off on Sunday March 19th!!!! :) The feeling is priceless and I have no words to express my ecstasy!!!
I have a very bad head ache since yesterday due to anesthesia, so I'm resting most of the time. I'll post more information in a few days.
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Congrats man! Enjoy new height!
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This is awesome news! :D
I'm only one inch taller and it already feels great, 2 inches must feel like day and night. But I imagine you're probably used to it already after all this time.
I'll have to wear one of my monorail fixators for another 2-3 month (4,5 month in total). I think I could never live one year in frames.
So you have my respect.
Enjoy your new height and hopefully new life, you have earned it!
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This is awesome news! :D
I'm only one inch taller and it already feels great, 2 inches must feel like day and night. But I imagine you're probably used to it already after all this time.
I'll have to wear one of my monorail fixators for another 2-3 month (4,5 month in total). I think I could never live one year in frames.
So you have my respect.
Enjoy your new height and hopefully new life, you have earned it!
Hey Chris, Thanks man. Hang in there buddy. I've read your diary and I can assure you that you have the right mind set to take this journey. I'm sure you'll pull it off and that day is not for long.
As per 2 inch gain, I don't notice it because I haven't been around anyone who were part of my past life. I've been living in a cave (isolation) since I started this journey. I'll have to wait until I meet them to truly notice some difference.
Congrats man! Enjoy new height!
Hey, Thanks Buddy.
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Wow.. I was reading your posts and great that you are finally normal without any fixaters. How do you feel about your new height, doe's 5cm make you feel better now? I m also an indian with 160cm height, planning to have my surgery soon with DR suhas shah in Mumbai. Can you give me any suggestions about the doctor if you know please? Wish you all the best and success in your life!
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Expectations for those who're considering India for this surgery::
Here are some suggestions for those who cannot afford the top tier orthopedic surgeons and decide to come to India for this surgery.
Disclaimer:
All the information that I shared below are based on my personal experiences and I don't intend to speak ill of anyone. My only intent in writing this post is to enlighten prospective LL'ers to have the right expectation when they come here.
- Don’t rely on your doctor completely. It's fair to expect him/her to perform the surgery well, but after that you’re mostly on your own.
- Be prepared to face people (hospital staff, patients etc.) who would come to know that you broke your legs for height increase. Doctors here don’t understand what privacy means. They take your pictures and share your personal details without your consent. I told my doctor multiple times to not tell anyone about my height increase thing and to refrain from taking pictures, but he just doesn’t care. To make things worse, sometimes he just used to talk openly in the reception in front of all the patients, and boast proudly that he increased my height by 2 inches. He doesn’t see how embarrassing it is, so be prepared to deal with it. When his patients knew this, some of them used to frown on me and few others used to give me moral lectures. Man, this was the toughest.
It happened with couple of other doctors too, they were trying to take pictures during my consultation. I had to politely yet assertively reject such attempts. Discuss this with your doctor beforehand so that you don’t have to deal with such nonsense. - Be well informed on how to handle issues and complications that can arise during this journey, particularly about physiotherapy and lifestyle. Speaking to fellow LL’ers on the forum will definitely help a lot in this aspect. If possible, stay in touch with someone because you never know what issue would arise. I owe much of my success to the kind folks who shared their experience on this forum.
- Improve your arm strength. You should be able to carry your entire body weight on your arms - you can check this on your bed, rest your palm on the bed and lift your body in the air. If you can do this, you have enough strength for this surgery.
- Be prepared to have verbal confrontation if needed. You may have to fight for basic things which are otherwise your right. This is needed when you don’t get a logical response from your doctor or anyone in his/her team. For E.g. when they say things like “Don’t worry”, “Everything will be alright”, “Let us do our job”.
Make sure they tell you everything before they do something to you. Also, some of the folks who work under doctors are so unprofessional and have bad bed side manners. They might irritate you by giving moral advices, or not treating you properly when you really need them, or when they yell/shout at you for asking questions, they might me speaking on the phone while inserting needle inside your body, or laugh out loudly and crack jokes during the operation. These things might look exaggerated but unfortunately these are unofficially accepted norms and a way of life in India. - Be prepared to wait for hours during consultations. Usually, when I used to go for check-ups, I had to wait for 2 hours. Some doctors were kind enough to give you special consideration, based on your situation.
- Be prepared to wait for hours for medical reports like X-Rays, blood tests etc.
- The doctors that I met were used to dealing with local folks who’re not that tech savvy. So when you meet them, tell them about the forum and that you’ll be posting everything on the forum. This will most likely improve the quality of your consultation and treatment. It’s like telling them “Don’t screw me. If not, I’ll write a bad review about you on a popular forum”. It also means “Treat me well, and I’ll make sure everyone knows about you”. In India, you’ll find a doctor across every street. So online reviews are considered very precious to distill out the quality ones. So you can use it as a tool to get quality service.
- Stay active, not passive. E.g. Don’t expect the doctor to call you and ask how you’re doing, or do anything extra that benefits you. You have to take the initiative about your condition and discuss any anomalies with your doctor. Doctors here are used to the phrase “everything is alright” just to avoid additional work. Sometimes they say “It’s not necessary”, which means they’re too lazy to do it even though it benefits you. E.g. I had a shattered piece of bone in my right leg. I begged multiple times to fix it with a screw. He never did it, because of which I had to spend 45 days more on these bulky frames. So be prepared to fight with your doctor when they neglect you.
- Be wary of the air pollution in India. If you intend to stay long, I would advise to get an air purifier.
- Crowd roads and hospitals.
- People staring at foreigners and guys who have metal rings around their legs
- If possible, avoid being the nice guy or kind guy. Kindness is generally perceived as weakness here. Be clear of your agenda before having discussion with doctors, and don't let them manipulate you. Be assertive, loud and clear in your conversations
- Last but not the least, if you want to know how you would feel after the surgery try these things. Wear 10-15 kgs ankle weights on each leg and try to stand up and walk. This gives you a physical perspective of your legs after LL, when you just start to walk (which was 9 months post op for me). To get a psychological perspective, spend an entire day in a wheelchair without putting any weight on your legs. This includes brushing your teeth, going to toilet, taking shower, getting into a cab, going to hospital (you can go to your friend’s house to simulate the feel) etc. I’m sure the experience would be surreal and might make you think twice before you do this surgery.
All the best!
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Wow.. I was reading your posts and great that you are finally normal without any fixaters. How do you feel about your new height, doe's 5cm make you feel better now? I m also an indian with 160cm height, planning to have my surgery soon with DR suhas shah in Mumbai. Can you give me any suggestions about the doctor if you know please? Wish you all the best and success in your life!
Hey, Thanks buddy. I don't know much about Suhas Shah. But if you can afford him and cost of living in mumbai, I would go to Parihar. All the best.
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fujitora's had it tough, but made it through!
I just hope his experiences with doctors aren't representative of all doctors in India. Accepting a cosmetic patient and then disagreeing with the motive behind the surgery is pure nonsense.
What everyone wants to know if it was all worth it for you, though :)
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Fujitora, thank you for sharing your experience with great detail, it truly is appreciated.
Your advice on what to expect for those considering the procedure in India is honest and ought to be read by any prospective patient considering going there, personally, if I were to consider undergoing the procedure, your information on what to expect would be enough to make me rule out India entirely as an option whereas others may not. I appreciate that you have provided clear cut and in depth answers of what to expect to inform prospective patients and then leave it to those who have read it to do what they wish with that information, to make an informed decision rather than personal recommendation or condemnation with no elaboration as to why.
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So in a few words, avoid India at all costs.
It is obviously the worst country for anyone to do LL. After all we are doing this to become taller, not cripples due to irresponsible and incapable doctors.
And the strong majority of LL'ers who had terrible results came from India.
Fujitora you had a tough LL journey but you did it.
Keep strong!
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fujitora's had it tough, but made it through!
I just hope his experiences with doctors aren't representative of all doctors in India. Accepting a cosmetic patient and then disagreeing with the motive behind the surgery is pure nonsense.
What everyone wants to know if it was all worth it for you, though :)
Yes man. I took my first step yesterday with crutches. I could feel the strength and was confident that I can walk without support. However, I didn't want to rush. I'll wait for couple more days and then start taking full weight. I'll let you know once I go back to my previous life if it's all worth it or not.
Fujitora, thank you for sharing your experience with great detail, it truly is appreciated.
Your advice on what to expect for those considering the procedure in India is honest and ought to be read by any prospective patient considering going there, personally, if I were to consider undergoing the procedure, your information on what to expect would be enough to make me rule out India entirely as an option whereas others may not. I appreciate that you have provided clear cut and in depth answers of what to expect to inform prospective patients and then leave it to those who have read it to do what they wish with that information, to make an informed decision rather than personal recommendation or condemnation with no elaboration as to why.
Thanks man. I made this post in the right spirit and you couldn't have said it better.
So in a few words, avoid India at all costs.
It is obviously the worst country for anyone to do LL. After all we are doing this to become taller, not cripples due to irresponsible and incapable doctors.
And the strong majority of LL'ers who had terrible results came from India.
Fujitora you had a tough LL journey but you did it.
Keep strong!
Thanks Man. I completely agree that India is not an ideal option for this journey, especially for westerners. However, I'm pretty sure that many would still consider it, in spite of all the warnings. The pricing and cost of living here makes it very enticing. The post I made is dedicated for those.
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Back to regular life, Things are not as wonderful as I had expected
Hi, I went back home and got to meet my family and few very close friends. This might sound unbelievable but none of them have noticed that my height is increased. In fact, unless I stand very close to them, I don't notice it either. I left markings in my room before I began this journey. I now stood at the same place and cross checked. The difference is so small, it's barely visible. I went out shopping today with one of my friend who is 5'2" (an inch shorter than my old height) and he has not mentioned even once that I look a bit taller now. I felt little sad that my 1 year effort is worth nothing. I wanted someone to notice so that I can satisfy my ego. For those of you who asked me in the past if this journey is worth it, I would say it isn't for 5 cm gain. It's barely noticeable and the price you pay and the risk you take would be absurdly high to justify the gain.
What stands out more is the fact that I'm walking slowly and carefully, and the braces that I wear inside my trousers. I told them that I got into an accident and they believed it. They don't even doubt that I did something like LL because my height gain is not noticeable. Honestly, I don't even know how to react at this point. Should I be happy that they don't suspect that I did LL, or should I be pissed that my height gain is not evident ?
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How tall is 165cm in india?
And that sound strange as 5cm is an evident difference... Maybe you didn't gain 5cm?
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Back to regular life, Things are not as wonderful as I had expected
Hi, I went back home and got to meet my family and few very close friends. This might sound unbelievable but none of them have noticed that my height is increased. In fact, unless I stand very close to them, I don't notice it either. I left markings in my room before I began this journey. I now stood at the same place and cross checked. The difference is so small, it's barely visible. I went out shopping today with one of my friend who is 5'2" (an inch shorter than my old height) and he has not mentioned even once that I look a bit taller now. I felt little sad that my 1 year effort is worth nothing. I wanted someone to notice so that I can satisfy my ego. For those of you who asked me in the past if this journey is worth it, I would say it isn't for 5 cm gain. It's barely noticeable and the price you pay and the risk you take would be absurdly high to justify the gain.
What stands out more is the fact that I'm walking slowly and carefully, and the braces that I wear inside my trousers. I told them that I got into an accident and they believed it. They don't even doubt that I did something like LL because my height gain is not noticeable. Honestly, I don't even know how to react at this point. Should I be happy that they don't suspect that I did LL, or should I be pissed that my height gain is not evident ?
well you did this for your self right? be glad that people don't know about your leg lengthening and just because they don't say anything about it doesn't mean that they don't notice anything at all. I bet they do notice something.
I think doing something like 7-8 cm would be worth it.
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How tall is 165cm in india?
And that sound strange as 5cm is an evident difference... Maybe you didn't gain 5cm?
India has quite diverse demographics in terms of height. But where I stay, 165 is pretty average. Most men here are around 162 - 170 cm.\
I'm starting to suspect if I haven't gained 5 cm. I checked my height in Delhi before leaving and it was good. I would have to check here again to see if anything has changed.
well you did this for your self right? be glad that people don't know about your leg lengthening and just because they don't say anything about it doesn't mean that they don't notice anything at all. I bet they do notice something.
I think doing something like 7-8 cm would be worth it.
I don't know man. I've gone through quite a bit of complications, including ballerina in my left leg. So 7-8 would have been impossible for me. Right now, I'm on high and my feeling haven't settled. Perhaps I need to take more time and let these thoughts settle.
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I am saying it is evident because when I wore for the first time an inch insole in my boots, everyone noticed
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Don't be sad, Fujitora :(
I'm very positive that nobody has noticed your new height, or isn't sure about it, because you were gone for almost an entire year!
I was lengthening at home and my peers met me again after 2-3 month.
As you probably know, I could only lengthen one inch, and the shorter people instantly noticed the difference in my height, whether they knew about my LL or not.
Some time before my surgery, I met a friend again whom I hadn't seen for like two or so month and he than said something like "I thought you were taller", ouch!
That hurt, but it also showed to me that many people can't remember ones real height because they have the blessing to not have to think about height in their daily life.
So again, don't be sad. It was worth it! Don't let your experiences fool you.
Depending on where you live, you're probably taller than the short girls now (1st win) and one step closer to getting more respect from other males (2nd win 50%).
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Maybe you have experimented subsidence. I know for sure according ti Many diaries that you can lose like .5-1 cm after the removal of the fixators, that is the reason why is recommended overlengthening to your goal. Dr Franz give us an explanation about that thing.
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Fujitora 2 inches is a good gain but for me it is the limit where you worth to do LL or not.
I keep telling people here that lengthenings like 3cm is a joke and don't worth at all the money, the risks and the pain of LL but there are still people here who think that even so small amounts will make a difference.
They won't.
That said, I think that 2 inches make a visible difference, not much but still it worths to do LL for it. But not less than that.
Maybe you are still shorter from the men of your family and your friends and thats why they haven't seen the difference.
If you were about the same height before LL, I'm sure they would have understood this difference.
But the think that you should only care about is if you are happy with your new height. If yes then nothing else matters. If no, maybe you should think about a femur LL too and go for 6-7cms more.
Everything its up to you.
Keep strong !
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there are still people here who think that even so small amounts will make a difference.
Regarding that, I reckon that everyone is talking past each other.
A visible difference in ones height and a difference in ones life seem to be confused a lot.
For instance, 2-3cm is not really worth the money, time, pain ect. and it is not a life-changer but the difference in height is proven to be visible.
4-5cm is more worth the money, time, ect. and it may be a life-changer, depending on how tall you were before. The difference in height will be more visible of course.
>5cm is even more worth the money, time ect., but it is not that save anymore, problems with proportions and bio-mechanics can be expected.
Then a second surgery is advisable which can make 2-3cm in one segment worth the money time and pain again.
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I am saying it is evident because when I wore for the first time an inch insole in my boots, everyone noticed
@TIBIKE200 - Yeah, I always had strong feeling that 5 cm should be evident. May be it is evident but no one chose to comment because I'm already limping a bit. Or I might have lost some height due to subsidence. I would have to check my height again to be certain.
Don't be sad, Fujitora :(
I'm very positive that nobody has noticed your new height, or isn't sure about it, because you were gone for almost an entire year!
I was lengthening at home and my peers met me again after 2-3 month.
As you probably know, I could only lengthen one inch, and the shorter people instantly noticed the difference in my height, whether they knew about my LL or not.
Some time before my surgery, I met a friend again whom I hadn't seen for like two or so month and he than said something like "I thought you were taller", ouch!
That hurt, but it also showed to me that many people can't remember ones real height because they have the blessing to not have to think about height in their daily life.
So again, don't be sad. It was worth it! Don't let your experiences fool you.
Depending on where you live, you're probably taller than the short girls now (1st win) and one step closer to getting more respect from other males (2nd win 50%).
@Chris - Thanks for your kind words man. I think you do have a point. May be the other short guy that I went out with doesn't care about height so much. I lost a lot of weight and I'm limping a bit when I walk. Perhaps that's the reason why people around me don't want to aggravate me further by making comments about my height.
Maybe you have experimented subsidence. I know for sure according ti Many diaries that you can lose like .5-1 cm after the removal of the fixators, that is the reason why is recommended overlengthening to your goal. Dr Franz give us an explanation about that thing.
@onemorefoot - I haven't ruled out this possibility. I would get my height checked to be sure.
Fujitora 2 inches is a good gain but for me it is the limit where you worth to do LL or not.
I keep telling people here that lengthenings like 3cm is a joke and don't worth at all the money, the risks and the pain of LL but there are still people here who think that even so small amounts will make a difference.
They won't.
That said, I think that 2 inches make a visible difference, not much but still it worths to do LL for it. But not less than that.
Maybe you are still shorter from the men of your family and your friends and thats why they haven't seen the difference.
If you were about the same height before LL, I'm sure they would have understood this difference.
But the think that you should only care about is if you are happy with your new height. If yes then nothing else matters. If no, maybe you should think about a femur LL too and go for 6-7cms more.
Everything its up to you.
Keep strong !
@BodyBuilder - I was a cm shorter than my dad before LL. Now I'm 4 cm taller than him, and the tallest in my family. What made me surprised is the fact that my father didn't notice it at all. On top of that, even the short guy that I went out for shopping with was just 5'2" and he hasn't said a thing about my height. I'll get my height checked again. Then I would get a clear picture as to what's happening.
Regarding femur lengthening, I'm already at the peak of my proportions.So if I push further, I would look like a spider. Also, femur lengthening would have to be done with internal nail which is totally out of my reach financially. So I'm not considering such a thing at this moment.
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I respectfully disagree with some of the things you said, them being:
- "India as a whole is bad." I didn't experience the invasion of privacy and irresponsible behaviour from Parihar at all, but I understand the generalization since most Indian doctors have proven to be awful.
- "2 inches isn't noticeable." 2 inches is a lot, especially for a 5'2 or 5'3 guy in India. With my duckass I'm less than 3" gained(let's say a little over 2.5") and it's a massive difference! You're sad about your friends not noticing, but if I were you I'd be happy. This means you can pretend like you were never 5'3 and just move on and live as a taller person. I wish nobody would notice I grew, but my height was one of my most memorable features so I'm sure it'll be brought up. I'm genuinely very surprised you say going from 5'3 to 5'5 in India wasn't worth it.
- "165 is average". It isn't for those that live in cities. India's average height is listed as 164.7 or something because it takes into consideration all the poor villages and the population under the poverty line, people you will never meet or socialize with. While 165 would be above average in say, a village, for male city dwellers especially of our generation, I strongly believe the average is at least 5'7. However 5'5 is nothing to bitch about. It's like being between 5'7 and 5'8 in US- kinda short, but not enough for you to be sad about it. Unless you live in Punjab, where the average height is 6'8.95. ;D
Your 5'2 friend didn't mention your height because maybe he doesn't wanna talk about it? When I was 5'2 and one of my 5'2 male friends grew to 5'5(naturally), I didn't bring it up...goddamn traitor.
This is just my opinion, but I would advise against another LL. You say you can't afford internals and you'd look off proportions wise. You've struggled like anything and achieved a height you can most definitely live with. Don't fk it up with another surgery.
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See my responses in green.
I respectfully disagree with some of the things you said, them being: Sure man, feel free to express your opinions.
- "India as a whole is bad." I didn't experience the invasion of privacy and irresponsible behaviour from Parihar at all, but I understand the generalization since most Indian doctors have proven to be awful. I have a lot of respect for Dr. Parihar and I consider you to be quite fortunate to have been operated by him. You have been quite fortunate to be with your family through out this journey. However, that makes you less susceptible to realize the true despairs of LL, as you're always taken care by your family and they can fight the ugly fights for you if/when needed. Many LL'ers, including me, decide to stay away from their family for this journey. For them, they would have to fight all the battles themselves. My post was intended towards people like them so that they can be prepared for what's coming and plan accordingly.I do agree that there are great doctors in India, but that reason is not sufficient in my opinion to make India an ideal choice for LL. When you're away from home crippled and helpless, a lot of strangers get into your life intentionally or unintentionally. All I'm saying is that those strangers are usually not so kind and understanding in India
- "2 inches isn't noticeable." 2 inches is a lot, especially for a 5'2 or 5'3 guy in India. With my duckass I'm less than 3" gained(let's say a little over 2.5") and it's a massive difference! You're sad about your friends not noticing, but if I were you I'd be happy. This means you can pretend like you were never 5'3 and just move on and live as a taller person. I wish nobody would notice I grew, but my height was one of my most memorable features so I'm sure it'll be brought up. I'm genuinely very surprised you say going from 5'3 to 5'5 in India wasn't worth it. I agree with you on this one. May be I should stop bitching about people not noticing :P and be happy that I can start fresh. May be I had higher expectations in terms of how these 5 cms would translate physically. I'll wait for couple of months and then revisit if my opinion has changed.
- "165 is average". It isn't for those that live in cities. India's average height is listed as 164.7 or something because it takes into consideration all the poor villages and the population under the poverty line, people you will never meet or socialize with. While 165 would be above average in say, a village, for male city dwellers especially of our generation, I strongly believe the average is at least 5'7. However 5'5 is nothing to bitch about. It's like being between 5'7 and 5'8 in US- kinda short, but not enough for you to be sad about it. Unless you live in Punjab, where the average height is 6'8.95. ;D
May be I wasn't clear but my intentions align with your comments. All I meant was that I feel average for 165 in my town, where most males are between 162 and 170.
Your 5'2 friend didn't mention your height because maybe he doesn't wanna talk about it? When I was 5'2 and one of my 5'2 male friends grew to 5'5(naturally), I didn't bring it up...goddamn traitor. Lol, It happened to me too. When I was in 10th standard, one of my friend who was the same height as me grew to 5'6" and I always felt awkward to mention it. Generally short guys avoid conversations about height because it makes them feel insecure
This is just my opinion, but I would advise against another LL. You say you can't afford internals and you'd look off proportions wise. You've struggled like anything and achieved a height you can most definitely live with. Don't fk it up with another surgery.
Yep, My first surgery is a necessary, but second one would be a luxury. I'm quite certain that I would never do a second surgery.
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Hi,
I'm just a bit worried now because my height is also 160 cm
And you are saying it didn't help much after gaining 5 cms.
I'm planning to go for only 6 cms since I don't want any problems in future. I'm from Hyderabad. All the people i see are atleast around 167 and above.
Could you please recheck your height again and see whether you gained 5 cms fully. And maybe if you do work out and get a good shape it will help you a lot. How do you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror and compare your previous height.
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Hello Everyone -
How is everything. I logged in after a long time. Feels good and somewhat bizzare to be back. Will post a detailed update soon.
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Hey guys, How have you been. I hope some of the old friends who have been around since last year have starter their journey.
Let me answer the most obvious questions -
Walking:
Yes, I can walk. I can climb. I can walk for hours in any kind of surface - flat, upstairs, downstairs, uphill, downhill, you name it, without any pain.
Jumping:
I can jump, but not for long and not as good as pre-LL.
Ballerina:
No ballerina when I walk, but dorsiflexion is as good as pre-LL.
Running:
I cannot run. I tried once and it was very painful.
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Hmm, it's been a long time since I logged in, too.
Anyway, you said it's painful when you run; can you describe that a little more in depth? Do you think it could've been better with good physiotherapy? And what hurts exactly, the bone or muscles/veins?
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Expectations for those who're considering India for this surgery::
Here are some suggestions for those who cannot afford the top tier orthopedic surgeons and decide to come to India for this surgery.
Disclaimer:
All the information that I shared below are based on my personal experiences and I don't intend to speak ill of anyone. My only intent in writing this post is to enlighten prospective LL'ers to have the right expectation when they come here.
- Don’t rely on your doctor completely. It's fair to expect him/her to perform the surgery well, but after that you’re mostly on your own.
- Be prepared to face people (hospital staff, patients etc.) who would come to know that you broke your legs for height increase. Doctors here don’t understand what privacy means. They take your pictures and share your personal details without your consent. I told my doctor multiple times to not tell anyone about my height increase thing and to refrain from taking pictures, but he just doesn’t care. To make things worse, sometimes he just used to talk openly in the reception in front of all the patients, and boast proudly that he increased my height by 2 inches. He doesn’t see how embarrassing it is, so be prepared to deal with it. When his patients knew this, some of them used to frown on me and few others used to give me moral lectures. Man, this was the toughest.
It happened with couple of other doctors too, they were trying to take pictures during my consultation. I had to politely yet assertively reject such attempts. Discuss this with your doctor beforehand so that you don’t have to deal with such nonsense. - Be well informed on how to handle issues and complications that can arise during this journey, particularly about physiotherapy and lifestyle. Speaking to fellow LL’ers on the forum will definitely help a lot in this aspect. If possible, stay in touch with someone because you never know what issue would arise. I owe much of my success to the kind folks who shared their experience on this forum.
- Improve your arm strength. You should be able to carry your entire body weight on your arms - you can check this on your bed, rest your palm on the bed and lift your body in the air. If you can do this, you have enough strength for this surgery.
- Be prepared to have verbal confrontation if needed. You may have to fight for basic things which are otherwise your right. This is needed when you don’t get a logical response from your doctor or anyone in his/her team. For E.g. when they say things like “Don’t worry”, “Everything will be alright”, “Let us do our job”.
Make sure they tell you everything before they do something to you. Also, some of the folks who work under doctors are so unprofessional and have bad bed side manners. They might irritate you by giving moral advices, or not treating you properly when you really need them, or when they yell/shout at you for asking questions, they might me speaking on the phone while inserting needle inside your body, or laugh out loudly and crack jokes during the operation. These things might look exaggerated but unfortunately these are unofficially accepted norms and a way of life in India. - Be prepared to wait for hours during consultations. Usually, when I used to go for check-ups, I had to wait for 2 hours. Some doctors were kind enough to give you special consideration, based on your situation.
- Be prepared to wait for hours for medical reports like X-Rays, blood tests etc.
- The doctors that I met were used to dealing with local folks who’re not that tech savvy. So when you meet them, tell them about the forum and that you’ll be posting everything on the forum. This will most likely improve the quality of your consultation and treatment. It’s like telling them “Don’t screw me. If not, I’ll write a bad review about you on a popular forum”. It also means “Treat me well, and I’ll make sure everyone knows about you”. In India, you’ll find a doctor across every street. So online reviews are considered very precious to distill out the quality ones. So you can use it as a tool to get quality service.
- Stay active, not passive. E.g. Don’t expect the doctor to call you and ask how you’re doing, or do anything extra that benefits you. You have to take the initiative about your condition and discuss any anomalies with your doctor. Doctors here are used to the phrase “everything is alright” just to avoid additional work. Sometimes they say “It’s not necessary”, which means they’re too lazy to do it even though it benefits you. E.g. I had a shattered piece of bone in my right leg. I begged multiple times to fix it with a screw. He never did it, because of which I had to spend 45 days more on these bulky frames. So be prepared to fight with your doctor when they neglect you.
- Be wary of the air pollution in India. If you intend to stay long, I would advise to get an air purifier.
- Crowd roads and hospitals.
- People staring at foreigners and guys who have metal rings around their legs
- If possible, avoid being the nice guy or kind guy. Kindness is generally perceived as weakness here. Be clear of your agenda before having discussion with doctors, and don't let them manipulate you. Be assertive, loud and clear in your conversations
- Last but not the least, if you want to know how you would feel after the surgery try these things. Wear 10-15 kgs ankle weights on each leg and try to stand up and walk. This gives you a physical perspective of your legs after LL, when you just start to walk (which was 9 months post op for me). To get a psychological perspective, spend an entire day in a wheelchair without putting any weight on your legs. This includes brushing your teeth, going to toilet, taking shower, getting into a cab, going to hospital (you can go to your friend’s house to simulate the feel) etc. I’m sure the experience would be surreal and might make you think twice before you do this surgery.
All the best!
Hi, I couldn't help finding pleasantly funny the style of your writing, although I totally respect and sympathize your ordeal there. Congrats on making it through and thanks for sharing!
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how is your life going now ?? any problem while walking ??