Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: Rei on June 08, 2019, 06:38:17 PM
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Hi guys im 33 (male) 163 cm and just did the surgery yesterday and tomorrow i will have already to leave the hospital and go back to Rome from Lecco.
I kind regret already having the surgery, i can’t almost stand even with crutches, i tried to walk with them and the pain was way too much and lasted for hours just for walking 10m.
On top of that and i already knew it i will have to get there for the ATL, honestly i will try to not do it even if i need to stop at 5cm.
Right now i have no idea i will i be able to take the train and go back to Rome already tomorrow, considering i will have the fixators for atleast 9 months and today is not passed yet, i think i did something too big for me. Sorry for my english
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Hey, relax. You already went through with this. What's done is done. You need to remain confident and hopeful. Have faith. Are you staying close to the hospital?
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Hey, relax. You already went through with this. What's done is done. You need to remain confident and hopeful. Have faith. Are you staying close to the hospital?
No i live in Rome, dr Pili will visit me at Rome those months
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OK, that sounds fine. What is the HEF method? Are you doing a full Ilizarov? Why did you choose this method?
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OK, that sounds fine. What is the HEF method? Are you doing a full Ilizarov? Why did you choose this method?
I livi in Italy and Pili and Catagni are known worlwide. Hef is pretty much like Ilizarov, i choose it cause is cheap and the safest
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Did you ever consider internal tibias?
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Did you ever consider internal tibias?
It’s kind of pointless now. Im in the bed now, i don’t feel pain but is like if my legs are in constant feeling on being exausted, to an insane degree which makes me feel terrible
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It’s kind of pointless now. Im in the bed now, i don’t feel pain but is like if my legs are in constant feeling on being exausted, to an insane degree which makes me feel terrible
try to get some heavy pain killers.
tramadol or something for the first 2-3 weeks.
What is done is done. Even if you were to remove fixtator, you will still have broken bones. pain etc for atleast a month.
try to get to 4cm and call it a day.
it should be like 50 days from now on.
you can do it!
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I wish you good luck for your journey and please keep your spirit high, that the only way you can go through it.
i have a questions for you:
- how much did the surgery cost with dr.Pili?
i will be following your journey since i am interested in getting LL in the future so please keep us updated!
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Hi guys im 33 (male) 163 cm and just did the surgery yesterday and tomorrow i will have already to leave the hospital and go back to Rome from Lecco.
I kind regret already having the surgery, i can’t almost stand even with crutches, i tried to walk with them and the pain was way too much and lasted for hours just for walking 10m.
On top of that and i already knew it i will have to get there for the ATL, honestly i will try to not do it even if i need to stop at 5cm.
Right now i have no idea i will i be able to take the train and go back to Rome already tomorrow, considering i will have the fixators for atleast 9 months and today is not passed yet, i think i did something too big for me. Sorry for my english
1. Who decided for you to leave that place one day after surgery? Did Dr. Pili say that it is possible?
2. Are you on your own or will you hire a caretaker?
3. Do you really use crutches already or do you use a walker? On the first days after surgery I couldn't walk that much either. It gets better with time.
4. Take stronger pain killers. I took Tramal 3 times a day for the first months. In the hospital they even gave me too much. I felt sick all the time but I didn't have any pain...
5.You should be able to avoid ATL. Try to stretch your Achilles tendons everyday with the PT and at home, maybe with some devices bought from amazon or so which your doctor approves.
6. The first weeks passed very fast...after some time and whenever I had some weird pain time was awfully slow. On my third month I couldn't imagine wearing the frames even 3 months more. Now it's been almost 8 months or so...and it kinda feels so far away but also as if I was in Athens just a few weeks ago. Of course without the frames it's better but the last months were passing quite fast so it's not too bad.
Don't think too much about the choice you made. The only way now is forward. Don't think about anything except for PT and passing your time. What are your plans? How long will you stay in Rome? Will you stay in Italy for the whole procedure?
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1. Who decided for you to leave that place one day after surgery? Did Dr. Pili say that it is possible?
2. Are you on your own or will you hire a caretaker?
3. Do you really use crutches already or do you use a walker? On the first days after surgery I couldn't walk that much either. It gets better with time.
4. Take stronger pain killers. I took Tramal 3 times a day for the first months. In the hospital they even gave me too much. I felt sick all the time but I didn't have any pain...
5.You should be able to avoid ATL. Try to stretch your Achilles tendons everyday with the PT and at home, maybe with some devices bought from amazon or so which your doctor approves.
6. The first weeks passed very fast...after some time and whenever I had some weird pain time was awfully slow. On my third month I couldn't imagine wearing the frames even 3 months more. Now it's been almost 8 months or so...and it kinda feels so far away but also as if I was in Athens just a few weeks ago. Of course without the frames it's better but the last months were passing quite fast so it's not too bad.
Don't think too much about the choice you made. The only way now is forward. Don't think about anything except for PT and passing your time. What are your plans? How long will you stay in Rome? Will you stay in Italy for the whole procedure?
1) pretty much everyone leaves one day after the surgery
2) Im here with my mother
3) I use crutches but i literally cant walk anyway, if i try the paib in insane
6) yeah i will stay in Rome cause i leave there.
For people asking i paid 20k plus every visit is about 260 euro (each every month)
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Hi
Can you share HEF freme photo. Is it like hybrid ? How long you have to wear those freme?
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Hi
Can you share HEF freme photo. Is it like hybrid ? How long you have to wear those freme?
I did some pictures, will share them later on, they are like Ilizarov but black, you can google them.
I will have to wear them till full consolidation, so like 9 months
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Guys do you think i will be able to do 5cm without ATL? My tibias are 35 cm
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Guys do you think i will be able to do 5cm without ATL? My tibias are 35 cm
From what I read/heard so far, it varies too much from person to person.
Some people are able to lengthen way more than that with ease, while others suffer at even 4 cm.
You'll just have to wait and see how your body reacts. If it gets too painful, consult your doctor and stop lengthening if it means hurting yourself long-term.
I'll soon go through the same thing as you. Stay strong brother! Don't forget this pain is temporary while the gain is permanent.
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Guys do you think i will be able to do 5cm without ATL? My tibias are 35 cm
if you walk daily for 45mins to 1 hour or do excercises, 5cm is a joke. no atl!! i got atl at 5.5cm coz i used to walk less as i had to work too...
but again at 5.5cm there is no significant difference you would find..try 7 atleast...everyone in my batch with pili got 8 atleast...3/4 had atl however...if you are an asian, you could avoid atl coz yoh would be lengthening very slow due to low callous...so your tissues would have ample time.
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I did some pictures, will share them later on, they are like Ilizarov but black, you can google them.
I will have to wear them till full consolidation, so like 9 months
Is that carbon freme ?
Is he used half pin ?
How much weight you can put ?
Why later on ?
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stay positive, and good luck
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Is that carbon freme ?
Is he used half pin ?
How much weight you can put ?
Why later on ?
I don’t think so, they are heavy as fk.
I don’t know
I can put 20kg max weight, i weight 60kg so is pretty easy
What do you mean: “Why later on?”
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Just got back home from Lecco after a 5 hours trip, is 2 days i don’t sleep ( since my surgery) and i doubt i will sleep well ever until i get my frames off. The discomfort + pain + being a burden for my mother for everything is killing me already, maybe this was not for me, but now i can’t go back anyway. To anyone reading this, pls if you really want to do it, go for internal everything, you can’t even understand the amount of overall pain and discomfort this will bring to your life
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I am sorry for your pain, but please be positive and keep looking forward. are you on any pain killers right now? have you contacted dr pili about the pain?
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Don't be afraid or sad. We are here for you and with you, brother!
Keep us updated, I'll try to be here to monitor your progress.
:)
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Hi Rei
I am just so shocked that you had to leave two days after the surgery. Perhaps it may be doable but I don't know. I stayed in the hospital for 4 days, and others stayed at least 3 days, although it was stryde.
Take pain medicines such as tramadol or oxycodone every 4-5 hours, as long as they are available. You need them at least for 2-3 weeks to heal your surgery trauma. After that, you will feel a little better.
Stay strong and be positive. Time goes by no matter what!
Cheers,
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Good luck my friend I wish you all the best.
Just think a year from now you'll be about 173cm with a good pair of boots and will be taller than the vast majority of women without them.
You'll experience almost no discrimination for your heigh anymore.
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Im not sleeping at all but today in the morning i feel better overall.
The thing is as soon as indo a couple of step it hurts and it keeps hurting for some minutes, Dr Pioi said to walk but not too much otherwise the fixator will get loose.
The 20 of this month i will start the lenghting and the 22 i will meet with Dr Pili to remove the stiches.
Btw my left leg only cracks everytime i walk or move it even in the bed while the right one dosn’t, i guess is normal.
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Not even a week after the surgery i feel so much better, my improvements are huge everyday and pain is almost gone.
Still can’t sleep very well cause i have to wear slippers the whole time with underneath some rubber bands to “fight” ballerina foot, so my feet are extremely warm everytime and they hurt a bit, if i remove the slippers and the rubber bands during the night atleast, my legs start to hurt because fixator prevents the feet from resting on top of the bed and they are left just there hanging and for some reason after a while my whole legs hurt.
I can walk pretty quickly and almost do everything with the walker and this is only 5 days post op even my mother said she didn’t expect that.
Dr Pili gave me some exercises that i need to do daily and there is one that i have a lot of trouble doing, laying on the bed with my belly and the leges outside the bed and pretty much do an alternate “leg curl” like in the gym, the pain doing this is huge and even without pain i have barely the strenght to move my legs, other than that i feel much better
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Not even a week after the surgery i feel so much better, my improvements are huge everyday and pain is almost gone.
Still can’t sleep very well cause i have to wear slippers the whole time with underneath some rubber bands to “fight” ballerina foot, so my feet are extremely warm everytime and they hurt a bit, if i remove the slippers and the rubber bands during the night atleast, my legs start to hurt because fixator prevents the feet from resting on top of the bed and they are left just there hanging and for some reason after a while my whole legs hurt.
I can walk pretty quickly and almost do everything with the walker and this is only 5 days post op even my mother said she didn’t expect that.
Dr Pili gave me some exercises that i need to do daily and there is one that i have a lot of trouble doing, laying on the bed with my belly and the leges outside the bed and pretty much do an alternate “leg curl” like in the gym, the pain doing this is huge and even without pain i have barely the strenght to move my legs, other than that i feel much better
What would you rate your pain tolerance?
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What would you rate your pain tolerance?
Very high, i had 6 hours tattoo sessions in some bad spots like my back or ribs and i endure it.
Huge pain from the surgery was only immediately after i woke up and a couple of days after, the thing is dealing with pain+discomfort+going from a very healthy guy to a 110 years old man in a day. The discomfort is far worse than the pain
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Very high, i had 6 hours tattoo sessions in some bad spots like my back or ribs and i endure it.
Huge pain from the surgery was only immediately after i woke up and a couple of days after, the thing is dealing with pain+discomfort+going from a very healthy guy to a 110 years old man in a day. The discomfort is far worse than the pain
How are things now for you?
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How are things now for you?
Better but i have a lot of discomfort sleeping
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8 days post OP i feel so much better. I can walk really fast with the walker at home and really normally, i just limp a lilttle bit forward to out strenght on my arms, i’m scared that after 9 months i will have some duck ass. The only problem is sleeping but w/e, is prob going to get better that to
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I will start the lengthening the 20th of this month and will meet Dr Pili again for the first time after the surgery the 22th, where he will remove my stitches and i think i will have my first X-ray post OP
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Started the distraction phase yesterday, i have to turn 3 times each day for a total amount of 0,75mm everyday.
Yesterday after the 3rd turn the side of my right leg was really in pain until today morning and today it was the same, only after the 3rd turn and only on the right leg, i wonder what’s that, i guess nerves trying to get used to the lenghtening, thing is it dosn’t happen in the slightest with the left leg and i’m only on my second day
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Congratulations for starting the distraction phase!
From other diaries I've read, it looks like most people has a "weak leg" that hurts the most and needs more stretching.
Are you going to a physiotherapist or stretching on your own at home? if so, does it hurt more on the right leg?
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Congratulations for starting the distraction phase!
From other diaries I've read, it looks like most people has a "weak leg" that hurts the most and needs more stretching.
Are you going to a physiotherapist or stretching on your own at home? if so, does it hurt more on the right leg?
Hi, every possible pain i had lasted for 3 days after the distraction phase started, right now i don’t have any kind of pain and my legs are even in terms on strenght.
Dr Pili gave me a coupld of exercises to do at home, i had some difficulty doing them but now i can do any possible type of movement i did before the the surgery.
Right now i’m at +7,5mm
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Good to hear man!
Keep going, I will definitely follow your progress.
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Good luck man ,you almost there .
What does AtL mean ?
Thanks
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Good luck man ,you almost there .
What does AtL mean ?
Thanks
Achilles’ tendon lengthening
Best to avoid it because it results in decrease in physical ability
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Activatedx thank you .
Some doctors offer Achilles release if length way over .
Activatedx thank you for your information you really experienced . What do you think about LON ?
I’m thunking about it with dr Kelush . I can afford it in one year . Also I read about Akita he did it in India with dr sharma I think same cost . I’m more worried that nail going throw my knee . Does it leave any permanent damage to the knee ?
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Activatedx thank you .
Some doctors offer Achilles release if length way over .
Activatedx thank you for your information you really experienced . What do you think about LON ?
I’m thunking about it with dr Kelush . I can afford it in one year . Also I read about Akita he did it in India with dr sharma I think same cost . I’m more worried that nail going throw my knee . Does it leave any permanent damage to the knee ?
I didn’t do atl just common knowledge it decreases some physical extertion in lower legs. Lon has small risk for bone infection and knee pain. Externals are safer but very hard to live with. Personally I’m doing stryde it is a lot more expensive
The way I look at it is with stryde I can return to work much earlier so the difference I save in recovery time translates to money
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Rei, any update?
Feeling the same?
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Rei, any update?
Feeling the same?
Hi thx for asking.
I’m not updating because there isn’t a whole lot to update about. Right now i lengthen 1,2 cm and everything is going smooth, i don’t have any pain at all, last time i felt some pain was one i started the lengthen process for a couple of days but after that everything was really smooth.
I will meet Dr Pili again at the end of the month and the hospital booked me the ATL for the beginning of August even tho i told Dr Pili that i don’t want to do it, but he pretty much told me that we need to see how i will look like in our next appointment and that at worst they will just call the hospital the day before and cancel my surgery for ATL, he said that if i don’t book it now there was the chance that i was not able to book it again for another month and that if i need ATL i will have to do it earlier in the process.
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17 days after i started the lengthening and almost reached 1,5 cm the whole area between my knees and where they cut the tibia is starting to feel already really tight, including all the pins in that area, everything below that area is like before. I wonder if i already feel so tight how much can i keep to length, i will meet Dr Pili anyway in 3 weeks and if everything goes right i should be like 2,7 cm by that time.
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Reached 1,5 cm today and pins are starting to hurt, especially if i stay with my legs straight, also my left calf is really hurting since yesterday, nothing serious but sometimes is really painful
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Hey Rei, sent you a PM.
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So it was two days i was having some bad pain when i was stretching my right leg or standing up on the side of my knee, today i noticed the head of the fibula was protruding more than normal especially in a sitting position, i already sent a mail to Dr Pili, anyone ever experienced that? Should i be worried?
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Any chance guys anyone experienced in this can reply to me? Tomorrow i’m going to call Dr Pili and until i don’t spoke to him i don’t understand if this is something serious or not to the point i’m spending the whole day reading diaries and googling about this problem.
So i’m only 1,5 cm into the distraction phase and on my right leg the fibular head is protruding compared some mm more than normal and at the same time if i try to standing up or straight my leg i feel the most painful type of pain since i had the surgery.
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Dr Pili called me today and told me that is nothing to worry about and if i really wanted to fix it now i can go to Catagni that was in Rome today cause Dr Pili i think was either in Lecco or Milan probably.
I really didn't understand what i told me cause he was in a hurry but he pretty much told me that is one of the pins and that he can fix me when we meet in 2 weeks and that there is nothing to worry about
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how is daily life ? if I may ask
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how is daily life ? if I may ask
Apart those last few days where i got paranoid and the first 3 or 4 days immediately after the surgery, it was a painless experience and i was already walking really quickly (with a walker) like even before a week after the surgery.
I feel like most of the complications come from the patients own mind, when you want to be reassured you only want to be reassured from your doctor and until that you kind feel on your own cause you don’t really know what’s happening, everytime i was having something that i tought it was a problem, in few days fixed itself like Dr Pili always told me, but right now i’m not even at 2cm into the distraction phase so probably the worst is yet to come, i want to be kind of conservative anyway, is either going to be 5cm or at best 6cm cause the only diaries that satisfied me were from people that got 5cm at best in tibias.
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Apart those last few days where i got paranoid and the first 3 or 4 days immediately after the surgery, it was a painless experience and i was already walking really quickly (with a walker) like even before a week after the surgery.
I feel like most of the complications come from the patients own mind, when you want to be reassured you only want to be reassured from your doctor and until that you kind feel on your own cause you don’t really know what’s happening, everytime i was having something that i tought it was a problem, in few days fixed itself like Dr Pili always told me, but right now i’m not even at 2cm into the distraction phase so probably the worst is yet to come, i want to be kind of conservative anyway, is either going to be 5cm or at best 6cm cause the only diaries that satisfied me were from people that got 5cm at best in tibias.
great, I'm happy to have a new Pili diary to follow
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Just reached a little but over 2cm, apart from my right fibula head that is protruding few mm and was hurting a lot for a couple of days, everything is fine, i had some knee bending at 1,8 cm for a couple of days on my left leg but for some reason now is gone.
For some reason both of my ankles are pretty swollen but they never hurt once, neither i had any discomfort.
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I’ve met Dr Pili today and did some X-Rays, for now he said i don’t need ATL and we will see in September, other than that he said i’m doing good and i did just a little bit less than 3cm
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Good to hear man, stay strong! :)
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Good to hear man, stay strong! :)
Thanks
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Keep it up Rei, I'm glad it's looking better for you!
Hang in there it'll be over before you know it.
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do you have a decent mobility using crutches or walker? if yes, how much do you walk daily, and what kind of exercises the doctor gave to you?
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do you have a decent mobility using crutches or walker? if yes, how much do you walk daily, and what kind of exercises the doctor gave to you?
Hi Alieno, i replied to your pm btw, don’t know if you saw it. Btw i have a really good mobility with both crutches and walker and until now i really didn’t make a lot of exercises or walking other than going to the bathroom and to the kitchen to eat; but since a couple of days i’m spending a total amount of about 2 hours between stretching, walking and exercises, the only thing is that my left knee is bending slighty and my left ankle is kind of locked at 90 degree with maybe some range of motion in the dorsiflexion, so i’m trying to fix the knee while keeping the ankle at this ROM at worst but is not easy while lenghting everyday.
I just really want to avoid another surgery and get the ATL done even if only fof 5cm, dr Pili seems positive i will have to get it no matter what tho in September
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My latest X-Rays after 50 days from the surgery, about 2,7cm
https://imgur.com/a/IX61qJH
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My latest X-Rays after 50 days from the surgery, about 2,7cm
https://imgur.com/a/IX61qJH
Perfect rei. You are going pretty good :)
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Nice 8)
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Looks good Rei, I wonder how much you'll be able to gain before you need ATL.
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Looks good Rei, I wonder how much you'll be able to gain before you need ATL.
Dr Pili seems positive that no matter what i’m going to need it even for 5cm.
I’m at 3,5cm now and right foot is fine but i lost the dorsiflexion in the left one, still no ballerina, but i can fix it by walking for about 5 min. Overall i’m starting to feel the side effects of the distraction phase...sometimes some pain there and there but mostly my legs feel always extremely stretched, especially when waking up in the morning, it takes some moments to start to walk.
Overall i’m walking for about an hour and standing for about 30 min everyday plus stretching every other day.
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Dr Pili seems positive that no matter what i’m going to need it even for 5cm.
I’m at 3,5cm now and right foot is fine but i lost the dorsiflexion in the left one, still no ballerina, but i can fix it by walking for about 5 min. Overall i’m starting to feel the side effects of the distraction phase...sometimes some pain there and there but mostly my legs feel always extremely stretched, especially when waking up in the morning, it takes some moments to start to walk.
Overall i’m walking for about an hour and standing for about 30 min everyday plus stretching every other day.
My doctor also told me I'll need ATL if I'm aiming for more than 5cm.
Definitely try to avoid that one at all costs.
I'm about a month or 2 before surgery and I'm doing my best to stretch every day, hope it'll help somehow.
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where are you supposed to do atl, in case you're gonna have it, Lecco or Roma?
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where are you supposed to do atl, in case you're gonna have it, Lecco or Roma?
I will have to go back to Lecco
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Quick update.
I can fix my ballerina and knee bending by doing exercises everyday for about 30 min but everytime i wake up in the morning is worse, i need another 1 month of lenghting anyway and i will be done for, achieving about 5,8cm; also the pins are starting to burn and break my skin pretty badly since atleast 1cm ago, not all of them but a couple of each leg look pretty terrible.
Other than that my mobility always been great, atleast better than what i used to read, if i really wanted i can walk unaided (with a terrible gait) even now but i avoid to. Hopefuly the recovery will be fast if i will do 5cm only
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I wouldn't stop lengthening just to have a quick recovery.
I would only stop lengthening if it could hurt me in the long run.
For most people, you only get 1 shot with this surgery, you probably won't do it again. Gain the most available to you.
20% of your initial tibia's length is probably the maximum you can gain safely. Did you measure it when you first started?
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I wouldn't stop lengthening just to have a quick recovery.
I would only stop lengthening if it could hurt me in the long run.
For most people, you only get 1 shot with this surgery, you probably won't do it again. Gain the most available to you.
20% of your initial tibia's length is probably the maximum you can gain safely. Did you measure it when you first started?
Yeah my tibias are 35 cm and 20% would be 7cm but i feel is going to be too much, i want to be conservative maybe i will change my mind but i don’t think so
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generally recommended is to not lengthen more than 15% of the bone length, specially in tibia.
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generally recommended is to not lengthen more than 15% of the bone length, specially in tibia.
True.
This is why most people lengthen 5-6 cm, which is usually around 15% of the bone length.
7 cm looks like the maximum, which not all people can reach safely. You just have to go for it and hope for the best.
I'm hoping for 7 cm, but will be satisfied with 6. Less than that will feel bad for sure.
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Just a quick update.
I just reached 5cm and by the time i will meet Dr Pili again i will be 5,6 and i will stop the lenghtening phase. There is one of the small wires that go trough the tibia and the fibula just below the knew that recently is burning a lot, this one for some reason never healed and is always bleeding a bit and ejecting some serum everyday since 3 months; instead since 3 days ago the leg where i have the ballerina foot hurts where they break the fibula a lot every time i weight bear on it, so i couldn’t do my exercises but everyday is hurting less.
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Thanks for the update.
Did Dr. Pili told you to stop or did you decide based on the pain you currently feel?
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Thanks for the update.
Did Dr. Pili told you to stop or did you decide based on the pain you currently feel?
The lengthening has been painless for a while, i only have this one been that been really hurting for some days but today is already much better and i have ballerina only on my left foot. I’m stopping because of some reasons:
i was already really short before the LL (163cm) and the 15% of by tibias is slighty over 5cm
From what i read everywhere and especially the diaries, 5 cm seems like a balance between safety and gains and i’m pretty happy about my height now
Even if this is a one shot thing to do, i’m already tired to be on frames, at worst with 5cm i will be on frames for 10 months and at best 7/6 months, which is a lot
I want to avoid doing ATL
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Wise move, listening to your mind and body always pays out.
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The lengthening has been painless for a while, i only have this one been that been really hurting for some days but today is already much better and i have ballerina only on my left foot. I’m stopping because of some reasons:
i was already really short before the LL (163cm) and the 15% of by tibias is slighty over 5cm
From what i read everywhere and especially the diaries, 5 cm seems like a balance between safety and gains and i’m pretty happy about my height now
Even if this is a one shot thing to do, i’m already tired to be on frames, at worst with 5cm i will be on frames for 10 months and at best 7/6 months, which is a lot
I want to avoid doing ATL
Good mindset. I think you will be fine. Better be safe than sorry.
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what is the amount you want to lengthen ur tibias and what have doctors told you it can be achieved?
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So i have some bad news i guess.
Today i met Dr Pili and for some reasons he dosn’t understand my right leg is shorter than a whole cm compared to my leg and he said it never happened before.
I never stopped the lenghting i just slowed it down for a month to 2 turns everyday, we took a full X-Ray of my legs and is clear from my pelvis that something is off.
Dr Pili said from the normal X-Rays that i will post tomorrow that it dosn’t look like i pre-consolidated, even tho he said my bone regeneration is above average, he even actually touch my leg and said that is soft, bow he told me to turn my left leg for two times each day for 8 days and the right one for 3 times for 20 days and we will meet again and at worst we will have to shorten one leg and settle for 4cm.
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Latest X-Rays that i took yesterday, do you think i got a premature consolidation on my right leg? Sorry for the crappy quality
https://imgur.com/a/Bj5DgPV
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ur consolidation on the right is definetely much better than the left but im not sure if thts enough to be stated as premature consolidation. Still the main resisting force would be muscles not the bone while distracting.
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ur consolidation on the right is definetely much better than the left but im not sure if thts enough to be stated as premature consolidation. Still the main resisting force would be muscles not the bone while distracting.
Thx sanity, the fact that Dr Pili said both that he never see this happening and that he dosn’t even know if i will be able to lenghten that leg or to short the other one and having to settle for 4cm, kind left me speechless and i won’t know for another month
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For some reason the right leg (the one stuck at 4cm) hurts everyday when i turn for the 3rd time during the day, dunno if is a good sign
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Did he just tell you to keep lengthening even if it hurts and check again in a month from now?
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how are you now , everything ok ?
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how are you now , everything ok ?
Yeah im fine thx, bu the looks of it the right leg didnt consolidate and i will be able ti reach 5,5 cm with that leg to, no idea how i was able to lengthen a whole 1cm less
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Yeah im fine thx, bu the looks of it the right leg didnt consolidate and i will be able ti reach 5,5 cm with that leg to, no idea how i was able to lengthen a whole 1cm less
Hello Rei, what is your situation now ?
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Hello Rei, what is your situation now ?
Hi it’s fine, i need to lenghten for 3 more days my right leg and i will be done, i’m experiencing some terrible burning pain from a couple of pins but other than that is find i think, i will meet Dr Pili in a couple of weeks and hopefuly he will tell me the same
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How much have you lengthened precisely? Do you measure by yourself or the doctor measured you?
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Does dr Pili fixate your fibula using a pin through your tibia?
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How much have you lengthened precisely? Do you measure by yourself or the doctor measured you?
6cm but you are going to lose some when you remove the fixator, about 10/15%, i actually asked him that and he confirmed
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Does dr Pili fixate your fibula using a pin through your tibia?
Yeah with 3 small wires below the knee and one just above the ankle
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Do you think for someone doing tibia, it's better stryde than HEF?
Will you do LATN or stay with frames for the whole consolidation time?
Could you post a picture of your frames later?
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Do you think for someone doing tibia, it's better stryde than HEF?
Will you do LATN or stay with frames for the whole consolidation time?
Could you post a picture of your frames later?
I will have to stay with frames the whole time, there are pro and cons for doing pure external vs LATN and Stryde but i think if done by a reputable doctor, LATN and Stryde is always better, having frames for like 8 months straight is not a joke, is 4 months now and i can’t wait to get rid of them already.
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6cm but you are going to lose some when you remove the fixator, about 10/15%, i actually asked him that and he confirmed
So what will be the final result in your case precisely?
Could you move all by yourself through the city using public transports?
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So what will be the final result in your case precisely?
Could you move all by yourself through the city using public transports?
I don’t know yet but 5cm for sure, maybe slighty more.
For your second question, there is no way i can go outside the city and doing stuff, i can walk with crutches inside my home but i get tired really quickly.
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I don’t know yet but 5cm for sure, maybe slighty more.
For your second question, there is no way i can go outside the city and doing stuff, i can walk with crutches inside my home but i get tired really quickly.
Do you think you get tired because the frames are heavy? Or it would be the same with stryde?
I think if you will do LATN/LON, it's better to do stryde (preferable in femur) anyway. You will have the risk of knee pain and one more surgery to take the rod out, but you will never need with frames and you can reverse lengthening anytime.
You may stay longer than 8 months in frames, but you will see, in a short time you will be walking normal again with no pain/discomfort and your height neurosis will be cured. Now, you just need to wait.
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Do you think you get tired because the frames are heavy? Or it would be the same with stryde?
I think if you will do LATN/LON, it's better to do stryde (preferable in femur) anyway. You will have the risk of knee pain and one more surgery to take the rod out, but you will never need with frames and you can reverse lengthening anytime.
You may stay longer than 8 months in frames, but you will see, in a short time you will be walking normal again with no pain/discomfort and your height neurosis will be cured. Now, you just need to wait.
No you get tired cause you are sore, btw from the last X Rays Dr Pili said i should be done in 7 months, apparently my bone regeneration is above average
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No you get tired cause you are sore, btw from the last X Rays Dr Pili said i should be done in 7 months, apparently my bone regeneration is above average
Wow, man, if this happens it will be extraordinary! Are you doing anything special (exercise, diet, supplement, walking too much) or is it just luck? And you are 33.
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No you get tired cause you are sore, btw from the last X Rays Dr Pili said i should be done in 7 months, apparently my bone regeneration is above average
If pili expects that bone shrinks, this means frames are taken off when callus is still soft
Please be careful after frame removal, bone form may change and get malalighment which can lead to arthritis.
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Wow, man, if this happens it will be extraordinary! Are you doing anything special (exercise, diet, supplement, walking too much) or is it just luck? And you are 33.
Just genetic, i wasn’t allowed to take supplements during the lenghtingg phase
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Today i met Dr Pili and took the X Rays, he also removed 3 small wires i didn't need anymore. Apparently im at 6,5 cm and he now he told that after the removal i should keep more or less pretty much the this exact amount, i also told him if i can keep lenghting without doing ATL and he told me yes but 0,5cm at best. I don't think i will do those last 5mm, tomorrow i will post my X Rays
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Hi Rei
Congrats! You are almost there!
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Wait Rei,
So you have done 6cm? It seems like you began raising your limit as you neared the end which I definitely understand considering the hell you went through. But essentially for 6cm it took you from mid june to october. Do you have to keep the frames on after you've finished distracting? Apologies I don't entirely understand the surgery completely and I am considering Pili for the surgery..
What else do you think helped you from not having to do ATL?
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Wait Rei,
So you have done 6cm? It seems like you began raising your limit as you neared the end which I definitely understand considering the hell you went through. But essentially for 6cm it took you from mid june to october. Do you have to keep the frames on after you've finished distracting? Apologies I don't entirely understand the surgery completely and I am considering Pili for the surgery..
What else do you think helped you from not having to do ATL?
Actually early June but at the beginning of August i started to distract only 0,5mm at day; the method Dr Pili use is pure external so i will have to wear the frames until i’m completely consolidated.
Instead for the ATL i think Pili and Catagni are the only one that really push you doing it, in the end i only experienced ballerina in one foot that i fixed in two weeks without distracting.
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Just met Dr Pili today, he said im doing good and told me to start "shortening" myself 1/4 of mm each week for a total amount of about 2mm, he also said i will remove the ExFix in about 3 months, so it would be slight less than 9 months. Btw i can walk unhained since a couple of weeks but he told to still walk with crutches for atleast another month
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happy to know everything's going well.
what do you mean with "start shortening"?
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happy to know everything's going well.
what do you mean with "start shortening"?
Like 2mm, it helps with the healing process, apprently a lot of doctors do the same
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Hey Rei, what is the pain level currently?
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Hey Rei, what is the pain level currently?
Been zero since i stop the lenghtening. I can walk unaided since 3 weeks ago but Dr Pili told me not to for now
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Been zero since i stop the lenghtening. I can walk unaided since 3 weeks ago but Dr Pili told me not to for now
How many cm you gain ?
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How many cm you gain ?
I have no idea, at this point i will measure myself after removing the ExFix
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Been zero since i stop the lenghtening. I can walk unaided since 3 weeks ago but Dr Pili told me not to for now
Great man, happy to hear that.
How's the scars? do they look bad?
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Great man, happy to hear that.
How's the scars? do they look bad?
A couple for each leg are pretty long and still red, i’m talking about the scars made by the pins while lenghtening while the surgery scars are barely noticeable.
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A couple for each leg are pretty long and still red, i’m talking about the scars made by the pins while lenghtening while the surgery scars are barely noticeable.
Your experience seems to coincide with others I've spoken with.
All people so far told me the scars are worth the improvement in quality of life and said only the lengthening scars are noticeable and can be removed later.
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only the lengthening scars are noticeable and can be removed later.
My lengthening scars are also quite visible while the initials scars are not. What do you guys think is the best scar removal method for lengthening scars?
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My lengthening scars are also quite visible while the initials scars are not. What do you guys think is the best scar removal method for lengthening scars?
tattoos over it
you can also make laser
what is your skin color ? rather pale / tanned / brown ?
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tattoos over it
you can also make laser
what is your skin color ? rather pale / tanned / brown ?
I'm planning the same thing.
I'll tattoo one leg and laser the other one. I'm tanned with a lot of hair, so I guess the scars won't be visible.
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Once in a while it looks like one of the pins is infected, gets swollen, pus coming out...it hurts etc but without taking anything it gets better in 3 days and usually in 5 days is “healed”, this happens even now after a more than a month i stopped the lenghtening phase.
Btw after 6 months now i’m getting really sick and i just want to get my life back, i can’t imagine having another 3 months ahead of me, i just want to get a shower, get an haircut and go back to lifting, i look really neglected compared to before the surgery
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Once in a while it looks like one of the pins is infected, gets swollen, pus coming out...it hurts etc but without taking anything it gets better in 3 days and usually in 5 days is “healed”, this happens even now after a more than a month i stopped the lenghtening phase.
Btw after 6 months now i’m getting really sick and i just want to get my life back, i can’t imagine having another 3 months ahead of me, i just want to get a shower, get an haircut and go back to lifting, i look really neglected compared to before the surgery
I understand your pain, but never forget: No Pain, No Gain.
In a couple of months from now, you will look back and be proud of yourself.
The pain of being short is greater than this.
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Any update Rei?
Are you walking now?
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Any update Rei?
Are you walking now?
I can since about a month ago almost but Dr Pili told me not to for now, i will meet him again in a week and take the new X Ray
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can you drive the car?
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I can since about a month ago almost but Dr Pili told me not to for now, i will meet him again in a week and take the new X Ray
Weird, my doctor told me he will insist on me trying to stand at-least a little bit in the first days after the surgery.
He really thinks this is the way to a quick, less painful and overall successful recovery.
Dr. Pili doesn't believe in standing and walking ASAP?
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tattoos over it
you can also make laser
what is your skin color ? rather pale / tanned / brown ?
I'm planning the same thing.
I'll tattoo one leg and laser the other one. I'm tanned with a lot of hair, so I guess the scars won't be visible.
Yeah I'll see how the scars develop in the next 1-2 years. They might get less visible once the sun darkens the scars. My legs are weirdly darker (brown) than the rest of my body, that makes the scars even more visible so far because the scars are quite white. There is also something called permanent make up, maybe that's an option too. Maybe a mix of permanent make up, laser and a tattoo...
Btw after 6 months now i’m getting really sick and i just want to get my life back, i can’t imagine having another 3 months ahead of me, i just want to get a shower, get an haircut and go back to lifting, i look really neglected compared to before the surgery
Buy a hair trimmer and trim your hair to a few mm on your own :) I did that and it was relieving. The hair will grow back anyways. It looks tidier and makes it easier to wash them.
I understand you but this will get over, too.
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Yeah I'll see how the scars develop in the next 1-2 years. They might get less visible once the sun darkens the scars. My legs are weirdly darker (brown) than the rest of my body, that makes the scars even more visible so far because the scars are quite white. There is also something called permanent make up, maybe that's an option too. Maybe a mix of permanent make up, laser and a tattoo...
IMO, the best combo is tattooing one leg, since tattooing both of them looks weird, then laser the other one and having a permanent make up on the stubborn scars that are left.
I doubt anyone will be able to notice you've had anything done on your legs.
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Weird, my doctor told me he will insist on me trying to stand at-least a little bit in the first days after the surgery.
He really thinks this is the way to a quick, less painful and overall successful recovery.
Dr. Pili doesn't believe in standing and walking ASAP?
Yes but aided what ment was completely unaided
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Yes but aided what ment was completely unaided
I see... well, that sounds reasonable.
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Met Dr Pili today, said he can remove the right fixator next month and in the months the other one, i was honestly way too lazy and just asked if i can remove them together at this point and be done with, i live in Rome and i’m supposed to go to Lecco, which takes about 4 hours in train, he also told me that i can walk unaided, my gait tho without shoes especially is pretty bad.
So if everything goes well i will remove my ExFix about 9 months after my initial surgery, with a total gain of 7cm? I don’t even know at this point.
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Did he tell you something about your gait? Does he see that as a failure or just a part of the process and expects it'll get back to normal?
Don't hurry up mate, you're at the finish line, just have a little more patience. :)
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Did he tell you something about your gait? Does he see that as a failure or just a part of the process and expects it'll get back to normal?
Don't hurry up mate, you're at the finish line, just have a little more patience. :)
Just part of the process, i mean if i really try my gait is almost normal even right now, so i guess after removing the ExFix it will get a lot better, i mean i have full motion of range even now with a lot of movements, the only thing i can’t do it touching the ground with my fingers while having my legs straight, but for example i can do full squats etc, without any weight of course
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how's your ballerina, will you need atl?
Can you drive the car?
happy that everything's going smooth for you.
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how's your ballerina, will you need atl?
Can you drive the car?
happy that everything's going smooth for you.
I have zero ballerina, actually my dorsiflexion is really good so i won’t need ATL, btw you are supposed to do it like 2 months after the surgery, also i never stop driving the car i was driving 2 weeks after the surgery to meet Dr Pili
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Sounds like you're doing good. :)
Does it feel like you will be able to fully recover? or is it too early to know?
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Sounds like you're doing good. :)
Does it feel like you will be able to fully recover? or is it too early to know?
Define full recovery. If you mean going back to what i used to do then yes, so walking and lifting, but to make an example i don’t know how i will run or jump. What i mean is i only know the full extent of my abilities in stuff that i use to do and i use my legs only for walking, driving and lifting but is like years i don’t run or even try to jump i think.
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Yeah... I know what you're talking about.
Running and jumping seems to be the most challenging for everyone, but it's just a matter of working on it, unless you simply don't care.
I guess you should be able to get at least 80% of your pre-surgery running/jumping abilities.
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So is about to weeks i’m walking completely unaided and my gait is almost completely normal but in the morning where for 5 min looks slighty off, with shoes i think it looks like before surgery; i can do every kind of stretching or movement with my legs, considering i’m still two months away from removing the ExFix i think i’m pretty much recovered
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I will remove the ExFix in mid February, for a total amount of 8 months and 10 days
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Glad to hear you're doing good man!
I hope the ExFix removal will go as planned.
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I will remove the ExFix in mid February, for a total amount of 8 months and 10 days
Thanks very much for keeping this diary updated.
So you finally did 7 cm (163 cm to 170 cm), in 8½ months using external fixators only (HEF method).
That is great, I hope that everything goes well, enjoy your new height. :)
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Thanks very much for keeping this diary updated.
So you finally did 7 cm (163 cm to 170 cm), in 8½ months using external fixators only (HEF method).
That is great, I hope that everything goes well, enjoy your new height. :)
Thx
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Just got this bump on my leg a week before removing my ExFix, should i be worried?
https://imgur.com/a/NBc15pd
I was reading about bone remodelling that takes even years after you break a bone but i never got a bump like this in 8 months since i had my surgery and is actualy more noticeable than what it looks like from the pictures
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Ok just in case future LLer will read this this.
Dr Pili just replied to me, apparently every broken bone during the healing goes trough a phase called “bone remodelling” where the callus gets harder and is bigger compared to the original bone and during the years the bone should turn slowly like the original thickness, since tibias in that spot are surrounded from nothing but skin, sometimes you can notice the difference
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So yesterday i went to Lecco to remove both Exfix and during the X Ray i had that same day Dr Pili decided one leg wasn’t ready so i only removed my right ExFix and will remove the other one in 40 days, so in the end is going to take 10 months for 7 cm
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Hi Rei,
Thank you for your diary. In your first post you mentioned that you already regret getting this surgery. What are your thoughts now? Do you still regret it? Also, do you have any side effects currently (ballerina etc.)?
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Hi Rei,
Thank you for your diary. In your first post you mentioned that you already regret getting this surgery. What are your thoughts now? Do you still regret it? Also, do you have any side effects currently (ballerina etc.)?
Yeah the very first days and going back home only two days after the surgery, was awful but only after 5 days from the surgery i was already really fine.
Right now i have zero side effects since like 3 months, my gait is the same before the surgery and my ROM is the same to, i can squat and do every kind of movement; only right now i’m back using the walker cause i removed my right frame like 6 days ago, but dr Pili told me i can walk unained, i’m just being overly cautious cause i’m scared
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Yeah the very first days and going back home only two days after the surgery, was awful but only after 5 days from the surgery i was already really fine.
Right now i have zero side effects since like 3 months, my gait is the same before the surgery and my ROM is the same to, i can squat and do every kind of movement; only right now i’m back using the walker cause i removed my right frame like 6 days ago, but dr Pili told me i can walk unained, i’m just being overly cautious cause i’m scared
I'm so glad to see that your feelings have changed regarding this extreme surgery. It's good to be cautious, but remember to stay balanced. Part of good healing is measured load-bearing to strengthen the new bone. Err on the side of caution, but don't swing too much in either direction
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I'm so glad to see that your feelings have changed regarding this extreme surgery. It's good to be cautious, but remember to stay balanced. Part of good healing is measured load-bearing to strengthen the new bone. Err on the side of caution, but don't swing too much in either direction
At this point i doubt anything drastic can happen, in 1 month i will remove the left leg fixator
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Congrats Rei
Yours is a great achievement. This is one of the best results I have seen browsing this forum.
Remarkable you managed to control your anxiety during your journey.
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Congrats Rei
Yours is a great achievement. This is one of the best results I have seen browsing this forum.
Remarkable you managed to control your anxiety during your journey.
Yeah but considering how things are shaping in Italy, i will have the left external fixator for a long time, even if i’m recovered i mean
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Soon this virus will be defined, your frame removed and you will keep your height for the rest of your life!
Keep strong
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Hello, i’m from Rome. I write you a message, search my message. Thank’s
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Removed the left exfix yesterday in Rome after exactly 11 months. Everything went smooth and i started to walk immediately without crutches or anything after the surgery (been walking unaided since like 5 months). So after 11 months i’m completely done with the surgery
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Removed the left exfix yesterday in Rome after exactly 11 months. Everything went smooth and i started to walk immediately without crutches or anything after the surgery (been walking unaided since like 5 months). So after 11 months i’m completely done with the surgery
perfect, how many cm you gain ?
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perfect, how many cm you gain ?
Measured myself today, i did 7cm
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Measured myself today, i did 7cm
7cm with external tibias really insane? wow
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Wow . Almost a year in frames. Congrats. How did you handle it? How do you do ordinary things like sleeping, showering. Can you sleep in all positions with the frames on?