Limb Lengthening Forum

Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: ShortLivesMatter on March 31, 2019, 05:33:44 AM

Title: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on March 31, 2019, 05:33:44 AM
Well I have been debating whether to start up a new diary or not for my 2nd surgery as I'm not much of a writer and really InFullStryde's awesome diary is all you need to know about the Stryde nail but since I don't really see any internal tibia diaries around I figured mine would still be somewhat helpful.

Anyway a little background, I did my femurs using the partial weight bearing Precise nail back in August 2017 with Dr. Rozbruch in NYC and lengthened to 6.7cm to go from 5'1.5 to 5'4.  I got the nail removed in October 2018 so it's been about 1.5 years and it honestly has been the best decision I ever made.  I do not have any pain whatsoever and the new height feels great, the downsides have been I have obviously lost some flexibility, my butt is still pretty flat, my thighs are toothpick skinny, and running still feels weird and slow.  But those things can be worked on.  Since the first surgery went so well and with the weight bearing Stryde nail now available, I went ahead and did my tibia using the smallest 10mm Stryde nail. So here we go -

Pre Op Day: I had to come to NYC 4 days before my surgery for some pre op blood work and met with the team to go over the procedure. It was pretty standard and quick as I had already gone thru it for my femur surgery. Afterwards I took this opportunity to meet 3 prospective LLers and a vet LLer Puru. The guys had alot of questions for Puru and I. It was a blast and everyone was in good spirits and was well adjusted in their lives with legitimate reasons to do LL, unlike some mentally ill dudes in here who are already tall but still want to get taller and "mog" everyone else in sight.  2 of the guys will be doing LL with Dr. R and they might start their own diaries in here in the near future.

Surgery Day: I'm not from NYC so I took a 4hr bus ride and arrived at the hospital around 5:30am and checked in.  The nurses shaved me down and Dr. R came in to have a chat. He asked if I wanted to do a gastroc release which is to loosen the calf muscle to help with tightness which people typically experience after 4cm lengthening. It's similar to the ITB release for the femur.  I decided to do it since I was aiming for 6cm.  I didn't want to have to stop after 4cm. We also discussed how my bowed legs would also be straightened in the same procedure and I would gain an additional .5cm from that as well which is pretty awesome. I was then rolled into the op room.  There was a team of at least 10 people in there.
 The anesthesiologist did his magic and I went under. The next thing I knew I was in the recovery room.  A catheter was hooked up so I could pee freely. I didn't really feel any pain as I was on a ton of painkillers, my legs were hooked up to a machine that kept my legs moving to have good blood flow.  I was pretty tired so I ate a quick dinner and fell asleep.

Day 1 post op: The PT team came by and had me get up and move around using the walker and damn it was rough. My legs were inflamed and it hurt pretty badly as I forgot to have the nurses give me an oxycodone right before hand.  Dr. R. also stopped by to do some post surgery checks and informed me that the surgery went well. The night was pretty brutal pain wise even with the painkillers. 

Day 2 post op: Same as the prior day, the PT came by again and had me walk around again with the walker. The Stryde representative stopped by to give the ERC device and did a lengthening demonstration. this ERC device was heavier than the Precise device but had a much better UI that displayed all sorts of information like how much have you lengthened for the day and how much have you lengthened total. I was to lengthen 4x a day at a rate of .2mm each time for a total of .8mm.  I was then discharged and had my parents pick me up. The staff rolled me down to the hospital entrance in a wheelchair and I transferred into the car using a walker.  I laid in the backseat and went to sleep.  4hrs later we arrived home and I got out of the car and into a wheelchair and was rolled into my house as I was too weak to use the walker to get to my bed.

First week post op:  my legs were still pretty inflamed and swollen but I wanted to recover quickly so I started using the walker aggressively, big mistake, this only made the inflammation worse. I also had a scary fall as I was pushing the walker too quickly on an uneven surface and it toppled and fell over over. I was suddenly without any support and my legs were still too weak to stand on their own so I fell to the ground. Thankfully it was the full weight bearing Stryde nail,  would have been bad otherwise. This set me back a week as the still inflamed legs screamed in agony for having to stand without any support for several seconds. 

Second week: Legs were now getting better, swelling and pain had gone down and I was moving around using the walker with little difficulty. I started to settle into a routine of eating, stretching, using the lengthening machine and napping as I cannot sleep for more than 1-2 hrs at night before waking up and having to move/stretch the legs. They get locked after staying in the same position and it hurts like a bitch to move them after I wake up.  The longer I had been asleep, the more painful it was to move them after waking up.

Third week:  I had a post op visit with Dr. R. We checked the x-rays and things were looking good, I had lengthened about .8 cm and there was good callus formation on the tibia and fibula. We also confirmed that my bowed legs had been fixed which was amazing.  Back at home, my legs were continuing to improve and I could now stand without any support. I decided to ditch the walker and switch to crutches as I need to improve quickly as I was planning to return to work in 2 weeks.  Hopefully I can transition to a cane by then. 

Well that's all I got for now, let me know if you have any questions. The Stryde nail is indeed a game changer, I am now completely independent due to the ability to fully weight bear.   
 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ok on March 31, 2019, 05:42:06 AM
Thanks for starting this diary SLM! You are a great writer.

You have a real privilege of being in a country which has some of the best surgeons and the best hospitals. I am confident you will do great.

Quick question - how was it that the 10mm Precice nails didn't fit your femurs but the 10mm Stryde nails fit your tibias? Because tibias are supposed to be thinner.

Thank you
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Purushrottam on March 31, 2019, 06:38:54 AM
Thanks for making a new diary. It’s much easier to keep track of!

And it was really nice meeting you!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on March 31, 2019, 07:52:57 AM
Hey SLM

Congrats on your second lengthening!  You are a true warrior!!  Yes, Stryde is the game changer!   I am also very happy that I was able to use Stryde for myself.  You will enjoy the benefit of full weight bearing!!

Wish you the best of luck for your journey!!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on March 31, 2019, 10:32:20 AM
Thanks for doing a new diary. Good luck on your journey.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on March 31, 2019, 10:48:46 AM
Why did you stop at 6.7 on femurs?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on March 31, 2019, 03:58:08 PM
Thank you for all the support guys, I appreciate it :).  I used the 8.5mm Precise nail on my femur as the 10.5mm one was a little too big and would have required more reaming of the canal which you should try to avoid. We all saw what happened with Unicorn when Guichet put in a 13mm nail on her small bones.  While the tibia is indeed smaller than the femur, the benefits of the 10mm Stryde nail outweighed the smaller 8.5mm Precise nail so Dr. R. did do some reaming to fit it in there, he did say it was quite a tight fit. 

I stopped at 6.7cm with the femurs as I was getting pretty tight and my bone growth was slow and I was sick of LL by that time and wanted to start consolidation.  Hopefully I will have better results with the tibia as the ability to walk should help with flexibility and have better bone formation. 

Going to try to get some shut eye now as I only got about 2-3 hrs of sleep last night, the pain was really rough even with the oxycodone.  It wasn't a small constant dull pain but rather a very sharp one every couple of seconds, I think it was because I pushed myself too hard and walked around with crutches too much yesterday. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on March 31, 2019, 04:06:13 PM
I'm rooting for you to get the full 8cm with tibias if thats what you want.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: InFullStryde on March 31, 2019, 04:18:31 PM
Really excited for you, SLM.  I'll be a regular follower of your diary and I'm very interested to learn about the tibia experience through your steps. 

All the best!

IFS

Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 03, 2019, 02:46:25 AM
So I have made some pretty nice improvements since the last update. I am now walking confidently on crutches. I was able to stand up from my bed without any support and took a few steps unaided today.  I have another week before I return to work so need to get my strength back. I will most probably use crutches when I do return as I am terrified of someone bumping into me and even a slight breeze will probably make me fall over. 

Unfortunately all is not well, the sharp shooting pain on my left leg is still present and comes and goes throughout the day but is most prevalent at night when I'm trying to sleep. The only way to alleviate it is taking an oxy which I'm trying to stop but it's near impossible. Hopefully it will get better soon.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on April 03, 2019, 03:28:14 AM
Hi SLM

Good to hear your updates!  You are doing great!  I saw a patient with Stryde tibia and he was able to walk with a cane about 3-4 weeks.  Since then, he was able to continue to walk with or sometimes without a cane until the end of lengthening. Now you are roughly at 4 weeks, if I am correct.  So you have made a good progress!  Walking with crutches is also a good idea especially in public or at work, since your posture is not stable.  But when it is safe, try to walk with a cane as much as you can.

As for the pain, as you know, CLL always brings pain and most of patients have a bad leg and a good leg. I also have the right leg as a bad one. But it will get better.  I think taking oxy when needed, it is not a bad idea.  Most of time people tend to be overcautious about oxy for addiction.  But with this low dose and limited amount of oxy, it is very unlikely to get addicted to oxy.  So don't feel too bad when you need to take it.  You can gradually reduce dose or increase interval and will eventually run out of oxy prescription anyway.

By the way, I admire you that you are going back to work soon.  That really requires courage and strong will.  You are a true warrior!

Good luck!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: InFullStryde on April 03, 2019, 05:49:31 AM
So I have made some pretty nice improvements since the last update. I am now walking confidently on crutches. I was able to stand up from my bed without any support and took a few steps unaided today.  I have another week before I return to work so need to get my strength back. I will most probably use crutches when I do return as I am terrified of someone bumping into me and even a slight breeze will probably make me fall over. 

Unfortunately all is not well, the sharp shooting pain on my left leg is still present and comes and goes throughout the day but is most prevalent at night when I'm trying to sleep. The only way to alleviate it is taking an oxy which I'm trying to stop but it's near impossible. Hopefully it will get better soon.

The left leg has been my Nemesis leg to this day! Carry on SLM, as you know as a CLL veteren...it gets better.  Good idea on crutches.   Believe it or not; I've been sporting the crutches for 3 months. You're ahead of the game.

Will stand by to hear and learn more. Have a good night.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 03, 2019, 01:00:19 PM
I really want to know how is a tibia lengthening with stryde with a good doctor. Great diary.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: tiggy on April 05, 2019, 02:02:51 AM
Hi SLM,

Thank you for this diary and good luck with your journey! While IFS's diary has been excellent and very informative, it never hurts to read another diary of STRYDE and especially with Dr. R with whom I will be having surgery next month as well.

I've read in other diaries of people taking pain killers with a Tylenol pm at night time to help them sleep, and this appears to have worked well. Perhaps you can give it a try as well.

Since you had your femur surgery already and with PRECISE, can you compare the pain levels between them? Which would you say was more painful so far and why?

Honestly pain is a very big concern of mine and frankly I am a little terrified of how bad it could get. Those shooting pains in your leg, can you put a number on them on a scale from 1-10 just to give us an idea? And perhaps the same for the pain in the mornings when you wake up with your legs locked?

Lastly if you have any recommendations or advice for pain management, please kindly send it forward. We all would greatly appreciate it!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 05, 2019, 10:52:38 PM
Yeah I am taking tylenol pm and and oxy at night now and it is helping with the sleep but I still wake up in the morning in pain, mostly on my left leg.  The sharp pains in my left leg I would say is about an 8 on the pain scale.  In the morning it's probably a 6.  The tibia surgery has definitely been more painful as there were two bones broken instead of just one like in the femur so you have 2 pain sites to deal with.

As for an update, it's been almost 4 weeks since the surgery, I have lengthened about 1.5cm and am now walking around the house without any support, slowly of course but it feels great. My hips do sway when I walk so I need to work on that but it's not that bad. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: tiggy on April 05, 2019, 11:25:02 PM
Thanks for your prompt reply. I am very happy to hear you are walking without any support in only 4 weeks man. Keep up the great work!

Just couple more questions from me. When you take oxy for that shooting pain, how much does the pain drop from the 8 level pain?

Also, you just said its been a month since surgery and you have lengthened 1.5cm. I don't remember exactly what dr. R said about the timeline of lengthening and please correct me if my measurement time scale is off, but I believe he told me within 3 months patients reach about 3 inches. If this is correct, your lengthening seems to be slightly behind, as it should be closer to 2.5cm right about now.  Are you lengthening .8mm every day or have you taken breaks in between?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on April 06, 2019, 06:53:21 AM
Thanks for your prompt reply. I am very happy to hear you are walking without any support in only 4 weeks man. Keep up the great work!

Just couple more questions from me. When you take oxy for that shooting pain, how much does the pain drop from the 8 level pain?

Also, you just said its been a month since surgery and you have lengthened 1.5cm. I don't remember exactly what dr. R said about the timeline of lengthening and please correct me if my measurement time scale is off, but I believe he told me within 3 months patients reach about 3 inches. If this is correct, your lengthening seems to be slightly behind, as it should be closer to 2.5cm right about now.  Are you lengthening .8mm every day or have you taken breaks in between?

Hi tiggy

Regarding your question, normally you need to wait for a week after the surgery to start lengthening.  General rate for tibia lengthening is 0.75mm a day.  4 weeks = 1 week after the surgery (0 mm) + 3 weeks x 7 days x 0.75mm = 1.575 cm.   
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 06, 2019, 04:26:31 PM
You are on 4th week of surgery and yet have so much pain?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: tiggy on April 06, 2019, 07:25:22 PM
Hi tiggy

Regarding your question, normally you need to wait for a week after the surgery to start lengthening.  General rate for tibia lengthening is 0.75mm a day.  4 weeks = 1 week after the surgery (0 mm) + 3 weeks x 7 days x 0.75mm = 1.575 cm.   

Actually no, dr. R has his patients start lengthening 3 days after surgery (so on the 4th day from what I remember from my consultation). But this applies to the femurs, not sure if tibias are different, and I doubt they are. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 06, 2019, 08:11:06 PM
Actually no, dr. R has his patients start lengthening 3 days after surgery (so on the 4th day from what I remember from my consultation). But this applies to the femurs, not sure if tibias are different, and I doubt they are.

I was instructed to start lengthening a week after the surgery so GhostFish's calculation is right.  Started on the 18th of March, today is the 6th of April so that's 20 days * .8mm per day = 1.6 cm now

You are on 4th week of surgery and yet have so much pain?

No, most of the time my pain level is 2-3. It's just at times i experience the sharp pain that's like a 7-8 but it's gotten a little better in the past couple of days. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: tiggy on April 06, 2019, 08:26:47 PM
I was instructed to start lengthening a week after the surgery so GhostFish's calculation is right.  Started on the 18th of March, today is the 6th of April so that's 20 days * .8mm per day = 1.6 cm now

Very interesting, I did not expect that tibia lengthening start date would be different from femurs. I wonder why. I will ask him when I can and will keep everyone posted when I find out.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: myloginacc on April 07, 2019, 12:39:26 AM
Hey, SLM. Thank you very much for another diary. Very kind of you.

Do you have a goal height, or are you going for the most you can get?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 07, 2019, 02:49:04 AM
No, most of the time my pain level is 2-3. It's just at times i experience the sharp pain that's like a 7-8 but it's gotten a little better in the past couple of days.
Good to know. I thought after third week pain would decrease a lot. 8/10 is very hard.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on April 07, 2019, 07:11:00 AM
No, most of the time my pain level is 2-3. It's just at times i experience the sharp pain that's like a 7-8 but it's gotten a little better in the past couple of days.
Hi SLM
I think you are doing great!! The sharp pain seems to be common for tibia in the shin area. It comes and goes. Hopefully, you feel better soon.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 10, 2019, 04:15:04 AM
Hi SLM
I think you are doing great!! The sharp pain seems to be common for tibia in the shin area. It comes and goes. Hopefully, you feel better soon.

Thanks for all your advice Ghostfish, you seem to be pretty knowledgeable about LL! Yeah thankfully that sharp pain is lessening day by day.

I am aiming for 5.5-6cm, not too much, this will get me back to my original tibia-femur ratio and it's a good amount for me. I will be a little over 5'6 when it's all done for a total of +5 inches. Sure that's still short but it's an extraordinary increase from where I started with. Can't cry about the hand you were dealt, you can only improve it, I'm just grateful I have the ability to do so.

Anyway I went back to work yesterday after 4 weeks. I used a cane and it was tougher than I expected. Walking around the house here and there is one thing but having to walk at work (from parking lot to building and then to desk, walking to meetings, to the bathroom that's located at the other end of the floor) is another matter. By the end of the day I felt like the nail was going to break at any moment and my legs would fall off.  I will definitely use crutches from now on at work.

Today (Day 29) had another follow up with Dr. R. I have lengthened 1.8cm and everything was looking good. ROM was still good as well as callus formation. Dr. R was surprised I was already just using a cane and told me to take it easy and use crutches instead. He said that while Stryde is indeed amazing and weight bearing, there have been instances of the nail breaking so it's not indestructible.  The cane doesn't offer any weight bearing while the crutches do.  He said to be extra careful since I am doing tibia and obviously the tibia nail has to support more weight as opposed to if it was inserted higher up in the body in the femur. All in all things are good, I think I am settling into a rhythm now that I'm back to work and the pain at night is much more manageable. 

 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on April 10, 2019, 05:56:03 AM
Hi SLM

I am so surprised that you are already getting back to work!  That is amazing but it should be tough.  When I was in Paley institute, I knew one guy who did tibias with Stryde nails.  He was able walk with a cane by a month or so but complained about sleep deficiency and pain, from which I suffered even more than he did, since I am quite sensitive and have trouble in sleeping anyway.  Based on his case, it is hard for me to imagine that someone with tibia nails is working while lengthening.  Hopefully, everything goes smoothly!

Take care! SLM

Ghostfish   
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: kanye007 on April 11, 2019, 03:55:51 PM
hey slm hope youre doung good. I had a question for you, do you smoke or have you ever had a history of smoking in the past. Ive heard smoking can cause poor bone consolidation. I used to smoke but have switched to JUUL ( vape ) was wondering what the results would look like if a person had a smoking history.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 11, 2019, 10:33:39 PM
hey slm hope youre doung good. I had a question for you, do you smoke or have you ever had a history of smoking in the past. Ive heard smoking can cause poor bone consolidation. I used to smoke but have switched to JUUL ( vape ) was wondering what the results would look like if a person had a smoking history.

Nope I don't smoke, and yes smoking can cause slow bone consolidation. If you are planning to do LL, it's best to stop it completely. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: tiggy on April 12, 2019, 01:56:42 AM
Hey SLM,

Im very happy that you are doing well, keep up the great work. And I don't think 5'6 is short. Its just below average. To me short is where you started from and where I will be starting from (5'3). I too plan to reach 5'6 with my femur surgery and have no plans for tibias (though I don't think I would actually proceed with tibias). With regular shoes our heights would be 5'7, which is a great life changing difference from where we began!

I just realized as I was typing this that I forgot to ask you whether dr R ever prescribed you some nerve meds for that shooting nerve pain in your tibias. I hope it has gotten much better since your last update
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 13, 2019, 03:07:39 PM
Do you still have that sharp pain 8/10?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: sunny on April 14, 2019, 11:04:42 PM
Hi SLM,

I've been a lurker here for about a year and but found your posts to be especially helpful since I'm in NY as well and planning on LL with Rozbruch in mid 2020.

Really curious, as someone who did both precice 2.2 and stryde, what were the new costs/differences?
is 2.2 cheaper now than before? or is it the same and stryde was more expensive.

I want to do 5cm tibia 5-6cm femur for about 10-11 total.. and really want to know what price i would be looking at to better prepare.
I would love to know if you have any info on whether he offers a better rate for doing both.

Thanks and best of luck on your second LL!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 17, 2019, 03:48:42 AM
Hi SLM,

I've been a lurker here for about a year and but found your posts to be especially helpful since I'm in NY as well and planning on LL with Rozbruch in mid 2020.

Really curious, as someone who did both precice 2.2 and stryde, what were the new costs/differences?
is 2.2 cheaper now than before? or is it the same and stryde was more expensive.

I want to do 5cm tibia 5-6cm femur for about 10-11 total.. and really want to know what price i would be looking at to better prepare.
I would love to know if you have any info on whether he offers a better rate for doing both.

Thanks and best of luck on your second LL!

The tibia surgery was about 3k more than the femur but I think that was due to tibia vs femur and not precise vs stryde.  I highly doubt he offers a discount for doing both but you can always ask, however I do strongly recommend him since he is at the top of the game and you are in the area.

Day 35 - I have lengthened 2.4cm, almost an inch.  Pain has gotten alot better, the sharp pain has disappeared.  Waking up in the morning doesn't hurt as much anymore either. I am slowly walking more and more and gaining more stamina. Managing going to work at the office and LL at the same time is pretty rough tho and I don't recommend anyone doing it, if you must try to work from home. I should have taken more time off. My dorsiflexion is decreasing so I need to step up my stretching.  I can still keep my legs straight so that's good. Got about another month and a half of lengthening to go, just have to grind thru it.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: raku on April 18, 2019, 08:31:04 PM
Really happy to hear of your sharp pain over! Hope everything goes well!
knowing that you have a very tough experience now, I hope you keep strong. Just imagining the 6.7cm gained of the femur and how the world changed.
I am sorry to hear that you seem a little frustrated not to recommend people do internal tibia.
I know internal tibia is harder than internal femur a lot... I think maybe 6cm is too much..
Maybe 4.5-5cm is more tolerant and relately safe.
Keep strong my dear Asian friend! You re my idol!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 19, 2019, 12:55:28 AM
Really happy to hear of your sharp pain over! Hope everything goes well!
knowing that you have a very tough experience now, I hope you keep strong. Just imagining the 6.7cm gained of the femur and how the world changed.
I am sorry to hear that you seem a little frustrated not to recommend people do internal tibia.
I know internal tibia is harder than internal femur a lot... I think maybe 6cm is too much..
Maybe 4.5-5cm is more tolerant and relately safe.
Keep strong my dear Asian friend! You re my idol!

Thanks man, nah it's not that I'm against internal tibia at all, I'm just not recommending people to come back to work only after 4 weeks post surgery like I did thinking that the Stryde nail would allow me to function as normal. It's tough as really you should be dedicating most of your day on the LL recovery process to achieve the best possible outcome but now you are losing at least 8 hrs to do so and it will compromise that. It's brutal waking up without a full night of sleep, your body hurting and aching all over, and then having to get up and go to work.  But it is getting better day by day.  I am still aiming for 5.5cm but might stop at 5.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 21, 2019, 03:49:08 AM
Can you tell us how is your physical therapy doing tibias? Is very different from doing femurs? What kind of stretch you do with tibias (if you link videos would be nice)?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on April 24, 2019, 08:21:50 PM
Can you tell us how is your physical therapy doing tibias? Is very different from doing femurs? What kind of stretch you do with tibias (if you link videos would be nice)?

PT for tibia is different from femur since the soft tissues that are being stretched are different. With tibia you are focusing on maintaining your dorsiflexion and preventing knee contracture. For dorsiflexion, I bought some incline stretch wedges from amazon and stand on them for a good stretch.  For preventing knee contracture stretch, I sit on a hard surface with my legs straight out and have someone press down on my knee cap to force my leg to be as straight as possible.

Day 43 update - I just passed 3cm.  No complications to report so far other than the gradual tightening of my legs.  No matter how much you stretch, it's a losing battle and you will get tighter and tighter.  Work is still pretty rough. I am walking without a cane for the most part, the walk is slow and there's a slight hip sway but it's not bad.  I think I have 2-2.5cm left of lengthening in me.  Due to my previous femur lengthening I don't think my soft tissues can take much more abuse. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: raku on April 24, 2019, 09:18:04 PM
Thanks for your update! 5~5.5cm in tibia is great and safe!
Keep strong SLM you have achieved over half of your goal!

Could I ask the gain height of your femur and tibia is measured by Xray? Or measured by precice machine?
Thanks!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: InFullStryde on April 24, 2019, 11:48:40 PM
PT for tibia is different from femur since the soft tissues that are being stretched are different. With tibia you are focusing on maintaining your dorsiflexion and preventing knee contracture. For dorsiflexion, I bought some incline stretch wedges from amazon and stand on them for a good stretch.  For preventing knee contracture stretch, I sit on a hard surface with my legs straight out and have someone press down on my knee cap to force my leg to be as straight as possible.

Day 43 update - I just passed 3cm.  No complications to report so far other than the gradual tightening of my legs.  No matter how much you stretch, it's a losing battle and you will get tighter and tighter.  Work is still pretty rough. I am walking without a cane for the most part, the walk is slow and there's a slight hip sway but it's not bad.  I think I have 2-2.5cm left of lengthening in me.  Due to my previous femur lengthening I don't think my soft tissues can take much more abuse.

Almost there buddy.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Ghostfish on April 25, 2019, 12:08:29 AM
Hi SLM

You are almost there!!  You have been doing great!! Keep up the good work!!
Best,
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: azman on April 25, 2019, 08:24:42 AM
Hi ShortLivesMatter

Thank you for your awesome diaries, it gives me hope.

I was wondering if your insurance cover your recent LLS on your Tibia since they cover the HSS, Anesthesia, and 7k to Dr. Rozbruch for your Femur?

What kind of insurance do you have, if you don't mind me asking and what medical biling codes did they use to get your insurance to cover Cosmetic surgery, Cosmetic Limb Lengthening?

I'm planning on consulting with Dr. Rozbruch and are deciding between him if my insurance will cover the HSS or Dr Dimitrios Giotikas.

Thanks   
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 25, 2019, 04:01:20 PM
Due to my previous femur lengthening I don't think my soft tissues can take much more abuse.
Don't you think it's better to do tibia first for this reason?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on April 26, 2019, 01:18:31 AM
What is your daily rate of distraction? 75mm per day?

I bought some incline stretch wedges from amazon and stand on them for a good stretch.
https://www.amazon.com/ProStretch-Blue-Stretcher-Fasciitis-Tendonitis/dp/B000GAAXGK
Is it this?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Kenda on May 03, 2019, 01:01:59 PM
Hi ShortLivesMatter,
just read your diary and I have alot of questions tbh :
_______________________________________________
1) First of all Are you a girl ? & how old are you exactly? Were you skinny to start with (low muscle mass)?

2) How did you say that when you did femur they couldnt fit the nail in your leg of the stryde but then the stryde nail fit in your tibia ?? Isnt the tibia muscle smaller and narrower than femur ?

3) From your experience did you feel a difference between both Precice 2 & Stryde? with precice 2 were you sitting all the time or when could you start walking?

4) Knee Pain : How was the knee pain in both experiences ? 
-----> Did Tibia hurt more as the nail went right through your knee patella ?

5) When it comes to Pure External Tibia VS Pure Internal Tibia.....what would you advice , I an a girl & having major scars and infection allover my tibia isnt easy or favorable and also walking with a huge circular frame for 6 months or more is hard but they say pure external avoids Knee pain, do you think I should wait better & do Stryde in Tibia However ??


*Sorry for all these questions lol .
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on May 03, 2019, 10:56:16 PM
Hi ShortLivesMatter,
just read your diary and I have alot of questions tbh :
_______________________________________________
1) First of all Are you a girl ? & how old are you exactly? Were you skinny to start with (low muscle mass)?

2) How did you say that when you did femur they couldnt fit the nail in your leg of the stryde but then the stryde nail fit in your tibia ?? Isnt the tibia muscle smaller and narrower than femur ?

3) From your experience did you feel a difference between both Precice 2 & Stryde? with precice 2 were you sitting all the time or when could you start walking?

4) Knee Pain : How was the knee pain in both experiences ? 
-----> Did Tibia hurt more as the nail went right through your knee patella ?

5) When it comes to Pure External Tibia VS Pure Internal Tibia.....what would you advice , I an a girl & having major scars and infection allover my tibia isnt easy or favorable and also walking with a huge circular frame for 6 months or more is hard but they say pure external avoids Knee pain, do you think I should wait better & do Stryde in Tibia However ??


*Sorry for all these questions lol .

1. I was a very short and small boned guy, very skinny, in my early 30s now.

2. I did femurs in 2017 with Precise as Stryde was not available yet. We used the smallest Precise 8.5mm nail as that one fit better than the next size which was 10.5mm. My femurs could have probably handle the 10.5 nail but that would have required reaming so going with the 8.5 nail was the safer choice. 

3. Yes with precise I could not weight bear until after 4 months so my leg muscles were all deteriorated and weak. With Stryde I started walking unassisted after 3 weeks so my muscles are recovering alot better this time. 

4. There was no knee pain with the femurs as the knee was untouched.  There was knee pain with the tibia after the surgery but it's been getting better and better, almost no pain now but I havn't dare try to stand on my knees, I'm sure that would hurt like hell since my surgery was only recently and I'm still healing. 

5. Sorry I do not know much about external tibia.  I only chose to do internal tibia because of Stryde which allows for comfort and fast recovery.  Even with Stryde you will still get scars.

Day 53 update - at 3.6cm now. I had a checkup this week. My ROM is still ok, dorsiflexion is getting tight at only 10 degrees.  I was instructed to slow down distraction rate to 3 times a day for .6mm total. This is due to my bone growth being a little slow which I was not surprised since I had the same issue when doing femurs.  I will probably stop at 5cm so 3 more weeks of lengthening, that's a good enough length for me for tibia.

If you have questions about insurance please send me a PM and I'll be glad to answer them. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: InFullStryde on May 04, 2019, 12:02:47 AM
1. I was a very short and small boned guy, very skinny, in my early 30s now.

2. I did femurs in 2017 with Precise as Stryde was not available yet. We used the smallest Precise 8.5mm nail as that one fit better than the next size which was 10.5mm. My femurs could have probably handle the 10.5 nail but that would have required reaming so going with the 8.5 nail was the safer choice. 

3. Yes with precise I could not weight bear until after 4 months so my leg muscles were all deteriorated and weak. With Stryde I started walking unassisted after 3 weeks so my muscles are recovering alot better this time. 

4. There was no knee pain with the femurs as the knee was untouched.  There was knee pain with the tibia after the surgery but it's been getting better and better, almost no pain now but I havn't dare try to stand on my knees, I'm sure that would hurt like hell since my surgery was only recently and I'm still healing. 

5. Sorry I do not know much about external tibia.  I only chose to do internal tibia because of Stryde which allows for comfort and fast recovery.  Even with Stryde you will still get scars.

Day 53 update - at 3.6cm now. I had a checkup this week. My ROM is still ok, dorsiflexion is getting tight at only 10 degrees.  I was instructed to slow down distraction rate to 3 times a day for .6mm total. This is due to my bone growth being a little slow which I was not surprised since I had the same issue when doing femurs.  I will probably stop at 5cm so 3 more weeks of lengthening, that's a good enough length for me for tibia.

If you have questions about insurance please send me a PM and I'll be glad to answer them.

5'1" to 5'6/5'7isque.  You're incredible man.  What a fighter.  Good luck rest of the way, buddy. I'm on your side.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Kenda on May 04, 2019, 09:26:19 AM
Thank you for your reply and I wish you the bets recovery!

1) Okay but do you feel that if you would have done Stryde in your Femur you would have achieved the full 8 cm ?

Because for me having Financial problems i can only do this surgery once and by once i need to get the maximum which is 8, thats why im going for femurs even tho my proportion would be so weird ! But since i have No muscle mass like you im scared what may stop me from achieving the 8cm, because some doctors wont just say they will say we will see after surgery or so!


2) so after you did femurs When could you start walking like a Normal person as if you didnt do anything ?

3) Did you have problems with Tight/ short tendons or ligaments that prohibited your lengthening??
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: MyEvolution on May 09, 2019, 06:51:03 AM
Hey just wanted to wish you all the luck possible & send you some good vibes! I finished my femurs end of December 2018 for 8cm & am waiting to be able to do Tibias sometime in Late September of this year. Super amped for it although reading this reminded me of HELL WEEK (first 1-3 weeks) lol but whatever it’s all worth it my guy keep going
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: PANDA:BEAR.. on May 17, 2019, 03:46:17 PM
Hi..ShortLivesMatter, I hope your are doing well?  Can you give us an update..
panda  ;)
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: wannagrowtaller on May 21, 2019, 03:15:57 AM
Can you walk unaided indoors?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on May 25, 2019, 04:09:50 PM
Thank you for your reply and I wish you the bets recovery!

1) Okay but do you feel that if you would have done Stryde in your Femur you would have achieved the full 8 cm ?

Because for me having Financial problems i can only do this surgery once and by once i need to get the maximum which is 8, thats why im going for femurs even tho my proportion would be so weird ! But since i have No muscle mass like you im scared what may stop me from achieving the 8cm, because some doctors wont just say they will say we will see after surgery or so!

I think I would have definitely hit at least 7.5cm. With the stryde, you are up and walking after a week so your muscles don't get so weak, they also stay more flexible and not as tight, and bone consolidation is quicker

2) so after you did femurs When could you start walking like a Normal person as if you didnt do anything ?

It took me about 8 months from the day of the surgery to walk as if nothing ever happened. 

3) Did you have problems with Tight/ short tendons or ligaments that prohibited your lengthening??

I had a knee bending problem at around 5cm but I stepped up my PT and resolved it by the end of the lengthening, the main thing that made me stop was my bone consolidation was slow and I was sick of the entire process and wanted to get back to normal life asap
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on May 25, 2019, 04:19:34 PM
Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, I've just been really busy with work and LL.  It's been about 2.5 months since my surgery.  I am at 4.9cm and am going to stop in a couple of days.  I had another checkup and everything looked good, me slowing down lengthening to 3x a day has helped improve the bone formation and helped my muscles keep up better.

There is no pain when I'm sitting or laying but there is pain when I walk right below the knee.  Dr. R. attributed it to me walking too much without crutches when I'm still lengthening and my bones havn't consolidated, which kind of makes sense since it doesn't really hurt in the morning but by the end of the day after work, it's pretty rough. I just hope it isn't some permanent knee pain issue associated with internal tibia. 

Let me know if you have any questions. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: InFullStryde on May 25, 2019, 06:31:20 PM
Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, I've just been really busy with work and LL.  It's been about 2.5 months since my surgery.  I am at 4.9cm and am going to stop in a couple of days.  I had another checkup and everything looked good, me slowing down lengthening to 3x a day has helped improve the bone formation and helped my muscles keep up better.

There is no pain when I'm sitting or laying but there is pain when I walk right below the knee.  Dr. R. attributed it to me walking too much without crutches when I'm still lengthening and my bones havn't consolidated, which kind of makes sense since it doesn't really hurt in the morning but by the end of the day after work, it's pretty rough. I just hope it isn't some permanent knee pain issue associated with internal tibia. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Glad you're doing well man.  How does it feel to be about 5'6 with absolutely no shoe on, after living most of life as 5'1" (My original height)?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Movie on May 30, 2019, 10:48:01 AM
How is it looking SLM? Done with lengthening yet?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: korok123 on June 01, 2019, 06:25:21 AM
Hi SLM. Great diart, a lot of useful information here! One question I'd like to ask is if you had to wear foot splints after your tibia surgery and for how long? Also, how did you manage to sleep through the night if you did wear these casts? Thanks and I hope you're making good progress on your lengthening. Keep at it!
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on June 01, 2019, 12:23:58 PM
Hi SLM. Great diart, a lot of useful information here! One question I'd like to ask is if you had to wear foot splints after your tibia surgery and for how long? Also, how did you manage to sleep through the night if you did wear these casts? Thanks and I hope you're making good progress on your lengthening. Keep at it!

Never had to, which is odd since Paley has his patients wear them. 

Day 80 - I finished my lengthening last night at 5.3cm.  I could have gone on but decided to stop here as I didn't want to do too much in tibia and my tibia/femur ratio is now at a good 80%.  I am obviously pretty tight but fortunately did not develop ballerina foot. I credit this to STRYDE and the ability to weight bear allowing me to stand/walk which helps against it.  My dorisflexion is 10 degrees on my left foot and 5 on my right.  I do have a little knee contracture, hopefully with continued PT I will be able to regain full knee extension soon. 

There is no pain while sitting/laying or just standing but there is while I'm walking, probably due to overuse of legs when they have not consolidated yet.  My walk is not normal as due to that pain, I try to minimize the ROM so my legs don't get lifted off the ground as much as a normal gait.  Anyway I'm walking around with a cane now outside the house, which helps me walk faster than w/o it as it provides balance. 

Hopefully it won't take too long to consolidate, I know tibia healing is slow but should be quicker with STRYDE .  Nothing much between now and the next 4 weeks when I'll get my latest xrays done. I'll post a copy of them when I do. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: MyEvolution on June 04, 2019, 06:42:44 AM
I’ve done femurs before for 8cm & my goal is to get as close to 8cm on tibs as well so i jus have some questions so i can be properly prepared

1. When did “hell weak” wear off? For me the first 2-3 weeks were a nightmare when i did femurs! I was too ambtious and was forcing myself to walk unasisted 5 days after surgery which.. i proved to myself that I could but it just made me super sore all the time & for tibs, i’m gonna be taking it much easier. But so i guess
When were u able to ACRUALLY have a solid night of good sleep? For me it was like 3 weeks

2. When did u transition from walker - crutches - cane - nothing

I work from my labtop so i’m gonna be dedicating fulltime to recovery. Assuming you had this kind of time & also someone to do it with (doing it w a friend). How far do you think you physically could have gone if u REALLY wanted to? Is 6 possible? 7? 8? Thoughts?

Thank you in advance for your replies!!

Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: MyEvolution on June 04, 2019, 06:44:16 AM
Last question

Pain wise, what hurts more on a day to day basis assuming all activities are equal
Tibias or femurs?

I heard femurs hurt more cause bigger muscles
But tibias are more annoying to stretch & maintain
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Curiosity on July 30, 2019, 01:15:31 PM
no update ?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: RenaissanceMan on July 30, 2019, 02:10:04 PM
Did you ever ask what exactly caused those sharp pain spikes of level 8? What did the doctor say?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: dreamingtobetaller on July 30, 2019, 02:52:33 PM
Great and helpful diary thank you! Can I ask if you’re male or female? Thanks
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on August 13, 2019, 03:29:52 AM
Hi everyone sorry for the long absence since my last update.  It's been exactly 5 months post my tibia surgery. I ended up stopping at 5.6cm and with the straightening of my bowed legs adding about another .5cm I think the total is probably just a little past 6cm. 

Tibia recovery has been tough, I've have had alot of pain and still a little but it's getting better day by day.  Both legs were very tight by the end of lengthening in that whenever I was standing and then had to lift either leg to start a walking movement, there was an extreme sharp pain. It was odd because in the left leg the pain was behind the knee while in the right leg it was in front. I also had alot of knee pain whenever I stood up or sat down.  Thankfully all these issues have improved tremendously starting from the 4th month til now. I think it was due to my soft tissues already being tight from the previous femur lengthening and then them getting stretched again. My gait is pretty good now but my walk is still not back to normal speed as there is still a little pain at the top of the tibia but again it's improving daily. I didn't have any issues with my dorsiflexion, so did not develop ballerina foot. 

All in all, while my tibia recovery w/ STRYDE has definitely been more painful than my femur recovery w/ PRECISE, my gait and walk at the 5 month mark now is better than my 5 month post femur surgery. Just have to continue to push on.

You can find my xrays here. There is a bit more bone formation on my right leg which makes sense since it's been the stronger leg day one so I've been using it more and stressing it more.

https://imgur.com/a/9ScAIbm (https://imgur.com/a/9ScAIbm)
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: E Z on September 10, 2019, 06:54:09 AM
Awesome diary. Any updates?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Michael01 on September 28, 2019, 04:05:14 AM
How are you doing, SLM?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Michael01 on October 04, 2019, 10:19:21 PM
SLM, can you do your physical therapy in HSS if you want? Do they have AlterG or indoor pool?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: CodyTheDog on October 17, 2019, 11:40:50 AM
Never had to, which is odd since Paley has his patients wear them. 

Day 80 - I finished my lengthening last night at 5.3cm.  I could have gone on but decided to stop here as I didn't want to do too much in tibia and my tibia/femur ratio is now at a good 80%.  I am obviously pretty tight but fortunately did not develop ballerina foot. I credit this to STRYDE and the ability to weight bear allowing me to stand/walk which helps against it.  My dorisflexion is 10 degrees on my left foot and 5 on my right.  I do have a little knee contracture, hopefully with continued PT I will be able to regain full knee extension soon. 

There is no pain while sitting/laying or just standing but there is while I'm walking, probably due to overuse of legs when they have not consolidated yet.  My walk is not normal as due to that pain, I try to minimize the ROM so my legs don't get lifted off the ground as much as a normal gait.  Anyway I'm walking around with a cane now outside the house, which helps me walk faster than w/o it as it provides balance. 

Hopefully it won't take too long to consolidate, I know tibia healing is slow but should be quicker with STRYDE .  Nothing much between now and the next 4 weeks when I'll get my latest xrays done. I'll post a copy of them when I do.

Thanks, Short Lives Matter!

1. Alot of people are worried about knee pain by going internal tibias. What are your thoughts on this and what did Dr. R say about this?

2. The few weeks, do you need a caretaker to help you go to the bathroom? I'm really worried about someday doing this surgery and slipping / falling when going to the bathroom. I'm considering trying to find a place with holding bars by the toilet to help or maybe sticking to using wipes to clean myself.

3. What is your advice for reducing the risk of injury when going to the bathroom after the caretaker is gone?

For other things I was thinking maybe having a microwave at a height I can reach when standing or sitting at a chair something. Not sure.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: MyEvolution on October 17, 2019, 03:15:36 PM
Never had to, which is odd since Paley has his patients wear them. 

Day 80 - I finished my lengthening last night at 5.3cm.  I could have gone on but decided to stop here as I didn't want to do too much in tibia and my tibia/femur ratio is now at a good 80%.  I am obviously pretty tight but fortunately did not develop ballerina foot. I credit this to STRYDE and the ability to weight bear allowing me to stand/walk which helps against it.  My dorisflexion is 10 degrees on my left foot and 5 on my right.  I do have a little knee contracture, hopefully with continued PT I will be able to regain full knee extension soon. 

There is no pain while sitting/laying or just standing but there is while I'm walking, probably due to overuse of legs when they have not consolidated yet.  My walk is not normal as due to that pain, I try to minimize the ROM so my legs don't get lifted off the ground as much as a normal gait.  Anyway I'm walking around with a cane now outside the house, which helps me walk faster than w/o it as it provides balance. 

Hopefully it won't take too long to consolidate, I know tibia healing is slow but should be quicker with STRYDE .  Nothing much between now and the next 4 weeks when I'll get my latest xrays done. I'll post a copy of them when I do.



Wow so you managed to hit +5cm whilst not wearing the splints?! That’s really good! Im trying to figure out how important wearing the splints are since im doing tibias rn, almost at week 4. What do u think
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on October 19, 2019, 12:56:31 AM
Hey all, it's been awhile since my last update. It's a little over 7 months post op now. Life is truly getting back to normal now, almost. My walk is fine, no hip sway, no duck ass, just a tiny bit slower than normal, I can pick up the pace but it takes a little effort.  But it's good enough that nobody notices anything.

Going up the stairs is no problem but I still need to hold onto the railing when going down and even then it is slow and does not look natural. This is due to reduced ankle dorsiflexion from the tibia lengthening.  The ankles are still tight, it's improving but very slowly.

After 2 LLs I am at 5'6 now, still below average but it's not a big deal to me anymore. I am content. Whenever out in public I am no longer conscious about my height, I am finally at peace and that is the greatest thing you can achieve with this surgery. 

@MyEvolution my total tibia lengthening is probably a little over 6cm as I actually lengthened 5.6cm and there's about an additional .5cm that I gained from my bowed legs being straightened during the LL surgery. I was not required to wear splints probably due to Dr. R doing a fascia release to allow me to be more loose. It's similar to an IT band release for femur.  I never showed any symptoms of drop foot. I think you probably have to tough it out and wear them if you are aiming for a lot of tibia lengthening.

@CodyTheDog yeah I had knee pain post surgery and during lengthening when getting up or bending but it's completely gone now. However it still hurts when I kneel on both knees but it's getting better. I think this too will be gone someday.  I never needed a caretaker to go to the bathroom even right after the surgery as I used the walker which really helps in allowing you to get on/off the toilet.  Just have the walker infront of the toilet so you can grab it and push off to get up or sit down, you will be fine.

@Michael01 I never did PT with HSS as I did not live in the area so can't answer your question.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on October 19, 2019, 01:00:14 AM
One more thing, the height difference is indeed enormous. Pretty much everyone has noticed the 5inch change, there is no denying or hiding it.  My legs look really long compared to my torso. My arms now look a little bit short. I don't think it's really noticeable unless it is pointed out. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Michael01 on October 19, 2019, 01:32:05 AM
It's good to see you are getting better. Please, don't forget to update us when you have full consolidation and when you take the 4 nails out. And about any improvement you may feel.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Heightmare on October 19, 2019, 01:34:07 AM
One more thing, the height difference is indeed enormous. Pretty much everyone has noticed the 5inch change, there is no denying or hiding it.  My legs look really long compared to my torso. My arms now look a little bit short. I don't think it's really noticeable unless it is pointed out.
So how has your life improved on a social level since you used to be 5' 1"?
I'm 5' 5" and I do get disrespect by people from time to time.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on October 19, 2019, 02:05:00 AM
So how has your life improved on a social level since you used to be 5' 1"?
I'm 5' 5" and I do get disrespect by people from time to time.

Obviously our two cases are different. I think if my original height was 5'5/5'6 I would not be as satisfied with it as I am now after going from 5'1. Even if I wanted more now, there's really nothing else I can do now and even if I could my proportions would really start to get out of whack.  My social life hasn't really changed all that much, I am still the same old me with the same personality.  I do however have received alot of compliments from women about my looks since, which I'm sure the LLs have helped in part. Thankfully I didn't get totally shafted and am decent facially.  I am Asian and most of my friends are Asian so I am now about their height or just a few inches shorter so there is no disrespect there.  The Asian girls are obviously shorter and 5'6 is fine to most of them. 
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Heightmare on October 19, 2019, 02:30:11 AM
Obviously our two cases are different. I think if my original height was 5'5/5'6 I would not be as satisfied with it as I am now after going from 5'1. Even if I wanted more now, there's really nothing else I can do now and even if I could my proportions would really start to get out of whack.  My social life hasn't really changed all that much, I am still the same old me with the same personality.  I do however have received alot of compliments from women about my looks since, which I'm sure the LLs have helped in part. Thankfully I didn't get totally shafted and am decent facially.  I am Asian and most of my friends are Asian so I am now about their height or just a few inches shorter so there is no disrespect there.  The Asian girls are obviously shorter and 5'6 is fine to most of them.
That's fantastic to hear, it definitely sounds like a great outcome. I'm white so I need to gain about three to four inches to not have my height affect me.
See people?
Being average height isn't so bad.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: CodyTheDog on October 20, 2019, 11:59:30 AM
I wonder if there are things someone can do to make their arms seem a bit longer (long sleeves/ gloves that are the same color as the sleeves). On the other hand, I wonder if the opposite can be applied to footwear/pants (wearing shoes and shirts that are different color than the pants)

Though in the summer all of this glove/long sleeve stuff would go out the window though.

Eh, nvm should be fine, people won't notice short arms unless they are specifically looking for it I think.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: MyEvolution on November 02, 2019, 05:49:25 AM
1. I was a very short and small boned guy, very skinny, in my early 30s now.

2. I did femurs in 2017 with Precise as Stryde was not available yet. We used the smallest Precise 8.5mm nail as that one fit better than the next size which was 10.5mm. My femurs could have probably handle the 10.5 nail but that would have required reaming so going with the 8.5 nail was the safer choice. 

3. Yes with precise I could not weight bear until after 4 months so my leg muscles were all deteriorated and weak. With Stryde I started walking unassisted after 3 weeks so my muscles are recovering alot better this time. 

4. There was no knee pain with the femurs as the knee was untouched.  There was knee pain with the tibia after the surgery but it's been getting better and better, almost no pain now but I havn't dare try to stand on my knees, I'm sure that would hurt like hell since my surgery was only recently and I'm still healing. 

5. Sorry I do not know much about external tibia.  I only chose to do internal tibia because of Stryde which allows for comfort and fast recovery.  Even with Stryde you will still get scars.

Day 53 update - at 3.6cm now. I had a checkup this week. My ROM is still ok, dorsiflexion is getting tight at only 10 degrees.  I was instructed to slow down distraction rate to 3 times a day for .6mm total. This is due to my bone growth being a little slow which I was not surprised since I had the same issue when doing femurs.  I will probably stop at 5cm so 3 more weeks of lengthening, that's a good enough length for me for tibia.

If you have questions about insurance please send me a PM and I'll be glad to answer them.

Wow i must say thats amazing
Im at 2.5Cm tibias rn and my left leg is JUST failing 90 degrees and my right leg is maybe like 3 degrees eventho i am litterally no exagguration stretching 10+ times / day for an average of 13 minutes each time. My PT guy has my stretching every hour idk why i am soooo tight :/
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on November 02, 2019, 07:09:40 AM
Wow i must say thats amazing
Im at 2.5Cm tibias rn and my left leg is JUST failing 90 degrees and my right leg is maybe like 3 degrees eventho i am litterally no exagguration stretching 10+ times / day for an average of 13 minutes each time. My PT guy has my stretching every hour idk why i am soooo tight :/

Hey bro, sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your dorsiflexion. There were 2 things that worked in my favor. One, I am Asian and we naturally have great dorsiflexion due to us swatting all the time. Also my Dr. did a gastrocnemius fascia release to help keep my ankles loose and lessen equinus. It's a minor surgery, ask Paley and get his thoughts on it.

I also bought this incline block to stretch my calves: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C3GMFN5/
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Kenda on November 23, 2019, 08:36:44 PM
Hey bro, sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your dorsiflexion. There were 2 things that worked in my favor. One, I am Asian and we naturally have great dorsiflexion due to us swatting all the time. Also my Dr. did a gastrocnemius fascia release to help keep my ankles loose and lessen equinus. It's a minor surgery, ask Paley and get his thoughts on it.

I also bought this incline block to stretch my calves: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C3GMFN5/

does paley tell you to do PT at home? or he says you must go to a pt clinic?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: suk1hong on October 28, 2020, 05:48:21 PM
How about now? Does your leg work normally? Is your calves thicker than before the surgery?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ShortLivesMatter on June 20, 2021, 04:22:36 PM
Sup my fellow LLers. Havn't checked up on these forums in quite awhile but just wanted to give a small update. I finally got my stryde nails removed last week after 2 years. Wanted to do that sooner but covid happened so it got delayed.  Really glad I finally got it done as I did have a little bone growth at the middle of the knee from the stryde nail corrosion issue that caused the recall.  It didn't cause any issues most of the time but once in awhile that part of the knee would flare up and be tender and just super painful.  It would be constant pain and would go away after a week or so but I just couldn't do much besides walking whenever that happened.  This growth and pain occurred about a year after lengthening.  So yeah definitely get that Stryde nail out after a year. 

Anyway about the removal itself, it was harder than the femur nail removal as my knee had to be cut open again to pull the nail out. Afterwards I was bed ridden for 3 days before I could really walk around whereas with the femur removal I was up and about after a day. This is because the cut knee is still healing and whenever you move/bend it, it would stretch/tear at the incision site. You didn't have that problem with femur removal at the thigh.  But the lingering tightness at the ankle is now completely gone after the removal. Calves are definitely thicker.  I just hope that the random pain at the bone growth site will never return again which dr. R said shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Let me know if you got any questions. Life is good, it cured my height neurosis and I am finally at peace which is worth all the money, time and pain that I endured.  I am very fortunate that I was able to afford two procedures.  This is worth it 100%,  the cost might seem expensive but if you really want it, you will find a way.
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: ask.me on November 01, 2021, 12:07:15 AM
Thanks for the update @shortlivesmatter.

It's been a while since your last update. Are you still experiencing any pain (1-10)?
Title: Re: SLM Stryde Internal Tibia with Dr. Rozbruch March 2019
Post by: Masteryourlife on December 14, 2021, 05:08:37 AM
Since it's your 2nd surgery you diary is less detailed but I can feel your satisfaction in achieving this !
Thank you so much for sharing your experience;it is so beautifull to hear that after all you went trough (before and after the surgeries) ,this was all worth it for you .