Hello all
I want to start by apologising for not updating this post also I want to apologize for not responding to those people who have emailed me.
As you may know I had LL surgery with Dr Guichet in London on the 04/12/2015.
The method was internal using Dr Guichet's nails on the femurs.
I achieved a total of 8cm.
My starting height was 163cm and I am now 171cm.
I was able to achieve the full 8cm in approx 3.5months.
I stopped lengthening in early March of 2016.
My recovery has been very fast, one week after I stopped lengthening I was able to walk relatively normally but with the aid of the crutches.
I formally came off the crutches at the end of March 2016 and forced myself to walk unaided.
Currently I am walking very very well i.e. my hips are not swaying and i am not limping.
I can run however the pins around my hip hurt when I run and my muscles are still very tight.
I attend the gym almost every day, my activities include:-
• 30 mins on the cross trainer at level 18 (max level is 25)
• 10 mins on the rowing machine
• 20 mins on the bike level 12 (max level is 25)
• Stretching programme which I continued on from when I had physio during my lengthening.
• Weights include:-
• Leg extension 46kg (started off at 10kg which was the lowest and gradually built up to 46kg.)
• Leg Press 53kg
• I also use the treadmill and set the incline at the max of 15 and just walk at level 5-9 speed where the max level is 20 (I think)
It has been a very long painful and expensive journey to get to where I am. I wish i had the courage and money to have the surgery sooner. As I look back on my life and realise how much time I have wasted and how unhappy I was.
This surgery has removed a demon that has been with me for so long that my entire life's focus was just about becoming taller and now that I have achieved that goal I am struggling to final another goal. Its a strange feeling one that many LLers will understand.
The surgery was painful but was managed through various different ways, oral, inject able, patche pain killers and even exercise was enough in many cases to relieve the pain.
I should also at this point mention that I had LL with external fixation in Egypt about 10years where I achieved 4cm on my tibias. I can tell you now that having experienced both external and internal methods of lengthening I would never recommend external. My reasons being:-
• With the Guichet Nail I was fully weight bearing < 24 hours post surgery. In
fact I managed to walk up and down 2 fights of stairs < 24 hours after the surgery.
• With external fixation I constantly had to manage the pins sites which required constant cleaning as the sites were fully exposed.
• With external method I was in a wheel chair for the first couple of weeks which did not help my muscles.
• With the external fixation I achieved 4cm in 6 months but with the nails I achieved 8cm in < 4 months and I am back to work, walking very well in < 6 months.
Many people have asked me would I recommend the surgery, unfortunately I cannot answer this question as this is something only you can answer. My reasons and motivations for having the surgery was personal to me and no doubt your reasons for wanting the surgery will be personal to you, whether those reasons are strong enough to convince yourself to have the surgery is something only you can decide.
My thoughts on Dr Guichet is that he is a very skilled, focused and a brilliant surgeon. He can be very blunt and stubborn but I now know that this was largely for my own benefit - you guys can make your own mind about him.
My only regret is that despite Dr Guichet promoting pre-op training to increase muscle mass, and increase flexibility I know I could have done more. Make no mistake your recovery will be shortened traumatically if you put the time and effort into your training before during and after the surgery. The single most useful advice Dr Guichet gave me was to eat well and never miss your physio sessions.
I want say that this is not light surgery nor is it cheap. The cost of the surgery will be specific to each patient. Do not think under any circumstances that you can get this surgery on the cheap. Having the surgery in London further added to the cost. So my advice to anyone considering this surgery is to be physically fit, always attend your physio and be financially prepared.
Finally I want to say a thank you to the physiotherapists who helped me throughout this journey. They started out as physiotherapists but they are now my friends.
What I have said on this post is just my own opinions based on my actual experiences, I cannot comment on anyone else. I am just grateful that my experience has been very positive but more importantly I achieved my goals with no complications and in a very short space of time.
Good luck to all those considering the surgery.
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Topic: Lengthening With Dr Guichet UK London (Read 12007 times)