Limb Lengthening Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 13   Go Down

Author Topic: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov  (Read 163769 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #62 on: March 20, 2014, 05:17:55 PM »

hello giant!! well done, the most painful part is over, there will be many more types of pain but if you want 4cms, it shouldn't be that crazy difficult!! keep calm and take it day by day my friend)) I really wouldnt recommend you to go back home but hey thats your choice))) I hope you dont find your self flying back and fort because of complications, like broken pins, infections etc. Just make sure the screws are tight all the time and the rods have space enough for 4cms!!! Im curious to see how things work with this type of Ilizarov frame)) Make sure to walk a lot! stretch and use your foot holders at all times if you are not standing!! this is very important! You must keep your feet at 90degress and your knee completely straight. If you wanna finish fast you should walk minimum 5 hours a day, eat meets, carbs, and vegetables, extra proteing powder, calcium with vitamin D of course)) but you must walk a lot!! Your most important PT should be stretching your calf muscles while your knees are straight and walking. You dont really need anything else.

If 4cms makes you feel like the man then 4 centimeters it is!!!! the most important thing is that you feel good! that is the whole reason of this op right?)))

oh, avoid coffee and sugar, this also slows the bone heeling process.

Yes, with 4 cms i will be minimum 178 cm which i know will be enough for me to not feel short, which is exactly what i want. I realize the "worst" part is over but now i have to deal with the fact that this is going to take a loong while until i can live like a regular person again..

Im not keeping my legs 100% straight, but almost (would be impossible to sleep otherwise. I stretch them instead some times during the day, both the knees and the calves.

I also dont use a footholder, but i have a box at the end of my bed that is kept in place by a metal bar attached to the bed. This box keeps my feet 90 degrees for the most part, and i stretch my calves as well.

i eat some protein supplements, not a lot though, do you think the regular protein powder you but from gym stores would be beneficial?

I also take vitamin D, Zink, and calcium supplements, along with some special "bone regen" tablets that i bought from the clinic before i left, not sure what substances there are in it because it reads in russian, but the Doctors said i should eat them every day.

For regular food, i eat a lot of canned tuna and chicken breast for protein as well as other foods with the standard carbs and fat and protein, i avoid soda drinks for the most part and sweets. i dont drink milk because i heard it is acidic and makes you lose more calcium than you gain, not sure what tot hink about that though..

I dont think i have to worry about broken pins or complications other than infections, this ilizarov frame is slightly different, and they use very strong pins that might bend for a maximum of a 3 mm loss in height gain. They guaranteed me that they wouldnt break and it seems like they are correct so far.

I have medicine (antibotics and ointments) for infections if i happen to get one.
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #63 on: March 20, 2014, 05:26:45 PM »

Aren't you staying there for lengthening like other patients? Or you are going to lengthen at home?

Anyway, you should offer to teach Anna some English or ask to learn some Russian *wink* *wink* maybe something might happen.

Yes, it's the hardest part of your life. But once you get through with this, you won't regret it. It's a drag that we have to go through this for something that other people have naturally. However, once you are done, the paradigm shift will be incredible. You will be 5'10 but have the experience of life of someone who was 5'8.

She is very nice indeed, I did teach her some english in fact. But i wouldnt go further because i dont want to become attached to anyone here, i just want to get this surgery done and then pretend like i never had surgery and just got taller  :P

I know i wont regret it, there was no way i would live my life not being able to be the person i should have been. :) that keeps me going. I realize that we who go through this will have a mental toughness that most other people especially those who are taller cannot match. I will use this to my advantage as my life goes on after this.

Btw, it seems most patients who go to Dr. Bagirov decide to lengthen at home, During my 2 weeks at the hospital (i decided to fly home a little earlier than i first expected because everything seemed to be in control and i got homesick) i saw patients come and go, i didnt see anybody who was there before me and was still there when i left.

It seems safe to be honest because Dr. Bagirov has done a lot of surgeries and people are still comfortable with going home to do this. Another patient i met there who spoke Russian and English (he was almost done with lengthening and returned to the clinic for some corrections), told me that he had done his research, and that all of Bagirovs patients got what they wanted in the end, and recovered. Some took longer than others because of complications (mostly caused by the patients disregard to follow the doctors instructions), but in the end all cases where successes according to him.

Of course i dont know how he got his information but it seems mostly reliable.
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #64 on: March 20, 2014, 05:29:53 PM »

I went to Istanbul because I'm Turkish.. It's basically where I live anyway  :D
That "Bekiroglu" explanation for mind blowing. Thanks for the linguistics lesson!
And thanks for supporting my decision.. It's ironic that we're so terrible with social and human rights, yet so advanced in the medical sector (on par with the US and arguably better than Europe)

@Wannabegiant:

Sorry for crowding up your diary man. Cheers.

No worries mate, thank you for helping with the linguistics info! You are correct, i didnt ask but im almost certain that Dr Bagirov and his assistant Dr. Fakhri are from Azerbaijan.
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #65 on: March 20, 2014, 05:40:04 PM »

Update:

Okay im copy pasting this from my PM:s with Jerry. I was to tired when i got home to update my diary but since i was asked in PMs from people who where considering surgery with Dr. Bagirov soon, i answered as fast as i could there.

Since i got home i can tell you this:

Overall i must say it is a great clinic, the nurses are friendly and social, the food is decent (seems healthy but doesnt taste that good), the doctors are professional and seem very kind and caring as well.

The only negative would be the fact that very few of them knows english, but i solved that by using the voice translator application on my phone. You need Wifi for it to work, but the wifi at the hospital is really good actually, i never had any problems with internet connection etc.

They sell the medicine you need to lenghten at home quite cheap, and also they borrow you the walker. The rooms are quite small but i never had an issue with that, who needs a big room when you can hardly move right? :p

I definitely recommend it, although i am still far from done.

First days after surgery you will be on a lot of pain killers (they keep injecting it into the spine) after 2 or 3 days they remove it and start using needles in the thighs for painkillers if you need it. Pain while walking will be a combination of a constant pain of about 3 or 4, and if you misstep a bit or move to fast or put to much weight onto one leg it will be a sharp pain following that of about 8 or 9, but it goes away quite fast if you regain balance, it makes you a bit scared while walking though.

While laying down, it can sometimes be very unnoticable, barely any pain, although sometimes you can start to feel great discomfort in your muscles and overall soreness around the bone break sites.

This gets gradually better, but then it starts getting harder as well when you start to lengthen, however the first cm should be pretty easy relatively speaking. Remember with painkillers it would very easy i think but i tried to use as little as possible because it slows down bone fusion.


it has now been over a week since i got home from the clinic and i have made a lot of progress.
I have lengthened slightly over 1 cm and so far have very little pain, almost unnoticable, only slightly when im moving and trying to stand up from my bed it hurts a little, my knees sometimes feel i little stiff when i have layed still for a long time but i have no problems with moving my knees or straightening them competely.

only big problem is that i am pretty tired because i simply am unable to sleep during the nights, i maybe get 2-3 hours of sleep then i wake up because of sensations and tension in my lower legs, usually walking a lot after that makes it stop but it is hard to go back to sleep and im constantly tired because of this.


Also, i havent talked with Dr. Bagirov since i came home, i have only talked with one of his assistants who have conveyed questions and answers between us. So it works fine, however Bagirov did send me an email asking how i was doing etc, and i answered him and told him the only problem i have was sleepless nights, but i didnt get any answer.

His assistant Fakhri and Anya are much easier to reach than Bagirov, and they do a good job giving information.
Logged

RGKEY

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 606
  • just take it day by day
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #66 on: March 20, 2014, 07:32:21 PM »

my only recommendation is please use the foot holder! stay strong))
Logged
RGKEY 2.0
Original height. 163.5cms. Current height 172.5cms
Operation on 6/4/13 Tibias 9 centimeters

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #67 on: March 20, 2014, 08:15:15 PM »

my only recommendation is please use the foot holder! stay strong))

I didnt get any footholder from the clinic, i guess i need to buy it online, so far im using a box at the end of my bed which keeps my feet in 90 degrees. But i dont think i will have problem with ballerina at 4 cms of lengthening. Im stretching and walking too!

Btw, I have read your diary RGKEY, can you elaborate on how you manage to walk "6 hours a day"?  It seems so excessive and i dont understand how one could even mentally do something like that.
Logged

RGKEY

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 606
  • just take it day by day
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #68 on: March 21, 2014, 10:47:13 AM »

I didnt get any footholder from the clinic, i guess i need to buy it online, so far im using a box at the end of my bed which keeps my feet in 90 degrees. But i dont think i will have problem with ballerina at 4 cms of lengthening. Im stretching and walking too!

Btw, I have read your diary RGKEY, can you elaborate on how you manage to walk "6 hours a day"?  It seems so excessive and i dont understand how one could even mentally do something like that.

no man no need to buy them online I think you can make them your self. I made this vid for you. You need foot holders man!! this is for sure. I know of one person who didnt use them, and he had to stop at 4cms, with a massive ballerina!!! doctor told me he was walking like a spider!! please i dont want that person to be yoU!!!

Logged
RGKEY 2.0
Original height. 163.5cms. Current height 172.5cms
Operation on 6/4/13 Tibias 9 centimeters

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #69 on: March 21, 2014, 12:52:24 PM »

no man no need to buy them online I think you can make them your self. I made this vid for you. You need foot holders man!! this is for sure. I know of one person who didnt use them, and he had to stop at 4cms, with a massive ballerina!!! doctor told me he was walking like a spider!! please i dont want that person to be yoU!!!



Thank you mate for the great video! i will try to make something similar. I notice that you seem to have put an item (a book maybe) between your feet and the footholder, i assume that is to gain added pressure on the upper part of the foot so the achilles is stretched more.

One thing i dont really see clearly in this vid is how you attached the ropes to your ilizarov, did you tie them to the upper rings?
Logged

RGKEY

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 606
  • just take it day by day
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #70 on: March 21, 2014, 02:49:18 PM »

sorry about that, i made a very improvised video, i was on the run(( as soon as i saw your message i made it.







i hope it helps my friend))
Logged
RGKEY 2.0
Original height. 163.5cms. Current height 172.5cms
Operation on 6/4/13 Tibias 9 centimeters

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #71 on: March 21, 2014, 07:39:24 PM »

Great videos mate, thank you once again, this weekend im gonna try to make something similar. So far i have been using a box and a file folder (because of its shape, it is thicker on one end, i use this part to press against my toes/upper part of the foot.

This doesnt give as much pressure as those footholders are able to but they keep my feet 90 degrees or better. The footholders look much more convenient to use though.
Logged

KrP1

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 927
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #72 on: March 23, 2014, 11:40:28 AM »

Hey wannabegiants i have sent you a messaje!
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #73 on: March 23, 2014, 12:09:58 PM »

Hey wannabegiants i have sent you a messaje!

Yes i saw your message mate! But all the info i can give you about the Doctor and clinic i chose is here in this diary. I cant really speak about the other doctors since i havent met them. So far everything seems very good about the clinic and doctor i chose however, while it might be to early to say anything since im not done yet, i still feel confident that i can recommend this clinic.

Also i would prefer to avoid skype since i have my account connected to my facebook.
Logged

crimsontide

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1160
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #74 on: March 24, 2014, 12:27:38 PM »

wannabe,  can you walk now???  will  we able to walk during lengthening??? i see rgkey walking ok with the fixators on though. I'm hoping dr bagirov's frames are smaller
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #75 on: March 24, 2014, 02:04:24 PM »

wannabe,  can you walk now???  will  we able to walk during lengthening??? i see rgkey walking ok with the fixators on though. I'm hoping dr bagirov's frames are smaller

Im pretty sure if i tried to walk without aid right now i would trip and fall, I can stand still and put full weight on my legs without them hurting but if i try to walk with full weight the pressure when standing on one leg would be to much i think.

They said that patients on average can walk 1,5 months after surgery, but this is very individual. And yes Dr. Bagirovs frames are smaller than the regular ones Rgkey has.
Logged

PrettyTall

  • Jr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 179
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #76 on: March 29, 2014, 11:17:22 AM »

Hello  Hope you doing fine , i want to do 7cm  can I go home with that aim ? thaks
Logged

RGKEY

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 606
  • just take it day by day
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #77 on: March 29, 2014, 12:05:22 PM »

Technically he could walk without crutches right after few days post op. But the pain plus the muscle weekneess and fear to fall will not allow it. The ilizarov frames support around 3 or 4 times your body weight. Is pretty much as if you were walking with healthy normal bones. People do your researches!))
Logged
RGKEY 2.0
Original height. 163.5cms. Current height 172.5cms
Operation on 6/4/13 Tibias 9 centimeters

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #78 on: March 30, 2014, 06:59:58 PM »

Update:

Reached 2 cm today. So far pretty much no pain, only a little soreness and knee stiffness after laying still for to long, i walk better every day that goes by it seems. Sleep is getting better too although it is still hard to relax since there are always sensations in the legs that become more noticable when trying to sleep.

Most of my worries are gone, only things im scared about is getting an infection which would slow down my schedule a lot and be painful, and my biggest worry is left however, im really scared that i might lose some of the height i gained when they remove the frames, I heard about subsidence, and it apparantly is a problem with externals only. I really need to talk to my doctor about this because there is no way i would accept lengthening 4 cm and then ending up with 3 cm because of subsidence. In fact i wont accept anything less than exactly 4 cm down to the mm..

I have had limited contact with the clinic the last few days since i havent really needed to talk to them, but i guess i need to send them an email soon about this.
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #79 on: March 30, 2014, 07:01:42 PM »

Hello  Hope you doing fine , i want to do 7cm  can I go home with that aim ? thaks

Hi its going good so far, And yeah im pretty sure they allow all patients to lengthen at home, doing that much at home could be risky though, maybe going back to the clinic for the last cm would be a good idea, safer at least. Although staying at the hospital gets quite expensive.
Logged

ShortyMcShort

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 267
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #80 on: March 31, 2014, 03:19:29 AM »

Hello Wannabegiant

Long time lurker, first time poster(Both forums)
I plan on staying for the whole process- distraction, consolidation and frame removal and will only head back home once its all been removed. Can only imagine what kind of looks I'll get at the airport going back home with the frames on :-\

How long would I have to stay for to do 5cm? And I mean for the whole process.
Would you be able to re-upload your pictures? Seems to have been deleted
Thanks
« Last Edit: March 31, 2014, 03:46:24 AM by ShortyMcShort »
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #81 on: March 31, 2014, 03:56:57 AM »

Hello Wannabegiant

Long time lurker, first time poster(Both forums)
I plan on staying for the whole process- distraction, consolidation and frame removal and will only head back home once its all been removed. Can only imagine what kind of looks I'll get at the airport going back home with the frames on :-\

How long would I have to stay for to do 5cm? And I mean for the whole process.
Would you be able to re-upload your pictures? Seems to have been deleted
Thanks

Im not sure that would be a good idea, 5 cm could take between 7 or 10 months from surgery until you get the frames removed(most likely about 7, but up to 10 with complications etc). it would get extremely expensive staying at the hospital.

You can easily hide the frames with long softpants, and i got help through the airport as a disabled person would (I was in a wheelchair). People wont have any clue about what you have done unless you wear shorts.
Logged

ShortyMcShort

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 267
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #82 on: March 31, 2014, 04:07:56 AM »

Im not sure that would be a good idea, 5 cm could take between 7 or 10 months from surgery until you get the frames removed(most likely about 7, but up to 10 with complications etc). it would get extremely expensive staying at the hospital.

You can easily hide the frames with long softpants, and i got help through the airport as a disabled person would (I was in a wheelchair). People wont have any clue about what you have done unless you wear shorts.

Agreed, but what about when you beep going through the metal detector? Did they inspect you thoroughly, wouldnt want to be inspected infront of everybody.
My main reasons for wanting to stay there for the whole process is because no one knows Im doing this but one friend, Im the same as you in that Im also 23 and still live with my parents and currently at university. Basically I'll be telling them that Im going on a gap year which seems believable, dont want them worrying and telling me Im fine how I am and go buy a nice car instead lol.

It would become extremely expensive indeed if I stayed for the whole process and the price would skyrocket to roughly the same as LON/LATN with Dr. Birkholtz in South Africa. Going home early is not an option for me I dont think. Thanks again for the reply, look forward to reading the rest of your diary

Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #83 on: March 31, 2014, 11:07:32 AM »

Agreed, but what about when you beep going through the metal detector? Did they inspect you thoroughly, wouldnt want to be inspected infront of everybody.
My main reasons for wanting to stay there for the whole process is because no one knows Im doing this but one friend, Im the same as you in that Im also 23 and still live with my parents and currently at university. Basically I'll be telling them that Im going on a gap year which seems believable, dont want them worrying and telling me Im fine how I am and go buy a nice car instead lol.

It would become extremely expensive indeed if I stayed for the whole process and the price would skyrocket to roughly the same as LON/LATN with Dr. Birkholtz in South Africa. Going home early is not an option for me I dont think. Thanks again for the reply, look forward to reading the rest of your diary

The clinic wrote some kind of certificate for me, but they made it so the certificate stated that i had done some kind of corrective surgery to keep my privacy intact. They had contact with someone on the airport who escorted me in the wheelchair, im not sure he had to use the certificate even, but i didnt have to step through the metal detector. Im sure if there was some issue that certificate would have solved any problem that might have arisen.

Im gonna use it when i fly back there after lengthening is done too.

I have one year of my university program left.. had to postpone it to do this surgery. Fortunately my family supports my decision and helps me at home.
Logged

paco1

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 215
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #84 on: March 31, 2014, 09:41:38 PM »

I think you can wear cast or braces when you take off the device.
Logged

jerry

  • Jr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 106
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #85 on: March 31, 2014, 09:54:36 PM »

I think you can wear cast or braces when you take off the device.

For extra caution yes why not.  However your bones are already well formed when doctor decides it's time to remove external frames.  Therefore it's not necessary I think.     
Logged

paco1

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 215
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #86 on: March 31, 2014, 09:58:30 PM »

In my case i would be more calm  with somes braces in my legs.
Logged

paco1

  • Full Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 215
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #87 on: April 06, 2014, 09:50:34 PM »

Hi Wannabegiants,
are your device so small to wear hidden under the trousers? that is my bigger concern.
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #88 on: April 07, 2014, 12:46:46 PM »

Hi Wannabegiants,
are your device so small to wear hidden under the trousers? that is my bigger concern.

They can be hidden under soft pants and some wider type of jeans/trousers. Nothing slim fit will work though of course. But the frames are small in comparison to the other options.

Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #89 on: April 07, 2014, 01:01:32 PM »

Update:

Some general information about the whole LL experience:

Pain Level

So far very little pain, occasionally i feel a slight pincing pain in the incision areas and around the knees, as well as the front of the upper shins.

Mostly its just discomfort though, and knee stiffness after laying still for to long, or having them bent (when sitting) for extended periods of time. This goes away pretty fast after walking for a bit.

I guess it might get worse soon though as im working on my third cm..


Subsidence Loss

And im no so worried about the subsidence loss any longer, i read some studies about it and apparantly the average loss is around 0.6 mm, which is minimal. Those studies claiming losses of 1 cm and more had measurement errors that the authors admitted. And that doctor Franz who is posting here is probably referring to those studies when he claims 0.5 -1.0 cm loss is common, since he has only done 2 cosmetic surgeries so far himself.

Also Dr. Bagirov said that he recommended i turn a few extra mm to be safe but i should not lose anything as long as we remove the frames once the bone is solid enough.

Weightbearing

I have walked since the second day after my surgery, It was painful then but they gave me painkillers. However I stopped using painkillers completely after about 5 days post surgery, and after about 10 days post surgery walking was relatively pain free for me. And now i dont feel any pain pretty much while walking (of course i cannot walk without the walker/crutches yet but it feels like i might be able to soon)

I have minimal pain and can walk a lot without problems, I could walk a lot more than i do (and i would say the ammount i do walk is still quite a lot) but i dont feel like pushing my limits and prefer to take it nice and easy. No signs of infection either so far.

Id say i walk in total maybe for about 1-2 hours a day combining all the time im standing and moving (ie away from the bed), although i gradually increase the ammount. I intend to walk a lot more during consolidation phase though for sure. But 6-8 hours a day sounds like overkill for me personally.


Frames

Bagirovs frames are smaller and allow full range of motion, they dont feel that heavy.

Both of the half rings are technically under the knee, but the upper half ring crosses over part of the knee, meaning that one of the pins of the upper half ring goes through the top of the fibula here to keep it in place i assume.

The half ring on the top has 4 semi thick pins going into the leg, and the lower half ring has one single large and thick pin going into the leg. The ankle full ring has 6 small and thin pins. So that means 11 pins per leg.

its hard to explain how the pins are placed but i have no ankle problems and its easy to move my feet. Also while knees get a little stiff (which is normal for all kinds of LL) i have full range of motion for my knees, they can extend and bend fully with these frames.

Caretaker

I think it would be very difficult to take care of yourself in this condition at least for the first 2 weeks after operation, after that it gets better and more movement is gained. at this point you wont be able to walk up and down stairs, i had to sit on the stairs and lift myself up with my arms going backwards, one step at a time, and then when i reach the second floor, my family helped me get back to my feet.

I guess it is possible after that but will be hard to make food for yourself when you have to stand with the walker holding it with at least one hand and then cooking with the other hand, not sure how that would work, i guess fast food is an alternative but then again you are supposed to eat healthy for best results, im fortunate my mother makes excellent tasty and healthy food for me every day.

Preventing Infection

You dont need to change the pin site dressing as long as it is dry and you dont see any signs of infection, there will be dry blood so it might look nasty but it doesnt neccessarily mean there is a problem.

If you DO get an infection you need to change the dressing of course and you get to buy medicine for it from the clinic, ointments to use at the infected area.

You are not supposed to wash your legs for the whole duration of the surgery. You can scrub them i guess with a towel (avoid water to get into the pin sites though.

When washing you put on some plastic bags around the frames and legs and tie it up over the knees so no water gets through, then sit down on a stool/bench or something and wash the upper body and mid section. then make sure you are dry before removing the plastic bags.

Exercises

Other than walking, The clinic recommended a few types of stretches and exercises, stretching the calves by pulling the top of the feet backwards towards you. You can either lay down while doing this or walk towards some stairs or a doorstep, and put your toes/front part of the feet on top of them and press down with your body weight to stretch the calves. When doing the regular version when laying down using rubber bands can be a good option. The other exercise was for the thighs, laying down on your back and trying to raise the legs one at a time while keeping them straight.

Also while the Doctor mentions that keeping the knees straightened at all times while laying down, if you have trouble with this you can compensate by stretching the knees, by putting some weight on top of the knees while the feet are elevated on top of something.

Medicine

You get the option to buy the required medicine for the lengthening phase by the clinic, relatively cheap, or you can buy it yourself. However i bought it from the clinic. And the daily pills i take is 2 pills in the morning for thinning out the blood and prevent trombosis, and one blood thinning pill at the evening. Also supplements include a bone regen pill, and Vitamin B. Other than that i take my own Calcium and Vitamin D supplements, as well as zink and Vitamin C.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2014, 01:09:42 PM by Wannabegiant »
Logged

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #90 on: April 07, 2014, 01:16:34 PM »

Also, at this moment i have less than 1.5 cm left and about 19 days of lengthening if i can keep doing 0.75 mm/day. Still no signs of problems.
Logged

RGKEY

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 606
  • just take it day by day
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #91 on: April 07, 2014, 02:00:19 PM »

Great man you are almost there!!)) Your consolidation and recovery will be so fast!!!! You will recover like if yoy never did anything! ))
Logged
RGKEY 2.0
Original height. 163.5cms. Current height 172.5cms
Operation on 6/4/13 Tibias 9 centimeters

Wannabegiant

  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 773
Re: Wannabegiants tibial lengthening in Moscow, Dr. Bagirov
« Reply #92 on: April 07, 2014, 03:03:17 PM »

Great man you are almost there!!)) Your consolidation and recovery will be so fast!!!! You will recover like if yoy never did anything! ))

Thanks for the encouragement bro! I certainly hope youre right  :)
Logged
Pages: 1 2 [3] 4 5 ... 13   Go Up