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[fokid]

did you go back to your original surgeon for nail removal?

if you can, get a ct scan of your legs. have the radiologist check for the exact misalignment and length discrepancy. if the radiologist writes that your bowing is not abnormal and your discrepancy is not abnormal you will be very relieved.

if it is an alignment issue, why didn't your doctor notice it during lengthening?

[Microbe]

Malalignment is usually inevitable with internal femurs, something that cannot fix the mechanical axis. I think dr. Franz birkhotlz did mention about this on his thread, and some study someone posted a while ago about a 1cm causing 1 mm medial shift, can’t recall but it’s here somewhere. I have slight varus tibias too, which the doctor spotted during the initial consultation and also the 1 cm discrepancy between the tibias. At that point in time I was totally fixated on getting external  tibias LL and getting the discrepancy sorted out with that.  Now I’ll just get insoles.

[fokid]

i remember reading that study. but it's not a widely accepted hypothesis. i would recommend getting a scan to verify this. sometimes pain can be mental. if you have it in your head that your bones have misalignment then you would never feel normal even if it is not true. you might actually have a problem, in which case you can take precautions (like swimming for exercise and less jogging).

i have a feeling you wouldn't be in this mindset if you had broken both your femurs in an accident and had similar symptoms.

any case update here as you go! trust me it gets better.

[myloginacct]

Is a CT scan really needed? Wouldn't plain x-rays suffice?

People should avoid getting CT scans whenever it is not medically needed.

[fokid]

fair enough. x-rays might paint an equally accurate picture.

microbe, are you comfortable sharing x-rays here?

[Microbe]

Yes I'd be quite hesitant on getting a CT scan. I've had plenty of longleg x-rays that show the malalignment which the doctor used a programme to calculate the axis.
Update: I started walking with a walker around the room and reception area. My legs are feeling much better. However this wasn't the case earlier during the day as the incision sites would reach upto 8/10 on the pain scale, especially the distal incisions near the knees. Laying down in one position would make all incision sites worse, I did not have much energy to do physio and walking. 

[Microbe]

It won't be clear since I've only got the physical copy. I'll post it soon using a camera  soon.

fair enough. x-rays might paint an equally accurate picture.

microbe, are you comfortable sharing x-rays here?

[bigdreams55]

Glad to hear you're doing better Microbe.

Did your doctor give you a timetable for recovery? Probably ideal to take it easy for a few weeks.

[Microbe]

Glad to hear you're doing better Microbe.

Did your doctor give you a timetable for recovery? Probably ideal to take it easy for a few weeks.

Thanks bigdreams!
Doctor told me that I should be fully recovered around a three-four weeks.
I'm feeling much better now and the incision sites are not as painful, I think I may recover faster when the stitches come off in two weeks.
I walked alot with the aid of a walker last night and woke up feeling pretty good, with only slight stiffness and some difficulty flexing my knees.

[Microbe]

One thing i've noticed during both my LL and nail removal surgery is that my dominant, more muscular right leg is more resistant and painful compared to my less muscular left leg, which moves more freely with less pain. Knee flexing is the most problematic so far. I can walk without a walker but with little endurance along with a waddling gait. Hip region gets stiff and painful. My physio has recommended me to still use a walker.

[Microbe]

Post 1 week nail removal-

Pretty much waddling around my room during the day and go out to eat in the vicinity of my hotel, by foot. Walking is very slow with very obvious abnormal hip and back movement. I still have the dressing and the stitches on. Legs do become quite tight after walking for too long. My left less muscular leg feels more stable compared to my more muscular right leg, hence why I prefer using my left foot first when going up and down the stairs. My left leg is also more flexible and lighter while I cannot fully flex my right leg. My current medication routine contains antibiotics, painkillers, some tablets for gastro protection, prescribed probiotics and multivitamin. Mentally I feel exhausted, it's been an extremely long week. 

[Android]

Almost over! Hope that the second week treats you better.

[myloginacct]

Post 1 week nail removal-

Pretty much waddling around my room during the day and go out to eat in the vicinity of my hotel, by foot. Walking is very slow with very obvious abnormal hip and back movement. I still have the dressing and the stitches on. Legs do become quite tight after walking for too long. My left less muscular leg feels more stable compared to my more muscular right leg, hence why I prefer using my left foot first when going up and down the stairs. My left leg is also more flexible and lighter while I cannot fully flex my right leg. My current medication routine contains antibiotics, painkillers, some tablets for gastro protection, prescribed probiotics and multivitamin. Mentally I feel exhausted, it's been an extremely long week.

This isn't from a positive thread, but I thought you might find this specific post more positive. Read it and close the tab/thread.

No kidding about the mental exhaustion. I can't even imagine what it must be like at the moment. However, it will pass. Again, you deserve all of your own time.

[Microbe]

Thanks android and login for your support, these words really do encourage me to look forward and do my best to gain recovery! I read MDOW post about him recovering to around 90% in a year, which sounds reassuring, even despite the long post-removal time frame. I can also somehow sense that my legs feel better and lighter without the rods. It's just a matter of time, probably few weeks, few months, when I'll be able to tell whether the rod removal along with physio will improve the chronic left pain I faced post LL/pre removal. I will keep you guys updated.

[Microbe]

This is a current picture of my dressing on the left hip. There was some slight blood/plasma bleeding that I only noticed yesterday. The doctor will have it changed tomorrow. Plus you may notice some bruising/discoloration around the wound

[myloginacct]

Thanks android and login for your support, these words really do encourage me to look forward and do my best to gain recovery! I read MDOW post about him recovering to around 90% in a year, which sounds reassuring, even despite the long post-removal time frame. I can also somehow sense that my legs feel better and lighter without the rods. It's just a matter of time, probably few weeks, few months, when I'll be able to tell whether the rod removal along with physio will improve the chronic left pain I faced post LL/pre removal. I will keep you guys updated.

Hey, man, Phineas Gage recovered and kept on living, and more amazingly, still being able to reason and live a socially normal life, after having had an iron rod shot straight through his skull. The human body is amazing if you give it some time. We wouldn't have lasted this long in this hostile-to-life-universe and planet without some serious potential (including the one you used for CLL - you grew your bones back from nothing to fill a big gap!).

A report of Gage's physical and mental condition shortly before his death implies that his most serious mental changes were temporary, so that in later life he was far more functional, and socially far better adapted, than in the years immediately following his accident.

Never lose hope. We never go down without a fight, have we ever have to rely on our body, or on what our minds can achieve.

[Microbe]

2 Week Post Surgery-

Legs are feeling better and endurance is getting better day by day. However I'm still waddling with abnormal back movement. Pain from the wounds are still there at times, mainly arising from the feeling of stiffness or sudden movements. I'll be getting my dressing and stitches removed today and then I can have a proper shower. I struggle with climbing stairs with my right leg, so I prefer to use my left leg when going up the stairs. I have started to lay on my belly to do some flexion exercises, and it's my right leg that's giving me the most pain. The physio exercises are done without too much issues. So the highlight is that I've gained endurance and some speed while walking, however the waddling gait is still present and the wounds are still painful and stiff.

[Microbe]

One of the biggest affected regions with nail removal (along with nail insertion) is the hip region and unfortunately the abductor muscles are perhaps the most badly affected. The trauma and wound prevents proper hip abductor exercises, the best one being laying on the side and lifting the top leg. Laying on the side is still quite painful around the incision regions, and this causes the abductors to atrophy, leading to the waddling gait.

[bigdreams55]

One of the biggest affected regions with nail removal (along with nail insertion) is the hip region and unfortunately the abductor muscles are perhaps the most badly affected. The trauma and wound prevents proper hip abductor exercises, the best one being laying on the side and lifting the top leg. Laying on the side is still quite painful around the incision regions, and this causes the abductors to atrophy, leading to the waddling gait.

Couldn't agree more. I'm walking now without crutches now, about 4.5 months post-surgery, but waddling mostly because of weak abductor muscles. Been trying to strengthen them, but seems to take some time to rebuild the strength there. Microbe, do you remember how long it took you to regain most of your gait?

[Microbe]

Couldn't agree more. I'm walking now without crutches now, about 4.5 months post-surgery, but waddling mostly because of weak abductor muscles. Been trying to strengthen them, but seems to take some time to rebuild the strength there. Microbe, do you remember how long it took you to regain most of your gait?

Post initial LL surgery, it took me around 6 months to regain most of my gait, but I would struggle after walking long distances. Post nail removal (2.5 weeks) I'm still waddling.

[myloginacct]

Thanks for the continued updates, despite the pains.

[Microbe]

Thanks for the continued updates, despite the pains.

No worries! I've been walking for couple kilometres for the past few days and I'm really happy to see my endurance increase. Waddling has decreased but still apparent. My pain from the incision has decreased except when I accidentally put pressure on it. Another thing I've noticed so far is that my left leg has not experienced the chronic pain I experienced before. I still think it's still quite early to conclude whether the nail removal and/or physio has actually helped. But I'll keep you updated on this matter in the upcoming months when it'll be reasonable to conclude whether the pain has settled or not.

[Android]

Hope that your chronic leg pain stays away, thanks for the updates!

[myloginacct]

By the way, this is a quick summary (from 2011) of the much mentioned Alsberg (in this forum) and his research:

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/008408.html

    A lab discovery is a step toward implantable replacement cartilage, holding promise for knees, shoulders, ears and noses damaged by osteoarthritis, sports injuries and accidents.

    Self-assembling sheets of mesenchymal stem cells permeated with tiny beads filled with growth factor formed thicker, stiffer cartilage than previous tissue engineering methods, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found. A description of the research is published in the Journal of Controlled Release.

    "We think that the capacity to drive cartilage formation using the patient's own stem cells and the potential to use this approach without lengthy culture time prior to implantation makes this technology attractive," said Eben Alsberg, associate professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery, and senior author of the paper.

He's been at it for longer than 6 years since this article.

The future of his research, and stem-cell derived therapies in general, will be of greatly help for LLers in the future.

There was also much talk of the recent Israeli treatment. We need to see how that one goes.

http://thenationonlineng.net/doctors-implant-lab-grown/


I think your body will take care of the rest for you now that nails are removed, but science will keep trying no matter if you are doing totally fine in a year.

[Mtall]

Hi. If you don't mind, could you tell us your age at the time you did the surgery?
Or at least the range of age (like mid 20s, late 20s...something like a rough range)?

[Microbe]

Hi. If you don't mind, could you tell us your age at the time you did the surgery?
Or at least the range of age (like mid 20s, late 20s...something like a rough range)?

In my 20s

[Microbe]

I've finally managed to lay on my side with slight discomfort from the incision sites. As previously mentioned, my abductor muscles have become extremely weak and cannot raise each leg for than 15cm while laying on the side. My physio told me to first bend both legs while laying on the side and then lift the top leg while bent, resembling a shell fish. And then progress to straight leg raises.
After doing these exercises, my gait improves quite alot. However if I stay sedentary for too long then I regain my waddling gait.

[Microbe]

Post 3 weeks nail removal

-Regained around 80% of normal walking gait
-Sitting, staying in one position or walking for prolonged periods makes my legs sore and stiff, leading to abnormal gait
-Haven't experiencd the chronic pain in my left leg, however strangely, I'm experiencing similar pain in my right leg atm (most likely due to muscle atrophy, especially the abductor muscles)
-still have scabs on my wounds with new scars, and area is quite sensitive, problematic for sleeping on sides and doing abductor exercises.
-positive on making full recovery in couple of weeks, however this whole experience is mentally and physically exhausting, more so than my lengthening phase when I looked forward to growing taller. I know it sounds weird but yes this removal surgery has drained me. I never ever want to be under the knife again.
-went to see an orthotist and prescribed me a custom insoles for flat feet and descrepancy between legs
-I'll keep you guys updated

[notatroll]

I agree with you. These surgeries drain you. Many patients agree. Thanks for your input Microbe

[Android]

positive on making full recovery in couple of weeks, however this whole experience is mentally and physically exhausting, more so than my lengthening phase when I looked forward to growing taller.

Good point about not having something to look forward to compared to lengthening. Definitely heard similar sentiments before about removal surgery ("is this required?"). Hopefully in a few weeks your leg pain will subside for good, making this worth the effort.

[Microbe]

Here is my last X-ray before the nail removal. It’s not very clear since I’ve only got a physical copy.