I saw a doctor about removing the hardware in my legs since I still experience a lot of pain when jogging and I am unable to run. The pain seems to be going down very slowly over time but I would like it completely gone. He gave me three options:
1.) Wait longer to see if the pain will go away completely
2.) Remove the rods and screws
3.) Remove only the screws
He advised against removing the rods as it is a traumatic surgery that involves breaking the top of the tibia and messing with the patella tendon. The rods are inserted correctly and are deep enough inside that it is not likely it would be causing pain. He said it could take up to 3-4 weeks before I could full weight bear and there is no guarantee it would reduce the pain I feel.
He did recommend removal of all the locking screws. He said it would be a minor surgery so I would be able to weight bear the next day and just take it easy for 7-8 weeks for the screw holes to fill in. He said the rod is locked in place inside the bone and it will give support so there is less chance of stress fractures around where the screws will be taken out.
I asked if there were any risks with leaving the rods in for life and the answer was the same as what has been said on the forums before. He said the bone marrow inside the tibia bone for adults is mostly composed of fat and water and having the rod take up that space has no negative effect on the body. I asked about the release of metal ions in to the body and he said it is not a big concern for metal that is inside the long bones, it is more of a problem with metal that is around joints.
I have scheduled surgery for October 16th so I will post again with the outcome. Attached are some x-rays that were taken.
IM Rod Removal - Rod + Screws vs. Screws Only
This is in the USA? Do you have x-legs?
Quote from: Polycrates. on October 07, 2014, 03:02:44 AMThis is in the USA? Do you have x-legs?
Yes, I am having the screws removed in the US.
No x-legs, I have seen 2 orthos and both said my legs were straight by looking at the x-rays. I think my right leg is not 100% straight compared to the left but it is close. I'll ask my ortho before surgery what he thinks of the right leg.
How did the doctors react when you informed them that you'd done leg lengthening.
Quote from: Taller on October 07, 2014, 05:22:26 AMHow did the doctors react when you informed them that you'd done leg lengthening.
The first ortho I saw did not make any comment about it when I told him and I did not have a good experience with him. He did not take me seriously when addressing my concerns. I asked him if my legs were straight and if my fibula's had migrated at all and his response looking at my x-rays was "these are abnormal legs, the natural integrity has been altered". Duh... so I then asked if there was anything wrong to the extent I would have future issues and he said they were fine.
I described the pain I feel as sharp shooting pain like the hardware is going to shoot through my legs when I try to run and it has been like this since coming home. He then proceeds to ask me questions like: "how long have you been running for?" and "how long do you run each session?". He seemed to think pain was from not doing enough physical therapy and it would go down with physical therapy and I should wait another year for surgery.
The second ortho I saw was good and gave me the 3 options above and recommended removal of all the screws as the next step. When I told him I had leg lengthening done in India he asked me if it was because of money and then commented that health care in the US costs too much.
I'm glad that you found an orthopedic doctor who can take proper care of you?
In the end, was there any fibular migration in your legs?
Was there anything else wrong with them besides the issues with the screws?
Did you have to pay anything substantial out of pocket to talk to US doctors about the effects of your voluntary leg lengthening? Do you know if any insurance plans cover getting treatment in the US for botched lengthening jobs done overseas??
Quote from: Taller on October 08, 2014, 12:11:25 AMIn the end, was there any fibular migration in your legs?
Was there anything else wrong with them besides the issues with the screws?
Looking at my old x-ray from when I had lengthened 9 mm it looks like a small amount but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about. There is nothing wrong with my legs.
Quote from: Taller on October 08, 2014, 12:11:25 AMDid you have to pay anything substantial out of pocket to talk to US doctors about the effects of your voluntary leg lengthening? Do you know if any insurance plans cover getting treatment in the US for botched lengthening jobs done overseas??
Not yet, the appointments I have had so far and the x-rays have been covered. As far as surgery being covered I do not know. The diagnosis code I was given by my doctor is just described as "painful hardware removal" and my insurance said it should be fully covered and asked no questions about it. My doctor thinks if the hardware is causing pain then insurance should cover removal of it regardless of why or how the hardware was put there. I don't know if a year after surgery I might be investigated or asked more questions about it and end up having to pay for it. I have heard of people getting burned and having to pay the bill for operations that were not cosmetic related.
As far as other insurance plans covering botched ll surgeries I don't know. The US health care system is pretty screwed up - you really have no idea how much any operation costs beforehand or if something will be covered entirely or not.
Quote from: Calic on October 08, 2014, 12:52:19 AMThe US health care system is pretty screwed up
Amen to that!
Quote from: Calic on October 07, 2014, 11:42:43 PMThe second ortho I saw was good and gave me the 3 options above and recommended removal of all the screws as the next step. When I told him I had leg lengthening done in India he asked me if it was because of money and then commented that health care in the US costs too much.
Funny about the comment about exorbitant and gratuitous costs for medical care in the US. I can't find a single soul in Canada knowledgeable in Ilizarov and I was in Dr Paley's area for a while this month. The doctor had seen treated me in a similar manner to the first one you saw. His answers were nonchalant and indeterminate.
I was literally on Paley's door step, but I couldn't bring myself to paying 1200USD for a mere evaluation. I'm going to try really hard to find a specialist in Canada when I return home. I know smallguy found one in Vancouver, but he doesn't frequent the board anymore. If I can't find one, I'll probably end up going to see Paley just for the peace of mind, despite the ridiculous price.
Quote from: Polycrates. on October 09, 2014, 02:38:45 AMFunny about the comment about exorbitant and gratuitous costs for medical care in the US. I can't find a single soul in Canada knowledgeable in Ilizarov and I was in Dr Paley's area for a while this month. The doctor had seen treated me in a similar manner to the first one you saw. His answers were nonchalant and indeterminate.
I was literally on Paley's door step, but I couldn't bring myself to paying 1200USD for a mere evaluation. I'm going to try really hard to find a specialist in Canada when I return home. I know smallguy found one in Vancouver, but he doesn't frequent the board anymore. If I can't find one, I'll probably end up going to see Paley just for the peace of mind, despite the ridiculous price.
Do you have any concerns for your legs right now or are you just curious to know if there is anything wrong? Paley is one of the best LL doctors in the world so if you feel something may be wrong it is probably worth it to see him.
I do not think there are as many doctors who are knowledgeable in LL in the US as I thought. Initially I was thinking lots of doctors would do LL for medical reasons but I guess not. I could not find any doctor in my state that had extensive experience with LL. The first doctor I saw only does LL for children so I thought he would be a good doctor to see but it did not turn out so good.
I asked my current doctor who did the screw removal about my tibia, femur, and overall leg lengths as well as my leg proportions and he said he does not do the LL procedure so it would be best I see a doctor in another state who is a 3 hour drive away for me to answer those questions.
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