Screw removal was successful!
I have not seen the incisions yet but my doctor said that the screw locations shifted due my soft tissues so the old incisions from the screw insertions could not be used. I will post pictures later. I am in no pain or discomfort and I am walking. I will see how things go once the pain medication wears off.
I had lots of good conversations with the hospital staff today. It is not every day you get a patient who has done LL for cosmetic purposes 
. In my experience, all of my friends and family I have told about my LL think it is cool and have had a conversation with me about it. As far as telling random people or acquaintances about my LL most comment that it is cool but have no interest in talking to me about it unless they themselves are in a medical related field, then they ask a ton of questions!
At this point my biggest concern is that my pain issue will not be fixed and I may permanently have pain or have to wait a very long time for it go away. My second biggest concern is that my insurance is not going to cover the procedure and I am going have to pay for it. My insurance said based off the CPT code it would be fully covered and since I share a plan with my parents who have met the yearly deductible already I will pay $0 for everything.
IM Rod Removal - Rod + Screws vs. Screws Only
Congrats, Calic. Too bad you couldn't get any answers to your concerns. Are you going to see the other guy?
Quote from: Polycrates. on October 17, 2014, 05:52:08 PMCongrats, Calic. Too bad you couldn't get any answers to your concerns. Are you going to see the other guy?
I will see the other doctor if I am still having pain or other issues.
How my recovery went after surgery:
Same day - No pain and easy walking (numbing injections in screws holes were highly effective ).
Day 2 - Constant 3-4/10 pain at rest and 6-7/10 pain when walking.
Day 3 - No pain at rest and 3-4/10 pain when walking.
Day 4 - No pain at rest and 1-2/10 pain when walking.
Day 5 - Left leg feels normal when walking, right leg has 1-2/10 pain when walking.
Day 6 - Right leg has no pain but has weird feelings like tight skin, shifting tissue, and numbness.
Day 7+ - Both legs feel normal now, walking down cement steps and light jogging is pain free.
Additional discussion with doctor:
My patella tendons were covering the screws so they had to be manipulated a bit to get the screws out so I need to take it easy since I could rupture the tendons. The initial screw incisions were far off from where the screws actually were. My doctor tried to use the same incision sites initially but discovered the screws shifted too much so he made new incisions to remove all the screws. The 6 months of soft tissue stretching and muscle atrophy/hypertrophy caused this. The screws near my ankles were close to the entry incisions, not much shifting probably occurred after my lengthening phase was done.
I recently spoke with another Sarin patient who has the rods and screws still in who can sprint on pavement with zero pain. I think in my case my soft tissues must have shifted in such a way to make the screws interfere with the patella tendons.
I will post pictures in a couple months of all my scars. The scars that bother me the most are the middle pin site scars since they are easily noticeable and are protruding slightly. I am going to look into having these revised somehow.
Hi Calic. I'm so glad to hear that you are doing better without the screws. Did your second doctor say that your fibula was still properly aligned?
How is your new height treating you? Would you say that you are satisfied with the procedure overall, even after this screw fiasco?
Quote from: Taller on November 08, 2014, 11:56:34 PMHi Calic. I'm so glad to hear that you are doing better without the screws. Did your second doctor say that your fibula was still properly aligned?
Yes, he said my fibulae looked normal to him but I would need to see a LL specialist if I wanted an in depth examination of my legs.
Quote from: Taller on November 08, 2014, 11:56:34 PMHow is your new height treating you? Would you say that you are satisfied with the procedure overall, even after this screw fiasco?
I love it! I no longer think about or care about my height. I have had some people tell me I look tall even though I am only average height.
For me LL was well worth it and I never would have been able to be happy if I hadn't done it. Overall I am satisfied with my LL journey - the screws in reality were only a minor hindrance in the grand scheme of all that could go wrong with LL.
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