Bilateral Tibia Lengthening and Varus correction with TSF

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Nov 6th Update

I went to the hospital today to get new set of X-Rays. Callus formation looks good considering that I'm at 7 months post surgery. Ballerina has also gotten lot better. When I stand for 10 minutes my heel touches the ground. I intend to continue the current exercise regime to keep up the progress. Also, I decided not to go with PRP therapy or Stem cell therapy for accelerated bone healing because the callus formation looks good and I want to avoid any unnecessary complications by taking short cuts.

X-Rays:

• Nov 6th Left - AP
• Nov 6th Left - LAT
• Nov 6th Right - AP
• Nov 6th Right - LAT

Supplements that I'm taking since beginning of consolidation:

• Spirex Forte: This is a tablet form of supplement for Calcium, Zinc & Vitamin D3. I'm taking 1 pill a day at random time
• Depura 60k Vitamin D3 Oral Solution: This is an oral liquid form of supplement to rapidly boost Vitamin D3 levels, which is essential to improve your calcium absorption capacity. It comes in a 5ml ready to drink shot that I take one every week on empty stomach first thing in the morning.

Edit Post

Nov 6th Update

I went to the hospital today to get new set of X-Rays. Callus formation looks good considering that I'm at 7 months post surgery. Ballerina has also gotten lot better. When I stand for 10 minutes my heel touches the ground. I intend to continue the current exercise regime to keep up the progress. Also, I decided not to go with PRP therapy or Stem cell therapy for accelerated bone healing because the callus formation looks good and I want to avoid any unnecessary complications by taking short cuts.

X-Rays:

• Nov 6th Left - AP
• Nov 6th Left - LAT
• Nov 6th Right - AP
• Nov 6th Right - LAT

Supplements that I'm taking since beginning of consolidation:

• Spirex Forte: This is a tablet form of supplement for Calcium, Zinc & Vitamin D3. I'm taking 1 pill a day at random time
• Depura 60k Vitamin D3 Oral Solution: This is an oral liquid form of supplement to rapidly boost Vitamin D3 levels, which is essential to improve your calcium absorption capacity. It comes in a 5ml ready to drink shot that I take one every week on empty stomach first thing in the morning.

Edit Post

It looks like you're making a good recovery. So you have 5 more months then of wearing the device.

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It looks like you're making a good recovery. So you have 5 more months then of wearing the device.

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Quote from: bander72 on November 06, 2016, 02:09:18 PMIt looks like you're making a good recovery. So you have 5 more months then of wearing the device.

Yep! Hopefully things go smooth from here. I'm aiming for March for frames removal. Phoenix also had surgery in April and got off the frames in March.

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Hi there!

Hope you are doing fine, I have read your diary carefully and it's a shame he didn't fixed your leg in a proper way.
It turned out to be ok afterwards but still...

I'm very amazed how your consolidation is going very well!

Trust me, you do not want to take shortcuts, just let it heal naturally, you have good bone formation unlike some others.

Keep us updated, and have a good day!

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Quote from: Arch on November 06, 2016, 03:01:05 PMHi there!

Hope you are doing fine, I have read your diary carefully and it's a shame he didn't fixed your leg in a proper way.
It turned out to be ok afterwards but still...

I'm very amazed how your consolidation is going very well!

Trust me, you do not want to take shortcuts, just let it heal naturally, you have good bone formation unlike some others.

Keep us updated, and have a good day!
Thanks Arch. Sure, will do.

I also want to cover how about ballerina in a separate response - in terms of what worked for me and what didn't, what's the least painful yet effective way to treat it. That should be very helpful for folks who choose tibia lengthening.

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Yo Fujitora,


You have only lenghtened 5-6Cm, wich is considered very safe, I dont think you should be worried that much about ballerina foot, with many people it goes after a period of time.
Just do not forget to stretch your legs everyday properly.

I am more concerned about your bone overall, it has gone thru a lot.

Have you been stretching and walking properly during your distraction phase?

Sorry if you already posted about this.

Have a good journey!
Arch

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Quote from: Arch on November 06, 2016, 08:28:54 PMYo Fujitora,


You have only lenghtened 5-6Cm, wich is considered very safe, I dont think you should be worried that much about ballerina foot, with many people it goes after a period of time.
Just do not forget to stretch your legs everyday properly.

I am more concerned about your bone overall, it has gone thru a lot.

Have you been stretching and walking properly during your distraction phase?

Sorry if you already posted about this.

Have a good journey!
Arch

Hey

Don't underestimate ballerina. Just because a person did less than 6 cm doesn't guarantee that you wont get ballerina. Even with regular stretching and walking (yes- I did walk during lengthening phase as well, about 30 - 2 hours daily) I got ballerina in left leg. Because I didn't lengthen both the legs in parallel, I had severe ballerina in left leg and very minimal in my right. So when I walk it was difficult to balance my weight as all the weight gets transferred onto the right leg. It also results in knee bending while walking, to compensate for the ankle lift.

Everybody responds differently to this procedure and it took me about 3 months to see visible results. Ballerina is very very stubborn. I cannot insist more. Ballerina has to be dealt with proper technique and perseverance, otherwise you'll end up with gait (walking on toes) forever.

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Update#Dec 23rd 2016

Things have gone extremely well since my last update, 46 days ago. Ballerina is almost gone, I only have muscle tightness in the morning and when I sit for extended hours. Once I stand for couple of minutes it goes away. My walking has also improved significantly. I'm now walking with crutches and no longer using zimmer frame. I can walk without any support but I bend my back and don't have a strong footing. So I want to continue on crutches for some more time. I met with a local orthopedic doctor last month and he also suggested me not to walk without support as my legs are still weak, and I might develop duck a$$ (anterior pelvis tilt) if I continue to do so.

My bone growth has also been significant. I posted the most recent X-Rays, so you can take a look. I met with Dr. Deepak Raina today to discuss about estimated time period for frame removal and possibility of plating if necessary. He mentioned that my bone growth is excellent and I don't need plating at this stage. He said I can start loosing some struts to transfer more weight onto the bone. He suggested that I start with a particular strut on each leg and start loosening one every couple of days, until I'm left with only 3 struts on each leg. If the remaining struts can hold the bone then the frames can be removed by end of January. I was so excited to hear that. However, I want to take things slowly. I want to hold off for couple more weeks before I start doing it, and I'm okay even if I get my frames off by end of February. Like KiloKahn mentioned in his diary - "A month late is much safer than a day early."

I hope things stay on track and I get off the frames by end of Feb. Fingers crossed!!

I want to finish this post wishing you all in advance merry Christmas and a very happy and prosperous new year.

Latest X-Rays:

• Dec 23rd Right Leg AP/LAT
• Dec 23rd Left Leg AP/LAT