Quote from: infinity&beyond on December 27, 2020, 04:27:19 PMIt would mean a lot if you reply to this
Hypothetical question: Assume you wanted 3cm femur and 3cm tibia (quad lengthening). Just take it as fact for now, ignoring whether it’s a good idea or not. You were fully motivated on getting this done, just as you have done with your actual lengthening which has just taken place, and plotted out the best path to achieve this in the shortest time possible. By my count from your diary, you would’ve stopped lengthening femur at day 37 or so (when you hit 3cm mark). Now with the benefit of hindsight, based on your general recollection and if you were to approach the hypothetical with as much motivation and efficiency as you have done with your actual procedure, do you think you could have, at this 37 day mark (once lengthening of your femur hypothetically concluded), gone in for the second (tibia) surgery and commenced the 3cm of lengthening on your tibias. If not, how long would you have waited and why?
Very curious to hear how you would have approached this as your motivation to get things done and over with from start to finish, and the general efficiency with which you approached this, is something I want to emulate. I need to have my procedure (the hypothetical which I’ve posed to you) over and done with, and be as close to back to normal as possible, within 6 months. Though it might sound ridiculous I’m hoping it’s possible given the minimal lengthening and the motivation which I have to get it done and over with (similar to yours actually).
Yes. It definitely should be possible. There were multiple people at Giotikas who did it with me who did quads with the 2nd surgery scheduled ~3 weeks after the 1st surgery. I know some of them after the 2nd surgery also lengthened the femur and tibias simultaneously as well (so they were lengthening at 2mm per day). I personally didn't do it because I didn't want to risk a 2nd surgery when I didn't really care about proportions. But it should be possible. Just keep in mind the speed of tibias lengthening is slower than femur lengthening - we had a few guys who had to drop their tibias speed lengthening to 0.5mm or 0.75mm.
Femurs stryde with Giotikas (July 2020)
Quote from: infinity&beyond on December 27, 2020, 04:47:25 PMKnowing the state you’re in now, a month and a half after finishing lengthening, perhaps you would chose to do tibias now? How do you feel about that? Bear in mind that you would have technically been done with lengthening for 4 months by now having stopped femurs at just 3cm (end of August) in accordance with our hypothetical so you would’ve had an extra 2.5 months to recover.
That aside though, curious to hear when you personally think is the soonest you could’ve gone in for the second surgery if you had stopped at just 3cm. Whilst still staying on track with the efficient recovery and return to normal which you’ve been aiming for.
The quad patients at Giotikas did their 2nd surgery 3 or 4 weeks after their 1st surgery. I don't think it would have been possible to do the surgery any sooner than that. Week 1 you basically can't move.
I would not have done a 2nd surgery as getting exact proportions wasn't important to me and I probably had decent length tibias to begin with. The only situation I would do a 2nd surgery is to get another 4cm or 5cm above and beyond the 8cm femur lengthening - but for now, I am focused on recovering from femur and enjoying the benefits.
As some have posted from their experiences, the impact of going from 169cm to 177cm has been nothing short of world-changing for me as well.
Quote from: SpeedDialer on December 28, 2020, 12:16:30 AMThanks for making this diary!
a. If you were flying from D.C. to get to Athens, Greece, probably with an intermediate stop in between, how many days total would you budget for the consultation including which to leave D.C. and how much time to leave just in case your flight gets delayed?
b. What are the most uncomfortable things about sitting at a desk and using a computer when you are doing LL?
a) I would budget a few days for consultation and delays... this is a 3 month minimum journey. A few days earlier won't hurt. Plus it'll be good to visit the historical sites in the city which you wouldn't be able to post-surgery.
b) There's nothing uncomfortable about sitting at a desk and using a computer. You don't feel pain when doing that. The pain only exists when you move (for week 1) or are walking.
Quote from: infinity&beyond on January 04, 2021, 07:20:33 AMAs mentioned thnks for yr diary. Love the brevity, no fluff here.
Regarding this vid do you have a pre-LL walking vid to compare this to? Not sure if just me, or perhaps u had skinny legs before, but it looks like the 4cm has transformed u lol. Would love some perspective by way of an old walking video if u have one.
Quote from: infinity&beyond on January 02, 2021, 12:46:51 AMWonder how he’s going 🧐
Sorry all for the delay! Have been busy settling into my new city. I don't have an old video of me walking.
Here is an updated video (6 weeks post-distraction). Note that due to slightly bent nails, I didn't want to risk training too hard in the first few weeks and bend the nails so stayed off strength exercises until last week.
I'll note:
+My walking gait has improved considerably, particularly in the last week, although still a bit stiff. Most noticeably, I don't have as much of the penguin body swings and wide legs anymore. Most of the improvement has happened in the last week and has been due to a mixture of flexibility and strengthening exercises
+As others have pointed, I start to do body swings again if I get tired
+I weigh 65kg now, which is about the same as my pre-surgery weight and 6kg higher than my post-surgery weight (think I was at 59kg at the bottom)
+I have resumed going to PT a few times a week after 4 weeks
+I can stand up continuously without feeling tired. I don't need to sit down after a while
+I can probably walk 500m-1km without any issues (but haven't really tried)
+I can now do stairs up and down with no big issues
+I can get up from a chair with just my legs now (although with effort)
+I cannot put underwear on without holding onto something although hopefully this will improve soon
+I cannot do doggystyle thrusts properly yet, the pelvic area remains tight
+I cannot touch my toes (about 5 cms off)
+I cannot run yet
double post
Wow the walk looks awesome mate! It's crazy how quickly things seem to improve once the consolidation phase begins. If I can walk like that at 6 weeks consolidation I will be extremely happy! Look forward to seeing your continued recovery.
Do you feel any pain when you walk at all?
Thanks!!
What's Giotikas's policy on doing nerve decompression during the first surgery and how much extra does it cost? I know Dr. Janet Conway does nerve decompression preemptively to prevent nerve problems later
Quote from: m7liam on January 05, 2021, 07:07:04 AM
Hi m7liam,
Congrats. on the major progress. Keep up the great work!
Also since there was some negative discussions here, I'd like to share my honest opinion as well! You look handsome as hell man! like blockbuster movie hero handsome! I bet you have a great personality too. Please don't get negative energy from negative posts.
That's amazing progress. Can't believe you look this great walking so quickly.
P.S. you might want to edit the video because you didn't blur it correctly and there are mirrors.
Did most patients who were doing both segments stay in Greece for the 3-4 weeks in between to go to the PT center/see Dr. Giotikas in between surgeries?
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