@Djimbo - really sorry to hear that. Sounds like a really rough time, but sounds like from your other posts you are almost done with it as well. Can i suggest maybe speaking to a psychologist? Hope things get better.
@ozboy - thanks for your tips. Clicking is still hard for me but i get through it. I have trouble finding the 1st click on each leg, i have to keep stretching constantly and build up to it, then push to the point of discomfort and i often stop and rest, then build up to it again. Eventually i get the click and its relatively easy after that. but it seems to take me like 15-20 mins each leg to get that first click, its really tiring. I hate that 1st click. Any other tips?
@6 foot and half - if he was with betz then he probably would have got soft release.
Growth.Journey - Femur lengthening w Betz - Sep 2022
Update - 26 days post surgery
I haven't posted here much since getting back. I've just been focussing on getting back to life and developing a routine.
It was such an overwhelming relief to be back in my country. It really makes you appreciate little things. But i also had a sinking feeling that if i couldn't get my clicking right from so far away i would be in trouble and i had absolutely no intention of flying back.
Everything feels surreal coming back to daily life, but i had the best sleep of my entire trip. The familiarity brings a lot of comfort. The next challenge is making sure you can do the clicks and building up a routine around this as well.
I started WFH pretty much 2 days after arriving. So i only had limited time to figure out how and when i would do clicking, drugs, exercise stretching and all that. There is a lot of trial and error. I did my clicks at home and fortunately it was ok. I signed up for my local gym and started working out there similar to physio overseas.
I've decided my process will be going to the gym early in the morning, doing my clicks there, getting a little bit of a workout in then coming home and working from home for 8 hours, whilst stretching throughout the day. Then after work maybe go for a walk in the pool, go to gym or rest.
There's a lot of basic things which are simple normally but hard without help. like shopping, cooking, washing etc. Hopefully you have someone to help you, otherwise its very difficult. I've also noticed people on the street and in my neighbourhood are a lot nicer as they see you on crutches.
Overall, my mornings suck. The clicks are taking a really long time, probably because its early morning and not warmed up properly, plus im doing it immediately after a bath which warms up the muscles. but this is how i want to do it. So it takes me like 30 mins of warmup exercise like bike and machines. Then i stretch for 20 mins. Then i do clicks, and it takes me maybe 15-20 mins each leg to get the first click. Then it takes me about 20 mins each leg to finish the clicks. Then i do a warmdown sesion. Overall this takes a really long time to do and hence why i need to wake up super early to get all this done. but it allows me to get the stuff out of the way first thing and the rest of my day is pretty good and my spirits are high. But yeah mornings really suck.
My approach for clicks at the gym are, get a stretch mat, get a bounce ball and lie against it, get my stretch band and hold up my leg, use my other arm to twist my tibia. With the stretch band i try to rotate my lower knee as well, so you have each arm going in a different direction. Recently i've realised to go a bit faster, but not too fast. i think before i was going too slow and i was hitting that point where you;re just about to click, but i wasn't pushing it and i hit discomfort and stopped. But now im kind of pushing trhough it to get their faster to get the click and the relief. But i think if you go too fast you risk tensing up and then you get pain, so its a balance of staying calm and relaxed but also not taking too long. It's slightly different for the first click because i think i kind of have to warm up the muscles first so i kind of do increasing movements and restting clicks and gradually increasing swing/movement, then eventually once i've warmed up (maybe 15 mins) then i go for the full click. Unfortunately there is usually 1 or 2 where i go right to the point of discomfort and stop and then it hurts more, but i feel like maybe for the first click i can't push too hard or i actually will hurt/sprain, whereas later when im warmed up i can push and its fine. It's a weird feeling to describe but thats my gut feeling, let me know if you have any tips or a different view.
My sleep is decent, only typically waking up maybe 1-2 times per night. I usually just save 1 painkiller from nighttime and take it in the middle of the night if needed. If im really bad and stiff ill take a shower in the middle of the night.
Overall my walking is good, no duckass or widelegs. My stetching is good. My emotions are good (except for mornings). overall im happy but it feels like a major marathon, wheras the initial hospital felt like a sprint. You also have down moments, sometimes when you are feeling useless or have pain and you just feel about it, or in the morning or night when thinking about morning, but for most of the day im happy and that goes a long way. We are going into spring too and the weather is beautiful, sun is shining and birds are chirping, which really helps with elevating my mood. I also think after the pain in the morning, the highs thereafter are extra high.
Overall i've lengthened 2.3cm which isnt much, i can't really tell the height difference at all. But i'll keep going and take it day by day. I really hope clicking gets easier, especially on the first click. i've read in old forums the clicking starts to get easier. Does this happen after a certain length like 3cm? and is it because the nail is longer therefore easier to extend? or is it because people just improve their technique?
Also when is duckass meant to start? I haven't got anything yet but would be good to know so i can keep an eye on it. I haven't gone to physio yet, but I've booked one for next week. honestly i think gym, stretching, walking and hydrotherapy are more important than going to a physio who just teaches you stretches you already know. but ill give it a shot.
I have a lot of baths as it eases my muscles and pain. Hopefully you have a bathtub too.
Overall, if it wasn't for clicking it would be a great process, but its manageable. Will give you an update later.
- Let me know when clicking gets easier and why
- When duckass/widelegs often starts
- Any other tips for clicking, particularly for the 1st click (like should i take an extra muscle relaxer at the gym to help? i might try this)
Hi Growth.journey,
are you still on anticoagulant therapy? Which drugs do you take at the moment?
All the best!
Quote from: Growth.journey on October 16, 2022, 08:22:35 AMUpdate - 26 days post surgery
I haven't posted here much since getting back. I've just been focussing on getting back to life and developing a routine.
It was such an overwhelming relief to be back in my country. It really makes you appreciate little things. But i also had a sinking feeling that if i couldn't get my clicking right from so far away i would be in trouble and i had absolutely no intention of flying back.
Everything feels surreal coming back to daily life, but i had the best sleep of my entire trip. The familiarity brings a lot of comfort. The next challenge is making sure you can do the clicks and building up a routine around this as well.
I started WFH pretty much 2 days after arriving. So i only had limited time to figure out how and when i would do clicking, drugs, exercise stretching and all that. There is a lot of trial and error. I did my clicks at home and fortunately it was ok. I signed up for my local gym and started working out there similar to physio overseas.
I've decided my process will be going to the gym early in the morning, doing my clicks there, getting a little bit of a workout in then coming home and working from home for 8 hours, whilst stretching throughout the day. Then after work maybe go for a walk in the pool, go to gym or rest.
There's a lot of basic things which are simple normally but hard without help. like shopping, cooking, washing etc. Hopefully you have someone to help you, otherwise its very difficult. I've also noticed people on the street and in my neighbourhood are a lot nicer as they see you on crutches.
Overall, my mornings suck. The clicks are taking a really long time, probably because its early morning and not warmed up properly, plus im doing it immediately after a bath which warms up the muscles. but this is how i want to do it. So it takes me like 30 mins of warmup exercise like bike and machines. Then i stretch for 20 mins. Then i do clicks, and it takes me maybe 15-20 mins each leg to get the first click. Then it takes me about 20 mins each leg to finish the clicks. Then i do a warmdown sesion. Overall this takes a really long time to do and hence why i need to wake up super early to get all this done. but it allows me to get the stuff out of the way first thing and the rest of my day is pretty good and my spirits are high. But yeah mornings really suck.
My approach for clicks at the gym are, get a stretch mat, get a bounce ball and lie against it, get my stretch band and hold up my leg, use my other arm to twist my tibia. With the stretch band i try to rotate my lower knee as well, so you have each arm going in a different direction. Recently i've realised to go a bit faster, but not too fast. i think before i was going too slow and i was hitting that point where you;re just about to click, but i wasn't pushing it and i hit discomfort and stopped. But now im kind of pushing trhough it to get their faster to get the click and the relief. But i think if you go too fast you risk tensing up and then you get pain, so its a balance of staying calm and relaxed but also not taking too long. It's slightly different for the first click because i think i kind of have to warm up the muscles first so i kind of do increasing movements and restting clicks and gradually increasing swing/movement, then eventually once i've warmed up (maybe 15 mins) then i go for the full click. Unfortunately there is usually 1 or 2 where i go right to the point of discomfort and stop and then it hurts more, but i feel like maybe for the first click i can't push too hard or i actually will hurt/sprain, whereas later when im warmed up i can push and its fine. It's a weird feeling to describe but thats my gut feeling, let me know if you have any tips or a different view.
My sleep is decent, only typically waking up maybe 1-2 times per night. I usually just save 1 painkiller from nighttime and take it in the middle of the night if needed. If im really bad and stiff ill take a shower in the middle of the night.
Overall my walking is good, no duckass or widelegs. My stetching is good. My emotions are good (except for mornings). overall im happy but it feels like a major marathon, wheras the initial hospital felt like a sprint. You also have down moments, sometimes when you are feeling useless or have pain and you just feel about it, or in the morning or night when thinking about morning, but for most of the day im happy and that goes a long way. We are going into spring too and the weather is beautiful, sun is shining and birds are chirping, which really helps with elevating my mood. I also think after the pain in the morning, the highs thereafter are extra high.
Overall i've lengthened 2.3cm which isnt much, i can't really tell the height difference at all. But i'll keep going and take it day by day. I really hope clicking gets easier, especially on the first click. i've read in old forums the clicking starts to get easier. Does this happen after a certain length like 3cm? and is it because the nail is longer therefore easier to extend? or is it because people just improve their technique?
Also when is duckass meant to start? I haven't got anything yet but would be good to know so i can keep an eye on it. I haven't gone to physio yet, but I've booked one for next week. honestly i think gym, stretching, walking and hydrotherapy are more important than going to a physio who just teaches you stretches you already know. but ill give it a shot.
I have a lot of baths as it eases my muscles and pain. Hopefully you have a bathtub too.
Overall, if it wasn't for clicking it would be a great process, but its manageable. Will give you an update later.
- Let me know when clicking gets easier and why
- When duckass/widelegs often starts
- Any other tips for clicking, particularly for the 1st click (like should i take an extra muscle relaxer at the gym to help? i might try this)
Keep strong, we all know it is a hard journey you are going through but it is worth!
Regarding your questions:
1. In my case it got easier after 3-4 cm before that it took me 1 hour intensive stretching and 1 Hour clicking.
2. I got strong duckass after 4-5 cm. I Never had strong wide legs but I wasnt able to cross them during lenghtening. Now 50 days post clicking I am back to normal. However, i believe this might apply but does not have to do for everyone as everybody is different. I for example only had Betz regular soft release and have done almost 11cm without any Problems.
3. I dont have any trick. It is really try and error. You need to find a workaround which fits best for you.
Hope that helps
Hi all as an update I have just passed 3cm.
Things are going well.
I have mastered the clicking technique and clicking is becoming a breeze. I do it every morning in the gym. I warm up for 30 mins then click for 30-40 mins and I’m done. I am to get this down even further. Maybe 20 mins warm up and 20 mins total clicking. Clicking is painless but it is still tiring and hard, but it’s only 5% as hard as it was. I no longer dread going to sleep to click on the morning, it’s just another task. I owe a lot of thanks to OZboy for his tips on the clicking, it definitely helped me and I know how to do it well with the jangling leg technique.
I have a good routine now and I am working hard on gym, pool walking, stretching , massage and physio, although working 8+ hours a day makes it hard to find time to do as much stretching as I should. Consequently I am starting to feel more stiff and my IT band is feeling quite right, but yet I have no duckass or wide legs yet, just stiffness. Although when I’ve been sitting down for a while when I first get up I’m kind of stopped over until I stretch out my tight body.
I don’t feel a lot taller yet, though I’ve had a few moments going oh wow I’m taller, but it hasn’t really come yet. Thomas the driver said I start to fee it after 5cm - what are others experience? When did you start to feel tall and notice the difference!
My biggest worry is no longer clicking it’s stiffness, it band , duck ass and tight legs coming for me! Any good it band stretches that people can share that really helped? The tightness is really
Uncomfortable sometimes, particularly given I am working from home and sitting many times due to it.
I’m open to questions in my forum now as I don’t think there will be many updates from now , just more of the same stuff and a marathon run form 3cm to 8cm. Wish me luck
Are you walking normally without any support?
Hi
I am really impressed by your posts.
I have meeting with doctor Bitz on 23.11.22 for consultation.
I am male, 168cm height, 37 yrs old.
They told me next available surgery will be on March 2023.
I have a question for you, when did you start to walk without crutches and for how many meters you can walk without them?
Quote from: Growth.journey on October 26, 2022, 06:30:00 AM
I’m open to questions in my forum now as I don’t think there will be many updates from now , just more of the same stuff and a marathon run form 3cm to 8cm. Wish me luck
Thanks for the mention. Happy I could be of help.
Man, you're gonna feel it at 5cm for sure. I giggle (can't help it) everytime I meet somebody I knew and notice that I'm now even or slightly taller.
Hi Moonrise (& baga)
Wow such a long booking time / 6 months. I can imagine it will only get longer as betz steps back , so few options in market and high demand for the services . Plus positive diaries of late can only help. Good luck. To answer your questions , I can walk short distances without crutches but I prefer not to do it. I know of others who ditched their crutches a few months after but I would recommend it.
OZboy - thanks again and looking forward to hitting 5cm! At 0.75mm per day I should hit it mid November. How’s your journey going? Are yo back in oz? Would you have chosen betz or gnail if you could do it again?
Yes, back in Oz.
It feels great. It's good to be away from all those crippled (lol...joking).
I'm doing great. The change in lifestyle, the new challenges to trying to get back to normal life (but with crutches) are making time fly by relatively quick.
I'm also in the process of briefing my GP (done yesterday) about the procedure I've been through and soon I'll go meet the new PT. Starting hydrotherapy and back to the gym.
Still slacking a bit on the work front.
I'm happy with the G-nail still. Never had an issue with clicking. I don't think is that different from the Betz nail. Probably the approach the 2 doctors have is (Betz and Giotikas). I was super happy with Giotikas perhaps more conservative approach and full after care, but it sounds that also many Betz patients are doing just fine.
Man, I think overall they're 2 perfectly valid options. I personally also enjoyed the Greek weather this time of year so, yeah if I had to do it again, I would still choose the G-nail in Greece.
But to be honest, once I'm done with this thing, I don't wanna see an operating table, crutches, pills and what not for a loooonnnngg time.
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