Have questions you'd like to ask someone who had LL six years ago? Ask them here

Edit Post

Do you think it might become a problem as you grow older?
Especially the stiffness part?

Edit Post

LL has been around for a long time.  There've been thousands of cases of CLL and probably hundreds of thousands of non-cosmetic cases since it was invented by Professor Ilizarov.  Nobody's reported major long-term problems as far as I know of, or one would think doctors would've have stopped doing it by now.

So I don't think my problems will get any worse than they are now.  However, if I do have problems in the future I'll definitely share them here, or at whatever LL forum exists by then.

Edit Post

Right now I am unable to do a lot of the physio exercises or walk because of the pain in both legs. The most I can do is stand for maybe 15 or 20 minutes at a time because of the soreness in the leg muscles. I know you said the thicker patients had a harder time lengthening in Beijing. What were the problems they faced from what you could tell? Was it just more pain during the lengthening? Did they seem to recover as well as the other patients once the lengthening was finished?

Edit Post

Standing works wonders and is a great form of PT for LL patients.  As long as you can stand you're all right, so don't worry too much about the other exercises.  I was one of the lazy ones, just doing standing for my PT, and I eventually caught up to the more active patients.

Yes, pain was the main complaint from the big guys.  They had a lot more tissue to provide resistance, therefore they had more stretching and ripping going on.  Larger patients had more wires in Beijing, but it looks like Dr. Parihar is using those two big bolts in the front of your tibiae to deal with your larger size.  I have a small frame and got away with just the four wires.  Here's an excerpt of what Sober42Long had to say about having thick legs and getting LL:

QuoteI look back at my experience here at the hospital and the only thing I can tell you is the only thing I can honestly remember? Pain.  This entire process for me, the past 4 months is one giant blur of pain.  Although my stature is not very high, my body is very wide and stocky.  I had approximately 8% body fat and extremely toned body.  My calves were very large and well-developed from jogging 3-5 times a week.  I was actually given the largest frames the hospital has, which are generally given to dwarves.  (large frames are not necessarily good.  they are heavier and require more pins in your legs) Perhaps if my calves were more girly and were scrawnier I would have had significantly less pain.  My advice to those who wish to undergo this process is to UN-develop your lower legs.  Make them as girly and scrawny, soft and giggly as possible, and stretch them to be a gooey, pliable muscle and that will in my opinion prepare your legs to be stretched 3 inches.  Large, muscular and firm calves are not conducive to a pleasant LL experience because the muscle density is greater and generally tougher to stretch which will cause more pain. (Hence, another reason why women experience little or no pain, and can be stretched far more centimeters than men)
He got out okay in the end.

Edit Post

But that is what i don't get. I got exreme pain sensitivity like if i really knuckle hit my leg it hurts like bad bad. Where my face goes into the position of screaming without actually screaming. It wasnt like this before but i guess depression and inactivity does that to you. So maybe before surgery i should do some muy thai kicks or something to harder my pain sensitivity.

Also he said he got 4 months of pain? Well did he not have pain killers to take?.

Also my calves have gotten juicy from all my shoe lifts i have marched several miles with.

Edit Post

i had very large legs... so i have heavy frames and large bolts too..... my calves were enormous, very firm...   ii think ballerina was unavoidable for a guy like me...

this feels like my diary... i only do standing for pt too

Edit Post

Quote from: Slim_tim on July 27, 2014, 05:22:43 PMAlso he said he got 4 months of pain? Well did he not have pain killers to take?.

Because of China's bad history with opium, their culture is very conservative about giving out opioid pain medications.  And some LL pain is so bad (especially from accidental sudden movements) that even medication can't stop it.

Edit Post

Medium, you mention that having longer tibias means having shorter strides, and that you have to take more steps than a natural 5'10 person. Do you also have to take more steps than when you were at your original height? Do you have to take more steps than a natural 5'7 person? 

Edit Post

That's a really good question that took some walking around in front of a mirror to answer.  I think they're about the same as they were when I was 5'7 since the length of the stride is mostly determined by how far the femur goes forward.

Edit Post

Can you do LL if you have taken antidepressants in the past? Because they say on old forum  that you can't possibly underdo the surgery, because it screws up your brain chemistry and doctors will never do the surgery in that case.