Quote from: DanishViking on July 26, 2023, 06:55:32 PMDo you believe I with a starting height of about 166 cm would be able to walk decently at 5 months in, doing like 7 cm femurs precice and travelling home without assistance or crutches throughout the airport going home to main country without issues?
Also did you do anthing to speed up the recovery process? 
It's possible, but I wouldn't plan on it just to be on the safe side. The worst case scenario here is you have to go through the airport in a wheelchair. You get to skip the line and are first to board the aircraft.
I didn't do anything to speed up the process. I actually had to do things to slow down the process lol. I had early consolidation problems throughout the lengthening process because the bone was regenerating too quickly, but was able to get to 8cm before it did. Was doing like 2mm a day on the right leg by the end of it in order to beat it.
Precice 2.2. vs G-Nail - Need your thoughts
I did gnail, with Giotikas too as it happens. Don't regret it, glad I chose it over precise.
You'll find in Athens the majority (around an 80/20 split) are using gnail. The precise users tend to be Americans who are extremely concerned about muh FDA approval.
1+2) I wouldn't however really say one was better than the other and the majority of people got the results they wanted no matter the nail they were using. Precise makes going to physio harder work as you will need to use your wheelchair and walker to get in the taxi, whereas gnail patients can ditch the wheelchair very early on and eventually just use crutches. You won't be having a massive social life whatever the nail used, I didn't really see many gnail patients going sightseeeing or socialising and neither did I - in theory in might be possible but in reality I (and seemingly everyone else) was just too tired to do it, and 'full weight bearing' doesn't mean you won't get drained of your energy quickly when out walking. All I saw anyone manage was going to a restaurant for lunch, and even that was rare, most people were strictly staying home and ordering food in and only really went out when it was time to go to physio.
3) Yes flying home would certainly be easier with the weight bearing nail, although it's not like Precise patients couldn't fly home either. You just have to arrange an airport transfer with a taxi who will carry your bags for you, get a trolley at the airport etc - it's doable. Gnail patients were up and walking quicker and back to 'normal life' faster, that's true.
4) It can be difficult and painful at the start, almost everyone finds it gets easier with time. For some people it's easy right from day 1. I never met any patient in Athens who had to stop lengthening early because of this, although for sure at the start it's challenging and time consuming whereas Precise is easy.
5) Nail bending (not breaking) was a significant issue, but it wasn't limited to Precise or Gnail alone. There was a not insignificant minority of people who bent their nails, so you have to be careful no matter what you choose (and even then it's possible just to be unlucky).
Quote from: Tehn84 on July 27, 2023, 09:10:50 PMI did gnail, with Giotikas too as it happens. Don't regret it, glad I chose it over precise.
You'll find in Athens the majority (around an 80/20 split) are using gnail. The precise users tend to be Americans who are extremely concerned about muh FDA approval.
From the Godfather of limb lengthening surgery himself:
“He sought a fully implantable lengthening solution. When the Albizzia femoral nail, developed by Guichet and Grammont, became available, he worked with the French company that made that nail to develop a tibial lengthening Albizzia for stature lengthening. He started using the femoral and tibial Albizzia in 1996.
The severe pain experienced by patients from the 15° rotation of the thigh through the break in the bone, as well as several implant failures, lead him to stop using this non-FDA approved device. This device is still being used in Europe under the name Guichet nail and Betz-Bone. While they have modified this nail to a small extent, it is still the original Albizzia nail that Dr. Paley abandoned in the 1990's. There are much better devices now and the use of this older nail should be abandoned.”
G-Nail isn't terrible and it's safe enough, imo, but it's not the latest or greatest piece of technology for limb lengthening out there.
Here's also Dr. Birkholtz view on G-Nail on the latest episode of the Cyborg4Life videos:
Quote from: GrowGrow123 on July 27, 2023, 10:46:09 PMFrom the Godfather of limb lengthening surgery himself:
“He sought a fully implantable lengthening solution. When the Albizzia femoral nail, developed by Guichet and Grammont, became available, he worked with the French company that made that nail to develop a tibial lengthening Albizzia for stature lengthening. He started using the femoral and tibial Albizzia in 1996.
The severe pain experienced by patients from the 15° rotation of the thigh through the break in the bone, as well as several implant failures, lead him to stop using this non-FDA approved device. This device is still being used in Europe under the name Guichet nail and Betz-Bone. While they have modified this nail to a small extent, it is still the original Albizzia nail that Dr. Paley abandoned in the 1990's. There are much better devices now and the use of this older nail should be abandoned.”
G-Nail isn't terrible and it's safe enough, imo, but it's not the latest or greatest piece of technology for limb lengthening out there.
The thing is Paley is speaking from a doctors perspective not a patients. Maybe precise is "safer", that doesn't neccesrily mean better. You have to balance safety against convenience and obviously its a lot more convenient to have weightbearing. Paley doesn't give a damn if your life sucks while you're lengthening, or if you don't hit your goal because of this, if you got 3cm lengthened and then had a full recovery he'd consider that a good outcome.
"Severe" pain is pushing it a bit and I never saw anyone who had to quit early because of pain. Its true Precise has an easier lengthening method but its harder to do basic things like go to the bathroom, get in a taxi, go to a restaurant and of course it's a longer recovery period. Pick your poison, both have pluses and minuses and only the most blinkered can't accept that.
If it matters, gnail can also lengthen up to 10cm, whereas Precise is maxed at 8cm. Yeah yeah, Paley says 8cm maximum but its not like no one ever recovered who went above 8cm, he only says 8 because its a lower risk option and so better from the doctors perspective.
How many cm you did? what were your previous height?
Quote from: otaviognu on July 27, 2023, 11:38:11 PMHow many cm you did? what were your previous height?
I did 8.5cm, started at 170cm.
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