Re: Alittletooshort
My experience with Dr. Betz has been great so far. I'm living at Elke's house, which is close to Dr. Betz's home and the Komfortklinik. There are numerous other patients here as well. All have had a solid experience so far, with varying stages of lengthening or recovery. Since leaving the hospital, I've seen Dr. Betz 1-2 times a month, at least, either at Elke's house or at the physiotherapist's place. He is a cordial guy, who has tremendous faith in his nail and surgical methods. He has consistently answered my questions as best as possible. Right after my surgery, when I was still in the Komfortklinik, I had some worries that arose after a few patients introduced them to me, e.g. nail weakness, incorrect final heights, etc. However, Dr. Betz answered every last one of them very well and alleviated my concerns. Since then, he has followed along with my process diligently, and has given me worthwhile criticism or praise. Additionally, if I ever have any sudden questions, he's just one phone call away.
Fortunately, the complications I've had have been minimal. I had an excellent condition after surgery. I could even walk well without crutches. However, just before 2cm, I overstretched and badly strained my right groin. I had this groin issue since I was in high school, but it had pretty much disappeared when I started my various exercise regimens in college. Unfortunately, it came back in the worst of ways. Resting and tentatively working through this deep strain hurt every facet of my condition. I had to walk with a bad limp, my legs became much wider, and the muscles (hamstrings, quads, etc.) in both legs lost quite a bit in flexibility. Finally, after 4.5 cm, the groin issue had resolved itself, but I was still left with the problems I had just mentioned. According to my physiotherapist, Peter Woll, I was in a really bad place, considering my condition prior to the strain. However, we strongly worked on each individual problem during the subsequent physio sessions, and I attempted to correct these problems every chance I got, on my own. I avoided cheating with my walking - forcing the legs closer, keeping my pelvis and back straight, and attempting to develop a more appropriate gait. Regardless if my leg muscles were tired, I never hopped or swung on my crutches to move myself, in lieu of walking. Eventually, around 6 cm, my walking was pretty good again. Nevertheless, I had lost some flexibility in my left quadricep, though it was still greater than the minimum 90 degree flexion, and my hamstrings were a work in progress.
I should mention that I fell down once. I immediately had an accidental click and an inner thigh bruise. Fortunately, my arms were out, so they reduced the force of the impact. I was worried that something might have happened to the nail, but after informing Dr. Betz and evaluating the situation with Peter for the next week or two, I was relieved that nothing came of this fall. A few weeks later, I had my mid-lengthening x-rays at the hospital and they further proved that there were no issues.
- Raisin Bran
