Quote from: RB on March 29, 2021, 12:47:20 PMHey pownzorgeek,
I plan to provide an update every cm lengthened but happy to answer your questions. The hospital was ok, not a state of the art facility but a standard hospital. I personally had a roomate who was also doing CLL but other patients had their own room. Yes it is quiet at night and you have a bathroom in the room where you can brush your teeth and have a shower. It took me about 4 days until I could have a shower standing up without using the chair in the shower.
Hi RB, didn't know you were planning to do so, great. All the same, thanks for the update.
To be honest, I am interested in doing the surgery with Betz, but I am afraid of some of the things I have read in this forum, like the IT band not being released, the nail clicking being painful, and somehow the idea that if you have any kind of problem, he's just gonna ghost you. I don't know if it's true, I hope not though.
RB - Femurs with Dr. Betz - March 2021
Quote from: pownzorgeek on March 30, 2021, 07:06:03 PM
Hi RB, didn't know you were planning to do so, great. All the same, thanks for the update.
To be honest, I am interested in doing the surgery with Betz, but I am afraid of some of the things I have read in this forum, like the IT band not being released, the nail clicking being painful, and somehow the idea that if you have any kind of problem, he's just gonna ghost you. I don't know if it's true, I hope not though.
No problem.
The lack of IT band release is a valid concern as I was also concerned about this. You’re more likely to develop wide legs and duck ass if it isn’t released but that being said majority of patients it’s not severe and improves shortly after lengthening, and you also have the option of doing an IT band release with another doc if it really hasn’t improved.
Clicking is very individual. For myself it hasn’t been too bad at all. The first click is painful but after that it’s quite smooth and there is some aching in the muscles after a clicking session but that’s quite normal. Some patients do say it’s painful though.
I don’t believe that he will just ghost you if you have issues. Maybe there have been situations but I’d take what you read on the forum about Betz or any doctor with a grain of salt as people have their own agendas here and when you go through LL you realise that most of what people talk about here is bull . 90% of people on this forum will never do the surgery.
My experience so far with Betz has been great and I will always call it like it is should that change.
Feel free to ask any more questions.
3rd of April 2021 - 23 days post-surgery (2.1cm taller)
Hey guys,
Thought I would update as I cross the 2cm mark.
Overall pain continues to be manageable, especially during the day. At night I am relying on painkillers to get through the night and am taking slightly more than I should as I wake up every 2 hours in pain and discomfort. Sleep is still easily the worst part of LL and really messes with your mood. I suspect the medication also causes mood swings as my mood will fluctuate throughout the day.
I have some slight tightness of the IT band which has resulted in mild wide legs. This seems to be a common issue among LL'ers, especially if it isn't released during surgery, however at this stage it isn't too bad and if I make a conscious effort to keep my legs close when walking, it isn't that noticeable. I am stretching 3 times per day to help loosen up the core muscle groups for femur lengthening - quads, hamstrings, IT band and hip flexors. I am also trying to walk as much as I can and my gait is fairly good with the crutches, although due to tightness my legs get fatigued quite easily and I have to stop and rest quite often. In terms of walking unassisted, I am able to walk around my room to the bathroom etc in the form of a penguin style walk but I am cautious and will use the crutches 90% of the time until I feel more comfortable.
My emotional state is quite fragile as I am now at the point where I just want to be home around my family and gf. I know that things will become infinitely easier from a mental standpoint when I am back home in familiar surroundings (leaving Germany in 1 week).
Physically, I am doing quite well with no major issues to report aside from wide legs and the usual muscle aches and pains. I have split my clicking sessions into 2 per day (10 in the morning and 9 in the late afternoon) = 0.988mm per day as doing all 19 clicks at once is just too much for the soft tissues to handle and I end up extremely tight.
I am trying to see if I can notice the height gain all the time 
, but I guess 2cm isn't enough to be able to tell visually and I am also not around people I know. It will be interesting to see if I notice a difference when I am back home between that 3-4cm mark.
I will have an x-ray before I leave next Friday so will keep everyone updated with progress.
As always, feel free to ask any questions.
Quote from: RB on April 03, 2021, 05:07:00 PM3rd of April 2021 - 23 days post-surgery (2.1cm taller)
Hey guys,
Thought I would update as I cross the 2cm mark.
Overall pain continues to be manageable, especially during the day. At night I am relying on painkillers to get through the night and am taking slightly more than I should as I wake up every 2 hours in pain and discomfort. Sleep is still easily the worst part of LL and really messes with your mood. I suspect the medication also causes mood swings as my mood will fluctuate throughout the day.
I have some slight tightness of the IT band which has resulted in mild wide legs. This seems to be a common issue among LL'ers, especially if it isn't released during surgery, however at this stage it isn't too bad and if I make a conscious effort to keep my legs close when walking, it isn't that noticeable. I am stretching 3 times per day to help loosen up the core muscle groups for femur lengthening - quads, hamstrings, IT band and hip flexors. I am also trying to walk as much as I can and my gait is fairly good with the crutches, although due to tightness my legs get fatigued quite easily and I have to stop and rest quite often. In terms of walking unassisted, I am able to walk around my room to the bathroom etc in the form of a penguin style walk but I am cautious and will use the crutches 90% of the time until I feel more comfortable.
My emotional state is quite fragile as I am now at the point where I just want to be home around my family and gf. I know that things will become infinitely easier from a mental standpoint when I am back home in familiar surroundings (leaving Germany in 1 week).
Physically, I am doing quite well with no major issues to report aside from wide legs and the usual muscle aches and pains. I have split my clicking sessions into 2 per day (10 in the morning and 9 in the late afternoon) = 0.988mm per day as doing all 19 clicks at once is just too much for the soft tissues to handle and I end up extremely tight.
I am trying to see if I can notice the height gain all the time , but I guess 2cm isn't enough to be able to tell visually and I am also not around people I know. It will be interesting to see if I notice a difference when I am back home between that 3-4cm mark.
I will have an x-ray before I leave next Friday so will keep everyone updated with progress.
As always, feel free to ask any questions.
Hi RB, thanks for the update. The sleep issue is also something on my mind. I know that if I don't sleep well a few days I get tired and grumpy. So I know what you mean.
How flexible were you before the surgery? And have you asked the doctor if you could slow down a bit to 0.75 mm per day? Maybe that could help.
Quote from: pownzorgeek on April 04, 2021, 05:42:19 PMHi RB, thanks for the update. The sleep issue is also something on my mind. I know that if I don't sleep well a few days I get tired and grumpy. So I know what you mean.
How flexible were you before the surgery? And have you asked the doctor if you could slow down a bit to 0.75 mm per day? Maybe that could help.
I was quite flexible prior to LL, especially my hamstrings (I could palm the floor with legs extended). My quads and hamstrings have been pretty good so far, but the IT band and hip flexors are the challenge.
The plan with the Dr was to go to 3cm at 1mm per day then switch to 0.75mm after that so seeing as I am less than a week away from 3cm, I will continue that plan unless the X-ray shows I have very fast bone growth.
Hows it going RB
is clicking getting progressively more painful or less painful, and how is your wide legs atm
hoping youre doing okay, you almost half way there
cheers
14th of April 2021 - 35 days post-surgery (3.1cm taller)
Hey guys,
I have finally hit the 3cm mark. It's crazy how quick this process goes by, even if it feels like the days sometimes last forever. I am now back in my home country, currently quarantining in a government hotel for 2 weeks (which absolutely sucks but it needs to be done before I can go back to my home). I left Germany on the 10th of April after a terrific 3 week stay at Elke's house. I cannot say enough about how great the stay at Elke's was and how lovely of a lady she is. Now that I am on my own in a hotel room, I realise how much assistance she provided and how good her cooking was . I also met some other former patients who were there for nail or screw removal surgeries and they provided some excellent advice and info for the remaining process ahead. If anyone is considering where to stay after the hospital, definitely stay with Elke.
In terms of the last cm, it has largely been similar to the one before it. Basically all my surgical pains have gone with the exception of some slight sharp pain in my right hip which pops up from time to time. Walking with the crutches is similar and walking unassisted is still limited to very small distances due to the tightness of the IT band and the weakness of the glutes, but that being said I am very mobile and independent.
Quote from: Serilium on April 13, 2021, 09:33:55 PMHows it going RB
is clicking getting progressively more painful or less painful, and how is your wide legs atm
hoping youre doing okay, you almost half way there
cheers
Hey Serilium,
Clicking is almost painless now. The right leg is ridiculously easy to click, while the left is a bit stiffer and takes a bit longer to click, but is also as painless as the right. The wide legs are still there but they haven't become any worse as of yet which is a good sign.
This process is very mentally draining and full of discomfort. I cannot wait for the day I finish clicking but I know there is still a lot of work to be done before I get there. Being alone in the hotel room, being unable to even have fresh air is tough but I know things will improve mentally when I am able to see my family in 10 days.
I have still yet to notice any height difference, although I can definitely notice that my femurs are longer, which is kind of cool to see.
I have also attached an x-ray I took at 2.3cm. Dr. Betz was very happy with the early callus formation and says I am an above average bone grower, which makes me think that I will continue at 19 clicks until at least 4cm to avoid any pre-consolidation issues. Any thoughts?
Feel free to comment and ask questions!
Also guys, how do I upload an image? It's not allowing me to do it through an attachment upload.
Quote from: RB on April 14, 2021, 09:47:52 AMAlso guys, how do I upload an image? It's not allowing me to do it through an attachment upload.
imgbb.com
Quote from: Want-3-inches on April 14, 2021, 11:21:19 AMimgbb.com
Thanks mate
https://ibb.co/jVQmYjV
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