Stand Taller diary - The first day of the rest of my life (Betz Bone 14.01.2022)

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Quote from: Stand taller on January 16, 2023, 07:27:11 PMI appreciate your feedback, but the thing you have to understand is that where are not all the same. Our bodies react to this procedure differently, and different people have different problems and issues. No two stories are the same and cannot be compared directly. There is a diary here on the forum from years ago where two friends lengthening at the same time and did around the same amount of lengthening. One of the friends developed duckass and wide legs, while the other friend did not. The one that did develop these complications also spent like three times more the amount on stretching than the other guy. There is no right or wrong here, just different bodies reacting differently.

I am glad you are have been able to walk better than me, have less duck ass than me and been able to stretch as much as 4 hours every day. But if you have read all of my posts I didn't stretch for "only" 2 hours every day because I didn't want to, but because that was the limit my body was able to handle. Believe me when I say I tried and I wanted, there is nothing wrong with my power of will. In my 20s I played sports at a very high level, so I know what pushing my body to the limit feels like over years. I even prepared three months in advance, stretching every day.

I have had weeks where I have fell a sleep on the sofa for hours at random times in the day because I was completely exhausted. If you can't stay awake enough hours it doesn't matter how much time you spend on stretching if can't do anything else.

For months at my physiotherapist at the time I stopped clicking I had such bad duckass and poor range of motion because of it as well as the stiffness we used to strap myself to the bench with belts using the electric motors to pull me flat. We did this until I screamed in pain until I couldn't handle it. Read that again, I was so stiff that me pushing while be used all of his power and body wright wasn't enough to stretch me. The only thing that worked was an electric motor.

You may think my story is strange, but believe me - you where never even close to how bad I was. And if you where you'd have a little more sympathy and understanding. You wouldn't saying things like "that's so strange, because I didn't have those problems".

Here is a photo of me strapped to the bench.

https://freeimage.host/i/HauJrHx

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And also dude, just found your diary. You are 21! And am close to 40 now, that's gonna make A HUGE DIFFERENCE! There is no comparing our stories.

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Quote from: Stand taller on January 16, 2023, 08:20:29 PMTook x-rays of my femurs, but not my tibias. Not sure why they would x-ray my tibias when doing surgery on my femurs though?

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Quote from: RealLostSoul on January 16, 2023, 08:52:27 PMDamn yea sorry you had to experience this. Sucks.
I agree obviously everyone is different, I am not blaming you for anything. Just gave my thoughts. To me I still need to calculate and stretch after pain killers. They give me the energy to do it and sometimes i do long 3h sessions when they kick in.  And in the evening i got the support from my father who helps me squeeze the last part of the stretching. I can totally second how terribly exhausting it is. I say it feels like being totally dead already and still forced to do it like in a labor camp.
But sadly I found out it‘s just more about the quantity rather than the quality of the stretch. Of course not stretching hard enough is bad but we rather just need the total time. That‘s the important part.

On a good note, I am jealous you could do 11.5! That‘s amazing. I have to quit at 11. I would also go to 11.5 but after the last xray I was told my maximum is 11 and any further would be too risky and I am not allowed.
Regards.

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Quote from: hippo60 on January 16, 2023, 09:13:43 PMFair enough. For my consultation they x-rayed the entire leg, but I guess if it was already decided to do femurs then it doesn't make sense.

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Quote from: Stand taller on January 16, 2023, 09:56:15 PMIt's okay, it's all in the past now. I mean stretching is still pain and I push myself through that pain every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with my PT, but it is all worth it. But I have nothing close to the pain and lack of range of motion I had until September/October. And I am getting and better every day now, so I am past the worst of it. I am at a point where I can do stretching exercises many times a day now, and as you say it has more to do with the quantity rather than the quality. I do it first thing out of bed, after breakfast, every time I get out of the car, in the evening watching series I can do many different types of exercises and even when I go to bed. But there was a period of time where I couldn't do more than two, maybe three hours the days I went to my PT.

Yeah, 11,5cm is LIFE CHANGING! It's a crazy thing having been short for the past 25 or so years, since I was a teenager. And then suddenly I am as tall as most of my friends and even taller than some. So my height neurosis is completely gone, 100%. 11,1cm is crazy too, especially with your starting height of 5 foot 10, so how tall are you know then? 6 foot 2? Closer do 6 foot 3? Insane!

Quote from: Stand taller on January 16, 2023, 10:02:56 PMMy pre-opt preparation was kind of rushed, but totally my fault and nothing to do with Dr Betz and Dr Becker. I was supposed to have my surgery on the 10th, but because I something came up I had to postpone it. Initially the whole thing was pushed back like 4 weeks I think, but then a patient from China had issues with his Covid-19 vaccination card. I took that slot and flew down the day before, and the x-rays where done just a few hours before surgery. So I think because everything was kind of last minute they only did the femurs, but not sure if they normally do tibias though.

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Quote from: RealLostSoul on January 16, 2023, 10:16:03 PMGreat to hear man! I am sure soon you will be recovered totally. How much sports can you do now? How about dancing in the club?

Well if everything goes according to plan I will be 6‘2.5 (189cm). But rn I can‘t even measure properly because of the duckass. It‘s taking away 2-3cm. Did you also experience that?


Normally they did the full leg from front and sides for me.

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Quote from: Stand taller on January 16, 2023, 10:02:56 PMSo I think because everything was kind of last minute they only did the femurs, but not sure if they normally do tibias though.

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Quote from: Stand taller on January 17, 2023, 06:39:57 PMI had my Facetime meeting with Dr Becker today, just discussing my progress and what to expect in the months to come. As I've written here before, Dr Becker has been my main contact person, and also the one who did the surgery on me under supervision of Dr Betz. I've only med Dr Betz a few times, but met with Dr Becker several times a day when I was in Germany. Dr Betz is great, but I think Dr Becker being much younger (guessing in his early 40s) he just has an awesome vibe.

We where talking a little about my duckass and range of motion and he said that it is hard if not impossible to compare my or any journey with anybody else's - because we are all different. He said some people develop duckass, while other don't - some develop wide legs while others don't etc. In my case I did develop severe duck ass, that will still probably take 2 - 3 months to resolve 100%.

I can also now jog very lightly, and even though I haven't gotten my latest x-rays yet I am probably fine doing that based on how I feel. I feel stronger and more solid than ever. Because of how the Betz bone works, your tibia will rotate in relation to your femur and can be described as walking on egg shells. It's a strange sensation, and will go away once the bone starts to consolidate properly. I don't have any of this rotation anymore, and even when I try to rotate my tibia it won't - so therefor my legs feel very solid now.

Doing the activities I did today, delivering and picking up in day care, going to meeting, going shopping and walking back and forth from my car I've walked around 1km - which I think is a new milestone. I am feeling better with more stamina every day, and I think I soon can do more. Dr Becker told me though to try 1km for a week, then next week try 2km etc. But after dinner today I crashed on the sofa, falling a sleep from exhaustion. I'll keep pushing though and keep up the progress!

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Quote from: lessthanavg8300 on January 17, 2023, 09:18:33 PMCongrats on getting to where you are, you're in the final stretch.

Question: when you first got the operation, did you have the "pinwheel effect" on your legs where they would basically glide and rotate when standing.  Or were they stable and the nail would not turn easily?  My left has some movement and Im hoping that goes away early in consolidation.