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Posted on Nov 17, 2015, 9:19 pm
#781


Hi Yellowspike

I have been very quietly following your diary which is great thanks for all the info.

I am intending to have the surgery with Dr G at the Princes Grace Hospital London in December 2015.

I wanted to ask, having been through it all and knowing what you know now would you have considered IT Band Release?

After speaking to a few doctors IT Band Release is a same day in/out operation that takes approx 20mins per leg which if opted for the minimal release can give up to 2cm of length to the IT Band - So I wanted to know why you preferred not to do this?

Thanks

S.Souten

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Posted on Nov 17, 2015, 10:03 pm
#782

In a word, yes.

However, it is my understanding that Dr. G does not perform ITB releases. This may have changed (if it has, I don't know)...but if you have the option, I'd say go for it. It will make lengthening easier and less painful. I may have gotten 8cm with it.

The two main things that limit how much you can lengthen are your soft tissue and (depending on how risk averse or risk loving you are) your bone consolidation throughout the process.

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Posted on Nov 17, 2015, 10:33 pm
#783

Thanks for the swift reply.

Can I ask how many days were you in the Princes Grace Hospital for and who if anyone took you home/wherever you were staying - I ask because normally you have to have someone escort you from the hospital to your home if you have had an operation or did you just call a taxi?

Also where exactly did you stay while in London - I am planning on staying in a Hotel for the first 10 days after being discharged and then commute via train as I live approx. 40 miles from London. - what are your thoughts?

Regards

S. Souten

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Posted on Nov 17, 2015, 11:05 pm
#784

Quote from: YellowSpike on November 17, 2015, 02:06:53 PMCongrats on getting 8cm! How do your proportions look? Maybe you could send me a picture of your proportions? I wish I could have gone to 8cm, but my left leg was just done at around 7cm. The pain got really bad, consolidation in my left leg wasn't great, and I think the soft tissue (at that time) had reached its limit.


I think my proportions are ok, but when I look down my femurs do feel pretty long.  sure thing, lemme figure out a way to take a decent photo of myself and I'll send it you. would be great to get your opinion too


Quote from: YellowSpike on November 17, 2015, 04:06:58 PMIt took me a very long time to walk normally. Like 8 months post-op. I had hip swaying that last a long time (still do, thanks to one of the screws on my left hip). But it's almost gone now, and I'm no longer embarrassed by it. But I walked much sooner unaided (maybe 4 months post-op?).


I fear that it'll end up take me a long time to walk normally too. my consolidation has been so slow that at least 2 people I know who had their surgeries after me started walking unaided weeks before me.  I just started and my walking looks just terrible

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Posted on Nov 17, 2015, 11:07 pm
#785

Quote from: microman on November 17, 2015, 03:24:01 PMgoldenegg what are your stats, new height etc.


hey microman, I went from 5'2 to 5'5

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Posted on Nov 18, 2015, 12:08 am
#786

Quote from: goldenegg on November 17, 2015, 11:05:11 PMI think my proportions are ok, but when I look down my femurs do feel pretty long.  sure thing, lemme figure out a way to take a decent photo of myself and I'll send it you. would be great to get your opinion too


I fear that it'll end up take me a long time to walk normally too. my consolidation has been so slow that at least 2 people I know who had their surgeries after me started walking unaided weeks before me.  I just started and my walking looks just terrible



Yeah I know what you mean. We'll talk offline. I feel like my proportions definitely could have handled 8cm in one go, but I'm actually happy I stopped when I did. This makes me question doing 2cm more on femurs (Dr. G is adamant that my proportions could even handle 5cm more, lol, but I think he's a bit crazy with that remark, maybe 2cm more max). Walking after lengthening 7cm and up on femurs looks ugly for a long time (and this is something that I don't think is discussed or disclosed nearly enough as it should be). Only recently have I become satisfied with my walking. I can jog, and stairs are now no problem too.

With regards to consolidation, that and soft tissue elasticity are really the deciding factors for how well and how fast we can recover. And it has nothing to do with age...I've seen young patients (young 20s) take forever to consolidate while older men above 40 consolidated super fast. They need to come up with a way to make the bones consolidate faster to make this a more viable surgery (aside from the astronomical costs).

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Posted on Nov 18, 2015, 12:16 am
#787

Yellow, has anyone actually pointed out your proportions in anyway? Considering you are returning to normal life now for the time being, have you taken greater note of your proportions compared to others? It's practically a reason why I recommend going tibia route (even though I am in the camp of 5'8 is fine for life). What's your cycling inseam btw?


Quote from: goldenegg on November 17, 2015, 11:05:11 PMI think my proportions are ok, but when I look down my femurs do feel pretty long.  sure thing, lemme figure out a way to take a decent photo of myself and I'll send it you. would be great to get your opinion too


goldenegg, do you think I could also possibly see your proportions. I can promise wholesomely that I won't show anyone else the pictures, a reference might help me out here. Thanks

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Posted on Nov 18, 2015, 5:33 am
#788

Quote from: YellowSpike on November 18, 2015, 12:08:13 AM
Yeah I know what you mean. We'll talk offline. I feel like my proportions definitely could have handled 8cm in one go, but I'm actually happy I stopped when I did. This makes me question doing 2cm more on femurs (Dr. G is adamant that my proportions could even handle 5cm more, lol, but I think he's a bit crazy with that remark, maybe 2cm more max). Walking after lengthening 7cm and up on femurs looks ugly for a long time (and this is something that I don't think is discussed or disclosed nearly enough as it should be). Only recently have I become satisfied with my walking. I can jog, and stairs are now no problem too.

With regards to consolidation, that and soft tissue elasticity are really the deciding factors for how well and how fast we can recover. And it has nothing to do with age...I've seen young patients (young 20s) take forever to consolidate while older men above 40 consolidated super fast. They need to come up with a way to make the bones consolidate faster to make this a more viable surgery (aside from the astronomical costs).


How long post-op did it take you to be able to walk up stairs? I'm 4.5 months post-op and I have trouble even standing up and getting off my bed. Is it mainly lack of leg muscles that prevent you from doing these things or bone consolidation?

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Posted on Nov 18, 2015, 7:57 am
#789

yellowspike you must do something as soon as possible, otherwise you will go crazy.

Quote from: goldenegg on November 17, 2015, 11:07:25 PMhey microman, I went from 5'2 to 5'5


ah okay, did you say you are planning tibia.

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Posted on Nov 18, 2015, 1:54 pm
#790

Quote from: microman on November 18, 2015, 07:57:43 AMyellowspike you must do something as soon as possible, otherwise you will go crazy.


As if I haven't already microman?  Yellowspike - Dr. Guichet, Internal Femurs, Late 2014

There is no way I'm going to be happy until I'm at least 5'9". I never would have thought that an inch would make so much of a difference...but I feel like that last inch would have made me legit average (or so minutely beneath it, that it would be hardly discernible in most situations). And even though I know I told you guys that I was happy I stopped when I did (for safety/recovery reasons, I actually still am), I still beat myself up for maybe not working as hard as I should have. I really thought I gave this my all, and never missed a single session of PT. I wonder how I would have felt if I made it to 7.5/8cm. But whatever.

Whether I accept bad proportions for a lower cost and super fast recovery (only 10 days to click to get 2.5cm...super tempting...) or break my tibias remains to be seen. But definitely, definitely will be more broken bones in my future. And it's just as well...LL was actually the third time in my life that I've suffered from broken legs. I'm like Humpty Dumpty who has (so far) been able to been put back together millions of times. I've broken my ankles twice before in the past, but was also a lot younger (and braver).


Quote from: DoingItForMe on November 18, 2015, 05:33:28 AMHow long post-op did it take you to be able to walk up stairs? I'm 4.5 months post-op and I have trouble even standing up and getting off my bed. Is it mainly lack of leg muscles that prevent you from doing these things or bone consolidation?



Oh yeah, you're gonna be having issues for a while. I was doing stairs where you are now (4-4.5 months post-op) but was doing them VERY slowly and carefully. My apartment has stairs, so I had lots of practice with and without crutches. It's only been in the past 2 months (8-9 months post-op) where both of my legs began to feel strong enough where I trusted them to do stairs exactly as I used to before the surgery (fast, and without holding any railings). And it's only in the past 6 weeks where my legs and ass have started to look like their old muscular selves again Yellowspike - Dr. Guichet, Internal Femurs, Late 2014

The two things that make recovery from femurs (as far as normal walking) take forever are bone consolidation and soft tissue, but the soft tissue is much worse. My bones consolidated faster (although slow per Dr. G's high standards), but to give you an example...my left leg (the evil leg) had this scary pain at the end of clicking. It was this freaky, worrying pain that would literally shoot down my entire leg when I moved it certain ways, and only just stopped about 2.5-3 months ago (fairly recently). I think that my left leg's soft tissue had been stretched to its limit at the time, but has recovered nicely.

If I were you, I would now focus on stretching your hip flexors and strengthening your gluteus medius. Hip swaying is caused by weak glute medius muscles as well as hip flexor tightness (and to a lesser extent, duckass is kinda involved too).

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