Happy new year everyone. I have been lurking on this forum for the past few years and have been researching on limb lengthening since 2013. I had stopped growing around the age of 18 and have always been my current height of 171cm.
Having short parents, I always knew I would be below/average height. My father is 5'6 and mother is less 5ft. I am Britsh born with an asian background and bred in the good old UK. I am university educated with a degree but working in retail atm. Not my ideal profession but I would love to break into modelling someday (being short doesnt really help).
Now my story: The past few years I have really been unhappy about my height. I knew from the start, I do not hold the 'tallness' genes from looking at my parents. All of my friends are tall in the region of 5'11 to 6'. Always, I mean always, both genders are taller than me. People at work, random strangers who I pass on the street, family members. It has always bothered me. And it doesnt help by being 60kg. I like being slim and ripped. If I had a few inches of height, I would be happy. I wouldnt be perfect; how does anyone define perfect really? I believe chasing what makes us happy makes us perfect. Thats what brought me to this site. I have read many diaries and i really appreciate the people who post regularly.
I have set a target of 6cm on my tibia's with external device. For the past 3 years I have been wearing an 3 inch hidden heal in my trainers and nobody knows about this. I have been measured as 176cm with my lifts in my shoes at a Boots pharmacy a few weeks ago. Not sure if these machines are always right. I am planning to leave or ask for unpaid leave from work at the end of 2015. But unsure which country or doctor to use. The UK is out the question as the NHS do not offer this and the USA/ western europe out of budget. I usually earn about £20K in British pounds ($31k in US and Euro 25K in today rates). The British pound has an excellent curreny exchange rate. I was ideally planning to go india either with Dr. Mangal Parihar or Dr Suhas Shah. Or the Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics. My ideal place would be India but it would be damn hard to obtain a visa to travel. KiloKAHN was the one who helped me make my decision for Dr Parihar and if your reading this, I hope your well!
A few questions:
Would 6cm be noticeable?
I am really thin and with very slim tibia's. My tibia's are all bone really and with hardly any fat. I will post a image of my legs so you guys can see what i mean. Would having slim tibia's help in faster recovery and bone consolidation?
What would be the ideal norm for recovery and back to normal life after frame removal? My plan would be to lengthen, complete the bone consolidation and after I can walk properly again then to leave my host country? Will 8-9 months away from home be enough?
I do boxing and lift weights. Would love to carry on after lengthening? Some have said LL can affect sport performance? By keeping a safe limit of 5-6cm I should be ok?
If i travel to india, the only thing which concerns me is finding accommodation. Now, the surgery itself i can afford, the hassle would be spending a tonne of money on a hotel for 9 months. Plus living on my own and the food... Thats why I have Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics in my list as well. They offer accommodation in their package which can bring costs down.
Hey Dreamer,
Welcome to the forum. 171 cm is a good starting height for one LL surgery to put you in the average range. Getting a visa for Russia seems to be pretty difficult to do right now, and more than one person has gotten into trouble for visa violations due to negligence of the clinics over there. Obtaining a medical visa for India is easy in comparison. You'll just need your GP to write something saying you are not prohibited from seeking treatment in India along with a letter from one of the doctors you wish to see saying that you are going there for treatment. Aside from that it's just a matter of filling in the application form online and sending in all your required documents.
As for your questions.
1) 6 cm is definitely noticeable in the tibias. I've received tons of comments about how long my legs look, and it's even noticeable to myself when looking at them.
2) Having thin tibias in itself isn't necessarily an advantage. On one hand, having thicker tibias apparently makes distraction hurt more because there's more tissue getting stretched. On the other, some doctors have told me that having a lot of muscle in the calves helps with circulation and aids in healing. You may have an easier time distracting than I did becuase your legs are thin.
3) With a gain of 6 cm, 9 months should be enough time to have your fixators removed. Your initial visa should last for 6 months and with a note from your chosen surgeon you can get an extension of up to 4 months. If you can last 10 months in Mumbai then you should be home at least walking fine.
4) Limb lengthening affects your gait so you probably won't be as quick on your feet in boxing for a while after you've removed your frames. Your balance may be negatively affected too. You'll be able to go back to recreational sports eventually and lifting weights after LL isn't a problem at all - though you might want to avoid barbell squats for a while, I know I will
5) Finding hotels nearby isn't really difficult. There are a ton in Mumbai, though you'll want to choose one close to your doctor's practice location so you can get guaranteed visits from your physiotherapist. Rough monthly cost for food and hotel room would be £980. If you stay in a hotel it isn't so bad on your own. Your food will be brought directly to your room, room will be cleaned as often as you want, you'll have a cable tv, and hotel staff will help you with navigating on your wheelchair and getting you to your appointments. Staff at the hotel would even offer to wait with me at my appointments in case I needed help.
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Topic: Planning for end 2015/early 2016 (Read 7285 times)