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[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn, here's a fundamental question (veteran LLers feel free to chime in):  what is the go-to physical activity when not in PT?  Walking in a pool?  Stationary bike?  Assume yoga isn't doable.  What is the go-to?

Mayor Mark

Go-to the loo

[LLuser1]

  Good one

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn, here's a fundamental question (veteran LLers feel free to chime in):  what is the go-to physical activity when not in PT?  Walking in a pool?  Stationary bike?  Assume yoga isn't doable.  What is the go-to?

Hi Mayor Mike,

I think it largely depends on your Doctor.  Guichet is strict and believes that all activities resumed in the first 2 weeks will determine the rest of your recovery period.  So here are things I do:

• Stationary bike is number 1 priority - really gets blood pumping and loosens the stiffness in your legs
• He gave us 10x20 sets of 10 exercises to do, so it keeps me moving almost all day long
• Sounds banal - but independent trips to bathroom and showers
• Guichet insists we crutch up and down stairs for fun!
• Visit other LLers in different rooms (we also have a group Whassap to discuss ailments and tips)
• Eating in restaurants - great exercise as you've to constantly move your legs under the table
• Cooking - it's a great exercise as the standing is brutal
• For me, it was learning how to breathe yoga-style, nose in, hold, nose out, hold - and see how it slows heart palpitations, relaxes muscles and eases pain

[jbc]

Unicorn, I'm very sorry to hear about the fracture but glad that you have a path to healing. Has your pain lessened?

Keep your spirits up, this shall all pass (this from the armchair QB who hasn't done LL yet, but will in a few months)

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn, I'm very sorry to hear about the fracture but glad that you have a path to healing. Has your pain lessened?

Hi JBC,

Thanks for your concern.  Yes, the moment I stopped clicking, my left leg is DEAD.  No pain but at the wrong angle, I feel the fracture like an electric shock. 

My right leg's a different story, I've been working the muscles pretty hard as I need one good solid leg.  So at night, I get muscle soreness to the extent I wake up in the middle of the night begging for icepacks.  I can see all these new veins developing and am so proud of that!

Doc G is right.  Week 3 on, your pains subside and next hurdle will be clicking pains once you're post 4-6cm depending on your body, tissue, flexibility etc.

There're always nagging short term aches like throbbing of the hip screw area, or nerve like pull at the side of the knee or even a hollow sore where the gap is... but I attribute these to GROWING PAINS!

So I embrace them with wide open arms!

[onemorefoot]

Yeah think about growing pains is the same I will do if I want this, is motivating.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

That's very helpful for future patients. Thank you

One more item on the list which I regret not having thought of, IMODIUM

Imodium prevents/decreases the frequency of diarrhea.  As I mentioned before, because of all the drugs you're taking, you cannot control your body and you oscillate between constipation and diarrhea.  Why am I always obsessing about bodily functions?  Because it's important that you understand you will be in constant discomfort in addition to immobility, hypercondria and leg pains.

I've lost all appetite for food as I'm constantly tormented by my legs (and if my mind ever wonders, my damned legs won't hesitate to remind me of their stinging presence!).

So, every meal has been a 5-year old child's fantasy menu - black forest cake, fried chicken, pizza, ice cream, frosties, frankfurters, cheese toast... And for dinner, we've covered vietnamese, indian, thai, polish, chinese, moroccan, russian, tunisian, japanese, soul food, mexican, jamaican, greek, brazilian etc etc etc.  I've reached Deliveroo platinum status of some kind - as just yesterday, the Moroccan restaurant forgot my muhallabieh (a tiny milk pudding) and upon calling them, a personal driver showed up with a fruit basket, a gift box of baklavas and more muhallabiehs than a lactose-intolerant one-legged muppet (moi ) can digest.

Obviously, all the crap I've eaten above have not been playing nice together, especially when you add the 20+ pills I swallow each day and unlimited muhallabiehs.  Tummy began churning... experienced, I quickly butt crawled to the edge of my bed and hopped onto my walker; to find that one of the legs just literally gave out when a holding pin broke.  I swayed for balance, and luckily, managed to propel myself backwards onto the bed unharmed.  Amidst pangs of tummy agony, I sit patiently (beads of perspiration starting to form) trying to repair my walker; I had nothing else to get me to the bathroom.  I couldn't fix it and it was way too dangerous for a one-legged muppet to hobble on a 3-legged frame.

Come on, think think!  I could get around the house by butt crawling everywhere, so there's hope yet.  But how do I get up the WC?  Focused, I rolled around and dragged each pillow from my bed (about 10 of them) and built a little pyramid step towards the floor.  Slowly, I was able to use my arms and butt to slide down each pillowed step.  Now I'm on the ground safely, yay!  To freedom and mobility!  You cannot take butt crawling for granted!  It does get you places!

But how do I now climb up my especially taller than normal toilet seat (thanks to some genius muppet who bought a heightener for extra comfort)... I was getting more and more desperate as time was really running out...  the last thing I wanted to be is a snail with a trail.

Then, I heard, "meow?"  Is she a genius or what?  I quickly F1 butt crawled to my kitchen, knocked down paper towels from the kitchen counter by throwing kitty toys at them (kinda like air bowling).  It was raining glorious pristine paper towels on my head. I proceeded to layer tons of clean paper on the kitty sandbox and tadaaaaaaaa!!!  What an elegant solution Ultra Catsan Clumping Super Absorbant Hygienic Litter is worth every penny spent.  I even managed to cover up feline-style and am proud to say nobody would have guessed the handy work came from a two-legged mammal.

Well, except cat is no longer talking to me, something about violating the sanctity of something something (I'm not quite fluent in cat), and she's packing her bags as I write.

Anyway, I wanted to share this bloodless gory story because it's not just about your legs.  You will face a lot of completely unimaginable predicaments, and SURVIVE you will!

Ps.  Don't forget to buy Imodium now that I've bared my heart and soul to you!

[Mtall]

or even a hollow sore where the gap is.

Hey Unicorn! Hope you're doing well. What do you mean by 'hollow sore'?

[Iamready]

Yeah I took a   in a tupper ware container.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Yeah I took a crap in a tupper ware container.

 

Now I don't feel soooo bad!

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Hey Unicorn! Hope you're doing well. What do you mean by 'hollow sore'?

Because it's the distraction gap, if you accidentally bang against it, or put pressure in some weird angle when rolling on your belly, it feels really tender like, actually, like you've touched the ends of your broken bone.  Or when you're heavily bruised internally, and you can't even handle a finger's pressure.  It's not sharp, yet penetrating enough to make you levitate.

[dream_catcher]

Unicorn888, I'm sorry to hear your bad luck, but I'm glad that you quickly got it out of your mind with your usual humor. Most people would probabky have stopped lengthening in your state. You're really a very tough girl!

I'll leave Milan and go back home in this weekend and I probably will not come to the forum at least for a while. I hope things get better for you. Good luck!

[Moubgf]

Unicorn. Could you tell me the complete price for this procedure. It says on Dr.Guichet page that it costs 65.000 Euro. More or less and to have that budget avaliable. I am getting a loan from my bank tomorow. And i need to know the amount i need to take out. Also do the price include staying at his residence. Or do i have to pay for my stay there. Thank you

[alps]

Unicorn, I am still unable to understand what caused this "gradual" fracture for you. You're a petite woman (at least pre-op) and I can't imagine how this happened. If you posted x-rays that would be great too.

Also, I have never heard of anyone having to be made to wait for such a long time for the bone to heal and then begin distraction again. What would the risk be if you corrected the alignment, re-inserted a nail and began extending it right away?

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

J+32

Height Gained : 4.3cm / 162.8cm

Got my corrective surgery date on Sep 1st.  I really hope it works out this time once and for all.  Apparently, all needed is to bolt another pin (double osteotomy) to another site far away from the fracture (I hope!).

My other leg is getting stronger and stronger, and has lengthened 50% of my goal already.  The problem is I'm relying my entire body weight on one leg, which is so risky.  I lost 2kg so far.
 
In addition, I've already weaned myself off codeine and sleep aids.  To think that I've to take that deep plunge again and go through all the withdrawal symptoms... after this Sep 1st surgery…

I hate going to sleep because I know that I'll be up in 4 hours howling in pain, begging for ice, pain meds and trying to soothe and coo at my legs, so that I can return to sleep.  3x last night!  Why don’t they sell 8hr time release Tylenol in this country?!  For those of you wishing to undergo this surgery, stash yourself with 8hr time release Tylenol (can replace paracetamol approved by Doc) and Bayer's aspirin with stomach guard (again, doesn’t exist here)!!!

And when I wake up, my legs are completely dead.  They're heavy, sore and completely uncooperative.  The only way to wake them up is to go through Doc G's drills which is quite painful when your legs are super stiff and tight (I tried peeing on them, they didn't even budge! "This old trick again?!", they exclaimed, exasperated eyeroll).  Yoga breadths help, every time I encounter a painful situation, I breathe in at the same time as yanking, it helps a little.

Everyday is melting into each other, can't believe it's over a month now since I had my surgery and I'm taller by 4cm+.  I can now see the difference in mirrors.  I couldn't see my chest before, and now, I spot more of me which is so cool.

I wonder how clothes will fit.  Haven't even dared to try as I spend all day doing physio, ice, heat and deep tissue massage, reading and watching box sets.  I am extremely lucky that I have NO STRESS besides concentrating on strengthening my legs, eating well and sleeping long, and for that I'm really grateful when I compare to the kind of lifestyle I led just 12 moons ago.

I’m not bored or fed up yet as I’m quite fascinated with this height achievement, it’s just so wildl!  Beyond my wildest dreams could I ever imagine this possibility, and there's no turning back!

Do I ever regret?  NEVER A SEC!  This is the best gift I could ever give myself... I don't care what others will say, I've paid for, suffered, endured, dug deep, to get here by myself...  so sticks and stones won't (re)break my bones!!!

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn888, I'm sorry to hear your bad luck, but I'm glad that you quickly got it out of your mind with your usual humor. Most people would probabky have stopped lengthening in your state. You're really a very tough girl!

I'll leave Milan and go back home in this weekend and I probably will not come to the forum at least for a while. I hope things get better for you. Good luck!

YAY!  Another success story and HAPPY ENDING!  Congrats again Dream_Catcher, it was not easy, but you got to the finishing line!!!! 

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn, I am still unable to understand what caused this "gradual" fracture for you. You're a petite woman (at least pre-op) and I can't imagine how this happened. If you posted x-rays that would be great too.

Also, I have never heard of anyone having to be made to wait for such a long time for the bone to heal and then begin distraction again. What would the risk be if you corrected the alignment, re-inserted a nail and began extending it right away?

Hi SAD,

I'm equally puzzled as you are.  Doc's not being clear, or at least I'm unable to understand him.  I think the fracture began where the eggshell was.  Doc mentioned that he was able to screw 2cm below the eggshell and it should be strong enough.  I didn't suffer any sudden violent event, and I was being reassured many times over that the G nail is fully weight bearing, so I shouldn't be sooo tentative with my every step.

As for the corrective surgery, again, I didn't get a clear answer.   I ordered disks of my xrays but need to convert them (hopefully this weekend) to USB so that I can view'em and post'em.  Apparently, NOT LIKE 2 smurfs on a see-saw (you be the judge!)

I was a pro gymnast as a kid, and for some strange reason, my femurs are very curved, that might have contributed to some physics pressure point ala E=MC2 thingy...    Hence, the mechanical pencil analogy Doc G was trying to demonstrate when I was trying not to faint and fall off his exam bed.

So I get to keep my 3cm gained, the same G nail, and a new pin will go in far away from any fractured site.  I'm very proud to say that I've sufficient surface (read F-A-T), to take on a fresh pin.  I also understand my bones are of the hefty Irish groundskeeper variety, thick, solid and wide enough for birthing quintuplets (will please any mother-in-law).  Nothing demure like the China Doll picture I deceitfully posted...

As for starting to click, he said I had to wait for healing (of what?!) to restart clicking on the left but disproportionate lengths is never an issue as that's the main purpose of LL in the first place.  In the meantime, if I lift my legs or move in a certain angle, I do feel like a sorry sack of bones rattling beneath my thigh where the fracture is.  It's almost like a birthday pinata (just not in the shape of a donkey) and you don't get to hit it with an ugly stick, even if it's your birthday!!!.

And I've to say, it's sooooooo gross, a million times more gross than the Guichet patented 'click' sound!  It feels exactly like when you crack your knuckles... eeeeewwwwww!  But imagine your thighs filled with knuckles ready for your cracking pleasure... blood-curdling.  Or sometimes I feel like Bruce Lee's nunchucks... but that's just between Bruce and I

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn. Could you tell me the complete price for this procedure. It says on Dr.Guichet page that it costs 65.000 Euro. More or less and to have that budget avaliable. I am getting a loan from my bank tomorow. And i need to know the amount i need to take out. Also do the price include staying at his residence. Or do i have to pay for my stay there. Thank you

It depends, where your surgery is, Milan?  I think it's about right.  Not included are all pre-op and post-op tests, accommodation, food, board, transportation, hospital fees for complications, prescriptions, paraphernalia like bike, frames, etc.  It does add up, and the last thing you want is to worry about expenses.  So yes, always prepare for the worse case scenario, ok?

Good luck to you and I admire your brave first step... to a complete life change.

[Annalisa]

Hello. I've just registered to the forum. I've been reading the user diaries for a long time, but never  thinking of join the discussions. Lengthening is almost always discussed by males, so it is very refreshing to see a smart woman telling her experience and make me relate more. I'm 21 years girl from Italy. My height is about 150 cm. Many think "why a woman should have problem with height"?Being so small has ruined my childhood and my teenager years, and seriously damaged the confidance and love toward myself. The great fear of people asking my age and being surprised because my height makes me look much younger, has caused me to close myself off and give up to having a social life. It was only about 2 years ago, when I discovered lengthening that I found an hope and confidence never had before. I made so much research and after learning of some bad type of operations, I had the fortune to strumble upon Guichet site and decided he was the right one. The only one to as pre-op training to assure you have sufficient body mass, the only one who does  an operation that doesn't leave you too much scars or force you to stay months blocked on the bed and wheelchair. My main problem now is money. The kind of price Guichet charges are totally out of my dad earnings (my mother is a housemaker). So, i decided I should have to find an activity that could make me money , and as soon as possible. Now it is months that I'm practicing the forex trading; dedicating all my days to improve myself, in order to being able to earn and so paying for operations, training and all the others necessities. But I'm fully aware that, even in the best scenario, it will take a long time before I'm able to do it. Your diary is very important to me, it gives me the aspiration, confidence and hope that I will be at your place, sooner than later. Also, I must to congratulate your great english (that I wish I had) and your great sense of humor. You're clearly a very smart woman. Good luck,and take care.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Many think "why a woman should have problem with height"?

Your diary is very important to me, it gives me the aspiration, confidence and hope that I will be at your place, sooner than later. Also, I must to congratulate your great english (that I wish I had) and your great sense of humor. You're clearly a very smart woman. Good luck,and take care.

Dear Annalisa,

And YOU WILL.  Because you will make it happen!

Yes, I never thought that there would be so few women here.  I thought all women aspire to be skinnier, younger, richer and taller?  Oops, I guess I added the taller part myself.   (I want a refund Guichet!)

I know exactly how you feel.  Nobody at work took me seriously especially when seeing clients because it always felt like they were bringing an intern to meetings or the tea lady to take orders   But it's ok, we know being underestimated is 1000x better than being overestimated.  How many times they tell secrets in front of me (the invisible dwarf or the cute harmless hello kitty awwwwwww!).

I used to live in Italy too, 2 years in Florence to learn and eventually cooked in a artisanal tuscan restaurant.  I love how they think I'm a little Japanese intern and will ask me, "Sei capace?" for simple things like peeling potatoes

I used to live in Moscow in the late 90's and I can tell you, I really suffered image issues.  I was as tall as any girl's belly button.  It was sooooo depressing, I refused to go out.  I was always cooped up in the hotel room and even mastered Russian by watching Russian MTV!!!  Everywhere I turned, I felt like an unloved dog (not the cute Taco Bell kind) and taller blonder girls seem to have the most fun (but blonde girls might think Taco Bell is a Mexican telephone company... ouch! )

You're only 21, so you'll have lots of time to save up and encounter many more opportunities to collect the funds for the surgery.  And it sounds like your determination and willpower will get you through.  One of our 'classmates' was 154 when she started and she'll stop at 161.  She's soooooooooo happy even though it cost her 3 months of agony, she's at the end now.  Learning how to walk without crutches, she says she wished she'd known about this 10 years ago.  And I can tell you, she looks like a model as she's very svelte with delicate facial features.

Lastly, don't forget, great things come in small packages.  I used to live in the same building as Natalie Portman in Manhattan, and I PROMISE you, when I bump into her, besides her gloriously beautiful face (far better in person), she looks 12!

So, if you've any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, ok?  I trade too   We women can multi-task, we can grow tall and chew gum at the same time.

[LLuser1]

Unicorn, its so funny you lived in the same building as Natalie Portman. I like her a lot. Was she nice?
In general Petite women are so cute. I want to protect them. I like women your old height like Natalie portman herself
I respect you a lot though. You were very brave when you decided to do this surgery to be respected at work. I admire you too.
I hope you are doing well.

[LLuser1]

I have never heard of anyone having to be made to wait for such a long time for the bone to heal and then begin distraction again. What would the risk be if you corrected the alignment, re-inserted a nail and began extending it right away?

He can't do it right away. The fracture has to heal. The bone must be stable. Guichet knows what he is doing. In MM case it was different. She was made to wait for more than one year and had several unsuccesful surgeries (surgeon's lack of ability, bad decision taking, hardware problems). In my opinion the difference between the 2 doctors is Guichet knows what he is doing. If not I promise I will apologize to Monegal.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn, its so funny you lived in the same building as Natalie Portman. I like her a lot. Was she nice?
In general Petite women are so cute. I want to protect them. I like women your old height like Natalie portman herself
I respect you a lot though. You were very brave when you decided to do this surgery to be respected at work. I admire you too.
I hope you are doing well.

Yes, she's very sweet but it's not like we borrow sugar and cry on each other's shoulders   Just extremely pretty!

And no, I'm not doing this for work, I actually quit my job and retired.  I'm really doing this because it's been a childhood dream that could never be realised, no matter how many nights I stayed up** and wished and wished and wished.
** Note to self : Sleeping makes one taller, not staying up wishing to be taller!!! 

I remember that even for my 16th birthday, I wished that I would wake up taller, and of course, I did grow taller...horizontally!   Thanks a lot cake! 

The other thing too is that sometimes it's nice to dedicate some time to oneself.  I never had the time to do any self-improvement anything as I was always so busy, and even through sheer pain now, it's all 100% ABOUT ME, yay!  FOR ONCE!

So yes, I get to be selfish, vain, shallow, superficial, foolhardy... but I am doing something for l'il 'ol me   and that's the start of a journey of self discovery and self love.

[Annalisa]

You trade too? Wow! That's another thing we have in common. It's so great to meet somebody who shares the same thoughts, even if only on the web. Can I ask you how old are you? I would be happy to be 160cm, then I could wear high heels. I would  surely being better than I am now. It's incredible you lived in the same building as Natalie Portman She's so beautiful and a great actress. I never thought she looked 12 years old, at least not on the screen.

[Annalisa]

Oh, about the questions I have, some of them came to my mind.

I'm not in my best shape. I'm very skinny, but I have a very sedentary life, I spend too much time sitting in front of the pc, so that I have also developed back pain and slow blod circulation. Do you think that, if somebody is not trained to any workout, it will take more than 1 month of pre-op to develop the right conditions for the operation? Also, if one has a back defect such a lordosis, because of the much time spended seated, do you belive the dottor require the problem to be solved first, in oder to start the lengthening?

Finally, what about dental examination? I know it is to prevent bacteria  infections during the operation, but I wonder if I should to go to the dentist to assure I'm caries free and maybe do a dental cleaning.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Oh, about the questions I have, some of them came to my mind.

I'm not in my best shape. I'm very skinny, but I have a very sedentary life, I spend too much time sitting in front of the pc, so that I have also developed back pain and slow blod circulation. Do you think that, if somebody is not trained to any workout, it will take more than 1 month of pre-op to develop the right conditions for the operation? Also, if one has a back defect such a lordosis, because of the much time spended seated, do you belive the dottor require the problem to be solved first, in oder to start the lengthening?

Finally, what about dental examination? I know it is to prevent bacteria  infections during the operation, but I wonder if I should to go to the dentist to assure I'm caries free and maybe do a dental cleaning.

1)  YES, you have to fatten up even if it means force feeding aka foie gras!  People who have not enough fat encounter nerve pain issues.

2)  It definitely takes more than 1 month to train pre-op especially if you want to meet the 30% muscle increase.  Some people train for 2 years before this surgery.  I was running and biking in the park about 2 hours a day anyway before starting pre-op training.  But you need MUSCLES and FLEXIBILITY.  It's not an option, it will reduce your pain levels and increase your recovery rate.

3)  As for Lordosis, I have no idea.  I can tell you that the surgery affects your spine because you'll be immobile and will overcompensate every part of your body.  I had backaches and in the beginning I could not lie flat on my back because my spine was curved inwards.  It was so painful.  Need CORE MUSCLES.

4)  The list of exams he needs are easy to fulfil, it just takes a lot of time and coordination.  Dental, he needs xrays and also a report that there are no current cavities, infections etc.  I did a cleaning as well before the surgery, just in case.

Best thing is to see Guichet and discuss everything with him and he'll be able to tell you asap whether you're a good candidate to gain x cm.  He can tell from flexibility and his measurements.  Then the rest will depend on all the tests.  Don't underestimate the psychological exam, he takes that heavily into account because he cannot afford to expose anyone who is too mentally weak to follow through with the recovery and end up worst off.

[Annalisa]

Oh damn, 2 years is not acceptable. It will already take years before I have the money to get operated, I cannot think to wait others more years. I need to lengthen as soon as possible, cause it is fundamental to me to restarts my life. Do you have tips to speed up the training process? Maybe start using the cyclette at home from now on? He says is better to have 1 month of pre-training,but since you said is is not suffient, should I count 2-3 months of pre-training, and so prepare for a bigger budget? Cause I would prefer to do the training with Guichet trainers, in Mylan; as I will more motivated under tthe trainers and the doctor's watch.

Also, for the psychological part. I don't think anybody in the world is more motivated than me, to reach this goal. I'm not scared of any pain, the pain will make me happy, because it would mean I'm realizing the dream of my lifetime. But I'm scared that he could think I'm weak because I allowed my height to prevent me from having a social life. Do you think, that insisting on the fact lengthening is important to me, and I'm willing to endure all the pain of the world to reach it, will be enough to convince him that I'm psychologically strong enough for the operation?

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Oh damn, 2 years is not acceptable. It will already take years before I have the money to get operated, I cannot think to wait others more years. I need to lengthen as soon as possible, cause it is fundamental to me to restarts my life. Do you have tips to speed up the training process? Maybe start using the cyclette at home from now on? He says is better to have 1 month of pre-training,but since you said is is not suffient, should I count 2-3 months of pre-training, and so prepare for a bigger budget? Cause I would prefer to do the training with Guichet trainers, in Mylan; as I will more motivated under tthe trainers and the doctor's watch.

Also, for the psychological part. I don't think anybody in the world is more motivated than me, to reach this goal. I'm not scared of any pain, the pain will make me happy, because it would mean I'm realizing the dream of my lifetime. But I'm scared that he could think I'm weak because I allowed my height to prevent me from having a social life. Do you think, that insisting on the fact lengthening is important to me, and I'm willing to endure all the pain of the world to reach it, will be enough to convince him that I'm psychologically strong enough for the operation?

Dear Annalisa,

I'm just giving an example of how some people train for 2 years because they lack flexibility.  And that's the hardest to really train for, yet one of the key qualities to have.

1)  First step is to see Guichet, get an assessment of your candidacy for LL (esp flexibility) which costs £300 in London

2)  If you're serious, then pay and take the Cybex test for your base strength (once you know you'll be training to have surgery within a short time period)

3)  2-3 month training is sufficient to pass the 30% improvement.  You don't have to necessarily pay and do Guichet's training because it's pretty standard quad/hamstring training stuff.  It's not like Guichet is there to monitor you.  It's just normal gym trainers and his physio can give you the training requirements to strengthen your body.  It's not worth the extra money spent to be in Milan earlier and start racking up expenses.

I did Guichet's physio pre-training because I live in London and also, I know I'd be too lazy and not disciplined to train 2-3 hours per day at the gym to prepare for this surgery.  So I forced myself and I found it super helpful, because I got my ass kicked everyday!

4)  Once you think you're ready, go for another Cybex test to see if you've improved your strength by 30% and if not, you can train some more and take the test again and again.  In London, it costs £150 each time.  I got lucky as I passed it right away!

5)  In the meantime, you've to undergo all the pre-op testing which is a considerable expense.  So, once you've decided, then start investing, otherwise, it'd be a waste of money as Guichet only accepts test results of less than 90 days (and even then, he complains it's too old...!!!)

6)  As for the psychological component, he sends you to a separate doc.  He cares that you're able to withstand the pain and click through and get to your goal without breaking down, quitting and jeopardising your health/mobility.  And I PROMISE you, everyone I've seen including myself have reached pit bottom a couple of times.  But we try to survive.  The Psych also wants to make sure that your rationale for doing LL is realistic and not delusional (like getting a tall guy to love you or winning an ex boyfriend back etc.).  It has to be FOR YOU and that even as a taller person, if you don't reach your underlying heart's desires (career success, promotion, love, admiration etc), you'd be ok.  That LL is not a means to an end...

[Annalisa]

Thank you, you're helping me so much to remove my doubts. I'm so unflexible right now, that I know  if did the operation right now, I would have load of complications. The cybex you're talking about, is it the test in the sport centre, Guichet require you to do before meeting him? The reason I would prefer staying in Mylan for longer, even if it requires more money, is it because with  trainers I would be more motivated and do the exercise better. Otherwise, do Guichet's trainers tell me which exercise to do at home? For the exams, is it better to start doing them about 1 months before the cibex test, so that they will not be too old when I take them to the doctors? Anyway, thanks again, and good luck.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Thank you, you're helping me so much to remove my doubts. I'm so unflexible right now, that I know  if did the operation right now, I would have load of complications. The cybex you're talking about, is it the test in the sport centre, Guichet require you to do before meeting him? The reason I would prefer staying in Mylan for longer, even if it requires more money, is it because with  trainers I would be more motivated and do the exercise better. Otherwise, do Guichet's trainers tell me which exercise to do at home? For the exams, is it better to start doing them about 1 months before the cibex test, so that they will not be too old when I take them to the doctors? Anyway, thanks again, and good luck.

Hi Annalisa,

I think you're asking about timeline here.  Usually start with an appointment with Guichet.  See if you like him and trust him and his method.

After that, you can book a Cyber test at the Isokinetic centre in Milan or London to take the initial test (you don't have to train for the first test as it's your base case scenario).

Then, usually, Guichet will send you his pricing invoice, prescriptions and training options with his physio.  If you agree, you pay a deposit and start registering at the gym and train with his physio.

In the meantime, you'll start doing your other tests (ECG, psych, dental...etc) and you'll meet with Guichet a few times more to sign docs and also an essay of your motivation.

Once you think you're ready to take the second Cybex, if your results are above 30%, you'll start to pencil in a date with Guichet.

That's how it's been for me.  I trained for about 2 weeks but about 4 hours per day because I didn't want to wait forever to achieve the 30% strength, and wanted to complete the LL procedure this summer/fall.

[Annalisa]

Thanks, now my head is clearer. Hope you are ok. I will keep following your journey. Good luck.