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[yyes]

6FeetSoon,

How are you holding up? Do you have any updates for us?

[6FeetSoon]

We are finished ladies and gentlemen! 8cm achieved, and 6 feet tall! When he said the words "you're finished" after looking at the x-rays, a feeling of sheer triumph came over me. He did the usual exercises to check my range of motion and flexibility: all stellar. He said maintain the weight bearing restrictions for another month but on the next visit, he expects me to be able to start walking at near full-weight. We're at just under 3 months post-op. It's a been a great day guys!

[doomsday]

Congrats man!  Can you post a fully body photo?

[onemorefoot]

Coming from R , successful patients are  almost 100/100, Hope you can enjoy your new Life more than before, should forget about this place.

[RealTrump]

We are finished ladies and gentlemen! 8cm achieved, and 6 feet tall! When he said the words "you're finished" after looking at the x-rays, a feeling of sheer triumph came over me. He did the usual exercises to check my range of motion and flexibility: all stellar. He said maintain the weight bearing restrictions for another month but on the next visit, he expects me to be able to start walking at near full-weight. We're at just under 3 months post-op. It's a been a great day guys!

I did over 7cm and also did full weight bearing around the 4 month mark. That is to say that Albizzia variants (G-nail, Betzbone) are outdated and overrated.

Stick with Precise or Fitbone if you can afford them.

[LLSouthAmerica]

I did Albizzia and I stood up immediately after surgery, started walking without support 2 months after surgery and now Im walking normally ay 3 months post op

[TIBIKE200]

I did over 7cm and also did full weight bearing around the 4 month mark. That is to say that Albizzia variants (G-nail, Betzbone) are outdated and overrated.

Stick with Precise or Fitbone if you can afford them.

And how well did you recover?

[Body Builder]

I did Albizzia and I stood up immediately after surgery, started walking without support 2 months after surgery and now Im walking normally ay 3 months post op

For 1 month difference the pain of clicking and the slower bone consolidation doesn't worth this minor difference in time.
Albizzia is worse compared to precise 2 and fitbone and there is no real reason for someone to do LL with that.
Being weight bearing for 1-2 months sooner really is nothing compared to pain and risk of nonunion or slow consolidation that come with this outdated nail.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Body Builder he said 4 month until weight bearing, that does not mean 4 months until walking but 4 months until standing up and walking with crutches. That is 4 months in wheelchair for me it is too much.

I didn't have pain in clicking and my consolidation is as good as the rest or better though I will take an xray in one month which will settle whether or not I'm good for running.
 
There are a lot of reasons, I cannot simply tolerate months in a wheelchair and 6 months without walking normally. It is the fastest recovery, as I've seen other patients like me who are my friends they are back to work 3 months after surgery.

Why would there be more risk of nonunion or slow consolidation? Where are the studies that say so, because when I decided to have LL I did not find any difference between intramedullary nails in bone healing.

[6FeetSoon]

Body Builder he said 4 month until weight bearing, that does not mean 4 months until walking but 4 months until standing up and walking with crutches. That is 4 months in wheelchair for me it is too much.

Um no... i mean 4 months until i'm walking on my own (full weightbearing) . Ive been standing and walking on crutches/walker from the day i left the hospital

[LLSouthAmerica]

6FeetSoon how? I thought with Precise you couldn't support your own weight until a few months when your callouses grow stronger. Are you saying that you could walk on a walker days after the surgery? To have full weightbearing, it only means that the nail is strong enough to support your weight without you having to relieve it of a little weight by using your hands.

So you spent no time on a wheelchair? that's great! Very unlike Fitbone users which I thought were like Precise in terms of weight bearing.

[6FeetSoon]

6FeetSoon how? I thought with Precise you couldn't support your own weight until a few months when your callouses grow stronger. Are you saying that you could walk on a walker days after the surgery? To have full weightbearing, it only means that the nail is strong enough to support your weight without you having to relieve it of a little weight by using your hands.

So you spent no time on a wheelchair? that's great! Very unlike Fitbone users which I thought were like Precise in terms of weight bearing.

Yes, before you even leave the hospital, a physiotherapist comes with a walker to get you out of bed and walk up and down the hallway. When you use a walker you aren't putting full weight obviously, so of course its possible.

[LLSouthAmerica]

I'm sorry I don't understand completely. So you use a walker ok? you put weight in your arms and you do a step. after you finish said step you can let go of your hands? or you have to keep holding with your arms never letting go of the walker?

No time on a wheelchair at all?

[Bander72]

Yes, they don't put full weight on their legs. That's why it's recommended to work on your arm strength before the surgery. I heard of many people that did 5 cm that did full weight bearing walking in 3 months with precise as well so Guichet torture device is not all that grand.

[Body Builder]

Body Builder he said 4 month until weight bearing, that does not mean 4 months until walking but 4 months until standing up and walking with crutches. That is 4 months in wheelchair for me it is too much.

I didn't have pain in clicking and my consolidation is as good as the rest or better though I will take an xray in one month which will settle whether or not I'm good for running.
 
There are a lot of reasons, I cannot simply tolerate months in a wheelchair and 6 months without walking normally. It is the fastest recovery, as I've seen other patients like me who are my friends they are back to work 3 months after surgery.

Why would there be more risk of nonunion or slow consolidation? Where are the studies that say so, because when I decided to have LL I did not find any difference between intramedullary nails in bone healing.

I don't know the exact reason but all the patients with albizzia have a much slower bone consolidation that precise-fitbone users.
It has something to do with the way of clicking or the size of the nail but I am not sure.

Also, the real difference of walking completely unaided is about 1-1.5 month between albizzia and precise-fitbone which is minimal compared to the drawbacks of albizzia I mentioned before.

So paying huge amounts of money to a greedy doctor like Guichet for an outdated nail is simply a joke.
Betz is cheaper but still when you can use precise in europe for the same money or fitbone with even less he is still a bad option.
Generally speaking the only reason to use albizzia is to save at least 10k euros from doing lengthening with precise or fitbone.
But from the moment that you pay more, this nail is really a bad decision and the main reason that some doctors still use it is to gain more money as they charge a lot of money with a cheap nail so if they used the other two more expensive nails they would have had less profit.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Yes, they don't put full weight on their legs. That's why it's recommended to work on your arm strength before the surgery. I heard of many people that did 5 cm that did full weight bearing walking in 3 months with precise as well so Guichet torture device is not all that grand.

That's good. It's faster than I thought previously. How do you advance the walker if you can't stop putting your weight on it?
Like I told you, for me it was not torture at all but I know patients have a lot of pain on average indeed. However, to be able to be off the wheelchair and recover normal walking like I did, it's worth every amount of pain. Just the first point was a selling point for me. I don't know if you have done LL bander but being in crutches is hard man, and I imagine it's harder on a wheelchair.

[LLSouthAmerica]

I don't know the exact reason but all the patients with albizzia have a much slower bone consolidation that precise-fitbone users.
It has something to do with the way of clicking or the size of the nail but I am not sure.

Also, the real difference of walking completely unaided is about 1-1.5 month between albizzia and precise-fitbone which is minimal compared to the drawbacks of albizzia I mentioned before.

So paying huge amounts of money to a greedy doctor like Guichet for an outdated nail is simply a joke.
Betz is cheaper but still when you can use precise in europe for the same money or fitbone with even less he is still a bad option.
Generally speaking the only reason to use albizzia is to save at least 10k euros from doing lengthening with precise or fitbone.
But from the moment that you pay more, this nail is really a bad decision and the main reason that some doctors still use it is to gain more money as they charge a lot of money with a cheap nail so if they used the other two more expensive nails they would have had less profit.

I don't know where that comes from, never before have I read that difference in bone consolidation in any paper when I researched about LL. I think a lot of people here do hearsay, I want to know if what you say is the truth. Not only for me but for all limb lengtheners. What I know if that I've seen all my friends walking upstairs and sitting without crutches less than 1 month after lenghtening and returning to normal life 3 months after surgery.

I don't support Dr Guichet nor his decisions, but I had no shortage of money and I think I made the best decision. Say what you will but who of you started walking in 2 months and normally in 3 months? 1 month in a wheelchair is not a lot? For vain, height obsessed people it's not but for normal people it is a lot. The atrophy is not good for muscles especially after a certain age where myogenesis is at the lowest point.

[6FeetSoon]

That's good. It's faster than I thought previously. How do you advance the walker if you can't stop putting your weight on it?

The walker has wheels, you roll it forward

[LLSouthAmerica]

The walker has wheels, you roll it forward

Brilliant I don't know why in my mind I pictured the wheelless walker haha

[onemorefoot]

g nail advantage is weight bearing, but I would look for a nail that better offers reverse mechanism ,And the only one is precice, not even fitbone or ISKD. If It were possible in Unicorns case It would be a different thing. Going to betz is simply a joke, after talking a look to his rate of complications And his romance with Apo, at least Guitchet is better Technically.

[RealTrump]

And how well did you recover?

First off, not going to mention my doctor because of all the uneducated trolls. And sorry for thread takeover.

I am almost 2 years post-op and feel 90%. I admit I am one of the lucky ones, almost zero pain throughout the process and full consolidation in both femurs. I did no stretching pre-op and little to no physio post-op, relying on everyday movement to stretch--my ROM is still bad, but gets better every month.

On day 3, I was able to use a walker to use the restroom. A wheelchair was required for the first month, but I slowly phased it out for a walker then crutches. Around the 4th month mark, 2 weeks after I stopped lengthening, I started doing full weight bearing--without permission from my doctor. I literally drove to restaurants and walked 50 steps inside, which made all the difference in the world and makes you feel normal in the most wonderful way.

In my opinion, Precise > Fitbone > G-nail > Betzbone. Never would I ever consider doing externals--how barbaric.

[LLSouthAmerica]

g nail advantage is weight bearing, but I would look for a nail that better offers reverse mechanism ,And the only one is precice, not even fitbone or ISKD. If It were possible in Unicorns case It would be a different thing. Going to betz is simply a joke, after talking a look to his rate of complications And his romance with Apo, at least Guitchet is better Technically.

In my humble opinion, it is indeed true that the reverse mechanism would have helped a lot in Unicorns case. However I think she was cared poorly because she was an asian lady, and she lengthened at a rate which of course could have been alright for a white young male but in her case it was not for the best. And also, because with a close follow up x ray at 15 days post op and definitely at 30 days post op you KNOW if you are going well or badly in terms of consolidation. If someone had seen her xray at that time and said, the bone is not healing she would have stopped then and there or at least lengthen very very slowly.

PS Sorry for the thread hijack 6FeetSoon if you want me to stop posting just tell me so

[Body Builder]

I don't know where that comes from, never before have I read that difference in bone consolidation in any paper when I researched about LL. I think a lot of people here do hearsay, I want to know if what you say is the truth. Not only for me but for all limb lengtheners. What I know if that I've seen all my friends walking upstairs and sitting without crutches less than 1 month after lenghtening and returning to normal life 3 months after surgery.

I don't support Dr Guichet nor his decisions, but I had no shortage of money and I think I made the best decision. Say what you will but who of you started walking in 2 months and normally in 3 months? 1 month in a wheelchair is not a lot? For vain, height obsessed people it's not but for normal people it is a lot. The atrophy is not good for muscles especially after a certain age where myogenesis is at the lowest point.

Helloworld returned to normal (playing sports and jumping easily) at 5 months after lengthening with fitbone which is less weight bearing than precise.
So be in wheelchairs for 2 months (doing of course pt to avoid muscle weakness) is really nothing. After all if you walk when you are in the lengthening phase with internals you are in danger to fall down amd break the nail.
But yes, weight bearing from the begining is a benefit but not bigger than avoid pain and have a faster consolidation.

And from all x rays I've seen from albizzia users, the bone consolidation 4-5 months after surgery is much less than users of precise and fitbone. Maybe the weightbearing capability puts less pressure to bone when walking and that doesn't help consolidation.
I don't know the reason, but I know that with albizzia the consolidation is slower, thatcs a fact.
Furthermore, the way of clicking in albizzia makes it prone to accidental lengthening (see Unicorn's case) that can't happen with the other two nails.

Albizzia is outdated and that's why it is much cheaper than precise and fitbone.
I respect you a lot as an LL'er my friend but I don't think that you did the right choice of doctor if you had plenty of money.
Guichet is not the best choice of LL doctor at all, on the opposite I think for his money is the worse choice taking in mind that he uses an outdated nail, he makes his patients lengthen at a fast rate, he doesn't do IT band release (which causes no real problems and helps a lot to knee rom) and he is money greedy as we saw from Unicorn.
So you were lucky that everything went fine with your surgery but of course Guichet is not a good choice while for the same about money you can even go to Rozbruch or Paley which are absolutely the best choices right now for LL.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Helloworld returned to normal (playing sports and jumping easily) at 5 months after lengthening with fitbone which is less weight bearing than precise.
So be in wheelchairs for 2 months (doing of course pt to avoid muscle weakness) is really nothing. After all if you walk when you are in the lengthening phase with internals you are in danger to fall down amd break the nail.
But yes, weight bearing from the begining is a benefit but not bigger than avoid pain and have a faster consolidation.

And from all x rays I've seen from albizzia users, the bone consolidation 4-5 months after surgery is much less than users of precise and fitbone. Maybe the weightbearing capability puts less pressure to bone when walking and that doesn't help consolidation.
I don't know the reason, but I know that with albizzia the consolidation is slower, thatcs a fact.
Furthermore, the way of clicking in albizzia makes it prone to accidental lengthening (see Unicorn's case) that can't happen with the other two nails.

Albizzia is outdated and that's why it is much cheaper than precise and fitbone.
I respect you a lot as an LL'er my friend but I don't think that you did the right choice of doctor if you had plenty of money.
Guichet is not the best choice of LL doctor at all, on the opposite I think for his money is the worse choice taking in mind that he uses an outdated nail, he makes his patients lengthen at a fast rate, he doesn't do IT band release (which causes no real problems and helps a lot to knee rom) and he is money greedy as we saw from Unicorn.
So you were lucky that everything went fine with your surgery but of course Guichet is not a good choice while for the same about money you can even go to Rozbruch or Paley which are absolutely the best choices right now for LL.

Again man, we have to agree to disagree on this one. Being in wheelchairs for 2 months is a HUGE deal for me and I think also for a lot of people (especially for those who are on their own). That's true you are in danger of falling but fortunately if you are careful you shouldn't have a big risk.

So what you were saying about faster consolidation is what you've seen from the diaries in the forums. Sorry if I say so, but I can't agree with you that consolidation with albizzia being slower is a fact until I see some reviews / publications comparing the nails. I can't just take your word for it. Later this week I'll research the topic and come back at you.

I have no love for Dr Guichet (because of Unicorn) as for any doctor, but I think for me it was the best choice. It was hard times, but I always kept my mobility, walked with crutches, zero days on a wheelchair and just after 2 months walking without crutches at all is a selling point to me. Of course I lengthened at conservative rate (the fastest I reached was around 1.3 mm for 2 weeks, then 1mm for another 2, then even slower 0.6 and 0.5 mm). I'm also glad I didn't do any IT release as I think it's unnecessary for 6 cm (I regained pre LL rom around the time I lengthened at 0.5mm). So if I could go back in time, for these reasons, I wouldn't choose differently.

So finally I'm not saying this is the case for all, but my recovery was much better than if I had gone to Rozbruch or Paley. Because who of the others can say they can walk at 2 months after surgery? So maybe it could have gone badly with me, but it didn't and because of this I recovered even better than people who go to the top doctors.

[Bander72]

What body builder is saying is that in the long term a faster consolidation will help you more than weight bearing faster. And the whole procedure is one big mind fk so being in a wheelchair if that happened from complications should not be making you so depressed.

[6FeetSoon]

We've been cleared to walk ladies and gents. Rozbruch gave the thumbs up because consolidation really accelerated since we reached our goal a month ago.
It feels great to parade up and down the hallway unencumbered. My agent called me and asked how i was, when i told him i'm ready to get back to work, he told me he's lined up a few shoots. I'm going to ask for a weigh-in and re-measure. They'll notice the height has changed, but ultimately, they wont care.

[axelf]

Would you be so kind and give a list what kind of medication you exactly took?
And did you experience side effects like hairloss?

[6FeetSoon]

Would you be so kind and give a list what kind of medication you exactly took?
And did you experience side effects like hairloss?

Everything was over the counter except for the painkillers.
Vitamin c
Vitamin d
Calcium
Oxy

Thats basically it. And no, no hairloss lol

[doomsday]

Hi 6FeetSoon,

Are you going to post a picture of your proportions?

[6FeetSoon]

I figured now that i'm out and walking around NYC, i'd give an update on the psychological aspect of all this.

Short answer: it's amazing.

On paper you know 8cm is a significant height increase, but to be out in a busy city and seeing how you stack up to everyone really adds an air of confidence. Honestly, i haven't stopped smiling. Macy's was super busy on saturday, i had to go there and restock my closet with pants that are the proper length. But the looks you get from the sales ladies at their make up booths trying to sell overpriced mascara to tourists, is flattering. They all sort of gaze up at you and smile. As you all know, i did this as a career move because ladies were always easy to come by, but the added benefit standing up here... yeah i wouldn't give it up for anything: a lovely added bonus.

So what do i think went so right in my procedure.

1) i was flexible, healthy and my starting bone length was sufficient that 8cm wasnt as daunting an amount as it might be for others
2) i stretched early and often post-op. Basically if i wasn't sleeping, i was stretching. All. The. Time.
3) i walked as often as possible with the walker. I really wanted to get my feet under me as soon as i was done, so i put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure i took 100-150 steps daily.
4) i took all the supplements and followed all doctors orders. I'm not the expert, he is, so why would i use my own judgment? Be smart.


Back to my excursions on saturday. I wasn't tired at all, and i was walking around for a good two hours. Again i think this is a result of walking a lot during the distraction process. Even when i was tired back then, i walked. Taking the subway is a more fun experience too. In such close quarters, it's annoying if during rush hour you're in a crowd of people breathing on you because they're all around your height. Now, the air is fresher nearer to the ceiling of the subway car lol.

First photo shoot is friday. Really happy to get my career going again at 6'0+.


-6FS

[TIBIKE200]

Will you post a full body pic?