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[HelloThere]

Hello,

I've never posted here or on old forum , but this just seems like a much better place, so I wanted to start my journal here. I'll be posting with my mobile device, so there may be weird spelling errors due to my mistakes or auto-correct... And formatting may not be optimal, but bear with me and I'll do my best!

I just had my femurs operated on this morning by Dr. Rozbruch of HSS in New York, with Precice 2.0 rods. I woke up at 5am this morning to head to the hospital to check-in (check-in time is 2-3 hours prior to the procedure) and was briefed by various nurses and doctors as to what was going to happen. I wasn't feeling nervous, surprisingly, just numb... Maybe because it just seems so surreal.

At around 830, they took me into the operating room and gave me a sedative via IV. Next thing I know, I'm waking up with a nurse inserting a catheter and pain all over my lower body. It was manageable because my body has been through a lot and I want to say I have a higher pain threshold than most... Out of a 10, I'd say the pain level was about a 2, which gradually increased to a 5, as the sedative wore off. I was being given a pain killer via an implant near my spine (I forgot what it was called). I was told that I could increase the dosage by pressing a button, but chose not to because I wanted to see how bad the pain would really get. I managed to hold off for a few hours and then decided to press the button because I was curious and bored... It was a good idea.

I'm now laying in bed at the hospital as I'm writing this. It's been amazing so far and really not as bad as I thought it'd be. Everyone has been very kind to me and kept me well-fed once I was able to eat. HSS is a great place to be, I'd highly recommend it. Dr. Rozbruch is a very kind and patient doctor and I really enjoy working with his team thus far. I'll be visiting him every 2 weeks, so I'll be getting a place here in the city.

I'll keep you all updated, let me know if you have any questions!

[KiloKAHN]

Hello there, HelloThere (I had to )

Great to have a cosmetic limb lengthening patient of Dr. Rozbruch on the forum and equally great to know you're doing well so far. I'd love to know more about what urged you to get limb lengthening, how you found out about the procedure, and how you decided on Dr. Rozbruch.

Look forward to more of your posts. I think you'll find that this a pretty cool forum. We've got a fun bunch of personalities on here to say the least.

[Sweatpants]

Hi Hellothere,

Congrats on your surgery, the "implant" is called epidural.

I dont know if you read other diaries, but I also had my femur surgery today only with Dr. Paley.

Wish us luck and quick recovery! 

P.s: I would be interesting to know a little bit about yourself, your height, age, gender...

[Cooper]

Hello hello,
Welcome to the forum. I consulted with dr. Rozbruch year ago. He is amazing doctor with great kindness. You are in great hands and best hospital...lucky you!!

What's your goal for lengthening?

Keep us informed

[mediocre]

Welcome to the forum!

Great to hear your pain threshold is high.

Keep us updated.

[BilateralDamage]

Welcome to LL Forum!   This would be the first Rozbruch diary I've seen.

Did Dr. Rozbruch perform any releases on you?

[ChrisIsaak]

Welcome to LL Forum, and good luck! 

[HelloThere]

I am so happy to have chosen such a supportive forum - thank you for all the well wishes and I'd like to offer mine to you all as well... May we recovery speedily and safely!

@kilokahn (thank you for the warm welcome!)

I've always been called short since as early as I could remember and it's just something I've internalized and been insecure about. I believe what urged me to find a way to lengthen my limbs was a breakup with an ex-gf two years back (I knew about it, but was only serious about it one year ago, which was when I started preparing) I actually found out about Dr. Rozbruch while lurking on old forum . He was one of the recommended doctors and I was trying to find someone who would be able to offer me the best care, with the most credibility... HSS seemed quite prestigious, so in turn I felt a lot safer going through with the operation. I know there were other qualified doctors as well that I could've gone to, but Dr. Rozbruch replied in the most timely fashion and after meeting him and his team, I was sold. I had previously contacted Dr. Guichet, but he took a very long time to respond and I didn't want to go all the way to France or Italy.

@sweatpants ("epidural", so that's what it's called! Thanks for that and the well wishes.. I'm praying for you and hoping we'll be able to support each other as we're going through this operation! Good luck, sweatpants)

A little about myself: I'm in my mid-20s, enjoy sports, weightlifting, I'm 5'4" (measured by Dr. Rozbruch), and a male. I don't know too much about my wingspan or sitting height as I haven't been measured by the good doctor and wasn't sure about how much it mattered.

@cooper (I'm glad you liked Dr. Rozbruch! I like him too.
 He's such a nice guy and very knowledgeable. I like that he's willing to communicate via email in a timely manner, which was very convenient for me when I first started inquiring about the operation with him.)

My goal for lengthening is 6.5cm.

@BilateralDamage (haha I noticed that too.. I'm glad to be the first)

Pardon, what's a release?

As of this morning (6am EST) they turned down my painkillers that were delivered via an epidural. I was given an oral painkiller called Norco. The pain was actually pretty bad last night and I had to press the button. It helps because it allows me to stretch my legs without hurting too much. I was literally just visited by Dr. Bernstein (Dr. Rozbruch's assistant) who told me that everything went great and explained how much faster the femur bones would heal compared to the tibia bones.

My brother is out looking for a place for us now and we'll be ordering an exercise bike, along with a stretching machine, and pull-up bars for the place. I have no intention of letting my physical health slip away... So I'm doing all I can to combat that. I'll also be going on an intermittent diet plan, something I was doing before the operation, which will help with rapid fat loss. I will keep you guys updated on exactly what I plan on doing, but the goal for the next 3 months is to eat healthily, exercise daily, stretch hourly, and get work done/read books.

I did not re-read what I wrote, I'm getting a little drowsy from the pain med, so pardon me for any spelling errors/grammatical mistakes. Let me know if you guys have any other questions!

[RGKEY]

Hello There!!))) welcome to the LL club!))hehe
The best of luck and from the bottom of my heart, much love!

One suggestion thou, I wouldnt be doing any diet, you need as much food as you can take, your bones need all you can take. I also wouldn't be working out if I was you, diet and working out would only slow down your bone regeneration, you can ask your doctor. Normal stretching and exercises are ok but do not work out your musles other than your legs)))

I made this mistake that is why Im telling you. I didnt want to gain weight because it took me so long to get in shape before LL and I did not want to get all the fat i had lost so I was eating mostly milk and meet and little carbohydrates, also I was working out my upper body with resistant rubber bands i bought, well at the end of that month my bone regeneration was really bad. My doctor explained me that your body will take the nutrients and place it where is needed, and if you work out your nutrients will go else where but your broken bone. So I changed that, and my callus has been healing a lot better!!

[alps]

Hi HelloThere!

Finally a Rozbruch diary
I'm sure you'll do fine under him.
Good luck! Keep us posted.

So most of us who have been considering Dr. Rozbruch got terrified by one thing: the PRICE. How much was it? Any breakdown you can provide would be useful.

Thanks

[Sweatpants]

Hey HT,

How you feel?
Did you try to get out of bed already? How is your pain from 1 to 10?
I am already feeling much more pain, cause the anaesthesia came out, but it's tolerable for now.

[HelloThere]

@RGKey

Thanks for the warm wishes, I really do appreciate it, and much love from my end as well.. I feel we've a bond just from having both gone through this operation. As for advice on diet/exercise, I had no idea about that, thank you for the information! I'll ask the doctors and see what I can do. I do plan to eat a lot, around 2,500-3,000 calories a day, consisting mostly of protein and some fat/carbs as well. As for exercise, it wasn't going to be anything too intense and Dr. Rozbruch did say it would be totally fine to use the exercise bike. I'm really glad to hear that you're recovering a lot better now, I hope everything works out smoothly for you from here on out!

@TheRisingShorty

Thank you so much for your kind words, good luck on your femur surgery this summer, I'm sure you won't regret it! It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought and the pain honestly isn't that bad with all the medicine they give you. Please keep us posted, we're here to help and support you!

@short_and_depressed

I was aware that Dr. Rozbruch was one of the most expensive doctors, but also with good reason. I've paid about $110,000 so far, out of my own pocket... And that doesn't include hotel fees or the upcoming rent. I really do believe it's worth it, because I don't like to gamble with my health, especially with such a drastic operation and I felt that I'd be in the best hands here at HSS with Dr. Rozbruch's team.

@sweatpants

I've been nauseous all morning from the Norco, but they've given me a few things to help me. I'd say the pain is sitting at a 3 right now. My legs just feel really sore and it's hard to move them, though I am attempting to stretch them. It may hurt now, but it'll really help for later. I haven't gotten out of bed yet... Have you? Have you attempted any stretching exercises? I'm sure it'll be worth the pain, you can do it!!!

[Sweatpants]

I am out of bed now it was very hard and painfull for me and took a while.

Start to do some exercises, so you won't become too stiff, otherwise it will be much more painfull.  I learnt from my previous surgery, the more you move, the faster your recovery will be and less pain (although I am not always stick to it  )

Good luck standing up

Be strong 

[alps]

Hi man,
Hope you're feeling good.
I think you should do an "about me" post. We're all curious.
Where are you from by the way? Anyone else apart from your brother with you for the surgery?

[HelloThere]

@sweatpants

Thanks for the advice! They put me on a stretching machine and I'm trying to move around as much as I can. My rods can only handle 30lbs per leg, due to having to use the smallest 8.5mm ones... My canals are very small, so it won't be able to handle the bigger Precice 2.0 rods. I'm very grateful that I chose to do it now though, since I would've needed to ream my bones with the Precice 1.0.

How are you feeling right now with 4 nails in? You're amazing!

@short_and_depressed

I'm not sure what to write about myself, but I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. I'm from California and my brother is the only one with me. He'll be my savior in this case and I'm very grateful for him!

[Sweatpants]

So you are moving, that's great!

My nails allow 50lbs, I have bigger ones in femurs, but the weight bearing goes by smaller ones.

I have a lot of pain right now, every little movement is a torture. I dont feel any pain in my tibias, cause my body is dealing with much stronger pain right now.

 Hope tomorrow will be a better day. Judging by my previous surgery it's gonna take about two weeks, till it become much easier, less painful etc. For the first two weeks, you gonna be dependent on your brother.

What you mean by stretching mashine? I never heard about it.


 

[Cooper]

Hello,
Your goal is inline with mine, BD and rising shorty. We all have in common 6.5cm distraction. I think this is reasonable. The pain will subside over the time in about two weeks you will notice. Hang tight and keep fighting. We are rooting for you. The forum is great community to help you on this difficult journey. Stay strong my friend.

God bless you.

[HelloThere]

@sweatypants

Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.

@cooper

Thank you so much for the well wishes. May we all swiftly hit our 6.5cm goals and walk home taller, better men/women. God bless you, Cooper.

[Cooper]

@sweatypants

Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.

Dr. Paley will allow not do PT by professional but just you?

[HelloThere]

I'm doing this operation with Dr. Rozbruch and a PT professional will not be required, as long as I am diligent and can handle it myself.

[Cooper]

Sorry hello, I got mixed up on the post. I thought that was comment made my sweatpants. I am fully aware you are with dr. Rozbruch. He mentioned same thing to me as well. Most of PT can done by yourself. Make sure you do though enough and be discipline about it.

[Sweatpants]

@sweatypants

Hang in there! Two weeks will go before you know it the stretching machine was something I found at a gym I went to. You can see it here on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FH10G6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395431689&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40. It's about $500, but well worth it for me... As I will not be doing PT with any professionals, just by myself.

Cool machine! 
If you are not going to have a PT at Dr. Rozbruch  center,  do they at least give you some examples of exercises or any video?

[BilateralDamage]

Does Dr. Rozbruch have any PTs that work with his practice?  It's a little concerning that he doesn't have a PT specifically for LL..  I'm glad you're committed to do it by yourself at least.  Dr. Paley told me that one patient who brought his own physical therapist to Florida breezed by LL and lengthened 8 cm.

Are you mostly in a wheelchair, or can you use the walker at all?

In regards to releases, I meant was there any soft tissue that was cut to make your lengthening easier?  Such as the biceps femoris, ITB, etc.  Please ask Dr. Rozbruch if you get the chance! (and what his opinion on that is)

[Cooper]

I asked about the release on my consultation. He favors that on performs during the surgery. Was not sure if he does on every patient though.

[HelloThere]

@cooper

Thank you for the good advice, my friend! I definitely plan on being diligent about my PT and whatever exercise I can possibly get in.

@sweatypants

They did give me info regarding PT exercises, no videos, just a booklet. I'll be sharing my stretching routine when I get a chance to look at it and plan things out.

@BilateralDamage

I believe he does have PTs that work with his practice, but I prefer to do it on my own, with the help of my little brother. I kinda see it like a personal trainer at the gym... Your results will usually be a lot better without them if you just know what you're doing. I will be educating myself on various stretches and exercises, so that I'll receive comparable, if not better results.

I'll be renting my own wheelchair and walker from the hospital, spoke with one of their people about it today! Right now I'm just laying in bed, since it's been only 1-day post op.

I had no idea about releases. I'll ask him about that next time I see him and get back to you! I won't see him for another two weeks though.

I'll be removing my dressings tomorrow and I will be able to leave the hospital Sunday. Excited to get started. I was told that with the Precice 2.0, I will be lengthening 1.32mm on the 4th post op day for 4 days and then after that .99mm per day until I reach my goal of 6.5cm.

Thanks for the questions guys! Now for one of my own...

Does anyone know how you could tell if you've bent a nail or put too much weight load on it?

[alps]

Hey!
Since you say you can contact him only after 2 weeks, I'm wondering if you can get to him in case of any emergencies.
Like you feel this new terrible pain and you want to call him and tell him about it?
(leechlet seems to able to do that under Dr. Guichet)

[HelloThere]

@short_and_depressed

I meant he'll be checking in on me every two weeks, so I was going to ask him then. I could email him anytime I want and request a call anytime as well. I just didn't feel like I had any urgent reason to contact him, so I thought I'd wait till I saw him.

I took my dressings off today. The pain isn't as bad as the first day, but it definitely spikes to a 7 or 8 out of 10 when I try to adjust my leg. I only just realized how much the epidural helped. It's more of an internal pain now.. Before it was mainly pain from my swollen thighs. I'm constantly sitting at a 0 out of 10 in terms of pain, until I have to move the entire leg. Raising and lowering my feet do not cause any pain. However, straightening out my leg and bringing my feet together do cause minor pains.

[HelloThere]

Physical therapist just came in to help me walk. Finally hit 10/10 on the pain scale. I had to be put back in my bed because of how pale and sweaty I was. If anything, I think I should just increase my painkiller dosage and everything should be ok. Right now taking 2x 5/325mg Norcos, they're going to up me to 7.5 and then 10. I don't plan on taking painkillers for a long time, just long enough for me to not have to not pass out when trying to stand.

[Cooper]

Hello,
Your pain barometer is 1 being the worst and 10 is painless or zero pain correct? The stretching and light PT even on your own definitely helps. When I had ACL surgery I used to wake up middle of the night with excruciating pain and stiffness. I then stretched and the pain went away. The solution of stiffness is light exercise. More PT, better flexibility and manageable pain.

Keep it up buddy!

[HelloThere]

I'm so grateful for your advice and support, cooper, thank you!

10 is the worst for me. I thought I could tough this out and not take as many pain meds and do stretching to get back to where I was.. But the moment I tried to weightbear even just a bit.. It was a nightmare and unlike everything I've felt before; I've had enough accidents and incidences where I've hurt myself very badly... This definitely takes the cake though, in terms of pain (when trying to stand).

I was about to puke, so they had to set me back on the bed. Only 3rd day post op though, so hopefully I'll be better.  My leg swelling has gone down a lot and laying in bed the pain is a 0-1 now, instead of 2-3 like it was the past two days. Hopefully by next week I won't have a problem standing and walking a bit! I still plan on using the exercise bike the moment it arrives though, as I don't feel I'd be really weight bearing. They actually proposed me staying here another day, but I refuse to shell out another $25k-30k just to rest up. I'd rather my little brother carry me out of here haha.

[Sweatpants]

Hey HT,

How is it going? Are you home already? How is you pain management?