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[biggerdreams]

Hey onemorefoot,

Doing very well  I believe.  Still lengthening but I'll be done in the next few days and will be returning to Spain in a little over a month to start work on my remaining leg.  Looking forward to gaining 2.5 inches and getting this behind me.

When did you return home and how has life been since your return? Anything mention-worthy?

[ouroboros]

Hey, how are you doing?

Have you finished lengthening? How many cm have you lengthened?

Can you comment on the difference between lengthening at home, vs Barcelona...... are you getting physio at home..... and finally are you currently suffering from any duck ass?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to know if lengthening one leg at a time is less likely to develop complications/stiffness because you are more mobile living regular life, instead of being confined to bed or wheelchair.

Thanks dude.

[Shadow91]

I wonder what the time frame is from surgery to walking semi-normal is when doing 1st stage internal femur with Dr Monegal. Does anyone know?

[realpatient]

Some people are not walking yet after 3 years.

[Shadow91]

Man, ive been wanting to do this surgery for 4 years but i am so scared of the risks.

[realpatient]

Risks are always there but you can avoid some if you choose a better surgeon

[Shadow91]

Who should you choose then. I thought for 4 years that Guichet was the best, but since ive been reading this forum for the past 2 days im freaking lost. Everyone seem to be incredible risky.

[Auron]

Who should you choose then. I thought for 4 years that Guichet was the best, but since ive been reading this forum for the past 2 days im freaking lost. Everyone seem to be incredible risky.

Realpatient is a troll with many accounts, ignore him and his accounts. If you want to decide on which doctor you would like to have your surgery with I suggest you read the diaries in the forum. The more diaries you read, the less you can go wrong.

As a Dr. Monegal patient, I'd recommend him.

[Four Inch]

Hey ouroboros,

Sorry for the late reply.  Yes, I finished lengthening on July 10th; I lengthened about 7 cm.

As far as lengthening in Barcelona vs. home; I preferred lengthening at home.  However, had I not been single and access to a secondary (hide away) residence to continue lengthening, I would have probably opted to stay in Barcelona for the term.  Less distractions and relative privacy during the lengthening/recovery process was a must for me.  I am able to work remotely, so I had lots of flexibility as far as locations.

i did all the Physical Therapy on my own while both in Barcelona and home.  I bought a Nitrofit Limber Pro Stretch Machine and just went to town on it three times a day.  I seem to do the trick, bone of the PT techs at the Clinical Diagonal though the movement that I achieved on my first leg  was very good; even wanted to know who I used for therapy at home.

I honestly can't imaging being confined to a wheel chair, one leg at a time was the only option I was considering when deciding who to go see for the procedure. 

[Four Inch]

Shadow91,

No doubt that having this procedure done is something that you should think hard and long about.  However, if you decide to move forward, I highly recommend Dr. Monegal; there is absolutely nothing that i went though during lengthening that Dr. Monegal did not already let me know about.  That includes, lengthening targets where the muscle tension will be the worst. 

I got xrays every two weeks when I got back home because I was so worried about some of the concerning PMs I got about the xray I had posted of my first leg.  I was mostly concerned about non-union of the bone.  The US radiologists never had any concerns about the consolidation process.

Dr. Monegal certainly has some quirks (as do I) ; but I'm convinced he is a very skilled.  I have absolute confidence in him and am really happy with my decision to come to Barcelona for the procedure. 

[Four Inch]

A quick update: 

I stopped lengthening on July 11th and was walking, maybe more of a shuffle, without crutches for about the last 10 days in July.   I felt it was important to start full weight bearing on my leg since I was about to return to Barcelona for the second procedure.

I arrived in Barcelona , on August 1st for my surgery on my second leg.  Surgery went very well and and the xrays look very good (IMHO).  I have been over at MIC for the since Tuesday.

I should have given myself more time to recover from my first surgery before returning; it is very difficult to walk on crutches because my knee is still a bit sore on my first leg.  I decided to only begin a slow lengthening regiment and stay off my feet for a few days to give my leg a little more recovery time;  I hope that I can walk more competently on crutches by Monday.

Unexpectedly, I do have more pain this time around, but it's still manageable without the need for pain killers.

Look forward to returning home in September and finishing up the lengthening of my second leg while continuing a rigorous stretching routine!

[Shadow91]

Thank you for taking your time to answer me and thank you for sharing your story. The more information we have, the easier it is for the rest of us to make a decision. I wish you the best on your journey to become taller:)

[U only live once]

A quick update: 

I stopped lengthening on July 11th and was walking, maybe more of a shuffle, without crutches for about the last 10 days in July.   I felt it was important to start full weight bearing on my leg since I was about to return to Barcelona for the second procedure.

I arrived in Barcelona , on August 1st for my surgery on my second leg.  Surgery went very well and and the xrays look very good (IMHO).  I have been over at MIC for the since Tuesday.

I should have given myself more time to recover from my first surgery before returning; it is very difficult to walk on crutches because my knee is still a bit sore on my first leg.  I decided to only begin a slow lengthening regiment and stay off my feet for a few days to give my leg a little more recovery time;  I hope that I can walk more competently on crutches by Monday.

Unexpectedly, I do have more pain this time around, but it's still manageable without the need for pain killers.

Look forward to returning home in September and finishing up the lengthening of my second leg while continuing a rigorous stretching routine!

Hi Four Inches,

Good on you and your accomplishments! I am also going with Monegal on 19 Sep(two stage). Hey buddy how many centimeters in total have you lengthened? Same as you I dont live in Spain so I will have to come back to my home country and go back later to Spain for the second surgery so if you dont mind me asking how was you whole experience of walking with one leg longer than the other. Did the insoles do the job?  Do you have any anecdote you wanna share of people questioning your temporary handicap? Any inconvenience such as loose screw in your home country? Thanks a lot buddy and I wish the best in your LL road!

[Four Inch]

Thank you Shadow!

Thank you for taking your time to answer me and thank you for sharing your story. The more information we have, the easier it is for the rest of us to make a decision. I wish you the best on your journey to become taller:)

Thank you Shadow!

[Four Inch]

Hi Four Inches,

Good on you and your accomplishments! I am also going with Monegal on 19 Sep(two stage). Hey buddy how many centimeters in total have you lengthened?

Hi U only live once!

I lengthened 7.58 cm, based on the number of "clicks" that i tracked though the lengthening process, (plus the initial 4mm of gain that Dr. Monegal included during surgery.)  However, my xrays were showed less gain so I more or less tracked lengthening based on my xrays and clicks.  Based on xrays in Barcelona, Dr. Monegal calculated that I had lengthened about 6.5 - 6.7 cm. and that seems to match up with the last xrays taken while in the US.

If think the discrepancy might have been from the Fitbone transmitter and receiver not being lined up right;  a click may still turn the nail but seemingly with limited power.  I remember when lengthening, I would sometimes hear the nail turn with a strained sound.  At the time I though it was due to muscle tension because I remember first hearing it when I was well into the lengthening process.  However, I have heard the same strained turns with my second leg and I'm nowhere near reaching muscle tension yet; when I realign the transmitter the turns sound health.

It's certainly possible that I just miscounted the number of times in lengthened on multiple days.  Maybe others that have been though the process can chime in on this thought.

if you dont mind me asking how was you whole experience of walking with one leg longer than the other. Did the insoles do the job?

The insoles did the job for me.  I felt very comfortable on crutches using the insole.

Do you have any anecdote you wanna share of people questioning your temporary handicap? Any inconvenience such as loose screw in your home country?

At times I was most definitely bearing more weight on the fitbone then recommended, so I was concerned about loosening screws.  However, the screws held up fine. No issues, other than the discrepancy in clicks.  I would recommend tracking the lengthening based on both clicks and xrays, that seems to be a workable approach. 

Thanks a lot buddy and I wish the best in your LL road!

Thank you, and a big congratulations on your decision to move forward with the procedure!  I wish you the best! 

[helloworld]

I interviewed 7 people that tracked their clicks about precision of supposed lengthening according to clicks versus real lengthening and 4 out of 7 had less distraction than what they should have had!
The discrepency between clicks and real lengthening increased for all patients. That means to me that either the bone density and thus the resistance became stronger or that the resistance made the winding inside the nail wear out.

The most extreme case seemed to be myself where I did clicks on the left side amounting to more than 10 cm but actually only lengthened 5 cm.

It is not a big deal as long as you follow your x-rays closely and then at the final stages have frequent x-rays to fine tune the length.

[Body Builder]

This is a big drawback for fitbone imo.
But Helloworld haven't you done enough x rays during lengthening? Haven't you seen that the lengthening was less in reality than in clicks? Why in the end you lengthened less than you wanted?

[onemorefoot]

Does precice 2 have that problem ( Angle Q is real, but shouldnt be more than .5 cm)?

[helloworld]

This is a big drawback for fitbone imo.
But Helloworld haven't you done enough x rays during lengthening? Haven't you seen that the lengthening was less in reality than in clicks? Why in the end you lengthened less than you wanted?

Yes, you are right.
The thing is that I was assuming that the difference was minor and/or that I must have made a mistake in the clicking schedule. Also, the difference was small at beginning and became much bigger at the end. Also, my PT told me it was almost impossible to have a preconsolidation and the only thing to be scared of was too little consolidation, so I went slow on purpose at the beginning. Later I accelerated, but likely because the actual lengthening was much less, I will still distracting too little.
The day I became full aware oft the magnitude of the difference after my last x-rays, I came home wanting to accelerate lengthening, but both nails simulatenously did not respond anymore as bone was consolidated.

[doomsday]

Guys maybe it's good to stop using word clicks when you dont click anything in fitbone. People get confused.

[helloworld]

This is a big drawback for fitbone imo.

For me it is not such a big drawback, as nobody needs to lengthen a precise amount. In fact, I have not met any patient who knows the exact amount of lengthening that he wants to do at the beginning of the procedure. For example, for me it was 5-6.5 cm.
Also, you should take x-rays every 2 week anyway.
The problem is that patients need to be told beforehand that lengthening is not a precise 0.03 mm per click but somewhere in between 0.01 and 0.03 depending on much bone formation you have.

[Bander72]

Id be pissed having clicked expecting 10 cm and having 5. Know imgaine if this were to happen in guichets torture device.

[Four Inch]

Hi Hello World,

How many days had you paused consolidating when the fitbone nails became unresponsive?

Thanks!

[helloworld]

Hi Hello World,

How many days had you paused consolidating when the fitbone nails became unresponsive?

Thanks!

0 days.
I was lengthening every day until I had an appointment with Dr. Monegal where I got x-rays and saw that 1. my legs where not 100% same length, 2. I still had not lengthened as much as I wanted.
So Dr. Monegal told me to accelerate lengthening because my bone would soon be consolidated, and not give me possibility to lengthen more.

When I arrived home from that appointment, both nails stopped responding, at the same time!

[Body Builder]

0 days.
I was lengthening every day until I had an appointment with Dr. Monegal where I got x-rays and saw that 1. my legs where not 100% same length, 2. I still had not lengthened as much as I wanted.
So Dr. Monegal told me to accelerate lengthening because my bone would soon be consolidated, and not give me possibility to lengthen more.

When I arrived home from that appointment, both nails stopped responding, at the same time!

So at the end of lengthening your legs are not in the same length?
If yes what is the difference?

[helloworld]

So at the end of lengthening your legs are not in the same length?
If yes what is the difference?

I tried for several days, no response. So I packed my lengthening device away.
But then, like a week later I tried again on my shorter left leg and to my surprise it responded!
So I did in one go 60 clicks, which is much more then recommended, and continued to do over 200 clicks over the next 3 days, which should have been a big amount but I think was actually very little, so my left left leg should still be a bit shorter.

I think the difference is very small, but I will take a close look at the next x-rays.

[afterall]

I tried for several days, no response. So I packed my lengthening device away.
But then, like a week later I tried again on my shorter left leg and to my surprise it responded!
So I did in one go 60 clicks, which is much more then recommended, and continued to do over 200 clicks over the next 3 days, which should have been a big amount but I think was actually very little, so my left left leg should still be a bit shorter.

I think the difference is very small, but I will take a close look at the next x-rays.

hi all ,
it's my first post but it's months that i follow the forum , regarding this problem i have some questions for all of you
what happen if in 2 stages the second leg can't reach the lenghtening of the first leg ? example the first leg lenghtened 7,5 cm, the second leg for several reasons can't pass 5 cm, we have to live with discrepancy??
the same question in 1 stage
without frequently x-rays there are a lot of risks...

(sorry for my english )

[helloworld]

hi all ,
it's my first post but it's months that i follow the forum , regarding this problem i have some questions for all of you
what happen if in 2 stages the second leg can't reach the lenghtening of the first leg ? example the first leg lenghtened 7,5 cm, the second leg for several reasons can't pass 5 cm, we have to live with discrepancy??
the same question in 1 stage
without frequently x-rays there are a lot of risks...

(sorry for my english )

That is very unlikely to happen.
I had very good bone consolidation that is why Fitbone stopped.
But if it really happens, then you can always break the bone again.

[Four Inch]

hi all ,
it's my first post but it's months that i follow the forum , regarding this problem i have some questions for all of you
what happen if in 2 stages the second leg can't reach the lenghtening of the first leg ? example the first leg lenghtened 7,5 cm, the second leg for several reasons can't pass 5 cm, we have to live with discrepancy??
the same question in 1 stage
without frequently x-rays there are a lot of risks...

(sorry for my english )

I agree with Helloworld; based on the experiences of others that I have spoken to it seems unlikely.  However, there have been fitbone nail failures and the nail had to be replaced.  I'm guessing every type of internal nail has had some percentage of failure.

Although, I had xrays every two weeks; mostly because I wanted to be assured that the bone was consolidating.  I think the xrays become more important as you get close to reaching your desired height so that you can better confirm how much you have lengthened.  If you are a two-stage patient, its even more important with your second leg so that a significant discrepancy can be avoided. A minor discrepancy seems to be considered acceptable.  In fact, I had a 4mm discrepancy before surgery that I never knew about.

I'm thinking about returning to Barcelona in the final days of lengthening so that I can have easier access to more frequent xrays.

[Four Inch]

Quick update......so far things seem to be going fine. 

I had a round of xrays taken about a week ago and there is lots of bone formation activity on my first leg; very thankful for that.  I have lengthened 2.5 centimeters in my second leg so far and plan to lengthen a full 8cm to compensate for the lengthening in my first leg plus compensate for a preexisting discrepancy in my leg length.  With a little luck I should be walking without crutches in late November.

Quite by accident, I noticed that I can actually walk without crutches now! In a momentary loss of reality, I took a few steps without my crutches and was pleasantly surprised.  I know walking without crutches is a no-no at this stage, but it was a bit comforting to know that I can.

I'll be returning to the US, in the next few days.  As much as I love it here, I look forward to returning home so that  I can somewhat get on with my life!

[U only live once]

Quick update......so far things seem to be going fine. 

I had a round of xrays taken about a week ago and there is lots of bone formation activity on my first leg; very thankful for that.  I have lengthened 2.5 centimeters in my second leg so far and plan to lengthen a full 8cm to compensate for the lengthening in my first leg plus compensate for a preexisting discrepancy in my leg length.  With a little luck I should be walking without crutches in late November.

Quite by accident, I noticed that I can actually walk without crutches now! In a momentary loss of reality, I took a few steps without my crutches and was pleasantly surprised.  I know walking without crutches is a no-no at this stage, but it was a bit comforting to know that I can.


I'll be returning to the US, in the next few days.  As much as I love it here, I look forward to returning home so that  I can somewhat get on with my life!

Hi Four Inch,

I am very excited to read your diary since my surgery is surely on the way, counting the days off, 18 days! Just out of curiosity  how often do you get your xrays done? Do you send them to Monegal every time you take them?

Thanks mate.