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[Stretch]

Great attitude V21 you will be fine.

All the best.

[TouchTheSkies]

Hey guys,
This is my last post before surgery tomorrow. The first G Nail patient just contacted me and he's fine. Depending on how I feel, I will probably update before next week. Regarding the questions, Precice will be back by September, and I booked surgery and acommodation since January.

To be honest, I'm not even nervous. I have fought really hard to get here. I'm not a rich guy, and had to create a business just to get money to pay for this. I have been 1 year working like a madman. I have also stretched a lot and choose a good surgeon. I think I did all I could, and now the rest is just luck and discipline. I have lost years of my life due to height neurosis, and this ends tomorrow. Wether it goes well or not, I'm proud to have tried instead of accepting defeat.

Will update as soon as possible, thanks for the support¡

Really hope it works out for you. You'll do great.

[0010010]

Thanks for the update brother, best of luck! You'll nail it! You are in good hands.

[V21]

Hey guys, just posting to let you know that I'm alive lol. Surgery went well, but the first days are tought. Today is the first day I feel somewhat decent, and I will update with more details when I get home. I just had like minor "complications": first day all day vomitting, second day wasn't able to pee and had to get catheter, yesterday I had dyharrea and had to go to the toilet 6 times (sitting there hurts)... Luckily, I feel good today and I'm able to move well with walker and crutches. In fact, Giotikas had us climbing stairs and it was possible. The other G Nail patient is also okay, and I'm sharing room with another user, Morning Star, who is doing LATN. I will update soon¡

[0010010]

On the other side!!! Nice one brother!! You did it!! Legend!

[slender]

congrats v21!

[V21]

More details about surgery day. I got to the hospital and they gave a pill they gave everyone for anxiety. I didn't really like it, because I entered the hospital in an spartan mindset and the pill left me like a a dumb baby, but I do understand its purpose. Surgery was very long because Giotikas had to effort to get the big nail (13 mm) on me. So surgery took like 7 hours, but all went fine, I got the big nail (up to 95 kg per leg) and the scars are really minimal.

When I woke up, I was very dizzy and vomited. There was an unknown guy there trying to explain me how to click just as soon as I woke up, and it turns out he was Guichet: he is here in order to make sure we click correctly. I know he has a big reputation here and he seems a bit crazy: they made me walk like 20 steps with walker, and I vomitted twice. Then he said something like "you can try stairs now". Luckily, Giotikas said that what I did was more than enough for the first day, so he "saved" me a bit.  I was also shown how to click. It's very awkward, but didn't hurt much. I was all day very weak, vomiting and unable to eat. I slept 1 hour at best.

Second day was the hardest for me. I could not pee so I they put a catheter. The other patients could pee with no problem, so this only happened to me. Since I could not sleep, I was like all night strectching, and the PT guy asked me if I wanted to try crutches. I said yes, and I think it was a big mistake. At that point, I was able to use walker with no issue, but 3 steps on crutches left me incredibly tired and my legs got swollen. The pain that day was very bad, so my advice is not to rush things. I would have been fine if I had only used walker.

Third day started quite well. Giotikas told me this was the day for crutches, and now I did felt good using them. He also took me to climb stairs, and I was able to do it. It's really crazy how fast things change: second day I almost fainted with 3 steps on crutches, and the next day I was able to climb stairs no issue. My legs felt very good after doing it, being all day in bed is fk up. However, I started having dyharrea, and had to go to toilet 6 times. Sitting in and out of the toilet was very painful, and each trip to the toilet was a nightmare,so I can say yesterday ended up being a bad day too. Please notice that I was the only patient with dyharrea, so it seems like my body is a bit of a b*tch lol.

Today I feel better. I still have cramps on my stomach, but I can control them. I have walking like 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes now (crutches). I move slow, but it feels nice. I will again for a while now, so this is the first day I feel good. I was also able to sleep like 5 hours, which helped a lot. Tomorrow I get home finally.

[V21]

Regarding pain, I was expecting spikes of high pain, for example while strecthing. The reality is different: there is no crazy pain, but there is constant pain that does not allow you to rest. The second day I had like 6/10 pain during almost all day and night, so it was really challenging. Take into consideration that I was the only patient vomiting and being unable to eat, so the others were better than me. I also find it very hard to sleep without being able to move much.

The good news is that, after day 2, you get much better. It happened to me and to the others, there are big changes in recovery since day 2 to day 3. You just have to hang on and survive the first 2, which are quite bad. Today my pain is maybe 2/10, and I have been all day strechting with 0 issues.

[MorningStar]

Best regards from Athens to all of you.

Probably I'll make my LATN diary too, but a bit later.

[DonBones]

Regarding pain, I was expecting spikes of high pain, for example while strecthing. The reality is different: there is no crazy pain, but there is constant pain that does not allow you to rest. The second day I had like 6/10 pain during almost all day and night, so it was really challenging. Take into consideration that I was the only patient vomiting and being unable to eat, so the others were better than me. I also find it very hard to sleep without being able to move much.

The good news is that, after day 2, you get much better. It happened to me and to the others, there are big changes in recovery since day 2 to day 3. You just have to hang on and survive the first 2, which are quite bad. Today my pain is maybe 2/10, and I have been all day strechting with 0 issues.

Yeah, the day after surgery can be very challenging. That's when Dr Betz' patients begin to walk on crutches with a target of about 500m for the day and also when I took the first shower, which was a nightmare. Difficult day, but things got easier quickly. Day 4 after surgery I felt so good that I walked 5km in total on crutches, so you can expect things to get better yet very soon.

Having said that, my advice is to ramp up the intensity slowly even if you feel great. Both myself (after the 5k) and another guy who decided to walk without crutches from day 2 onwards had pain during days 5-10. In my humble experience, it's best to increase the intensity slowly to get to know your limits, unless of course the doc tells you otherwise.

Also, again just my humble opinion, but the vomiting and peeing issues may be due to the fact that your surgery took seven hours. They must have pumped a lot of anaesthetics into you.

I am quite surprised that you click so soon. We all had to wait for seven days. I hope you found it easy and are a confident clicker

Good luck!

[V21]

Hey man, thanks for your experience. Clicking went good but it was with Giotikas help, so who know how will it go on day 7¡ Btw, here they don't allow us yet to walk with both feet, we have to hop using both legs at the same time. I will leave hospital in a few hours and I have been walking for a while, definetely feels nice¡ However, it seems that you guys work much more than us, here they told us to walk maybe like 100 metres maximum on days 3-4. In first day I could only walk a few steps. I will defintely speed up my rythm, to be honest I'm just a bit paranoic about bending the nail, but it seems quite tough.

My main issues right now are my stomach (cramps all the time, I can't rest at night) and the fact that I can't stand on my own from the toilet, so I don't know how I will do it back at home. I can stand up from bed, but the toilet is too low, I will probably buy a lift.

[canterk]

thanks for your diary. I'm now considering G-Nail because stryde is gone.

[Arcon]

Hi V21, Congrats on your surgery, wishing you a speedy recovery. Please don't forget us, keep us posted!

[V21]

Quick update.
I got to my appartament yesterday, and I can tell you it's an amazing change. I had a shower and I felt human again lol. I consider myself a strong guy, but I have to admit that the days in hospital were really bad. Not due to surgery itself but my vomitting, dyharrea, not being able to move much in bed... never felt so weak ever. However, at home I feel great and I'm all day strechting and walking.

My mood is a lot better now, and I can say that I am enjoying this part. Walking hurts at times and it's very very tiring, but it's like "good" pain, as I know it makes me progress and I feel good about it. I do am having an issue: my left quad is really really weak, and I still need walker to stand up on my own. This is problematic in toilet, as it's too low, and I had to buy a lift to be able to push my weight with my hands. Giotikas told me today that I should focus on leg raises in order to recover strenght, and I'm doing it. Tomorrow I start with clicking and PT, so it's a very important day. I will let you know how it goes, I'm quite excited.

Regardin my first days on hospital, I have a lot of thoughts I could not write in these past days. In a few days I will probably explain more in that regard, but for now I would like to say that Giotikas and his team are amazing. The doctor seems very profesional, and I had almost non existent bruisings, something crazy for these kind of surgery. His nurses are also very kind, and one of them goes home with you for the first 24 hours if you want to. In my case, I'm lucky to have my gf with me, so we just had the nurse for maybe 6 hours. My only complains are with some of the general staff on hospital (they are not part of Giotikas team). There were a couple guys who were a bit lacking, and I suffered issues I would not have had if they had been more careful (for example standing from toilet). In any case, most of the general stuff were good, and I will say more about this in future
posts.

One last thing: I have a bit of duckass. It's weird because my hips flexors are not tight at all, as I'm strechting a lot. My glutes are long gone though, so probably it's because of that? Tomorrow I will ask the PT guy about how to correct it, but any advices are welcomed. I find it weird to already have duck ass at 1 cm? The other G Nail patient does not have it, and I must admit he is doing better than me.

[LU213]

Thanks for the update bro.  Glad you are doing better.  Feelings of nausea and diarrhea are just about the worst. How long will you and your gf stay in Greece?  Dr. G told me 5 weeks. Do you recommend that a patient bring the toilet seat risers with him/her? Anything I can learn from you I will.  Maybe getting 1 cm right away causes DA because it is not gradual like the others.  It will be interesting to see what others have experienced when they post.

[eric.cartman]

Quick update.
I got to my appartament yesterday, and I can tell you it's an amazing change. I had a shower and I felt human again lol. I consider myself a strong guy, but I have to admit that the days in hospital were really bad. Not due to surgery itself but my vomitting, dyharrea, not being able to move much in bed... never felt so weak ever. However, at home I feel great and I'm all day strechting and walking.

My mood is a lot better now, and I can say that I am enjoying this part. Walking hurts at times and it's very very tiring, but it's like "good" pain, as I know it makes me progress and I feel good about it. I do am having an issue: my left quad is really really weak, and I still need walker to stand up on my own. This is problematic in toilet, as it's too low, and I had to buy a lift to be able to push my weight with my hands. Giotikas told me today that I should focus on leg raises in order to recover strenght, and I'm doing it. Tomorrow I start with clicking and PT, so it's a very important day. I will let you know how it goes, I'm quite excited.

Regardin my first days on hospital, I have a lot of thoughts I could not write in these past days. In a few days I will probably explain more in that regard, but for now I would like to say that Giotikas and his team are amazing. The doctor seems very profesional, and I had almost non existent bruisings, something crazy for these kind of surgery. His nurses are also very kind, and one of them goes home with you for the first 24 hours if you want to. In my case, I'm lucky to have my gf with me, so we just had the nurse for maybe 6 hours. My only complains are with some of the general staff on hospital (they are not part of Giotikas team). There were a couple guys who were a bit lacking, and I suffered issues I would not have had if they had been more careful (for example standing from toilet). In any case, most of the general stuff were good, and I will say more about this in future
posts.

One last thing: I have a bit of duckass. It's weird because my hips flexors are not tight at all, as I'm strechting a lot. My glutes are long gone though, so probably it's because of that? Tomorrow I will ask the PT guy about how to correct it, but any advices are welcomed. I find it weird to already have duck ass at 1 cm? The other G Nail patient does not have it, and I must admit he is doing better than me.

Glad to hear you're doing better. The hardest part is behind you, things will only improve from here. Once you start PT, you'll start feeling much better.

[V21]

Thanks for the update bro.  Glad you are doing better.  Feelings of nausea and diarrhea are just about the worst. How long will you and your gf stay in Greece?  Dr. G told me 5 weeks. Do you recommend that a patient bring the toilet seat risers with him/her? Anything I can learn from you I will.  Maybe getting 1 cm right away causes DA because it is not gradual like the others.  It will be interesting to see what others have experienced when they post.

I will be 3 months because I want to leave after all is done, but you can be like 5-6 weeks I thing. And yes, bring the toilet seay with you... I didn't and I have a problem now. Bough it today and it turns out that it doesnt fit my toilet cause it is really weird on the borders. Right now I'm not sure I can stand from toilet without help, so if I need to do number 2 tomorrow my options are:

Risk sitting in toilet praying to be able to get up. If I cant I'm fked, cause I doubt my gf can lift me.

Ask to go to bathroom in the PT centre.

Do it in diapers or in a bucket

 

[V21]

I will be 3 months because I want to leave after all is done, but you can be like 5-6 weeks I think. And yes, bring the toilet seay with you... I didn't and I have a problem now. Bough it today and it turns out that it doesnt fit my toilet cause it is really weird on the borders. Right now I'm not sure I can stand from toilet without help, so if I need to do number 2 tomorrow my options are:

Risk sitting in toilet praying to be able to get up. If I cant I'm fked, cause I doubt my gf can lift me.

Ask to go to bathroom in the PT centre.

Do it in diapers or in a bucket

 

[LU213]

   My vote is for the male diapers. I am ordering some depends for men off of Amazon right now. lol  I think I am going to stay for 5 weeks.  They have those floor based systems that place bars on either side of the toilet so arm strength can be used.  The inexpensive toilets here have different shapes than those in Europe.

https://www.amazon.com/OasisSpace-Stand-Raised-Toilet-300lbs/dp/B081SG4RSZ/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2FUA8XMM6MX0G&dchild=1&keywords=toilet+seat+riser+with+handles&qid=1630336549&sprefix=toilet+seat%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-9

https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Alone-Toilet-Rail-Vive/dp/B015789VQI/ref=sr_1_18_sspa?crid=2FUA8XMM6MX0G&dchild=1&keywords=toilet+seat+riser+with+handles&qid=1630360735&sprefix=toilet+seat%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-18-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzMkoyNlVOMDlFWkdEJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDMyNTc4UldERVNBWDMzUFIwJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA3NDgwODgxWUFDUTJTQUlLVVFRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfbXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[Growing]

I will be 3 months because I want to leave after all is done, but you can be like 5-6 weeks I thing. And yes, bring the toilet seay with you... I didn't and I have a problem now. Bough it today and it turns out that it doesnt fit my toilet cause it is really weird on the borders. Right now I'm not sure I can stand from toilet without help, so if I need to do number 2 tomorrow my options are:

Risk sitting in toilet praying to be able to get up. If I cant I'm fked, cause I doubt my gf can lift me.

Ask to go to bathroom in the PT centre.

Do it in diapers or in a bucket

 

So who's cleaning you up when using diapers? No matter what I'm going through, I'd never put someone in that position to have to clean me after going in a diaper unless im elderly and  ting myself through natural causes and can't help it.

[LU213]

  So I think he is joking and he can clean himself up if he isn't.  His hands work and he can stand.

[Growing]

So I think he is joking and he can clean himself up if he isn't.  His hands work and he can stand.

lol.. I get the joke.. that would be so gross though if it happened..lol 😂

[eric.cartman]

I will be 3 months because I want to leave after all is done, but you can be like 5-6 weeks I thing. And yes, bring the toilet seay with you... I didn't and I have a problem now. Bough it today and it turns out that it doesnt fit my toilet cause it is really weird on the borders. Right now I'm not sure I can stand from toilet without help, so if I need to do number 2 tomorrow my options are:

Risk sitting in toilet praying to be able to get up. If I cant I'm fked, cause I doubt my gf can lift me.

Ask to go to bathroom in the PT centre.

Do it in diapers or in a bucket

 

Are you able to bend your knees ok ? Did the nurse show you how to slide on/off your wheelchair to the toilet seat ? As long as you are able to use crutches and bend your knees a bit, you should be ok to use toilet - it's not as straight forward as when your legs are fully functional but doable. Ask the nurse to show you.

[V21]

Are you able to bend your knees ok ? Did the nurse show you how to slide on/off your wheelchair to the toilet seat ? As long as you are able to use crutches and bend your knees a bit, you should be ok to use toilet - it's not as straight forward as when your legs are fully functional but doable. Ask the nurse to show you.

Hey man, I have not used wheelchair, just walker and crutches. The guy who did tibia can sit with no problem, but it's very different for femur patients. It's hell for me, but I can do it¡ Just tried this afternoon and I already am strong enough to stand up from toilet by myself, so no diapers for now.

[V21]

Important update.

Today I started PT and clicking. It has been a very good day. Regarding PT, it hurts a lot, but I love it lol, it feels like good pain. I must admit that hospital was very tough for me, but I love this kinda pain: in hospital was just vomiting and being unable to move, here it is like "warrior" pain. I enjoyed a lot, and I was trying to overcome my limits. Even the PT guy laughed and told me to rest more. We also biked, and we were told that Dr. Giotikas will give us a stationary bike to have at home.

Regardind clickinc, the first thing to say is that it is not painful, or not much. I have seen Betzbone patients talk about crying with pain, and it's nothing like this. The twist and the sound is gruesome, but the pain itself is not that bad. For me it was 1 on left leg and 3-4 on right leg. It's not easy though, and I had to call the nurse to get the proper movement.

I did have a scare. Whereas my left leg clicks easily in two movements, my right requires a crazy hard twist (the nurse was cringing) and, sometimes, the two steps movement is not needed. For those who dont know, one click is composed by two clicks: big click with big twist, and small reset click. Well, in the right, there are times when the small click happens at the same time I do the big click, which is not normal. I got really paranoid thinking that something was wrong with the nail. I can't have damaged it, I have been extremely careful. I contacted Dr. Giotikas and he told me that no X rays are needed and that it's normal and depends on my technique: as long as it clicks, it's ok. In fact, this also happens to the other G Nail patient and, when the nurse helps me do the click, it happens as it does in the left leg. Anyway, I will be nervous until I have X rays on 13th September.

[canterk]

thanks v21 for updating us. am considering G-Nail for my femur lengthening and I will follow your diary closely.
As for the clicking is it impossible to accidentally click when sleeping for example? I move a lot when I sleep not sure if I will still be able to do that post-op but I am worried about accidental clicks.

[V21]

thanks v21 for updating us. am considering G-Nail for my femur lengthening and I will follow your diary closely.
As for the clicking is it impossible to accidentally click when sleeping for example? I move a lot when I sleep not sure if I will still be able to do that post-op but I am worried about accidental clicks.

No way to have accidental clicks while sleeping. The movement is so hard to do. This doesnt mean that accidental clicks cant happen and I had 1 in hospital. However, they do happen only in really extreme situations: in my case, an idiot nurse did not lift me properly from toilet, and my left bent to the side, causing a click. I will make a thread about accidental clicks after finishing, but for now I'd say they can happen in some situations but they are really weird. No way to click while sleeping or being in bed. In fact, tonight clicking was quite hard in my right leg, you must find the angle and it took me 30 minutes (left leg only 5). Imagine doing that while sleeping... can't see how. And if you have accidental clicks, you will notice, it sounds like a gunshot lol.

[LU213]

Thanks for the warning about how loud it sounds.  .  I was expecting something like the clicking sound you make with your tongue.

[DonBones]

Important update.

Today I started PT and clicking. It has been a very good day. Regarding PT, it hurts a lot, but I love it lol, it feels like good pain. I must admit that hospital was very tough for me, but I love this kinda pain: in hospital was just vomiting and being unable to move, here it is like "warrior" pain. I enjoyed a lot, and I was trying to overcome my limits. Even the PT guy laughed and told me to rest more. We also biked, and we were told that Dr. Giotikas will give us a stationary bike to have at home.

Regardind clickinc, the first thing to say is that it is not painful, or not much. I have seen Betzbone patients talk about crying with pain, and it's nothing like this. The twist and the sound is gruesome, but the pain itself is not that bad. For me it was 1 on left leg and 3-4 on right leg. It's not easy though, and I had to call the nurse to get the proper movement.

I did have a scare. Whereas my left leg clicks easily in two movements, my right requires a crazy hard twist (the nurse was cringing) and, sometimes, the two steps movement is not needed. For those who dont know, one click is composed by two clicks: big click with big twist, and small reset click. Well, in the right, there are times when the small click happens at the same time I do the big click, which is not normal. I got really paranoid thinking that something was wrong with the nail. I can't have damaged it, I have been extremely careful. I contacted Dr. Giotikas and he told me that no X rays are needed and that it's normal and depends on my technique: as long as it clicks, it's ok. In fact, this also happens to the other G Nail patient and, when the nurse helps me do the click, it happens as it does in the left leg. Anyway, I will be nervous until I have X rays on 13th September.

Regarding your right leg - every nail needs the same amount of twisting and that should never be more than 20-30 degrees. If you have to twist your leg very far then you very likely have not relaxed your leg. Make absolutely sure that you leg is fully relaxed, i.e. just hanging in your hand, and then guide the click with your hands. It is normal to need a week or two to learn to click properly, i.e. initiate the rotation immediately.

Having said that I can't explain why the reset click happens at the same time as the first click. Also, for us the clicking sound is quite subtle

[V21]

Regarding your right leg - every nail needs the same amount of twisting and that should never be more than 20-30 degrees. If you have to twist your leg very far then you very likely have not relaxed your leg. Make absolutely sure that you leg is fully relaxed, i.e. just hanging in your hand, and then guide the click with your hands. It is normal to need a week or two to learn to click properly, i.e. initiate the rotation immediately.

Having said that I can't explain why the reset click happens at the same time as the first click. Also, for us the clicking sound is quite subtle

You are 100% right¡ I have to update on this. Yesterday my right leg clicks were being very difficult. I was twisting what visually looks like almost 90 degrees lol, it looked like a snapped leg. However, it was my mistake. I was not being able to keep my knee relaxed, so the mechanism was not working as it should, needing a crazy twist to get the click. This time, I close my eyes and focused on leaving my legs as it was dead, and just used my hand to push slowly. This time, the click was very easy with the usual twist, and I did not have the problem I described earlier regarding clicks at the same time.

At this point I can see that is a matter of technique. You can get a click with bad tecnique, but you will cause yourself lots of pain. When done properly, the pain is low. It's not easy to get it right though, and you have to try a lot. Future G Nail patients can DM and I can help with videos. Maybe I will upload one here blurring my face, showing how to click.

[Arcon]

Congrats @V21, glad to hear that things are going well for you. \when you have a little time it would be really helpful if you did that video with your set up for the lengthening, all the best.