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[Jokerhastowait2022]

Hi!

So after a long time of constant research and consideration, I have finally made up my mind to go through with the surgery. My surgery is scheduled for March 18th and PT, transportation, etc is arranged with the help of the AFA team. The reason why I considered this surgery in the first place was all due to sabotaging thoughts related to my height. Although I might not be considered short comparatively (173 cm), we all have different ideal perceptions of our body, and I think it should be respected. This forum has helped me a lot in the past 2 years in terms of getting to know different aspects of LL. I am truly grateful for this community and want to give back as much as I can for the prospective patients WHO REALLY THINK THIS SURGERY CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR THEM MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. I am planning to keep updating until the 1-year mark, after which I will disappear just like most of the previous patients. This is purely to forget this concept of height once and for all and move on with my life. LL is a risky and lengthy process, and I would have not considered it if I did not think it would make a huge impact on my mental well-being. I have seen a lot of negativity and skepticism posted by people on patient diaries, and I have to say it is absolutely unacceptable to treat patients like that who are openly sharing their stories out of goodwill. So If I encounter such toxicity here, I'm afraid I will stop posting. For those who are really interested, you can still email me or message me through IG.

For those who want to follow me personally here's my IG username: jokerhastowait

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here I will answer them ASAP.

That's it from me for now, take care!

[AsianCyborg]

Hey Joker,

Congratulations on finally pulling that trigger! Since I’ve joined this forum, I feel that AFA is deemed reputable from the diaries I’ve read and I’m heavily considering them as they aren’t heavily marketed unlike other agencies. I too plan to undergo LON Tibias this year and I’m hoping to aim for 6CM which is about 15% of my Tibial length and to fix my bow legs which I slightly have Genu Valgum. I have a couple of questions for you and your reply is much appreciated!
1. Do you know if your surgeon specializes more on the Femurs or Tibias?
2. Do you plan on staying in Turkey throughout the entire distraction phase?
3. Will you use the Ilizarov frames or the Monorail fixators as your externals?
4. How much do you plan on lengthening?
Thank you joker and I look forward to hearing back from you!

-AsianCyborg

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Hi AsianCyborg,

Yes, During my research phase AFA stood out as well. This was because they never shared their patients' identities (Unlike other agencies in Turkey) unless they wanted to. Also, the doctors they work with are top-notch and have good track records as far as I know. 6 CM is definitely possible in tibias but everything gets harder after 5 cm and you need to listen to your body and not get too greedy about an extra 1 cm or so.  To answer your questions:

1- As far as my research tells me, Dr.Uysal has done many CLL surgeries in both Femur and tibias with great results, and I don't think he'd have problems performing surgeries on either segment.

2- Absolutely! LL is a very compilation-prone surgery, and you need to be monitored by your doctor regularly to identify possible obstacles in advance and prevent them from getting worse. Dr.Uysal visits his patients at least once a month ( sometimes biweekly) to make sure everything is on the track. In fact, this was one of the main factors that made me choose him. After all, LL is no joke.

3- Initially, I was planning to get monorails. But, after my consultation with Dr.Uysal, I decided to go with Ilizarov frames. The reason was that he emphasized that Ilizarov frames have a lesser capacity to cause deformities in tibias in comparison to monorails ( monorails can cause valgus). And also the pins at the top and bottom in Ilizarov frames can effectively fixate fibula to the tibia to prevent any shifts, especially in the ankle area, which in turn prevents arthritis in the future. So, Although they are bulkier I rather have lesser chances of complication and deformity. that's why I chose them.

4- I am aiming for 5.5 cm, but if things get hard after 5cm I might settle for 5.2 or 5.3 cm as well. So, fingers crossed!

[jlk]

CONGRATS on your journey!!! im currently getting my femurs done via LON and i couldn’t be happier with the care and expertise of Dr. Uysal and staff. in particular, Omer, my primary contact has been AMAZING. they brought me a goodies basket right when i got out of surgery.. let me tell you… when you wake up from surgery and someone hands you ice cold juice it’s like HEAVEN…it’s the little things ya know?

i love the hotel. the breakfast buffet is AMBROSIA. i just started lengthening yesterday! i feel great. very little pain, but boy oh boy do i get tired after walking just a few steps. I’m 179cm tall and will increase 8cm. because i have a very athletic body type and play a lot of sports, my healing protocol is slightly different. i weigh 104kg so i can’t walk all day long or i’ll be in danger of bending my LON nails. so…i just do exactly what they tell me to do in physical therapy and so far everything is going swimmingly. Thank you to Farooq, Mahmood and the gentleman who changes my dressings. You guys are so professional, so utterly patient.

dr. uysal is amazing. absolutely not pretentious, kind, honest, efficient and encouraging. you could not ask to be in better hands.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Hey there jlk! Good to hear you're having a great time! 104 kg!! You're a beast hahaha It would be awesome to meet you in the hotel after I get my surgery done.

[AsianCyborg]

Hi Joker,

Thanks for the reply! I thought the screws that are fixated on both the proximal and distal end would ensure proper alignment relative to the Tibia and Fibula? I’ll be following your guide closely and wish you all the best in your future endeavours!

[jlk]

you bet joker lets meet when you get to our hotel, omer can introduce us.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Dear,
I think you're referring to syndoesmotic screws located at top and bottom for tibial lengthening, in that case you're right they need to be present to pull the fibula for the ride while lengthening. In my case, Dr uysal is going to insert distal and proximal pins across the tibia and fibula with the ilizarov fixators to Essentially achieve the same purpose. Although good results can be obtained as a result of monorail lengthening of tibias, any six axis external fixator has a batter mechanism to prevent and adjust mis or malaligments. I actually asked this question on the last Q&A stream where Vic(Cyborg4life) interviewed Dr.Assayag. You can check that out if your interested.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

So quick change of plans,

I rescheduled my surgery to March 15th ( Tomorrow). Now, I'm lying on my hospital bed after doing all the preoperative examination. Met with Dr.Uysal. pretty chill person. Answered all my questions which made me more comfortable. Can't lie feeling a bit nervous which I'd assume is normal before undergoing a major surgery like this. Don't know what to expect on the other side. I guess it's going to be painful and uncomfortable. But you know what they say nothing worthwhile comes easy. So Wish me luck I guess

Regards,

[Bob]

.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Quick question:
Are all the anesthesiologists quirky and seem to be in a rush everywhere they go? Cause Just as I was reaching deep sleep at 1 AM the dear anesthesiologists came busting through the door, kinda like the "FBI, open up" meme. 
https://m.

[HateLAPELoveSTEM]

Hey Jokerhastowait congrats on your journey ahead of my question.
How will you describe the pains of LL?
For instance if childbirth's pain level is 10/10, how much is the value of LL's pain level?

[jlk]

sleep tight brother you’ll wake up at the start of a NEW EXCITING JOURNEY. see you when you get to istanbul

[Jokerhastowait2022]

It's been 10 hours since I had the surgery, and the pain is almost no-existent. I was expecting to be in really bad pain for the first hours. I think this is due to good pain management protocol they use. But it's been only 10 hours. Might get worse later.
Regards

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Sure thing  it's always nice to have people with the same goals beside you.

[thankscience]

Congrats on having the surgery! Wishing you all the best!

What painkillers are you taking?

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Honestly, I'm not sure but whatever it is it's super effective

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Hello there!

It's been 3 days since my surgey, and the pain so far has been manageable. I always thought pain was the biggest obstacle after LL, but I was wrong. The fact that you go from being fully autonomous to a bedridden semi crippled person has a worse impact on your psychology than pain. This is not a procedure to go through alone, please bring someone with you at least for the first 2 weeks untill you can move around. There are many hardships during the first days that may make your rethink weather you've made a sane decision to undergo this surgery. Please note that if you do not have a strong reason behind getting this procedure, then you might easily tap out when things get hard.

I tried walking around today, and after 10 steps , my body lost all it's energy and I couldn't focus anymore. It's funny cause I used to run half-marathons before the operation and still have some energy left, but this is on another level of exhaustion. I had to sleep for 2-3 hours untill I could function again.

Yesterday, they removed the catheter and oh boy it was not a good feeling. It's a fast intense burning sensation that stars from deep down the urethra up to tip of the penis. Not gonna lie that moment might have been more painful than the pain from the osteotomy site.

AFA has been really attentive and caring with regards to my requests so far. Just like for Jlk, they also sent me a bag of goodies and chocolate which I've been devouring for the past 2 days. It's really nice of them to do that. Dr.uysal visits me 2 times a day to see if I have any questions/ worries. I'll tell you guys, if your serious about this procedure go with a surgeon who is attentive and actually visits you after the initial operation. Cause LL is not a sprint, it's a marathon.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Day 5

I'd have never assumed taking a dump would be this hard. I was literally sweating so much trying to get those hard as rock feces out of my system. But once they were out, I felt like I was in heaven. So, here's my tip for folks who want to relieve themselves after being virtually stagnant for almost a week: take your time! Listen to a relaxing music. Do not push too hard otherwise you might get fissure scars, which trust me is not a pleasant feeling. After they're out continue sitting on the toilet in case some of them decided to arrive late to the party.

Sleep wise, I have not been sleeping well lately. Since im always lying on my back, it has started to hurt and therefore makes me uncomfortable to sleep on it for too long. So what I do from time to time is to adjust the angle of my bed so that my back doesn't have to be in a single position for an extend period of time. One other strange thing I've noticed happening is when I'm one the verge of sleep one or both of my legs start to involuntary make sudden moves. Kinda like pushing down with force. I don't know what causes this, and it's so annoying cause It literally is the single reason I can't get enough sleep. I have some theories why this is the case: maybe the legs have not gotten used to ilizarov frames, so they react by making sudden moves? Or maybe I'm having side effects from some of the drugs they've been giving me over the last 5 days ? I would appreciate if someone can give me advice on how to resolve this issue 

One other problem I have is I easily get dizzy and lose energy after walking for some time. This is due to my low hemoglobin levels, and I've been getting iron injections twice a day. Doctor anticipates the problem to be resolved in 7-10 days. So fingers crossed. My left knee has also been swollen from day one, which has been getting better by applying Ice and compression bandages over it.

I do not have pain at this point, but the discomfort is killing me.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

P.S
I post more detailed pics of my fixators and recovery on my IG, if interested you guys can follow my journey on there,too
Cheers
IG : jokerhastowait

[kilin]

Day 5
One other problem I have is I easily get dizzy and lose energy after walking for some time.

in my case, the problem was breakfast, there were almost no carbohydrates and calories in it. to walk, you need a normal blood sugar level, but glycogen reserves from the liver and muscles go away in the first days after surgery. The first couple of days I lost consciousness when I got up. Then my friend bought me cheesecakes, pasta with meat, etc. for breakfast, so I could walk without problems.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Eating more is definitely helping. Although I sometimes find myself forcing myself to eat cause of low appetite.

[Femurus]

Could you please share your X-ray pictures?

[AsianCyborg]

Hey Joker,

Congratz on the surgery! Wow, I’m surprised you don’t experience much pain, you’re a real champ! 
I’m guessing LON Femurs would be on a whole new ballgame in terms of pain. When do you officially start lengthening? I’m excited for you!

-AsianCyborg

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Day 10-11

I got discharged today, yes you heard it right today! After almost 11 days! Dr.uysal does this to almost all of his patients to make sure nothing major happens after the initial surgery. He visited me twice a day throughout the whole stay at the hospital which was really reassuring. Not gonna lie tho, I started to feel really bored after the 1st week, and my back started to hurt from lying down all the time. Other than that, I was pretty good actually! had minimal pain, walked around with walker, and got used to sleeping with the frames. My left leg is still swollen and can't really walk with it. I shared this with Dr.uysal and he told me that it will get resolved by 1 week or so, fingers crossed! I started the lengthening at day 7 , and I'm at almost 2 mm mark now  . Lengthening with a wrench kinda feels weird, but it's efficient and not complicated. I'm now back at the hotel and getting used to my room. PT sessions (5 times a week, 2hours each) starts from tomorrow! Not sure if I can give my best since my left is still weak due to swelling.

AFA has been amazing so far. They try their best to meet my needs. For instance, I needed a paper to be approved by health institution , and when I asked them if they could do it, they accepted. This was really nice of them because I needed that paper to be approved ASAP for my university.

Here are my X-rays 3 days after the surgery:

Left leg:
https://ibb.co/yXCKBBR

Right leg:
https://ibb.co/NFzmwJK

Psychologically, things got better when I left the hospital. It was good to see people, again!

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Yes! Eating a lot and frequently does really help to boost the energy needed for walking! It's hard to do so days after the surgery tho. Had low appetite.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Hey Joker,

Congratz on the surgery! Wow, I’m surprised you don’t experience much pain, you’re a real champ! 
I’m guessing LON Femurs would be on a whole new ballgame in terms of pain. When do you officially start lengthening? I’m excited for you!

-AsianCyborg

Thanks dude!
Honestly, I think the pain management protocol used for me was really effective in terms of mitigating the pain, the first two days I was just uncomfortable, wasn't really in too much pain, on day 3-4 I had a 4-5/10 pain which was completely manageable. But after that, nothing! It was strange for me too!

I don't think the bone pain would be different with the same pain management protocol, but thick pins going through a lot of muscle can cause pain. Honestly, LON FEMUR is hard, kudos to folks who go for it!

[PerfectBody]

The fact that you go from being fully autonomous to a bedridden semi crippled person has a worse impact on your psychology than pain. This is not a procedure to go through alone, please bring someone with you at least for the first 2 weeks untill you can move around. There are many hardships during the first days that may make your rethink weather you've made a sane decision to undergo this surgery. Please note that if you do not have a strong reason behind getting this procedure, then you might easily tap out when things get hard.

It's funny cause I used to run half-marathons before the operation and still have some energy left, but this is on another level of exhaustion.

This is 1000% how I felt doing femurs. It's crazy, you really go from 100 to 0, it's so psychologically damaging. Haha but you'll recover, so don't worry. 3-6 months after removal you'll be back to normal. Stay strong brother.

[MrJames]

Femur:
If you want more cm, painful days are waiting for you

Do you think it is necessary to use blood thinners?

[Jokerhastowait2022]

Day 14
 
Eat-Lengthen-sleep- WC, are pretty much what I did in the last three days. Honestly there's not much to do when you have a set of broken legs. Chilling is your only choice.

My left leg is still swollen and hurst when I message it or put weight on it. It has gotten a bit better tho, but the progress is slow. My next milestone would be to have a normal left leg, without swelling or pain. Hopefully I'll achieve this within the coming week.

That's pretty much what I can say so far. I reckon it's going to be the same for the next 2 months.

[Jokerhastowait2022]

This is 1000% how I felt doing femurs. It's crazy, you really go from 100 to 0, it's so psychologically damaging. Haha but you'll recover, so don't worry. 3-6 months after removal you'll be back to normal. Stay strong brother.

Haha yeah, I read your diary , I know what you're talking about.  That's the plan! I'm hoping to be walking normally 3-4 months after the removal surgery. Fingers crossed!