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[Growth.journey]

Hi all,
I have surgery booked in with Betz in September 2022.
I thought I would prepare a diary in order to share my story, thoughts, feelings, journey and learnings along the way (with the idea that they may help someone else).
 If you have questions, please send me a DM and i will try to answer, just to there is somewhat of a consistent flow of my posts vs off topic discussion.
If you have advice of the back of a particular topic, please post below so that it has a chronological order that can help people (including myself).

Days from surgery - Minus 10

About myself:
- 173cm
- Australian (most people, especially newer generation, are very tall here, often 180cm) from Melbourne.
- Early 30's
- I have done very well career wise for my age. The money for the surgery is huge (& will hurt my bank)  but it will not set me back long-term in my financial goals as i already own an apartment which is 60-70% paid off, have a few small online businesses and will be maybe 7 months post tax salary for me. I also think my next job will be around 1.5x - 2x this salary so in tomorrow's money it is not as much. I do worry about interest rates going up though as I am using this money from excess mortgage that i have paid down already.
- I currently work in the office 75% of the month (we have to at minimum).
- I have a girlfriend who lives with me.
- I have a long upper body and shortish lower body. I am relatively muscular but don't do much cardio or sports, just mostly upper body weights but am flexible.

Why do the surgery:
- I have always had bad height neurosis, ever since high school. I was around my height tall in year 7-8 but everyone outgrew me from year 8 onwards. I started wearing thick shoes, shoe lifts. This made me embarrassed to take off my shoes which meant i avoided beaches, peoples houses where i had to take off shoes and even around the home by myself i would wear shoe lifts in my inside shoes. Whenever i went somewhere i compared my height and it was literally always on my mind, like a cancer eating away at my happiness.
- My father is taller than me and my cousins are all 6 foot 2 or above. It is embarrassing going to family events.
- I have always researched from a young age how to get taller. There are a lot of things that don't work which are advertised, like drinking milk,

Why Betz
- Only remaining weight bearing nail in market.
- Ability to do lengthening process from my home country.
- Recent journals in the last 2-3 years have all been overwhelmingly positive with great outcomes. I had some serious concerns about earlier journals but it seems like he has improved his nail material, improved his surgery technique (with very clean breaks and being more conservative now on rates of lengthening), has a new assistant doctor (who might be bringing a fresh and youthful perspective on the above matters) and Betz is even now doing ITB releases, which he was not doing previously. I think all of these factors are leading to some really good outcomes, but i am still very nervous about this as it is a major surgery. Am i crazy for wanting to do this? I would never tell another person in real life about this, i know for sure they would think i am crazy, especially since i hide my real height.
- Initially i wanted to do tibia lengthening, as i communicated before i think my tibias look shortest (albeit my whole lower body is much shorter than upper body). But after doing more research i realised this surgery was quite risky, couldn't lengthen as long and Betz was known for Femurs. Whilst i would still prefer longer tibias i have decided the most practical approach is to do femur lengthening.
- The advice of others is not to target a specific length, rather to aim for a conservative number, listen to your body and if you are performing well to do more. The length recommended to stay under is 8cm. Personally if i got 7cm i would be incredibly happy. It is a good number, would get to me to 180cm and is under the 8cm danger mark. That being said if i need to stop at 6cm i would also be ok with this and also if things are going great, then i am also ok to push to 8cm, but not more than that.

The booking / surgery planning
- I booked the trip several months ago, i cant remember exactly, maybe 9 months ago. I wanted to have my lengthening completed by Christmas so i could be ok when i see family and go into 2023 a new man. July or August would have been ideal but the earliest i could do was September.
- The strategy is for me to spend 3 weeks with betz (i booked 3 weeks of leave), fly back, and communicate to my work at this point in time that i will need to work from home, spend 3 months (or ideally less) lengthening whilst working from home, and then maybe for consolidation start going back into the office everyday.

How i am feeling / mental preparation
- I have been relatively nonchalant going into the process (didn't seem quite real) up until about 3 weeks ago , when it started becoming more real by the day. I have been madly researching previous diaries, trying to learn as much as possible, visualise every step of the trip and every question or problem that might arise. To be honest i am probably still unprepared. I don't think i can properly comprehend what i am getting into until i actually arrive. That being said, logically i know this is something that i need to do, but emotionally i am absolutely terrified. I am afraid of making the wrong decision, the huge guilt of what i am putting my girlfriend through, of lying to people about the surgery, of the upcoming pain and huge inconvenience to my life that will come up, what if severely impact my career/work/reputation, what if someone finds out. What if i have a physical issue like non-consolidation, pre consolidation, or have a nail or screw break and have to fly back.
- I am dreading the 3 week process, including the flights, the surgery, the pain, being away from friends and family. But i know once i get past this 3 week process things will only get better from there. It is like a V shape, where it is at its worst initially, then a long steady improvement, and then for the rest of remaining 50-70 years of my life will be significantly better than my life before (i.e. removing neurosis)
- If anyone has any supporting advice or went through the same thing but now they are really glad they made the decision, please let me know, it will be helpful and reduce the chance that i don't freak out at the last minute and pull out.
- I also haven't paid yet but will need to pay next week, so i am also worried about making the payment, then pulling out, whether i can get this money back. But i am trying to see it through for a better life for me long-term.

That's all i've got for this post, but i am not flying out for another week, so i am starting quite early. I will try and keep this updated with a greater level of detail than i have seen in other posts.

[OzBoy39]

You're off to a good start buddy.
It is as you say. Worst part are the first 2 weeks IMO.

Try not to stress too much about it. Betz or other good doctor (im at week 2 post op with Giotikas) are good surgeon with good teams behind them.

Surgery day will come soon and in a matter of hours you'll be done and dusted with the hardest part.  Try to focus on the present moment at rach stage and in some (perhaps weird) way, enjoy the process. That helped me mentally through the first week (hardest by a long shot).


Good luck!

[thankscience]

Best of luck, Growth.journey! I look forward to reading your diary.

Your post says you haven't told anybody so I'm assuming you haven't told your girlfriend either. Does she think you're going on holiday for three weeks?

Also just curious why you chose Dr Betz over Guichet or Giotikas with the g-nail?

[Growth.journey]

Thanks @Ozboy39 - actually this is really good advice. Taking it day by day, not stressing and trying to enjoy the process (as much as one can). I am trying to adopt this mindset as much as possible, i can see the excitement in a trip, something different, a completely unique life experience. I think my stress definitely subsided a lot this week because of this, but maybe i am just distracted or being naïve.

Thanks @thanksscience, that's correct, something like that. Re Betz over Guichet/Giotikas, i guess it was reading through diaries and seeing some really great patient experiences with Betz recently (as well as the points I have written in my post above, though I'm sure some could apply to all of them.

Anyway, i will keep going with my diary.

Days from surgery - T minus 8 days

My fear has subsided slightly (thanks OzBoy) but still very nervous and it is like a huge weight on my chest. I find writing in this diary helps to get some off my chest too since i feel like i cannot talk to anyone about this.

I have shifted into planning and packing mode. I have bought a exercise bike as I read another article which had really good outcome and they used a bike a lot. I think exercise promotes bone growth. I have also bought exercise stretch bands heavy duty and started doing some stretches with them, like pulling leg towards me, pulling leg towards me and to the side (ITB stretch), putting the bands around my thights and pushing outwards wiht my legs as well as practising the movement i have seen in Betz videos for the clicking. I think whilst i am quite flexible i have tight hips which might be a problem.

In terms of packing, i read somewhere that people brought too much stuff before. I also realise i am coming home on a long journey, i will not be able to walk on crutches and bring a suitcase, that will just not work for me, so i have decided to bring a backpack. I guess the question is how big of a backpack and how many clothes i will need. I have emailed Betz but if anyone can provide some guidance here (i.e. can they wash your clothes which will mean i can bring less). I am thinking of bringing 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, 2 weeks worth of undies and shirts. Hoping they can wash it. I think i can fit all of this, a laptop, charger, power converter and a few other things in a backpack. Let me know if you think otherwise.

I am trying to think about what other things i need to do to prepare, e.g. stretching now, certain exercises, practising clicking movement, thinking about items to pack etc. I am also thinking about when i get back if i can get physio covered under private health insurance, but i am trying to do as much as possible myself i.e. disciplined stretching and exercise on the bike machine.

Questions for others based on my current stage of journey:
1. What should i be packing (e.g. key things i might forget) and how much should i be bringing (e.g. 1.5 -2 weeks of clothes in a backpack work?)
2. Any things i should be doing before i go, e.g. certain stretches or exercises

[OzBoy39]

No worries GrowthJourney,

Feel free to reach out anytime if you feel like it (sent you  DM). Many of us are doing this thing "solo" so it's helpful to be bale to talk openly to someone during the process.

My 2 cents on what to bring
- long USB cable (2mt). Thst saved me in the hospital where the charging port was kind of distant from my bed

- if you haven't done so , purchase a e-sim with plenty of data. Inknow it's only 3 weeks but staying connected is what helped me most and wifis here are crap. I found one with 60Gb per month and it was around 50 euro or so.

- Download whatever food delivery app is available there in your region. That's a a game changer if you haven't done so yet. If there's any good restaurant that'll help you mentally  (last night I got myself a tub of artisan ice cream.... soo good). Sometimes you need that.

-if you can afford it, please upgrade the return fight to business class. My but/hips hurt a lot if I stay seated for more than 20 mins.

Lastndont worry too much. If you forget anything I'm sure the team at Betz will help you out in no time.

[Siegfried]

Good Luck, you should be fine with Dr.Betz as long as you dont overlengthen! Dont do more than 8cm on femurs!

[VermontGuy762]

Wow, wish you good luck. This will be the first diary I get to keep up with consistently. Just wondering, how long do you think you can hide this from your gf? Not to be negative but I don't think you'll be able to hide this from her for long. It's months of recovery.

[Growth.journey]

Thanks everyone for your support. If i haven't answered your question it means it is too personal, no offence, just prefer to keep some things private. Here is an update.

Last week before i flew out was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was so stressed, couldn't think straight at work, felt enormous guilt for leaving my gf/family/friends/job etc. for something which i am sure if told anyone they either wouldn't believe or me or would think i was crazy. So i basically held off making the deposit until the last minute just in case i had any late changes of mind. It was a really tough week mentally. Anyway, i decided to proceed and I made the payment. Because i had to make an international payment, my bank actually used a 3rd party called OFX. So i was already late and then they wanted to use another third party - i said no way, especially since OFX has like a 2/5 rating on google. SO i ended up transferring the amount to my other bank account and paying from there. I had to visit the branch in person and make the payment, they made me fill out forms to ensure i knew i wasn't being scammed etc. Also they totally screwed me on the forex spread. Ended up costing a lot more than i thought.

Anyway i flew out and my god the journey was so long and difficult. It was 8 hours, then 7 hours layover, then 11 hour flight. All in one day. I made up in my mind that there is no way i am flying back again unless it is for the final nail removal. It is just too painful. I arrived and Thomas, the driver picked me up from the airport. It was very surreal arriving in a foreign country, not knowing anyone and speaking to someone who knew what i was about to do. It was weird but Thomas made it feel a bit more normal as a i spoke to him and after a while i was comfortable speaking with him and asking him lots of questions etc.

It was a long drive, surprisingly long, i didn't realise how long it was. It took about 2 hours, but looking out the window the countryside was very beautiful, but i missed my home country (Melbourne where I am from). Eventually we arrived, i was feeling positive after the conversation with Thomas. He dropped me at an ATM to get cash for his trip as I did not have any (i assumed the driver was part of the package, but it is not, it is actually 200 EURO which i thought was a bit too high of a price but what choice did i have).

When I arrive, i checked into my hotel. I chose a cheap option, i would not recommend this, spend more to get the more expensive option. As soon as I checked in, Thomas came and told me the Xray machine at the hospital was not working today and that we would need to go to another hospital they had lined up. Thomas drove me there, helped me get the xrays (it was quite quick - though i haven't done this before, its quite weird, they get you to stand in different positions with an xray cover over your balls) and drove me to a PCR test ($100 EURO). No-one really spoke english, everyone only spoke german but Thomas helped me communicate. At the end, Thomas asked me for another $50 Euro for this extra driving around and help which was not scheduled. I paid him but i wasn't really happy about this as it was not my fault. But it is fine / done now.

At 1pm i was meant to have an initial consult with Betz. However Daniela messaged me and said this was too early, so I walked around, got lunch, bought a sim card (7gb) and waited in my hotel room. At 3pm Daniela came to pick me up. To my surprise, there was another patient in the car. He had done the surgery a month ago. When i was speaking to him, i found out that he left the hospital after 7 days (not usual 14) and was having trouble clicking and had to come back to have it under anaesthesia. When i heard this my heart sunk and felt that fear/panick feeling coming up through my stomache. My god, if this happens to me i cannot imagine having to fly back to here AGAIN.

At 3.10pm i went into betz office, they measured me (171cm actually, i got it wrong) and weighed me (74kg), and took photos of me in different angles. I filled out a bunch of forms and then I went into Betz's office. We had a conversation, i was still feeling panicked after what i saw. Betz told me that only about 6% of patients have this issue and need to fly back under anaesthesia, he also said it was more of a mental problem and that he could have pushed through it. Finally he mentioned this patient left hospital after 7 days (not 14 recommended) and that it was not good to do this, this also contributed to the problem. You need to stay until you are confident in clicking and they can monitor you etc. Still, this is my biggest fear. Any tips here on how to mitigate this risk, e.g. can i practice clicking early / do any particular stretches which will make clicking a breeze? I have been taking a stretch band, wrapping it around my foot and pulling it out to the side similar to the click motion. I also saw in a video the m doing the motion whilst sitting down so i have been practising it. Any help here would be appreciated.

Betz was fantastic in his meeting, he was caring, patient, knowledgeable and intelligent. He stayed with me 5 hours going through everything and answering every possible question. I might do a post below in more detail about some of the questions i had and his responses, to save others time. He definitely made me feel comfortable i had made the right choice in terms of other nails etc. Betznail just makes so much sense, none of the other nails really compare. The only downside is manual clicking motion but you have to accept this as otherwise it means iron/magnetism/risk of corrosion. I signed all of BEtz's documents, he drove me home in his car. I went straight to bed as i was exhausted.

I have anaesthesia booked today. Surgery is booked for day after. I will be in hospital 14 days, then back at hotel for 3 days then fly back. I was going to stay at Elke's but Betz correctly identified that it was 60km away, not worth it for this time and i would be better of using the time at the gym, plus i will be close to hospital and betz. Betz said this was enough time, no issues, but i hope everything goes smoothly, especially the clicking and i also hope time goes quickly as I really want to be back home in Melbourne as soon as possible. I am very nervous, please wish me well.

Thats all for this diary.

[ten]

who will do the surgery? betz or becker?

[thankscience]

Good luck Growth.journey! Hope everything goes smoothly.

[Growth.journey]

@ten - betz will do surgery supported by Becker. He said wonderful things about Becker.
@thankscience / Thankyou for kind worlds

Further to the above post, here are some questions and discussion points from the consultation with betz (which I spent 5 hours with him)

- betz talked about all the different nails and why betz nail is the superior nail. Eg not made of iron so cannot corrode which there are some nasty cases of, can control clicks exactly so you always know the exact length you have measured, making X-rays less
Important. Lengthening mechanism is obviously challenging with manual but it prevents many problems as magnetism requires iron.
- talked about Becker. Betz spoke so very highly of Becker. He said many heads of departments has applied but he hasn’t found anyone who could control the tools like Becker.
- I asked betz if I could try and bend the nail with my hand. I did full force tried to bend and it did not budge.
- talked about screws, this was a concern for me in terms of breakages as I have heard some people had broken nails and needed to get it replaced. Betz was certain as long as you don’t engage in jumping or risky behaviour like running up 3 stairs at a time you will be fine.
- talked about any long term issues from other cases, he said none.
- talked about IT band release. He said is doing soft release for all
Surgeries and you don’t need to request it. He isn’t super happy about it but he does it for everyone now.
- you can work out as long as you’re sitting down. You can’t pick up weights.
- asked if I could cook in the kitchen he said that’s fine .
- asked if I could walk a dog and bend over and pick up it’s poops. He said it’s fine.
- asked about working from home. He said his best patients are the ones that go back to work almost immediately. This is because the daily stresses like catching a train, walking to meetings etc force you to be on your feet, your muscles adapt faster your bones grow faster. He said sitting down is really bad and you should avoid it. Yes if you work from home you get more time for stretches etc but he said he is worried about peopl just ending up sitting down all day and that’s worse than going into your office. If you have a standing desk at work this is perfect he said.
- I asked about if the crutches were more to prevent falls etc or if needed for weight bearing. He said the nails beat up to 100kg so they can fully support you immediately but for long walks should bring crutches but probably more to prevent falls etc
- talked about if some exercises are better than others eg hydro walking, gym, cycling, walking, stretches. He said they are all good and should try to do multiple not one is better.
- talked about other patient who’s in for clocking under anaesthesia. He said this was less than 6% of cases and rare. Also more of a psychological factor and also this patient left hospital early before they were ready. So this gave me comfort but was still nervous.
- talked about to betz would still be there for my nail removal. He said he will reduce hours but will be there especially if requested.
- no problem to have sxx , part of the healing process if anything.
- can help with shopping , can pick up shopping bags but not more than say 10kg
- bike is dangerous if you fall but some patients do it and they are fine. But if you fall it’s your own risk. Better to sue stationery.
- sleeping position, said side is ok but may be sore from entry wounds. Will hve access to pain meds. Prefers not to give sleeping pills but will give one if requested. Melatonin ok.
- importance of physiotherapist if you are doing all exercises stretches etc. he said difficult question to answer as depends on many things but can be helpful to have a therapist jist looking over what you are doing and correct from a high level, even if you are doing everything.

[Taller90]

Good choice, man!

Betz/Becker are exzellent. Try to get beckers mobile after your hospital as he is very quick in his answers. Betz will also reply to your messages but it will take sometimes a couple of hours/days. Nevertheless I have not regret to do this surgery with them and taking the betzbone. His advantages are unique and makes him to the best nail at the Moment and the majority find a workaround with clicking

I can only suggest to follow stricktly Betz advice. For example dont think that 3-4 hours stretching are enough, if they suggest to do 5 hours. It is very likely that you will succeed, if you do what they say. So good luck and stay optimistic!

[vincentfreeman]

Congratulations on embarking on your journey and good luck with it all

I am actually in a remarkably similar position to you - from Australia, same exact height, looking to book with Betz so particularly interested to hear your thoughts on how it all goes.

Just wondering what the timeline from initially contacting them to booking a surgery date is, I have prepared for the last year to be in a position to take time off work, financially, stretching etc,. and reached out to their office via email a few days ago, but it seems to be fairly slow replies and the earliest they are even available for a zoom into chat is in November (I was hoping to book surgery in for November)

Was that your experience/what is the usual availability like from the initial consultation to surgery is it weeks or months? I know you said you booked it in 9 months ago just not sure if that's because of planning/timeline on your end and how it panned out or their availability.

Also do you mind if I DM you some questions?

[Growth.journey]

@Taller90: Thankyou for your advice. i agree, we need to listen to exactly what betz/becker say, they are incredibly experienced. Then if you go above this (but not so much you are hurting yourself, just a little abit above your comfort zone) you will do well.
@Vincent: Yes you can DM me, i think it took about 6-9 months booking in advance. I think they are getting more busy as Betzbone is the best option on market and Betz is approaching retirement.

Diary update - 3 days post surgery

It is harder for me to update the diary as i am now in recovery mode but i will try. I get tired easily now and cannot always reach my laptop

Day after my consult with Betz my only task was to speak with anaesthia, as forms need to be filled out day before surgery. It was an admin day. Daniela drove me to hospital and i walked with her to hospital ward where we would stay post operation (same as anaesthia). Whilst waiting, Daniela introduced me to my roommate, who was 3 days ahead of me in the process. He was a really nice guy and he spoke fluent german and english which is incredibly helpful as most of the staff do not speak English. I watched him walk on crutches for the first time since surgery, it was amazing. I had a positive feeling about him and knew we would get along well as roommates already. I waited for a few hours, met the anaesthia doctor then went back to hotel. You cannot drink or eat before anaesthia as it is dangerous, so i read through betz stretching guide, did more stretches then had an early night. It is a good idea to bring some melatonin to help you sleep as well as a stretching band.

Next day was surgery day, i had to check out of my hotel and check into the hospital by 7am. I walked there myself with my luggage as the hotel is only 15 mins walk from the hospital. It was a bit confusing trying to communicate with the hospital staff but i eventually found my room and settled. My roommate was awake so we made small talk and i asked more questions. It was a surreal feeling and a bit scared but i was also mentally resolved as i had come this far. I got dressed into a surgery gown, got into bed and a nurse came in to shave my legs for surgery. I was then wheeled to a hospital room, had a drip put on and talked with doctor. i then had the mask on and went under general anaesthia.

Next minute i was in a room awaking up out of a deep slumber. I had pain 4.5 / 10. I told the nurse and they gave me something in a drip and it felt much better, maybe 1.5. Betz came round and told me the surgery was success and quick, only 2 hours as my bones were very straight, no curvature. He used size 12 nails. I came back to my room though i was in and out of consciousness. They give you very good painkillers and there is an opiate you can press on the side of the bed to get painkillers under your tongue every 20 minutes. i didn't need it too much, i maybe pressed it 3 x per day and per night for the first 1.5 days.

After surgery, same day, betz and daniela came to my room and we started walking immediately. I felt very happy and elevated to be doing this, but it was probably because of the drugs. I was very dizzy from the anaesthesia, your face feels very hot and you get a big dizzry rush. They said not to over do it, so i went back and went to sleep. It is amazing how quickly you can start walking, truly amazing.

The next day i was very tight and sore, i could barely move my legs. There is definitely a step backwards from the first day but everyday you feel some progress. But i could barely move and my legs were inflamed, so i just slept and spoke to my roommate a lot, who is a great guy. We talked about our past, history, jobs, partners, reasons for doing surgery and many other things. The food is typical hospital food, not very good but not terrible either. I brought with my some protein powder from the local supermarket which i have been eating as well to supplement the nutrition. IT is hard to eat this but i think it is helpful.

Day 2 post surgery the physio came and she did some stretching with me. I was very tight. I also tried walking but when i got to the side of my bed i felt very dizzy and nauseous so i had to stop. this was disappointing as i wanted to walk, but it is important not to overdo anything. Instead, i stretched the rest of the day with my stretch band (very important you bring one). Already in one day I feel a lot of difference in my ability to move my leg. They tell you to do a stretching movement like pulling your femur towards your chest (i would ahve practiced this stretch more before i came) as well as using a band to lift up your tibia and move it left and right.

Day 3 - my sleep has been ok. I dont feel too disrupted. my lower back is starting to hurt, i tried sleeping on my side and it was possible. Today i spent all morning stretching, my movement is getting better but i still struggle to move my lower legs by themselves. the phsyio told me to practice trying to sit on the side of the bed in advance of my session today, where i will try and walk on crutches. Wish me luck. Otherwise i am in okay spirits. It is an incredibly difficult journey but it is nothing compared to what our ancestors went through in terms of wars etc. I am also watching netflix and stretching, messaging friends etc. so it is not terrible. Plus i have a great roommate. so my spirits are decent but there is still a long journey ahead of us, including clicking and travelling home, but the best strategy is take it 1 day at a time and it will be easier. Hopefully my walking goes ok.

[Growth.journey]

Day 4

Short update from my phones

My last entry I had just tried walking (probably a bit later than others, probably because of the timing of the weekend as the physio isn’t here). I have probably been a bit conservative and made sure I’ve been stretching for several hours each day.

I finally used the crutches and I actually walked all the way down the hall and went on the bike on my first day. Daniela said my walking was excellent. I think it is because I didn’t try to push myself too hard (I think it’s about finding the point where you are outside your comfort zone but not so far that you hurt yourself the next day) plus always stretching using my bands.

I was soo tired after this walking. I stretched the rest of the day and went for another walk that night but it’s painful. I also tried doing a new stretch in bed, basically a quadriceps stretch using my band, and I had the best sleep I’ve had since coming here. I highly Recommend this stretch.

I did my first   as well since coming here as the medication makes you really consitpated. Other posts from people hve said that they needed a drug to clear their stomachs but fortunately I was able to go by myself and felt so much better.

Next day, day 5 (incl surgery)
 I woke up feeling great after my deep sleep. Standing is always hard / painful in the morning but goes away by morning after your stretches and painkillers. I had my first shower, it’s kind of challenging but you get there in the end. I did another   so sounds like my body is recovering, and I also brushed my teeth.

After my shower I had my bandages replaced and I feel so much fresher. I have been stretching a lot , especially adding in an ITB stretch where you cross your leg over and pull it toward you.

My walking is getting exponentially better, I will try to do a lot of walking today and cycling too.

[thankscience]

Glad to hear you're doing well. Do you start clicking on Day 7?

[Growth.journey]

That’s right - clicking starts at day 7.

Does anyone have any tips for clicking? Ie stretches to do in advance that will reduce the pain or any particular movements like focussing on hip rotation first then moving tibia / using a stretch band or chair?

I am Nervous for it

[RealLostSoul]

That’s right - clicking starts at day 7.

Does anyone have any tips for clicking? Ie stretches to do in advance that will reduce the pain or any particular movements like focussing on hip rotation first then moving tibia / using a stretch band or chair?

I am Nervous for it

Don‘t worry about clicking they will spent as much time with you as you need. I started clicking on day 4 I had pain on my incision site when I rotated my hips for the first 2 weeks but my tip is, if it‘s hurting too much on the hips, ask for the rope method were you put your foot into a rope/band (your leg dangling in the air) and then move your knee / tibia horizontally instead of letting it drop. It rotates the hip less and is less painful. I still use the same method even back home. In general I wouldn‘t be too anxious about clicking. It‘s going to be alright you will have a good feeling for it.

[LIVELIFETHEWAYIWANT]

best of   luck  !! I am   currently  2 months into  consolidation . feeling  great   !

[Growth.journey]

Thanks all

@reallostsoull - thanks for your tips on clicking. Can I ask why you started clicking so early? I understand betz does it on day 7

Day 5

Woke up very stiff. Stretched lots. Biked lots. My walking on crutches has improved dramatically. The physio came today (after weekend break) she said my walking was very impressive (my technique is to lift knee high when walking plus lots of stretching. She showed myself and roommate new stretches. Then she took me to the stairs to practice walking up and down stairs for the first time. It is not that difficult.

Afterwards I went to the gym for the first time. It is a long walk about 200m and I was exhausted walking there, especially after my session in morning and stair climbs. But I made it and I didn’t feel any pain other than soreness in my arms from the long walk with crutches. At the gym we did several machines like leg press, bike, adductors and leg extension. It was fine but tiring. Then we walked back - I was exhausted.

It was my roommates first day clicking, so after Daniela came and showed him the process. We were both nervous as we had heard some bad stories about pain. But he did it like a champ and didn’t really feel pain. His technique was to put bed rest up on back then spread legs to edge of bed (knees raised) then push knee towards inside of bed. There is a loud pop then you reset the Mechanims. I was very happy for him that it was not difficult but seeing it in person made me nervous for my own clicking in 2 days.

Also a patient who had left 1-2 days ago had to return because he could not click at home, this made me even more nervous because maybe you can click okay at the beginning but it can change. We suspect the person who came back did not stretch enough - he walked a lot but I don’t think he stretched as much as we do - stretching is critical and my roommate and I do this a lot.

Any other tips for clicking would be much appreciated and I really hope my clicking is not too painful too. I am practising the motion to stretch the muscle without applying any force in anticipation.

[LIVELIFETHEWAYIWANT]

my  2 cents , eat a lot ,  rest a  lot .

good luck  !!!

[Growth.journey]

Day 6

I asked Daniela if i could start clicking 1 day early as things were progressing well. She agreed. I had to ask the nurses 3 times for muscle relaxer which starts on day 7 -  a really important drug. I went to the gym at 11am and increased my weight on all machines. My walking is getting better, i am walking with speed and stamina.

After the gym, Daniela came to do clicking with me. I was nervous as i had been testing it myself but couldnt get a click, so was getting worried. Daniela is truly an expert though, she knows exactly all the tips and tricks. I got it and the clicking was actually quite easy. I did 6 clicks each leg in about 5-10 mins total. No pain, just a weird sensation in my leg as the mechanism resets and pops.

The first click she said to do the traditional way which is to lie on your back, put leg in air and twist. Neither my roommate or i liked this method, but perhaps you need to do it for the first one to 'release' it better. After that Dani showed us the better / easier technique, which is to lie in bed, put on leg to the side and pull the leg inwards. it is much more comfortable and easy to do.

My tips for clicking technique (for right leg, do the opposite for left leg)
- Warm up for 15-20 minutes like walking, bike and stretching. Best done after the gym and or long stretching session. Also take a muscle relaxer so there is no tension.
- Sit on the left hand 30% of the bed to give you room. Sit up, maybe 60 degree.
- Put your right leg to the side of the bed, quite wide, so the toes are almost dangling off. The foot should be a 45 degree to the bed. Your leg is straight, knee is bent upwards maybe 45 degrees. Your other leg is just lying straight on the bed.
- Twist your upper body to the right, ideally with your right arm, grab on to the bed side/handle. Shift your body weight to your right side/hip/buttock.
- Lean in a bit to your right (this was what i was missing for it to work easy)
- Place left arm on knee and gently pull down. Be gentle, any sign of stress just hold it until it gives away like a muscle. Relaxation and breathing is key.
- Click!
- To reset the movement, pick up your foot with left hand and knee with right hand and pull towards you. You should get a pop.
- important to write down every click somewhere as it is easy to lose count.

Anyway time for more stretching, what a relief it is done.

[RealLostSoul]

Thanks all

@reallostsoull - thanks for your tips on clicking. Can I ask why you started clicking so early? I understand betz does it on day 7

Because I had a very good start with 0 swelling and 0 inflammation and I was walking really well from the beginning.

[Limbfan2020]

Hi Growth.journey,

is it always the same anesthesiologist who does the anaesthesia at the Betz Institute?

[Bagga]

can you walk without any support?

[ten]

How many LL surgeries has becker performed in total? Did you ask this?

Since when are Betz and Becker working together?

[Growth.journey]

Limbfan / yes same one
Bagga / yes for short distances but prefer to use crutches
Becker / he has only been working with betz for 2 years I think but he has already done hundreds of surgeries with him.

[ten]

thanks for the reply!! do you know if becker does any deformity cases also?

[Limbfan2020]

Did you ask Dr. Becker/Dr. Betz if they've ever had a patient death?

[Growth.journey]

Day 11
- things are generally going well. The thing that is really bothering me is that clicking on my right leg is getting really hard to find the click. Fortunately I don’t feel a lot of pain but I find it quite hard to get the clicking mechanism working. Left lag is actually quite easy for me but I feel like it’s taken me hours to get 15 on the right and many seem to be accidental or not a traditional click. It starts to hurt my leg after awhile simply from pushing it in all different directions trying to get a click.
Given the left is so easy for me I wonder if it’s something wrong with the nail. Or maybe my legs just vary a lot in flexibility, either way it is causing me stress , particularly when I fly back to my country in a few days. I cannot fly back here it is just too far, and is making me unhappy/sad.

I’ve started clicking on the floor too instead of the bed because I wanted to get accustomed to something I have at home, which is a floor, I don’t have a hospital bed  at
Home. I noticed having a shower made it really
Easy to do the clicks on the left side too, but just can’t the technique on the right.

Can anyone share more tips / knowledge to help me out?

[Limblengtheningwarrior]

Growth.Journey:
I read another discussion about mechanical nail like Betzbone. Before doing the clicking, the guy covered himself with hot water in a bath tub, it takes him 10 minutes for the muscles to loosen in order to make the click.

See the video at 1:19

"I wonder if it’s something wrong with the nail". If you don't mind, Could you upload your x-ray

Sorry for my bad English. It's not my first language