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[Bob]

Has your callus formation improved by the things you did?
(If not, don't worry you'll be fine.)

[Ted68]

Has your callus formation improved by the things you did?
(If not, don't worry you'll be fine.)

Hi, Bob.
I don't see any differences, the gap is still black on tibias... but I still hope.
On the other hand, the femur's callus is clearly better !
Thank you !

[Ted68]

Day 115-120

These days I have done a tomography, which I paid it in full, because wasn’t in my services package that I paid. It was only my special requirement to do it, so I can find my exact bones size. I found it was a maximum difference of 1 mm, which was a surprise for me. So I can easily adjust the final lengthen.

Doctor said I can start using the rolling walker, just leaning 60-80% of the weight on my shoulders and arms. I did it and was the first time standing up in 4 months !
The knees are semi-flexed and I cannot touch the heels down.
The pain was atrocious in knees and tibias screws. It was so bad trying to walk, every step was a big pain. And the PT guy asked me to walk from the bed to the bathroom and back. It was 1 minute of unbearable pain. After that, for 24 hours I felt the pain in my legs…
But, guys, after this sudden standing up after 4 months of sitting, I realized how tall I am… and that is great !...
I was shorter than the PT guy, and now I am taller. Also I compared myself with the furniture dimensions. For first time you get a shock, till you'll get used with your new height !

Also, doctor decided to completely remove my upper screw on left tibia, because if he had push it back it wouldn’t have stayed and would come out again, very soon. So, he removed it. Doctor said is not a big problem if I stay with only one screw, just do not strain my shin for the next 3-4 weeks.
And because I have medical education and I participated to many “bloody moments”, I just looked to all removal steps. Believe me, is not easy to watch that on yourself…
Here you can see few pictures…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eTdc8jJBGV1caYFg9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TWjAKzyAnvYp5dWCA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PdVmK9FttNvtxxqq5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xBwh2fcUfGYxq7Wq8

In one week I should leave Turkey, but because the screw I removed, I am not sure about that anymore, because if something bad it happens in my country…I will be f**ked.
On the other hand, staying here 1 month it cost me 4000 euro… so, it’s a tough decision.

[Ted68]

Day 121-125

I told you about my tibia screw removal… and now I noticed that I have another screw which came out, in my left femur, in distal end. And I was very scared, thinking now is coming out all my screws, one by one !... But doctor told me that screw will stay there, in position, because the muscles strength. And, anyways, it was expected because the screws were removed from the old implant and moved back to the new implant... in the same bone's holes, which now don't have same strength anymore. Fortunately, I have a very good callus in femur., so I hope will not have another problem.
Here you can see it…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/V4YSicwewcJ2zFJT8

I did the final elongation adjustment and then I measured my height, as accurate possible, and I am 1.82 m tall. As I expected. But I don’t realize about that 100%, because I have semi-flexed legs, I cannot walk properly with a good posture and I didn’t meet my friends and people that I know, so I can really compare.  And that will take few months more…

All I can say, after these 4 months of torment, is that I am happy that I am still ok and no real complications. Only “obstacles” as doctor says. But too many obstacles, in my opinion !

And for everything to be wonderful, I got a deep and bad jaw tooth pain. I asked if I can go to a dentist close by the hotel, but there is no one. Only 5 km away. And if I want to go… they charge me 100 euro for the car, back and forth !... Well, I am not stupid enough, so I will fix it in my country…

I already ordered a wheelchair and walker in my country, so they will wait for me Sunday. I also have to buy crouches…

Now I have to deal with my flexed knees, my heels up and with that unbearable pain in tibias when try to walk. I also have big stretching pain whenever I straighten and flex my knees after minutes of no motions in bed.
This is me when trying to stand up and walk...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ngkJmepVY89Hf42k7

Today I decided to leave Turkey, on normal schedule, so no extension… but I got big problems with the air company, for wheelchair special service. I struggled 2 days and eventually they promised me that they will take care of me, in both countries.
I hope so...

[Beemer m3]

whoa what is the nail on top of ur knee for? u look like u have bent knees like me back then and ur foot has really high ballerina foot. hope u fix ur problems soon. what are u working out for ur knee?

[Ted68]

whoa what is the nail on top of ur knee for? u look like u have bent knees like me back then and ur foot has really high ballerina foot. hope u fix ur problems soon. what are u working out for ur knee?

I showed you the nail which came out from femur. The thread is completely out of bone...

That was my first day of standing up after 4 months, so was an expected situation.
Yes, I cannot keep knees straight in standing position. Also my heels don't touch the ground because I never did any standing up or walking before. But, at least, my Achile tendons are flexible, so if PT guy push down my tibias, the heels touch the ground.
I do every day walking with rolling walker... and bad pain

[Beemer m3]

why did the doctor put a screw on top of the knee like that? how many weeks after lengthening for your femur? looks like u are healing fine. if u walk with slippers or shoes it helps alot with the ballerina feet. keeps ur heals calm.

[Ted68]

why did the doctor put a screw on top of the knee like that? how many weeks after lengthening for your femur? looks like u are healing fine. if u walk with slippers or shoes it helps alot with the ballerina feet. keeps ur heals calm.

I don't understand your question regarding "screw on top of knee".  In my picture you see a frontal x-ray of my left femur, with normal screw positions, proximal and distal. The only problem is that one of the distal screws is out...

I finished lengthening process for femur on March 26. Yes, its a beautiful callus, I love it !

Yes, when I walk with the rolling walker I always wear rubber sandals, because I feel much better.
I never liked in my life to walk barefoot, not even in my house. I always put slippers. But I took that picture barefoot because I wanted to see the real position on my heels up...

[Assyiah]

I wish you luck in recovering and experiencing your new height. you inspired me alot reading this diary. a huge achievement to do at 55 year old. congratulations

[Ted68]

I wish you luck in recovering and experiencing your new height. you inspired me alot reading this diary. a huge achievement to do at 55 year old. congratulations

Thank you, man !
My diary is for guys like you, who really need somebody to tell them: "If I did it at my age, you can do it, all of you!"

It was tough, with a lot of suffer and obstacles. All I need now is to start walking, to be healthy like before and to enjoy my new height...

[GoodJuju]

Great to see the progress Ted. Your height looks great on you - wishing you a speedy recovery to normal walking, etc 🙏


Btw how did the 5mm shortening > 5mm lengthening x2 help in terms of bone generation for your tibias? Any xray your tibias now? I’m assuming you’re only doing partial weigh bearing as you’re still consolidating for tibias?

[Ted68]

Great to see the progress Ted. Your height looks great on you - wishing you a speedy recovery to normal walking, etc 🙏


Btw how did the 5mm shortening > 5mm lengthening x2 help in terms of bone generation for your tibias? Any xray your tibias now? I’m assuming you’re only doing partial weigh bearing as you’re still consolidating for tibias?

Hi, Juju !
Yes, man, is not bad !
Today is my last day here and doctor will came and I will do an "after" measuring, in same conditions, with same clothes, and then I will show you here the comparing with my "before" picture. For sure will be a great moment !
BTW, my pants should be shorter now...

Regarding the cycles of reverse-regain is an electro-biochemical process which stimulates the callus formation. They also name it "accordion stimulation".

I did x-ray just after finishing the cycles but I didn't see any changes. Maybe I will do another one in 2 weeks.
Yes, now I am doing partial bearing walking, which is extremely painful because I didn't stand-up at all, for 4 months. And walking is another stimulus for callus...

[Ted68]

ARRIVED HOME

After many challenges and lots of stress I got home.
Before arriving I bought a wheelchair and a rolling walker. The wheelchair is brand new, but much worse than the one I used in Turkey and the walker is used, but much better quality...
Now I pray to God to nothing happen anymore, so I can be focus only on my recover.
As I promised you, I put here pictures before and after…

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UDxC9UCUwE3FFSj2A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BaRaB2yZ53CTEXTb8

[GoodJuju]

Very cool to see your great gain. Keep us in the loop with the regards to how the tibia bones are forming. You mentioned you’re doing partial weight bearing (on a 10.7mm nail if I recall correctly). How much weight% are you putting and how much are you standing or walking per day? Are you concerned about risk of bending a tibia nail or less concerned as it’s ‘only’ extended 5cm-ish (I heard the nails are at their weakest when fully extended)?

[Ted68]

Very cool to see your great gain. Keep us in the loop with the regards to how the tibia bones are forming. You mentioned you’re doing partial weight bearing (on a 10.7mm nail if I recall correctly). How much weight% are you putting and how much are you standing or walking per day? Are you concerned about risk of bending a tibia nail or less concerned as it’s ‘only’ extended 5cm-ish (I heard the nails are at their weakest when fully extended)?

Hey, Juju...
I am not very great, because I have an excruciating pain whenever I try to make a step with the walker, no matter how I put my weight on it. The pain is in the knees and especially on upper tibial screws.
So, since I came back home, I did no walk at all...
I know, I am a bad boy, but I preferred to just give a rest to myself.
We are in Easter time, so I need rest and peace, staying in my home like a lazy lizard. I sleep as much as I can and nobody bother me. After 17 weeks I am finally relaxed !

However, these last days I didn't waste time and I setup my next chapter, for rehab, so in few days I will go to a special clinic with hotel, with 3 meals, pool with salt and very warm water, kineto, physio and electro-therapy... where I will stay 2 months. So, all these are better and cheaper than what I got in Antwell hotell... and people understand all I say, not like there where I had to use the phone translator and to learn Turkish... Such  embarrassing for them !
Ohh, and not to forget, this place is in a quiet and almost pure air environment, not in a polluted, dusty, noisy traffic and surrounded by 10 mosques... which drove me crazy for 4 months !

Yes, as you said, because the tibial nail is half erected comparing with femurs, the risk of bending is much less. My concern is still my right femur nail and the missing screw in left tibia !

I already bought Voltaren based pills and suppositories, which i have to take before using the walker. I was talking with doctor today about all these. Also, he asked me to send him a new set of x-rays... Me too I am curious to see my missing screw on film...

[Robert Adam]

How much did you lengthen your tibia and femur each day? How many mm every day?

[Ted68]

How much did you lengthen your tibia and femur each day? How many mm every day?

Hello... too !
I can see you didn't read my diary, where you actually have all details...
Ok, I repeat here for you:

I started on femur with 0.35mm/session x 3 times/day. That means 1.05mm/day.
After tibia implant, I started on tibia same, with 0.35mm/session x 3 times/day. That means 2.1mm/day, for femur + tibia.
When I felt too much pain from elongation, I slowed down to 0.35mm/session x 2 times/day, to all 4 segments. That means 1.4mm/day, for femur + tibia, till the end.

[musicloverincal]

Hi Ted,

How is your healing going now?  Have you been able to walk around a bit more? 

[Ted68]

Hi Ted,

How is your healing going now?  Have you been able to walk around a bit more?

Hello and thank you for asking !

I moved to a neuro-motor rehabilitation clinic, where I have 2 special pools with very salted water (like at Dead Sea) and perfect temperature of 34C.

I do 2 session per day, 90 minutes every session.
I do all exercises I need, especially to reduce my tip-toe walking and for my knee semi-flexion.
I also do all kind of walking on water floor, but I still have big pain on right leg... which makes me almost cry...
This warm and salted water is priceless for me, because I have not anymore  contraction, spasm and nerve pain like I had in Antwell pool !
I do all my best for 90 minutes in the water, hoping God eventually will remove my pain so I can start using the rolling walker...

2 days ago I did a new set of x-rays and I sent the pictures to doctor Gokhan. He said the tibial callus is better, even though I don't see any difference.
But femur callus is so good !
I also noticed a slightly curve to my left femur implant too, the one actually they replaced it.
I don't know what is going on that all my femur implants got curved, more or less. Its scaring for me !

I will stay here as much I need, because is the best place for my recovery...

[musicloverincal]

Hang in there.  Looks like you are doing everything possible to get back to normal.  While the pain on the right foot might be unbearable at times, just remember to look at the pictures of before and after for some extra motivation.  Did the Dr say anything about the curve on the left femur?  Do you think the nail got bent a bit?

[Ted68]

Hang in there.  Looks like you are doing everything possible to get back to normal.  While the pain on the right foot might be unbearable at times, just remember to look at the pictures of before and after for some extra motivation.  Did the Dr say anything about the curve on the left femur?  Do you think the nail got bent a bit?

Hello.
Yes, I have no choice. If I don't do it now, later will be much harder...

Doctor said "everything is ok", like usually, but my both femur nails are bent. The right implant is bent in frontal plan and the left one just started to bend... but in sagital plan you can see the wrong curvature of femur.
I put here the last x-ray that I took, so you can see, looking to the pink line, the level of curvature on both implants...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yRMfio8FYzCpMR6T9

And here I put the x-ray of left femur implant, in sagital plan, so you can see the wrong position of the proximal femur part, which is not inline with the distal part...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2TqhffwY97HbBNV68

I pray to God so I will not get any problems with all these curvatures and bad angles after healing process.
Shall I walk, jump, run like before... or I will be in permanent risk of braking the bones if I do some normal activities ?!?
Before surgery my bones was perfect straight... now are not anymore and it will remain like this forever. But doctor says "are all good".
Ok, sir...

I am not compare myself with i-diots who went to cheap butchers and they got crippled for life. They should know that risk and think about that from the beginning !
I am just compare myself with lucky guys who did Quad Precice 2 to a good doctor like mine... and they have no problems after finish !

These are some of the MANY risks of LL, guys, so you have to get it !
This is not mathematics or car design. Here anything can happen...

[musicloverincal]

Agreed, there are a ton of risks associated with limb lengthening surgery.  That is why so few people are able to follow through with the surgery.  Yes, I saw both of your femurs are slightly bent.  Would you consider getting a second opinion from other professionals in the field?  I feel like now might be the time to be extra proactive to ensure things do not get worse.

[Ted68]

Agreed, there are a ton of risks associated with limb lengthening surgery.  That is why so few people are able to follow through with the surgery.  Yes, I saw both of your femurs are slightly bent.  Would you consider getting a second opinion from other professionals in the field?  I feel like now might be the time to be extra proactive to ensure things do not get worse.

I did trust my doctor from the beginning and I still trust him. My problem is that if everything will be esthetic and functional like before, or better... NOT WORSE !
Because is worse and I will suffer, what is the point for all these ?!?

[musicloverincal]

Yes, I understand your pointof view.  The goal is to obviously come out ahead.  If you feel comfortable with your situation, and trust your doctor, that is a good thing.  You are still healing, and you know your body, but at some point if you feel like things are not getting better, it might be time to get a second opinion. 

We are rooting for you and we look forward to your progress updates.

[Ted68]

Yes, I understand your pointof view.  The goal is to obviously come out ahead.  If you feel comfortable with your situation, and trust your doctor, that is a good thing.  You are still healing, and you know your body, but at some point if you feel like things are not getting better, it might be time to get a second opinion. 

We are rooting for you and we look forward to your progress updates.

I hope I will never need a second opinion from a different LL specialist... because that means I am in bad shape.
However, in 2 days I have a consultation scheduled to the clinic orthopedist, here in the recovery place. His opinion is very important for me. He is doing many surgeries, every day, but not LL specific.
I want to trigger a faster callus formation in tibia... because is almost zero and that scares me...

[Bob]

Do you take penicillin and blood thinner?

[Ted68]

Do you take penicillin and blood thinner?

I stopped them 2 months ago.

[musicloverincal]

It is good to hear you will speak to an orthopedic soon. Feel free to let us know what he says.  Lots of people read the forum and can provide input that might be helpful. 

[Ted68]

It is good to hear you will speak to an orthopedic soon. Feel free to let us know what he says.  Lots of people read the forum and can provide input that might be helpful.

Yes, "musicloverincal", I know people follow my diary, thats why I have almost 10.000 viewers...

So, today I met the orthopedist. He has a high rating in my country. He also worked as surgeon in Switzerland. He put implants, but only for accidents and deformities.
He understood my concerns regarding missing callus in tibias and only one screw left.
He said next week we shall do a special x-ray for highlighting the callus and then he will decide what will choose for me to do.
I keep working hard in the warm salted water pool and I can feel an improvement in force, balance and some muscle regain. But still I have big pain in my right tibia when walking...

[musicloverincal]

You must have been so relieved after talking to the doctor!  Rooting for your full recovery.

[Ted68]

You must have been so relieved after talking to the doctor!  Rooting for your full recovery.

Yes, I am happy that I found an open minded orthopedist here, who is very interested in my unique case and concerned about my problems.
I will let you know about coming news...
Thank you