Lostboy2010 - Internal Femurs - Dr. Betz - 2011 -

[lostboy2010]

May I ask how old you are lostboy?

And how much the procedure costed for you (if you can disclose that information)

Thanks for the diary. It is very much appreciated.

Accommodations were around $15,000 US, the rest of the answers you're looking for are in my diary.

[lostboy2010]

Tomorrow I have my first xray in five weeks.  I'm excited and a bit nervous.  I have told a friend and a cousin that I have grown but neither of them believe me.  They wont believe until they see me.  At first it kind of made me angry but their reaction is understandable since i'm a bit past the growing stage at 21.  Many friends and people in my family do not know, note that most of these people will see me some time in June when my walking is still a bit off.  I admit I'm not as prepared as I should be with a story and I'm not sure if I am comfortable with the truth either.  I knew I wanted the length more than anything so I set my mind to it.  I thought that if I worried myself too much with a story I would discourage myself from accomplishing the actual lengthening.  I had no room to worry about that cra* at the time when my body was seriously compromised.  I am happier than I've ever been but now I must deal with some major explaining.  Any ideas? 

[6ftby2014]

Good job buddy. Do what you want. How others deal with it is their own problem... not yours.

[around7]

Tomorrow I have my first xray in five weeks.  I'm excited and a bit nervous.  I have told a friend and a cousin that I have grown but neither of them believe me.  They wont believe until they see me.  At first it kind of made me angry but their reaction is understandable since i'm a bit past the growing stage at 21.  Many friends and people in my family do not know, note that most of these people will see me some time in June when my walking is still a bit off.  I admit I'm not as prepared as I should be with a story and I'm not sure if I am comfortable with the truth either.  I knew I wanted the length more than anything so I set my mind to it.  I thought that if I worried myself too much with a story I would discourage myself from accomplishing the actual lengthening.  I had no room to worry about that *** at the time when my body was seriously compromised.  I am happier than I've ever been but now I must deal with some major explaining.  Any ideas? 

If I were you I would tell that I grew naturally 3 cm the last months since you are just 21 years old. People will think 3 cm made a great difference. And just smile if someone one day say u did some surgery. Some people asked me this I just smile and they forget...

[rainbow]

Lostboy. . . . . . . .  :-\  every day I try an update of your diary.  Maybe you can be involved with the recovery, but please you give us your news.  God bless you . . .  you're great.   
 

[lostboy2010]

Lostboy. . . . . . . .    every day I try an update of your diary.  Maybe you can be involved with the recovery, but please you give us your news.  God bless you . . .  you're great.   
 

rainbow,

I'm very pleased by your post.   Ask and you shall receive!

Today I am two months post-lengthening.  I am on my feet a lot more these days.  Yesterday I vacuumed my dad's apartment, using a crutch for my right arm and the vacuum for my left.  My right iliotibial band is extremely sore from yesterday.  My bone consolidation is a bit slow.  My flexibility, lordosis, and endurance, however, are steadily improving.  I recently saw a friend I haven't seen in six months and he immediately asked me if I had surgery to get taller.  I wouldn't be surprised if I was asked that quite a bit more in the future.  My dad says I'm being agoraphobic which might be true.  Five months on crutches is a long time and this whole process feels so long and fatiguing.  I read a lot to pass the time.  I've been taking more steps without crutches in the kitchen which is some improvement.  My dad wants me to get on a cane as soon as possible because he thinks that stressing the nails is good for bone mineralization.  My goal is to be on a cane by the end of April.

[nsd_second]

I recently saw a friend I haven't seen in six months and he immediately asked me if I had surgery to get taller.  I wouldn't be surprised if I was asked that quite a bit more in the future. 

What did you respond to him?

[Dookieman]

What did you respond to him?

That sucks ass. I guess the word about LL is now truly out. 

[rainbow]

Everything you write is very interesting.  It would be interesting to know your moods, your inclusion in everyday life, your physical progress.  I suppose you've had a bit of depression, I think it's normal.  Your friend has asked you about your new height . . . .  and you? Do you want to change your circle of friends? your parents are happy? Worried? Support you psychologically? Your mother did not know anything, how did you react to the news of your LL? I think your father would be great . . . 

[Ivan1989]

Hey lostboy2010, hope all is well, I had a question since you have done your femur you must know the answer, have you had any second surgery after your lengthening on your knees to make your legs straight bcuz I have heard when you do femur after you pass the certain amount your bones start to look outwards !!! looking forward to hear back from you , thanks

[6ftby2014]

If someone asks you if you had surgery to grow taller, just stand there and look at them like they are an idiot..... then just say "what? surgery to grow taller? like in the comic books?" That will shut them up! No one likes to feel like an idiot and if they are giving you a hard time for this..... they are!

[Dookieman]

Exactly, have an incredulous look on your face like  and play it off! Enjoy your new height don't let it paralyze like being short did.

[rainbow]

Lostboy, I really miss your contribution.  It would be nice to know how is your life now.  You can write anything? 

[rainbow]

  :-[

[egghead]

How's everything going? I keep wondering about how you're doing. I really hope well.

[DSIBlog]

Does anybody know the price of arm lengthening by doctor Guichet for the internal procedure?

[Legs7]

Does anybody know the price of arm lengthening by doctor Guichet for the internal procedure?

Why do you ask, DSDB? 

[duncangunit]

This is what I believe about telling people about LL:
Almost always a bad idea, because almost all people fall under the following 3 categories:
1) They don't think height matter. 
They will not support you like the Harvard stepson mom. 
2) They think height matter and are taller than you.
They will make fun of you. 
3) They think height matter and are shorter than you.
They will hate you. 

For those few people that understand LL, it's not necessary to tell them the truth in a casual setting, such as a family gathering or at work.  If they're serious about it, tell them to meet you in private and make them vow to keep your LL confidential. 

This is what I plan to tell people after my LL:
"I had a hike accident and my legs broke. "
Saying you had an accident would discourage questions.  Just think about it.  If one of your friends come to you and said he had an accident and broke his legs, would you say, "oh, did you do LL after?".  Most sensible people would not ask questions about accidents.  If they do ask questions, just say, "I don't know.  I'm too sad I had an accident.  I have to focus on my recovery.  I can't run for 2 years. " That should shut them up.  The best lies are the easy ones.  Sometimes lies are better than truths. 

In truth, the need for LL is like an accident.  No one in their right mind should want their legs broken.  LLers must think something is seriously wrong about their height.  They must think they are "accidentally" born shorter.

However, I do suggest letting one or two people know you are doing LL.  For me, only my parents know I plan to do LL.  I made them promise me to not tell anyone else.  I wanted my parents to know the truth because I don't want them to get heart attack when I tell them I had an accident.  Also, it's good to have one or two real people supporting you, besides just the amazing MMT forum support.  Your parents are most likely to support you to pursue your dream out of almost 7 billion people.   I don't plan to tell my siblings about LL.

[lostboy2010]

Hello All,

I am nearing the nine-month post-op point and I am without crutches.  I thought by now my walking would be significantly better but I’m still obviously disabled to some extent.  I was told it would take six months for the procedure.  I suppose it would take six months for a patient who wakes up at 6 or 7 every morning, stretches at least two hours a day, eats three full meals, and exercises two hours a day.  I was not that patient.  I am not walking normally after nine months.  I have a limp and my spine is far from being straight.  In the last ten days I’ve stretched without fail every day and I think that’s helping.  I thought that after the three-month consolidation phase, walking and building strength were the principal concern.  I now know it takes sometimes up to two years to straighten your spine and walk very well.  So stretching is important as long as your function isn’t normal.  Stretching for a few months in a row without any breaks should cause definite improvement.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it took 1.5 to 2 years to get close to the function I had pre-op.  The xray says that my left leg is a little bit longer than my right but my right leg looks longer and feels longer.  When I put both feet together, I feel strong pressure on the right leg as if it were too long compared to my left.  My former American physiotherapist (who I’ve discontinued seeing at this point) told me my right was certainly longer than my left and gave me a lift in my shoe.  I don’t know what’s truly going on but I’m under the impression I will learn more when my spine is more straightened out and my seams are more stretched.  I have taken the lift out of my left shoe.  I have been talking a lot recently with a paradigm patient who, after having surgery two months after me, is now walking almost normally—much better than me.  This patient tells me that my problem is my flexibility and not my strength.  For the last two months my physiotherapist told me that my flexibility wasn’t a problem but that my strength was.  I thought he was right so I’ve been frequenting the gym a lot and doing many strength exercises but my walking doesn’t seem to have improved.  I start school in a couple months and hope that my walking will drastically improve.  If I could go back a few months I would have been more rigorous with stretches that combat lordosis.  Perhaps an hour a day would have made a big difference.  On a lighter note, I’ve been in Scandinavia for the past few weeks and even though the average height seems greater here than in America, I feel comfortable with my height.  I feel confident and content with my body size.  The bad feelings I had in public before LL were way more humiliating than the awkward feelings I have in public now about my gait. 

-Lostboy

[egghead]

Thanks for update Lostboy. It's really considerate of you. These are the kinds of concerns I have. Do people get back to 100% normal or do they go off the board because there are problems and they're upset or something of the sort. Have you been back to the doctor to get his opinion? Are you fully consolidated? What causes the Lordosis and would it go away on it's own over time just from normal walking?

I wish you the very best recovery and thank you for being so kind to come back to the board and share.