Dr Barinov external tibias 2019 Volgograd, Russia

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x-rays https://imgur.com/a/AZlwA2n

i am feeling better, walking is slightly improved but still need crutches. Right now that is I am loosing bone density in tibias and feet bone overall and some significant osteoporotic bone can be seen at the bottom. Most likely due to not bearing weight for a long time and the stress on the bone due to lengthening has caused it. I finished lengthening about a month ago with just under the 6cm mark.

Will be getting the im nail soon probably in 3 weeks time. Until then i intend to exercises and walk as much as possible.

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I think the nail will help .. Do you regret doing it in russia?

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Quote from: dreamingtall on October 29, 2019, 03:29:38 AMI think the nail will help .. Do you regret doing it in russia?
well honestly no, not uptil now atleast. things have gone pretty much normally for me i guess. dont know what the future holds tho.

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Remember friend we are all with you.
Pain is temporary, glory is everlasting.

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have started to walk unaided but its a very sh**ty walk. regeneration on the right leg isnt good but left is better. Need more time for PT and walking to see where I stand. Pains are almost over since its been a month i put down the wrench. Also contemplating on the nailing decision and pros and cons nowadays.

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You are "only" 6 months in, now would be a good time to get the nails. Really compare your X rays and ask yourself how much really has changed whether your bones grow like average or if the growth is quite slow. Considering your low bone density I would highly suggest to get out of of the frames because to battle low bone density you need to work out and get strong muscles. Strong muscles make bones stronger too. I'm no expert but I watched that in a reliable german documentary about that topic a few days ago. I can tell you from my own experience that PT without frames is much better and you will be able to walk within a few weeks. You will win recovery time, life time and not loose more physical and mental health. Yes another surgery has its risks and costs but for me it was worth it and I wish I would have done it when my doctor recommended it when I was about 6 months in. 

I got more numbness in my right shin even after 6 months. My left leg got a really bad cramp in the 9th months. I could barely walk for a month, on some days my mother had to push me around on a chair.

In the end though you and only you have to make that decision. It is your body. And there are risks with internal nailing with every surgery but there are also some risks with staying in frames for too long.

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Quote from: Great321 on November 05, 2019, 11:34:06 PMYou are "only" 6 months in, now would be a good time to get the nails. Really compare your X rays and ask yourself how much really has changed whether your bones grow like average or if the growth is quite slow. Considering your low bone density I would highly suggest to get out of of the frames because to battle low bone density you need to work out and get strong muscles. Strong muscles make bones stronger too. I'm no expert but I watched that in a reliable german documentary about that topic a few days ago. I can tell you from my own experience that PT without frames is much better and you will be able to walk within a few weeks. You will win recovery time, life time and not loose more physical and mental health. Yes another surgery has its risks and costs but for me it was worth it and I wish I would have done it when my doctor recommended it when I was about 6 months in. 

I got more numbness in my right shin even after 6 months. My left leg got a really bad cramp in the 9th months. I could barely walk for a month, on some days my mother had to push me around on a chair.

In the end though you and only you have to make that decision. It is your body. And there are risks with internal nailing with every surgery but there are also some risks with staying in frames for too long.
Well thanks alot. That was quite helpful especially sharing your experience and thaughts. Yes I have certainly thaught about this too, the same thing i compare in my head like staying for a very long time in frames and probably saving money and risks of another surgery or just getting out of frames and focusing on recovery totally and walking and doing light PT in gym etc. I am always measuring which is better. Your opinion is what I have also heard from another patient who didnt do nailing and another guy who got the nail is half his time and recovered almost doubly. So yea i am weighing in on the nailing side more and more everyday.

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I did not read your entire log so please forgive me in advance if I do not appreciate a significant fact.  As I understand things, you did purely externals and are now considering LATN because you are concerned about bone growth and believe you will be able to increase weight-bearing after LATN.

I did LATN but did not bear weight until I had 75% consolidation -- which means that if a bone was a rectangle; then, 3 sides of the rectangle would show cortical bone (the hard white bone in x-rays) touching.

Even so, when you get the hard bone growing up from the bottom and down from the top so that it actually touches on 3 sides, calling it "75% consolidation" does not seem very accurate to me.  So much back-filling and fleshing out still has to happen that it is more like 50% consolidation.

In any event, you can see by my x-rays that once I started walking, the bone really began to grow.

So, my message is "don't despair".  If you are growing bone at all, the odds seem that consolidation will eventually occur.  If you haven't installed nails yet; then, doing so now may not be justified from a cost-benefit standpoint.

As will most medical decisions, I encourage you to talk with your medical team about the pros and cons of changing course especially if you are already walking unaided.

Last, everybody starts walking poorly at the start--like penguins.  I have been walking for several months and am just starting to have a more normal stride.

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I overlooked your sentence that you are now walking unaided. If you are really walking unaided more often than using a walker then chances are good that your bones will grow better now. Just be honest with yourself. I did wait until the 10th month and I almost wanted to wait even longer just to save money but don't wait as long as me But giving it about 6 weeks more until deciding sounds still safe for you.

Walking, PT, proteins and supplements are the key I guess. I underestimated PT before but it's really important! But with the frames and its certain pains in my case it was almost impossible to do enough.

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Quote from: California2 on November 07, 2019, 12:10:05 AMI did not read your entire log so please forgive me in advance if I do not appreciate a significant fact.  As I understand things, you did purely externals and are now considering LATN because you are concerned about bone growth and believe you will be able to increase weight-bearing after LATN.

I did LATN but did not bear weight until I had 75% consolidation -- which means that if a bone was a rectangle; then, 3 sides of the rectangle would show cortical bone (the hard white bone in x-rays) touching.

Even so, when you get the hard bone growing up from the bottom and down from the top so that it actually touches on 3 sides, calling it "75% consolidation" does not seem very accurate to me.  So much back-filling and fleshing out still has to happen that it is more like 50% consolidation.

In any event, you can see by my x-rays that once I started walking, the bone really began to grow.

So, my message is "don't despair".  If you are growing bone at all, the odds seem that consolidation will eventually occur.  If you haven't installed nails yet; then, doing so now may not be justified from a cost-benefit standpoint.

As will most medical decisions, I encourage you to talk with your medical team about the pros and cons of changing course especially if you are already walking unaided.

Last, everybody starts walking poorly at the start--like penguins.  I have been walking for several months and am just starting to have a more normal stride.
oh thanks for that. Yea i have started to walk unaided but real penguin walk. p.s  i understand what you mean but my doctors do inform me frames could be on me upto a year mark and most probably more than that considering my slow growth and slow consolidation. You did LATN so i wanted to ask you what are the advantages for it u think?