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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 3:46 am
#11

Quote from: RB on March 13, 2021, 03:23:48 AMI am a current Betz patient who was originally scheduled with stryde (look at my old posts). I am only 4 days post op so haven’t begun distracting yet but to say this nail is obsolete isn’t true as it’s on of the few weight bearing nails on the market for the foreseeable future and stryde obviously isn’t as good as we initially thought if it causes rust issues like that. All nails have their limitations but feel free to check out my diary as I will update again when I begin lengthening. Precise is probably the safer nail with more research but you will be wheelchair and walker bound for months no matter what anyone tries to tell you.


Wow dude that must be so exciting. I kind of wish I was in your shoes right now. Stryde is dead and won't be back without a full redesign. Alternatives? Hope you're enjoying the pain meds. Good luck! I hope it goes well for you. Imagine how happy you'll be to be taller in just a few months.

Are you from Germany originally? How long are you staying in Germany for?

How quickly has Dr. Betz suggested you distract? Has he said much about his strategy for controlling the rate of distraction to prevent nonunion? Ie. Do you just go at a standard rate and then he will tell you to slow or speed up based on the serial x-rays?

Since the device is weight bearing, my thought would be going slower would probably be safer to avoid the risk of nonunion. It shouldn't slow you down too much in terms of your walking either way since the nail can take your weight fully. ie. Unlike PRECICE you don't need to "rush" the expansion or consolidation, since you can walk with or without consolidation.

I wonder if you can get a chance to ask before you leave his facility what he thinks of the article posted in the OP here. One of those PEMF devices like the OssaTec could theoretically cut your healing time by 25% according to that study and cut the risk of nonunion considerably too.

Congrats again on taking the plunge. I hope you will keep letting us know how it all goes. Everyone's experience is helpful.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 4:02 am
#12

Quote from: maximize on March 13, 2021, 03:46:36 AMWow dude that must be so exciting. I kind of wish I was in your shoes right now. Stryde is dead and won't be back without a full redesign. Alternatives? Hope you're enjoying the pain meds. Good luck! I hope it goes well for you. Imagine how happy you'll be to be taller in just a few months.

Are you from Germany originally? How long are you staying in Germany for?

How quickly has Dr. Betz suggested you distract? Has he said much about his strategy for controlling the rate of distraction to prevent nonunion? Ie. Do you just go at a standard rate and then he will tell you to slow or speed up based on the serial x-rays?

Since the device is weight bearing, my thought would be going slower would probably be safer to avoid the risk of nonunion. It shouldn't slow you down too much in terms of your walking either way since the nail can take your weight fully. ie. Unlike PRECICE you don't need to "rush" the expansion or consolidation, since you can walk with or without consolidation.

I wonder if you can get a chance to ask before you leave what he thinks of the article posted in the OP here. One of those PEMF devices like the OssaTec could theoretically cut your healing time by 25% according to that study and cut the risk of nonunion considerably too.

Congrats again on taking the plunge. I hope you will keep letting us know how it all goes. Everyone's experience is helpful.


Thanks man! Pain meds are good, you sort of feel a little high when you take them haha. Yeah it's crazy to think, hopefully it goes well and I will be 3 inches taller in a few months.

No I'm not from Germany, so my current plan is to stay in Germany for 4 weeks and then fly back home to finish distraction. The standard rate we are starting with is 1mm per day and I hope i can stay at that for as long as possible but Dr Betz said depending on bone growth, muscle tightness etc, slowing down to 0.75mm for example is fine to do at certain stages of lengthening. It's only day 4 but I have been walking on crutches every day and I personally can't imagine being confined to a wheelchair and walker for months, but it is a matter of personal preference based on someone's situation, so precise is certainly still a valid option.

No problem, I will try and run that past him before I leave.

I will try and provide updates wherever I can. Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 4:07 am
#13

The problem with the Albizzia nails and variants is that there's no way to reverse lengthening and it's possible to get accidental clicks that keep you distracting when you shouldn't. Unicorn's case with the Guichet nail was particularly bad.

The Ilizarov frame hasn't gone anywhere and it's tried and true. Tibia lengthening can still be done just fine, and for femur lengthening Precice 1 can still be used.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 4:22 am
#14

Quote from: KiloKAHN on March 13, 2021, 04:07:45 AMThe problem with the Albizzia nails and variants is that there's no way to reverse lengthening and it's possible to get accidental clicks that keep you distracting when you shouldn't. Unicorn's case with the Guichet nail was particularly bad.

The Ilizarov frame hasn't gone anywhere and it's tried and true. Tibia lengthening can still be done just fine, and for femur lengthening Precice 1 can still be used.


KiloKAHN it's good to see you still active around here. I read your journal and followed your progress back when you had your frame on. Your calmness and perseverance through it despite challenges were honestly inspiring. It showed me the value and importance of just staying steady if you're doing LL.

How has life been the past 5-6 years now as a taller man? Has it just become so normal that it's boring now? Or are you still enjoying it? What's been your experience with women (eg. dating) after getting taller? Any negatives all these years later?

The idea of accidental clicks is terrifying. Unicorn's journal was removed so can't see it anymore. That would presumably represent a faulty device right? Or is it more because your bones become loose so the ankle might accidentally twist on you? Or both?

Either way, perhaps you could prevent it with a brace to keep the leg straight. If you wore something like this I presume it couldn't accidentally click (can't twist, can't click) and you could still get around:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32863033836.html

Would not be subtle in public unless you wear super baggie jeans over top. But I imagine it's only some rare faulty devices or "loose" people that might have this issue so most people would never have to worry about it. That sort of brace could just be a "backup" if you prove prone to the issue or get a bad nail that is.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 5:09 am
#15

I'll be damned.

Not long ago everyone was hyped about this Stryde thing and now it's dead.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 6:37 am
#16

QuoteAs far as I can tell the only major disadvantage of the mechanical nails is you can't ratchet them back down to close a gap in case of nonunion.


Triggering the lengthening mechanism can get difficult and painful.  Dr. Brikholz called using them the "twist and shout method".  Some patients lose the ability to do it themselves and get MUA: manipulation under anesthesia, where the doctor does it for you in an operating room, multple mm every several days since obviously he wouldn't do that daily just for 1 mm.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 7:11 am
#17

What health issues could this cause? As a stryde patient, I’m extremely worried right now. My nails are still in and it has been almost 1.5 years post-op

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 7:15 am
#18

Quote from: E Z on March 13, 2021, 07:11:40 AMWhat health issues could this cause? As a stryde patient, I’m extremely worried right now. My nails are still in and it has been almost 1.5 years post-op


The problem is that the long-term possible health issues are not known. Hence the recall. How do your xrays look? Try and remove them as soon as you are able to just to be on the safe side. It's likely nothing extremely serious but better to have them removed if your fully consolidated.

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 7:30 am
#19

Quote from: RB on March 13, 2021, 07:15:51 AMThe problem is that the long-term possible health issues are not known. Hence the recall. How do your xrays look? Try and remove them as soon as you are able to just to be on the safe side. It's likely nothing extremely serious but better to have them removed if your fully consolidated.

I feel like corrosion is expected in any type of long term implant... but I guess this is extremely
Bad where it had to be recalled.

I wonder if these guys are getting sued to hell?

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Posted on Mar 13, 2021, 7:50 am
#20

Internal methods are always more risky, no matter what kind of nail you're using.

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