Leg Lengthening

[Guest guest]

I welcome Dan and any other tall parent of an lp to write something

on the Leg Legthening issue because, if anything, too much of what

has been already said and disussed has been on the

personal " feelings " side which involves the comments, looks, stares

and our desire of wanting to reach more, etc...

Thus, if Dan (or any other tall parent) decides to write something on

it, I applaud their desire to help us to make a sound decision as

long as they " research* " the issue which I feel is the key to this

whole thing rather than just taking about how they feel, you feel or

I feel on it.

*-Research the issue which anyone can do, tall or small.

PS-Now, if Dan or any other tall person so chooses to write such an

article, I may disagree with their findings which I'm allowed to do

as they should be allowed to write on it. However, my disagreement

would be over his findings, not his height or his ability to

contribute something worthy to the issue. I say this becuase I may

disagree with the findings of an lp on the same topic as well.

About the " feelings issue " because Dan himself is a tall person and

therefore would not " know " what " we " go thru to effectively write an

article on this issue. I feel the opposite concerning this, it may be

harder for Dan to " detach " his " personal feelings " towards this issue

because of his having a dwarf child and having seen and " felt " what

she has already " gone thru " , but I still believe he can do it and add

much light to the subject as any other tall parent could do if they

set out to do it. My opinions only.

luv, grady

> Mr. Kennedy,

> I understand you are an average size person with a LP daughter. I

know as a father you are able to feel some of your daughters pain and

joy. My concern is you cannot give a true assessment on the pro's and

con's of leg lenthening. You are not a LP and you have know idea what

we feel during our day to day lives. The giggles, stares, pointing,

name calling and that is just a few the things we have to deel with .

I know having a serious procedure is a lot a pain and discomfort

plus the time that he or she would be laid up, but I bet some lps

would be looking at the long term rewards. I am not saying lp should

have this done. I just do not feel you are the right person to cast

an opinion on such a delicate subject.

> Mr. Kennedy, I hope you take no offense, that truly is not my

purpose of this post. I apprciate you contributions you and your

family have made to LPA and hope you will please continue.

> Sincerely,

> Jim

[Guest guest]

Ha!I think it is ironic this verse is at the bottom of your post:))

> >

> > " The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at

> >outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart. "

> I 16:7

Re: Leg lengthening

Mr. Kennedy,

I understand you are an average size person with a LP daughter. I

know as a father you are able to feel some of your daughters pain and

joy. My concern is you cannot give a true assessment on the pro's and

con's of leg lenthening. You are not a LP and you have know idea what

we feel during our day to day lives. The giggles,stares,pointing,name

calling and that is just a few the things we have to deel with . I

know having a serious procedure is a lot a pain and discomfort plus

the time that he or she would be laid up, but I bet some lps would be

looking at the long term rewards. I am not saying lp should have this

done. I just do not feel you are the right person to cast an opinion

on such a delicate subject.

Mr. Kennedy, I hope you take no offense, that truly is not my purpose

of this post. I apprciate you contributions you and your family have

made to LPA and hope you will please continue.

Sincerely,

Jim

[Guest guest]

Boy, do I ever take issue with your post!! I think a tall parent can fully

understand what their child goes through! Who do you think takes the child

to the Dr. all the time, right out of the gate? Who do you think gets the

questions in the grocery store, when all you went in for was a gallon of

milk, not 20 questions! Who do you think is the one who has to explain to

that child that they are short, and always will be, and maybe even lie a

little bit, and tell them it won't be that bad? Who in the world will

advocate for their child at school during an IEP, when the child doesn't

even know what they do or don't need?

I could go on and on, but I KNOW you are totally off base, and I am REALLY

offended!

Patty

Re: Leg lengthening

>

> Mr. Kennedy,

>

> I understand you are an average size person with a LP daughter. I

> know as a father you are able to feel some of your daughters pain and

> joy. My concern is you cannot give a true assessment on the pro's and

> con's of leg lenthening. You are not a LP and you have know idea what

> we feel during our day to day lives. The giggles,stares,pointing,name

> calling and that is just a few the things we have to deel with . I

> know having a serious procedure is a lot a pain and discomfort plus

> the time that he or she would be laid up, but I bet some lps would be

> looking at the long term rewards. I am not saying lp should have this

> done. I just do not feel you are the right person to cast an opinion

> on such a delicate subject.

>

> Mr. Kennedy, I hope you take no offense, that truly is not my purpose

> of this post. I apprciate you contributions you and your family have

> made to LPA and hope you will please continue.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Jim

>

>

>

> > >

> > > " The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at

> > >outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart. "

> > I 16:7

>

>

>

> ===

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Ms Bowers,

You want to talk offened, I am the one who is offened with your post,

I am a achon who is in my mid 40's, My own Mother God Bless her does

not and will never be able to walk in my shoes. You will not be able

to be at your child's side 24/7 or be able to protect him or her. I

am sure you and Mr Kennedy love your children very much and would not

want to change a thing, but you have no idea what society will bring

them ie. not being asked to the prom, slow dancing with a average

size person, reaching for a gallon of milk, peer presure. I am just

saying Size does matter, in our society and we feel alot more pain

then you ever will know. I was not talking about the medical

repercussions from this procedure I was talking about the potential

rewards. It is a big deal for me if I could go into a store and

wonder if I will be able to reach for something and not have to ask

for assistance or wonder where the next kid is asking me why I am so

small. You might not think that is not so difficult but I am willing

to bet you a years income I am not the only lp that has thought that.

You might only have have 20 years to deal with it as a parent. Your

LP child has a lifetime.

Please don't insult me for having a opinion. You do not have to agree

with it either.

Jim

> Boy, do I ever take issue with your post!! I think a tall parent

can fully

> understand what their child goes through! Who do you think takes

the child

> to the Dr. all the time, right out of the gate? Who do you think

gets the

> questions in the grocery store, when all you went in for was a

gallon of

> milk, not 20 questions! Who do you think is the one who has to

explain to

> that child that they are short, and always will be, and maybe even

lie a

> little bit, and tell them it won't be that bad? Who in the world

will

> advocate for their child at school during an IEP, when the child

doesn't

> even know what they do or don't need?

> I could go on and on, but I KNOW you are totally off base, and I

am REALLY

> offended!

> Patty

> Re: Leg lengthening

>

>

> >

> > Mr. Kennedy,

> >

> > I understand you are an average size person with a LP daughter. I

> > know as a father you are able to feel some of your daughters pain

and

> > joy. My concern is you cannot give a true assessment on the pro's

and

> > con's of leg lenthening. You are not a LP and you have know idea

what

> > we feel during our day to day lives. The

giggles,stares,pointing,name

> > calling and that is just a few the things we have to deel with . I

> > know having a serious procedure is a lot a pain and discomfort

plus

> > the time that he or she would be laid up, but I bet some lps

would be

> > looking at the long term rewards. I am not saying lp should have

this

> > done. I just do not feel you are the right person to cast an

opinion

> > on such a delicate subject.

> >

> > Mr. Kennedy, I hope you take no offense, that truly is not my

purpose

> > of this post. I apprciate you contributions you and your family

have

> > made to LPA and hope you will please continue.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> >

> > Jim

> >

> >

> >

> > > >

> > > > " The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks

at

> > > >outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart. "

> > > I 16:7

> >

> >

> >

> > ===

> >

[Guest guest]

good morning jim;

i can see your viewpoint, but i can't agree that AP's don't understand and can't

feel the hurt of their child or partner. no, i will never be 4' tall, and not

be able to reach the particular cereal i want in the grocery. but i [ and many

other AP's ] was never asked to the prom a million years ago, and it hurt. i

just never " fit " in the high school i graduated from. we moved to a small town

when i was 13, and all the cliques of very small town communities were there.

i was fully developed at 11, and junior high school and high school was hell.

and this was during the days that bra snapping and teasing was " funny " . today

its called sexual harrassment. boys were unmerciful and girls were vicious,

sure that my goal in life was to distract their " boyfriend " . all i wanted to

truly do was be invisible. i heard every joke and comment about never drowning

in deep water and and have spent a lifetime with people talking to my chest.

i learned early to keep to myself, to try to wear clothing that disguised my

body shape.

this is possible to change, you say? not always. when i investigated the

possibility of cosmetic surgery, another medical condition prevented that from

happening.

many of us AP's know the emotional pain of stares, jokes, teasing, snickers, and

isolation. the reason might be different but the mental trauma is unchanged.

people with children who are different from the norm feel every slight and every

torment as tho it were their own. ask ANY parent, AP or LP, and see how many

tears are shed not for themselves but for their children. parenthood doesnt

stop in 20 years.

whims

Re: Leg lengthening

>

>

> >

> > Mr. Kennedy,

> >

> > I understand you are an average size person with a LP daughter. I

> > know as a father you are able to feel some of your daughters pain

and

> > joy. My concern is you cannot give a true assessment on the pro's

and

> > con's of leg lenthening. You are not a LP and you have know idea

what

> > we feel during our day to day lives. The

giggles,stares,pointing,name

> > calling and that is just a few the things we have to deel with . I

> > know having a serious procedure is a lot a pain and discomfort

plus

> > the time that he or she would be laid up, but I bet some lps

would be

> > looking at the long term rewards. I am not saying lp should have

this

> > done. I just do not feel you are the right person to cast an

opinion

> > on such a delicate subject.

> >

> > Mr. Kennedy, I hope you take no offense, that truly is not my

purpose

> > of this post. I apprciate you contributions you and your family

have

> > made to LPA and hope you will please continue.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> >

> > Jim

> >

> >

> >

> > > >

> > > > " The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks

at

> > > >outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart. "

> > > I 16:7

> >

> >

> >

> > ===

> >

[Guest guest]

Leg Lengthening

Reported November 24, 2004

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=9959

OKLAHOMA CITY (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Lengthening procedures treat

children who have legs of unequal lengths, usually involving differences

of two inches or more. Often, bulky external hardware is used for the

procedures. Now, a new device for kids leaves the hardware behind and

puts the bounce back in their step.

Fifteen-year-old Kody may have changed his " game " from football to

basketball. But it was a change he didn't make by choice. Last season,

broke a section of his bone called the growth plate during a

football game. " There for a little while we thought I wasn't ever going

to be able to play again, " he says.

That accident brought to pediatric orthopedist ph Davey, M.D.

" Unfortunately, he went through a big growth spurt, and because of that

big change, one leg was growing at a lower rate, and they got

mismatched, " Dr. Davey, of University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City,

tells Ivanhoe.

's bones had to be separated and an intramedullary skeletal kinetic

distractor was inserted. It's hard to pronounce, but easy to see the

benefits.

Dr. Davey says, " We let the bone start to heal, and as that starts to

heal, we then gradually pull the bone ends apart, and when we're pulling

it apart, it fills in with healing bone. " Before this new technology,

patients had to wear bulky contraptions attached to the bones through

the skin.

says it was easy to make a comeback with the new device. " I'm

really glad that I'm finally back in the game, " he says. He's also back

on equal footing with his teammates.

Dr. Davey says new growth must be watched closely so that the bone can

solidify to support the patient's weight. The new bone grows at about a

millimeter a day.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Zachary

Assistant to Dr. ph Davey

University of Oklahoma

825 N.E. 10th St. Suite 1300

Oklahoma City, OK 73103

(405) 271-6458