News

I had surgery to lengthen my legs and then it went horribly wrong

Published

8 months ago

August 11, 2024

Warning: This article contains medical details that readers may find distressing

Elaine Foo’s legs are streaked with thick, purple scars – each one a reminder of a leg-lengthening procedure which went badly wrong.

Since 2016, the 49-year-old has had five surgeries and three bone grafts, exhausted her life savings and brought a legal action against her surgeon, which was finally settled in July, with no admission of liability.

At one point, Elaine had a metal nail break through a bone and on another occasion, she says her legs felt like they were being “roasted from the inside”.

“My  journey has been a trial of fire – but I survived,” she says.

Her doctor consistently denied any negligence and says that some of the issues arose from complications she had been warned of, and others arose through her own actions.

Elaine Foo/Supplied

Elaine says having longer legs became an obsession, and believes she has body dysmorphia

Elaine always hated her height.

“At 12, I was taller than most girls,” she says. “By 14, I was suddenly shorter than everyone. Over time it became an obsession. Taller means better. Taller means more beautiful. I just felt that taller people had more chances.”

By adulthood the obsession was overwhelming.

Elaine believes she had body dysmorphia, a mental health condition where a person sees a flaw in their appearance no matter how others see them. The impact of the condition can be devastating.

At the age of 25, Elaine came across an article about a Chinese clinic where people were having surgery to make their leg bones longer. The piece contained grisly details of medieval-looking leg cages and rampant infection. It sounded nightmarish but left Elaine intrigued.

“I know people will question the vanity of it,” she says. “But when you face body dysmorphia, there’s no rational explanation for why you feel so overwhelmingly bad.”

Sixteen years later, Elaine discovered a private clinic offering the procedure in London. It was being provided by the orthopaedic surgeon Jean-Marc Guichet, a limb-lengthening specialist who had even created his own lengthening device – the Guichet Nail.

“That was really a hallelujah moment, because I could do it in London and could recover at home,” she recalls.

“Dr Guichet was open about the kinds of things that could go wrong. Nerve injuries, blood clots, the possibility of bones not fusing back together.

“But I’d done my research, was going to a very expensive doctor and I expected commensurate medical care. My dream was to grow from 5ft 2in (1.57m) to 5ft 5in (1.65m).”

On 25 July, at a cost of around £50,000, she went in for surgery and set in motion a process which would change her life.

Leg-lengthening procedures are relatively uncommon, but available at private clinics around the world. Depending on where it’s carried out, it can cost anything from £15,000 to upwards of £150,000.

Elaine Foo/Supplied

Elaine says she initially felt no pain after the operation

“Waking up was very exciting, because it felt like nothing happened. No pain. But 90 minutes later, it starts. It felt like someone was cooking my legs. Like being roasted from the inside. That first night I screamed until 6am, until I fell asleep screaming.”

With this procedure, some pain is to be expected. During the operation, the leg bones are broken in two and a metal rod is fitted inside.

The metal rods are gradually extended to increase their length and pull the two halves of bone apart. This process is meant to increase the patient’s height. The broken bones should gradually heal back together, to fill the gap in between.

The operation is complex, and it’s only the start of a long process.

“The lengthening process takes about two or three months and then you have at least double that time before you’ve recovered reasonable function,” warns Prof Hamish Simpson, former council member of the British Orthopaedic Association. “For most people, it’s going to take a year out of your life.”

Once surgery was over, Elaine’s lengthening process began. Several times a day she carried out an uncomfortable regime, rotating her legs to trigger the rod’s ratchet mechanism. This is what makes the nail lengthen and her legs grow. But two weeks later, she says disaster struck.

“I’d been feeling a lot of pain in my left leg. Then one night, while I was moving around in bed, I heard what sounded like a Kit Kat crunch, followed by severe pain.”

Elaine Foo/Supplied

The nail in Elaine’s left leg had broken through her femur

Elaine went in for a scan, which confirmed her fears. The nail in her left leg had broken through her femur – the thigh bone – the strongest bone in the human body. She was distraught, but she says she was reassured by Dr Guichet.

“He told me that all you need to do now is not worry. Wait for it to heal and once it’s healed, we’ll begin the process again.”

They would continue lengthening Elaine’s right leg, while scheduling another operation to deal with her left leg – which would eventually be lengthened the same amount as the right.

Elaine says she was told the extra operation would cost thousands of pounds, but was happy to pay if it meant she could see the process through.

By September, her right leg had reached its 7cm target. But things weren’t quite right. The discrepancy between her right and left leg was causing problems, curving her spine and leaving her in constant pain.

Elaine Foo/Supplied

Six weeks later, scans of her right leg showed an alarming lack of bone growth. Her femur was essentially two bits of bone held together by the metal rod.

Elaine turned to Dr Guichet for help, who scheduled another operation at a clinic he worked at in Milan. In April 2017, they restarted the lengthening process in Elaine’s left leg, while also injecting bone marrow into the right leg – to stimulate bone growth there. After the operation, Elaine woke to more bad news.

“Dr Guichet told me the nail had broken while he was taking it out,” she says. “He had a nail from another patient which he was able to insert.” She adds that this was going to cost even more money.

Three days later, hardly able to move, but desperate to be home, Elaine returned to London. She says communication with Dr Guichet had soured and feels that by summer the doctor-patient relationship had broken down.

Elaine Foo/Supplied

Elaine’s right leg showed a lack of bone growth, requiring further treatment

She didn’t know where else to turn and by July 2017 she managed to see a specialist orthopaedic surgeon on the NHS.

She says the specialist told her “this will not be a short journey.”

“I had to prepare myself for at least five years of treatment before healing fully,” she says.

Eight years on from the initial surgery Elaine says she is still recovering from her mental and physical scars. She has a range of mobility issues and says she suffers from PTSD.

“From 2017 to 2020 I hid from the world. I was single, unemployed, penniless and disabled.”

But recently she’s begun to get closure. A four-year legal battle was finally settled in July when  Dr Guichet agreed to pay Elaine a “substantial” sum to settle her claim against him – without any admission of liability.

Watch: Leg-lengthening – the people having surgery to be a bit taller

The surgeon’s lawyer denied any negligence on Dr Guichet’s part, telling the court: “Dr Guichet’s case is that there was no negligence, that the fracture and delayed bone healing were unfortunate non-negligent complications that Ms Foo was warned of before surgery, and that the limited right-sided bone regeneration was aggravated by Ms Foo’s undisclosed use of anti-depressants and by her deliberately extending the nail in her right leg beyond the agreed length.”

He also claimed in court that Ms Foo had “frequently declined” to follow Guichet’s advice and had neglected her rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

Elaine contests all of these claims. She says the anti-depressants were not linked to the complications and holds the doctor responsible for what happened to her.

Elaine assumed she was safe because she was paying so much. But she has paid more than just a financial price.

“I lost the best years of my life. I know people like to hear the word regret and if someone asked me today, would you have done it, if you knew you were going to go through all this? I would say a definite, ‘No, thank you very much’.”

Source: BBC

News

SAD! Woman Reportedly Poisons Boyfriend To D3ath For Cheating On Her

Published

8 hours ago

April 5, 2025

ADMIN

…conceals Body Under Bed

A young woman allegedly poisoned her boyfriend to d3ath for cheating on her in Iyo Polo community, Marine Base, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

It was gathered that after k!lling the deceased, she hid his body under the bed inside his room for three days.

According to local reports, residents of the area became suspicious after noticing a foul odor emanating from the victim’s residence.

Concerned neighbors attempted to reach the deceased but received no response.

Their suspicions grew when they observed the suspect acting strangely and refusing entry into the apartment.

Upon notifying law enforcement, officers arrived at the scene and forced their way into the room, where they discovered the decomposing body of the victim.

The suspect was immediately arrested and taken into police custody for further investigation.

Authorities have yet to release an official statement regarding the motive behind the alleged m8rder.

However, preliminary findings suggest that the incident may have stemmed from a domestic dispute.

News

Protesters call for suspension of FUOYE VC over alleged sexual harassment

Published

12 hours ago

April 5, 2025

Admin

A group of protesters have converged on the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja, calling for the suspension of Professor Abayomi Fasina as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), to allow proper investigation into sexual harassment allegation.

Protesters armed with placards-bearing slogans such as ‘Ekiti Deserves Better’ and ‘Protect Our Women,’ argued that the Vice-Chancellor cannot remain in office while facing investigation for sexual harassment allegations.

The embattled VC has been under investigations over allegations made in a leaked voice note regarding a sexual harassment case against one of his married subordinates.

Speaking to journalists after submitting a petition to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the leader of the protesters under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organisations Against Corruption, Victor Adetola, said suspending the VC would give room for thorough investigations into the matter.

Adetola said: “We have looked at the developing story that has been going on in that university as an organisation that is fronting for the welfare of Nigerian students and the community or the educational community generally.

“The issue will be festering if there is no thorough investigation, and we need that place to be sanitised. Honestly, currently there is a disciplinary action investigation that is going on that was first given a three-week ultimatum.

“After that, they requested for another three weeks ultimatum, even inclusive of the governing council. And for the past six months, nothing has been done. We see that a lot of undiagnosed, a lot of corruption has been festering.

“In fact, one of the most critical issues happening is the sexual harassment that has happened to one of the married assistant directors in that school.

“Specifically, it’s necessary that the leader of the university steps down first, or the governing council relieves him of that position first, so that independent investigation can be carried out on all the petitions that we have written.”

News

NJC, NBA raises concerns as Uzodimma names Nzeukwu Imo’s acting Chief Judge

Published

12 hours ago

April 5, 2025

Admin

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has distanced itself from the purported appointment by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu as the acting Chief Judge of Imo State.

The NJC, in a statement by its Deputy Director (Information), Mrs. Kemi Ogendengbe said it was yet to consider a request by Uzodinma to appoint Justice Nzeukwu, who is currently number four in the hierarchy of judges’ seniority in Imo State High Court.

The statement reads: “The attention of the council has been drawn to the news making rounds that the Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, had purportedly appointed Hon. Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, who is number four in the hierarchy of judges seniority in Imo State High Court, as the acting Chief Judge of the state, in view of the recent disciplinary action taken against the erstwhile Chief Judge of the state.

“The National Judicial Council, by this press release, wants to clarify to the public that the Governor of Imo State had earlier written to the council requesting for its approval to appoint Hon. Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, who is number four in the hierarchy of seniority as acting Chief Judge of the state.

“The governor in his said correspondence to the council, gave reasons why in his own view, the three most senior judges are not appointable.

“The council is informing the public that the said letter is yet to be considered, as deliberation on the request is slated for the next council meeting, which is scheduled to hold on 29th and 30th April, 2025.

“The council is therefore, by this press release, informing the public that the governor’s request is yet to be considered by the council.

“The council has not given approval to the governor for the appointment of the acting Chief Judge.

“The council is not a party to the process of the purported appointment of Hon. Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu as the acting Chief Judge.”

The NJC had, at its 107th meeting held between November 13 and 14, 2024 recommended the compulsory retirement of the then Chief Judge of Imo State, Justice T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka over alleged age falsification.

It said Justice Chikeka was recommended to the Imo State Governor for compulsory retirement with effect from October 27, 2021, with all salaries and allowances the judge received in excess from the said date refunded to the council.

The NJC added: “The recommendation was pursuant to the findings of the Council that His Lordship has two different dates of birth: 27 October 1956 and 27 October 1958.

“However, 27 October 1956 appeared to be the consistent date of birth, but in 2006, the Chief Judge swore to an affidavit changing the date of birth to 27 October 1958.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Owerri Branch has expressed serious concerns over the appointment.

Speaking after swearing in the new Acting Chief Judge, Governor Uzodimma recalled the disgraceful manner the former Chief Judge was removed from office by the NJC, and the events that followed thereafter, and warned against a repeat of what he described as “dishonourable incident where a Chief Judge is suddenly removed from office for such an ugly indictment of age falsification.”

Reacting to the appointment, the NBA urged Governor Uzodimma to adhere to due process in the appointment of a new Chief Judge, emphasising the importance of following established protocols to ensure transparency and legitimacy.

According to the NBA, Nzeukwu’s appointment violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulates that the most senior judge of the High Court should be appointed as Acting Chief Judge in the event of a vacancy.

“We insist that due process must be followed in the appointment of the Acting Chief Judge,” Chairman of the NBA Owerri Branch, Chief Chris U. Ihentuge and the Secretary, Daniel O. Odiba, said in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement: “If the most senior judge or judges were bypassed, the rationale for this deviation must be immediately justified.”

Failure to do so, they warned, will further erode public confidence in the judiciary.

The NBA demands that Governor Uzodimma takes immediate action to address this situation and reverse the appointment, which they deem inconsistent with the Constitution.

The statement reads in part: “The Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch demands that the Governor should, immediately, take steps to address this situation and reverse this action which is inconsistent with the Constitution. Failure to do so will further erode public confidence in the judiciary at a time when trust in our institutions is already fragile. The Bar shall also take all steps necessary in the circumstance.

“The Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch, reiterates that it has no interest in any particular individual holding the office of the Chief Judge, but it is deeply committed to the protection of due process, the rule of law, and the sanctity of the Constitution.

“The NBA Owerri Branch has communicated its concerns to the Imo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), Imo State Chapter, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of Imo State, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and the National Judicial Council (NJC).”