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

Elaine Foo, a 49-year-old woman, has endured a painful journey after undergoing leg-lengthening surgery that did not go as planned. Since 2016, she has had five surgeries and three bone grafts, spending all her savings and even taking legal action against her surgeon. The legal case was settled in July, but without any admission of wrongdoing from the doctor. Elaine's legs are marked with thick, purple scars, each one a reminder of the difficult experience she has faced. She described her journey as a 'trial of fire,' emphasizing her resilience despite the challenges. Her doctor has consistently denied any negligence, stating that some complications were expected and others were due to Elaine's own actions. Elaine believes her desire for longer legs became an obsession, and she suspects she suffers from body dysmorphia, a condition where individuals see flaws in their appearance that others do not. nnFrom a young age, Elaine struggled with her height. At 12, she was taller than most girls, but by 14, she found herself shorter than her peers. This shift fueled her obsession with height, leading her to believe that being taller would make her more attractive and provide her with better opportunities. At 25, she stumbled upon an article about a clinic in China that performed leg-lengthening surgeries. Although the article described gruesome details about the procedure, Elaine felt drawn to the idea. She stated, 'I know people will question the vanity of it, but when you face body dysmorphia, there's no rational explanation for why you feel so overwhelmingly bad. ' After years of searching, she found a private clinic in London run by Dr. Jean-Marc Guichet, a specialist in limb-lengthening. The prospect of having the surgery in London and recovering at home was a relief for Elaine. nnOn July 25, she underwent the surgery, which cost around £50,000. Initially, she felt no pain, but that quickly changed. Within 90 minutes of waking up, she experienced excruciating pain, describing it as feeling like her legs were being 'roasted from the inside. ' The procedure involved breaking her leg bones and inserting a metal rod that would gradually extend to increase her height. This process is complex and requires a long recovery period. Elaine had to perform painful exercises multiple times a day to help her legs heal. However, just two weeks after the surgery, disaster struck when she heard a crunching sound in her leg and felt severe pain. A metal nail had broken through her femur, the strongest bone in the body. Although she was devastated, Dr. Guichet reassured her that they would fix the issue and continue the lengthening process. nnAs time went on, Elaine faced more complications. Her right leg reached the desired length, but the difference between her legs caused her spine to curve and left her in constant pain. Scans revealed that her right femur was not healing properly, leading to further surgeries and treatments. In April 2017, they restarted the lengthening process in her left leg while injecting bone marrow into her right leg to stimulate growth. Unfortunately, after another operation, Elaine learned that the nail had broken again, leading to more expenses and complications. By July 2017, she sought help from a specialist on the NHS, who warned her that her recovery would be a long journey. Eight years later, Elaine is still dealing with the physical and emotional scars of her experience. She has mobility issues and suffers from PTSD, feeling isolated and struggling to find her place in the world. Recently, she settled her legal case against Dr. Guichet, but she still grapples with regret over her decision to undergo the surgery. She reflected, 'I lost the best years of my life. 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.