A woman who paid $161,000 to make her legs 5.5 inches longer is very sorry she did it.
Theresia Fischer, a former contestant on the German version of Celebrity Big Brother and now an influencer, was five feet six inches tall when she had the strange surgery at age 24.
She was thrilled at first with the life-changing surgery, but it seems she now has some misgivings.
The operation to lengthen the legs is complicated and takes time to work.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is typically performed to fix variations in the length of the legs and can help fix disorders that cause bones to develop unevenly or shorter.
The surgery is complicated, so there are risks, and health professionals say some patients have difficulties that last for a long time.
Professor Hamish Simpson of the British Orthopaedic Association told the BBC that the treatment is now safer since the procedures and technology have gotten a lot better in the last 20 years.
However, the surgery is still quite complicated and has a high likelihood of complications because it requires more than just developing bone; it also requires creating more muscle, nerves, blood arteries, and skin.
At the age of 24, Fischer had to go through the horrible treatment. It required putting adjustable telescopic rods into her shins, which slowly made her legs longer.
Before the surgery, the influencer was 5’6″, but now that she’s had the surgery, she’s over 6 feet tall.
In an August 2023 interview with radio network MDR Jump, Fischer, who is 31, said that her ex-boyfriend “urged” her to have the treatment.
She told Theresia, “You know I like big ladies,” according to the Daily Star. So I really want this. You could gain as much as 14 cm more.
He would say, “You can’t do anything without me.” You need me. You believe you are nothing without him if you hear this 20, 30, 60, or 70 times.
The influencer stated she has always been “happy” with her body, but now she feels “shame” about how much she has changed it.
Fischer went on to say, “I’m ashamed because I agreed to an operation that I shouldn’t have.”
I’ve never had to deal with that before since I’ve always been happy with my body.
The leg-lengthening surgery has had an emotional effect on Fischer, but it has also caused her to have periosteum inflammation, which is a disorder that happens when the connective tissue around bones gets inflamed.
Because of this ailment, the influencer had to leave the German edition of the Battle of the Reality Stars show.
She said that filming reality TV shows was always hard, especially when she had to run or move around the set quickly.
Fischer stated, “It’s just weird to run with metal in your legs.”
According to the Mirror, the influencer has also been told that the fibula bone in one of her legs did not grow as intended.
Fischer is now “longing” for the day when her metal support rods can be taken out.