Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Discussions => Topic started by: Mikelondon92 on November 24, 2017, 03:13:00 PM
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Hi, my name is Michael and I am a 25 year old male living in London. I'm 5ft3 and soon want to have LL surgery with Guichet. I've been in contact with Guichet, he has sent me the questionnaire form which I am in the process of filling out and soon will be scheduling a consultation with him at the Princess Grace Hospital in London.
I've been going through a lot of stress, anxiety, depression and also excitement and happiness in my research and my decision to go forward to do this surgery. Obviously I haven't meet Dr Guichet yet and had the consultation, but the surgery is something I want more than anything in the world.
I have the money to do this, my family is really supportive in my decision to do this and the fact that I live in London and don't have to fly overseas is a amazing bonus. I was really depressed when I thought this was not an option in the UK, but once I found out it was that was an incredible feeling of relief.
This is a huge life changing decision, I have a lot of anxiety and nervousness about meeting Guichet and hearing what he has to say. All I want in my life is to be happy, and this surgery which I hope I can grow 3 + inches with is going to give me that happiness.
Anyway any info and support you guys can give me would be so much appreciated, this is the start of a big journey for me and all I want is for it be successful. I'm scared, excited and happy to begin this journey, and to whoever reads this I hope you can help and support me in anyway possible. I'm gonna try my best to offer other people support going through this incredible decision on this forum as much as I can.
Well that's my story, I want you guys to be a part of it. To anyone here doing the same, good luck and I'll try my best to help.
I really hope we all make it.
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Hi Michael,thanks for choosing to share your experience here on forum with us
Good luck and keep us tunned
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Best of luck to you.
Be sure to check the section Patients' Experiences (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?board=3.0) here in the forum, so you can have some idea what to expect. Everyone's experience is unique, however.
For now, try doing stretching exercises for your legs and feet during the pre-surgery period. Here are a few examples from another user's diary (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=2869.msg44430#msg44430) (he did tibias, but I believe these exercises also apply). Every little bit that you do will help in your LL journey.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or post them as new threads; I'm sure the LL vets here will be happy to answer you.
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Hey, I am also 5'3 and am maybe planning to have limb lengthening with Dr. Guichet and also want 3+ inches.
I will use your journey to shape mine! lol
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Guichet is definitely the worts doctor for the money he wants.
I really wonder why so much people choose am overpriced doctor with an obsolete nail who has done a lot of mistakes and recommends some crazy things like taking an aspirin everyday (which prevents bone union as all antiinflammatory drugs) as Unicorn said to us.
Clearly Guichet, although he is experienced, is not a good choice for all the above reasons, especially when with about the same money you can go to Rozbruch who is the best in the world.
Anyway, I wish you good luck but be very cautious for non-unions and also try not to lengthen as fast as that doctor recommends.
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Go to the experiences section & read every single word of Unicorn's diary so you can make an informed decision.
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Link to Unicorn's diary. (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=3560.0)
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Clearly Guichet, although he is experienced, is not a good choice for all the above reasons, especially when with about the same money you can go to Rozbruch who is the best in the world.
Anyway, I wish you good luck but be very cautious for non-unions and also try not to lengthen as fast as that doctor recommends.
Very true, you might as well go to a USA doctor for that money TS. But I don't think Rozbruch allows 3+ inches in one segment like how Guichet does so I can see the appeal. And I also understand TS's need of wanting in-conservative inches in one segment since he is quite shorter than most starting heights and will still be quite below average even after doing one segment.
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Very true, you might as well go to a USA doctor for that money TS. But I don't think Rozbruch allows 3+ inches in one segment like how Guichet does so I can see the appeal. And I also understand TS's need of wanting in-conservative inches in one segment since he is quite shorter than most starting heights and will still be quite below average even after doing one segment.
Rozbruch as all doctors that have precise 2, can do lengthenings up to 8cm because this is how much that device can lengthen.
However, even if precise could lengthen 20cm it is completely crazy to lengthen more than 8cm even in femurs as the biomechanic change and the soft tissue damage will be enough to bet let you walk normally ever again.
So going to a bad, overpriced and careless doctor as Guichet to lengthen more than 8cm is a recipe for disaster. If someone is so stupid then yes, Guichet is the best doctor for him.
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I saw one American dr on YouTube called Shabab M, he did external ll on a guy who was my height and he got 3.5. He started at 5ft 3 and it worked out well for him. Videos on YouTube called Alex's story. This gave me hope. Flying overseas however is more money and more complicated for me.
Anyway with Guichet he works here in London at the Princess Grace hospital which from what I can tell is a fantastic hospital, especially compared to NHS hospitals. I get that unicorn had fked up results and she ended up having scoliosis ( I'm going to read the whole diary, haven't read all of it yet ) and her legs are in bad shape. She was correct me if I'm wrong a 40 year old woman, I'm 25 and male and obviously males have more muscle mass so my thinking is my body is going to be stronger then hers and therefore my chances for success with surgery are better then unicorns. It is tragic that it did not work out for her, but should her story stop me from doing this with Guichet?
Also if Guichet has had multiple patients with fked up results would he not be struck of his British doctors license, I mean the U.K. must have like strict and rigorous procedures that come with practicing surgery like this.
My point is that compared to places like India and China where I'm sure doctors can get away with being bad at their job due to corruption, lack of regulations and things like that then here in the
U.K. were things a more strict I can't imagine that Guichet is a crook/dangerous doctor. If he was wouldn't he have had his doctors license struck off?
You will find horror stories in all things in life, I'm confident that Guichet is my best choice. I'm still in the early stages of this whole thing, i just want it be successful.
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Hello Mikelondon !
How many centimeters do you want to do?
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Despite what has happened to Unicorn, I do still think that Guichet is a good choice. If you reread Unicorns diary, she did a lot of things wrong. Not saying it's 100% her fault and of course Guichet does not have good bedside manners at all. But is he a good surgeon, yes. Can he be a jerk? yes.
Even if it's a more painful/older nail, you cannot lie with his results. Other than unicorn, look at how soon his patients are back to their old lives, and look how much they can excersise during the whole thing. THAT is what you are paying for. You may say that it is "overpriced" for the nail, but you need to account for the experience of Guichet and how quick you will be back to life compared to other methods
And for the aspirin thing, look at how many patient's have been forced to lengthen fast at 1.25 mm+ just to avoid preconsolidation, and look what it does to your soft tissues. Honestly I am more fearful of preconsolidation than non-union. With the amount of weightbearing that his patients do, im not surprised that he gives something to slow down the consolidation.
Just listen to him but also listen to your body/bones, if you see you are not consolidating well, then take a break from lengthening + help your soft tissues catch up etc etc all of the basic things that you learn from actually researchign the procedure
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Despite what has happened to Unicorn, I do still think that Guichet is a good choice. If you reread Unicorns diary, she did a lot of things wrong. Not saying it's 100% her fault and of course Guichet does not have good bedside manners at all. But is he a good surgeon, yes. Can he be a jerk? yes.
Even if it's a more painful/older nail, you cannot lie with his results. Other than unicorn, look at how soon his patients are back to their old lives, and look how much they can excersise during the whole thing. THAT is what you are paying for. You may say that it is "overpriced" for the nail, but you need to account for the experience of Guichet and how quick you will be back to life compared to other methods
And for the aspirin thing, look at how many patient's have been forced to lengthen fast at 1.25 mm+ just to avoid preconsolidation, and look what it does to your soft tissues. Honestly I am more fearful of preconsolidation than non-union. With the amount of weightbearing that his patients do, im not surprised that he gives something to slow down the consolidation.
Just listen to him but also listen to your body/bones, if you see you are not consolidating well, then take a break from lengthening + help your soft tissues catch up etc etc all of the basic things that you learn from actually researchign the procedure
A 40 yo asian woman does not risk preconsolidation. She risks non union as it happened. And generally speaking, non union is a more usual and bigger problem than preconsolidation, so prescribing aspirin or any other antiinflammatory frug during lengthening is really a very bad idea than neither a doctor in Uganda would have done.
Guichet is a bad choice, especially for the money he wants. If he had the price of Monegal maybe it would have been a choice for someone who is willing to take the risks for a good price but for the price of Rozbruch and Paley he is a ridiculous choice.
Anyway, I wish to LL'ers that go there a good result. But I think that he is a very bad choice so people should avoid him as a doctor.
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for safety:
1. hybrid external fixator device (hexapod etc)
2. precise nail with Dr. Paley or Dr. Rozbruch
3. Two stage internal femur lengthening via fitbone with Dr. Monegal
Dr. Guichet is not listed in my top 3 for safety
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I have to agree with MirinHeight's first 2 options.
Doing LL without a compression/shortening route available is gambling with your legs too much for me. Guichet's nail doesn't allow for compression (afaik), unlike Precice. Mike is in London and I'd really wish for him to be able to achieve his goal with Guichet, but there's no way to overlook this fact. Doing LL with Guichet's nail is an increasingly bigger gamble the older you are. If you smoke, the gamble becomes even worse.
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I have to agree with MirinHeight's first 2 options.
Doing LL without a compression/shortening route available is gambling with your legs too much for me. Guichet's nail doesn't allow for compression (afaik), unlike Precice. Mike is in London and I'd really wish for him to be able to achieve his goal with Guichet, but there's no way to overlook this fact. Doing LL with Guichet's nail is an increasingly bigger gamble the older you are. If you smoke, the gamble becomes even worse.
Well good news is that I don't smoke so that's a positive thing, I'm 25 and I would say my body is in healthy condition. I agree the older you get the worse it is to have a surgery of this magnitude, so I feel positive about my body being put through this test.
I've never had a bone fracture, both my parents are in good health and all four of my grandparents are still alive. Obviously with height genetics I got dealt a bad hand but other than that my family has a good history of living long healthy lives.
The major bonus I get from doing surgery with Guichet is that he does LL in London. I live in London which means the amount of money and time I save is incredible compared to flying overseas to do this. Also being away from home does make the surgery/recovery time more difficult not just from a practical standpoint but also a emotional one.
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That's awesome that he is so close to you. Remember to stay strong in the head while lengthening. That's what will be important in order to remain positive. Keep your self busy,also. Good luck hope you achieve your goal and move on from this as an experience and get back to your normal happier life.
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If you have any questions go ahead and ask me, i could also meet you up in London if i go there soon. Hopefully without crutches and walking normally within a month... What i personally would do is go with Monegal or Rozburch (as it feels right now) - i met Guichet and decided on the spot to not go with him, i should also mention that money has never been the issue for me but the time and doing the lengthening his way with twisting your leg...I've done 6.1 and finished - similar age to you and haven't had any pain and the fitbone is literally a blessing in comparison to the other ones while lengthening I THINK? I've been in the best shape of my life before this so maybe that helped..but i haven't had the same pain as one other patient here describes and walking around with crutches and on my way to walking at 4 months feel ok? Maybe not the fastest recovery...but i've been lazy af.
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If you have any questions go ahead and ask me, i could also meet you up in London if i go there soon. Hopefully without crutches and walking normally within a month... What i personally would do is go with Monegal or Rozburch (as it feels right now) - i met Guichet and decided on the spot to not go with him, i should also mention that money has never been the issue for me but the time and doing the lengthening his way with twisting your leg...I've done 6.1 and finished - similar age to you and haven't had any pain and the fitbone is literally a blessing in comparison to the other ones while lengthening I THINK? I've been in the best shape of my life before this so maybe that helped..but i haven't had the same pain as one other patient here describes and walking around with crutches and on my way to walking at 4 months feel ok? Maybe not the fastest recovery...but i've been lazy af.
Inferiority Complex doesn't know what he's talking about. Height dystopia, he says in his posts. He brags in forum about his looks and his money but he has no clue about LL. You should ask a real veteran like IamReady (Paley), Penguinn (parihar), OldiebutGoldie (Betz) or a Guichet patient like LLSouthAmerica who had terrific results with Guichet.
TO OP, I would never choose Monegal when he has had such horrible results as Cooper or Musicmaker and others. Musicmaker's case is worse than Unicorn's for your information. Guichet may be bad but he has more experience than Monegal. Rozbruch is OK doe.
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I wish you well dear... Can't wait for your journey to begin ;)
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Please elaborate Cooper, is Musicmaker worse than Unicorn? In what way? Am i doing bad too? You seem very wise, do you think it would be wise to put you on a payroll to help me with my recovery? I'd be very open to hear you what you have to say Cooper, hope you are doing much better now :)
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To stay on topic, obviously Guichett is the best option if you are in London. Don't think you'll have any problems whatsoever...also a big plus is support of family, some people do it all alone ;)
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Cooper suffered a lot. That doctor crippled him and he had to spend 150k. And Musicmaker? Fracture, misalignment, 3 nail malfunctions, 10 surgeries and much more... She had surgery in 2014. Unicorn had surgery in 2016 and has had 3 surgeries. Unicorn will have to suffer a lot more to reach Musicmaker. The reason why you don't see how horrible Musicmaker case is it's because she isn't as open as Unicorn and defends the doctor (Stockholm syndrome).
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The troll came back again with the same old discourse full of inaccuracies. Please Datum, get your ass out of here.
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Any other doctors in London or is it really only Guichet? I recall something about Pili doing appointments there. Not sure about the actual lengthening, though.
Either way, Mike, how far are you in this whole process?
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I saw one American dr on YouTube called Shabab M, he did external ll on a guy who was my height and he got 3.5. He started at 5ft 3 and it worked out well for him. Videos on YouTube called Alex's story. This gave me hope. Flying overseas however is more money and more complicated for me.
Anyway with Guichet he works here in London at the Princess Grace hospital which from what I can tell is a fantastic hospital, especially compared to NHS hospitals. I get that unicorn had fked up results and she ended up having scoliosis ( I'm going to read the whole diary, haven't read all of it yet ) and her legs are in bad shape. She was correct me if I'm wrong a 40 year old woman, I'm 25 and male and obviously males have more muscle mass so my thinking is my body is going to be stronger then hers and therefore my chances for success with surgery are better then unicorns. It is tragic that it did not work out for her, but should her story stop me from doing this with Guichet?
Also if Guichet has had multiple patients with fked up results would he not be struck of his British doctors license, I mean the U.K. must have like strict and rigorous procedures that come with practicing surgery like this.
My point is that compared to places like India and China where I'm sure doctors can get away with being bad at their job due to corruption, lack of regulations and things like that then here in the
U.K. were things a more strict I can't imagine that Guichet is a crook/dangerous doctor. If he was wouldn't he have had his doctors license struck off?
You will find horror stories in all things in life, I'm confident that Guichet is my best choice. I'm still in the early stages of this whole thing, i just want it be successful.
Hey Mike,
I'm not allowed to say much because what I've exposed to you guys are very sensored. But please do your research. Call the GMC (https://www.gmc-uk.org/) which is the UK regulatory body providing doctor licenses and Princess Grace Hospital to check a doctor's track record in terms of suspensions, audits or compliances etc.
This is not something doctors need to disclose to you but you should do your homework first, ok?
By the way, lengthening recovery is not about MUSCLE mass, but about soft tissue flexibility and your lengthening rate. Just make sure every 2-week xray show calluses that are bridging. If they don't bridge, STOP DISTRACTING, until they bridge again.
That will prevent you from non-union, since the nail cannot reverse nor stop. Don't end up like me following instructions blindly with the fast distraction of 70mm in 65 days.
This lengthening process can be successful and safe if all patients know what to look out for and not depend on their doctors 100%.
All doctors and even more so, lengthening doctors, are like construction tradesmen. They want to win the project and once they have the money, the service level decreases and completion date is endlessly postponed.
You've all the chances in the world to succeed, being younger and male. But just be very careful and not flirt with risk :) Always question the doctor, don't stress your nails, don't distract too quickly and keep stretching those soft tissues.
Best of luck and do your homework. There's a patient who refuses to be named who has done both Albizzia nail and Precice, and she says it's a difference of NIGHT and DAY in terms of pain and stress level of clicking, risk and overall experience. So have some thought ahout that too.
Yours sincerely,
Unicorn
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That's awesome that he is so close to you. Remember to stay strong in the head while lengthening. That's what will be important in order to remain positive. Keep your self busy,also. Good luck hope you achieve your goal and move on from this as an experience and get back to your normal happier life.
Thank you, I appreciate the advice.
I wish you well dear... Can't wait for your journey to begin ;)
Thank you :)
To stay on topic, obviously Guichett is the best option if you are in London. Don't think you'll have any problems whatsoever...also a big plus is support of family, some people do it all alone ;)
It must be 100 times more difficult to do this alone, I sympathise with people who do this by themselves very much. As you say, Guichet is my best option due to the fact I'm from London. The thought of flying overseas did make me a lot more nervous and unsure about all of this.
Any other doctors in London or is it really only Guichet? I recall something about Pili doing appointments there. Not sure about the actual lengthening, though.
Either way, Mike, how far are you in this whole process?
From the research I've done, Guichet is the only doctor in all of the UK who does CLL. Throughout the UK there are hospitals that do this for other medical reasons, but not CLL. He is the only one, and when I found out about this it was a big weight of my shoulders. Going overseas was not really an option for me.
I wanted to take my time and answer Guichets medical form/questionnaire as accurately as I could, almost done and once I send that his personal assistant will set me up a consultation with him. I'm nervous to meet the man and hear what he has to say, but I'll keep you guys updated.
Despite what has happened to Unicorn, I do still think that Guichet is a good choice. If you reread Unicorns diary, she did a lot of things wrong. Not saying it's 100% her fault and of course Guichet does not have good bedside manners at all. But is he a good surgeon, yes. Can he be a jerk? yes.
Even if it's a more painful/older nail, you cannot lie with his results. Other than unicorn, look at how soon his patients are back to their old lives, and look how much they can excersise during the whole thing. THAT is what you are paying for. You may say that it is "overpriced" for the nail, but you need to account for the experience of Guichet and how quick you will be back to life compared to other methods
And for the aspirin thing, look at how many patient's have been forced to lengthen fast at 1.25 mm+ just to avoid preconsolidation, and look what it does to your soft tissues. Honestly I am more fearful of preconsolidation than non-union. With the amount of weightbearing that his patients do, im not surprised that he gives something to slow down the consolidation.
Just listen to him but also listen to your body/bones, if you see you are not consolidating well, then take a break from lengthening + help your soft tissues catch up etc etc all of the basic things that you learn from actually researchign the procedure
Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try my best to exercise and be in as good shape both mentally and physically as I can before doing the procedure which I think will really increase my chances of success by a lot. Also this will decrease my chances of failure too, hopefully.
I don't have a problem with taking painkillers, I'm gonna do more research but from what I gather the pain is more apparent at night when trying to sleep. Either way thanks for the advice.
Hey Mike,
I'm not allowed to say much because what I've exposed to you guys are very sensored. But please do your research. Call the GMC (https://www.gmc-uk.org/) which is the UK regulatory body providing doctor licenses and Princess Grace Hospital to check a doctor's track record in terms of suspensions, audits or compliances etc.
This is not something doctors need to disclose to you but you should do your homework first, ok?
By the way, lengthening recovery is not about MUSCLE mass, but about soft tissue flexibility and your lengthening rate. Just make sure every 2-week xray show calluses that are bridging. If they don't bridge, STOP DISTRACTING, until they bridge again.
That will prevent you from non-union, since the nail cannot reverse nor stop. Don't end up like me following instructions blindly with the fast distraction of 70mm in 65 days.
This lengthening process can be successful and safe if all patients know what to look out for and not depend on their doctors 100%.
All doctors and even more so, lengthening doctors, are like construction tradesmen. They want to win the project and once they have the money, the service level decreases and completion date is endlessly postponed.
You've all the chances in the world to succeed, being younger and male. But just be very careful and not flirt with risk :) Always question the doctor, don't stress your nails, don't distract too quickly and keep stretching those soft tissues.
Best of luck and do your homework. There's a patient who refuses to be named who has done both Albizzia nail and Precice, and she says it's a difference of NIGHT and DAY in terms of pain and stress level of clicking, risk and overall experience. So have some thought ahout that too.
Yours sincerely,
Unicorn
Thank you Unicorn for all the advice, I had no idea something like the GMC even existed. I'm going to give them a call, see what information I can find out. I'm also in the process of reading your dairy, I'm grateful for how open and honest you have been in it. It's been helpful reading it.
I'm doing more and more research every day on how the whole surgery and leg lengthening process works, all I want is for it to be safe and a success. Thanks for the advice about it, also appreciate you telling me about the GMC which I will definitely look into.
Thanks again and take care.
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Thank you, I appreciate the advice.
Thank you :)
It must be 100 times more difficult to do this alone, I sympathise with people who do this by themselves very much. As you say, Guichet is my best option due to the fact I'm from London. The thought of flying overseas did make me a lot more nervous and unsure about all of this.
From the research I've done, Guichet is the only doctor in all of the UK who does CLL. Throughout the UK there are hospitals that do this for other medical reasons, but not CLL. He is the only one, and when I found out about this it was a big weight of my shoulders. Going overseas was not really an option for me.
I wanted to take my time and answer Guichets medical form/questionnaire as accurately as I could, almost done and once I send that his personal assistant will set me up a consultation with him. I'm nervous to meet the man and hear what he has to say, but I'll keep you guys updated.
Thanks for the advice, I'm going to try my best to exercise and be in as good shape both mentally and physically as I can before doing the procedure which I think will really increase my chances of success by a lot. Also this will decrease my chances of failure too, hopefully.
I don't have a problem with taking painkillers, I'm gonna do more research but from what I gather the pain is more apparent at night when trying to sleep. Either way thanks for the advice.
Thank you Unicorn for all the advice, I had no idea something like the GMC even existed. I'm going to give them a call, see what information I can find out. I'm also in the process of reading your dairy, I'm grateful for how open and honest you have been in it. It's been helpful reading it.
I'm doing more and more research every day on how the whole surgery and leg lengthening process works, all I want is for it to be safe and a success. Thanks for the advice about it, also appreciate you telling me about the GMC which I will definitely look into.
Thanks again and take care.
Also, read the diary of MASTERHY at MakeMeTaller because while he went to Betz, the sudden change of attitude when things go wrong left him incredulous, as it did, me. I thought I was the only one but I guess high risk doctors need to protect themselves first and foremost at the expense of their patients; even when time is of essence. You'll find yourself fending for yourself as the good doctor starts to weigh his actions extremely meticulously against potential lawsuits.
Example : A doctor who would advise you to get a bone graft after a long non-union, might just tell you nothing is wrong, and to wait it out. Eventually, when most patients return home to their home countries, they revert to other osteos to pick up the short end of the stick.
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Who the hell goes to Guitchet after reading ( even not completely) Unicorns diary!! I mean, is better to take an airplane than being.... dont want to be rude, but there are much better options like American doctors or Catagni for that huge price. Also precice has a great advantage over his nail, which is compression.
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Despite what has happened to Unicorn, I do still think that Guichet is a good choice. If you reread Unicorns diary, she did a lot of things wrong. Not saying it's 100% her fault and of course Guichet does not have good bedside manners at all. But is he a good surgeon, yes. Can he be a jerk? yes.
Even if it's a more painful/older nail, you cannot lie with his results. Other than unicorn, look at how soon his patients are back to their old lives, and look how much they can excersise during the whole thing. THAT is what you are paying for. You may say that it is "overpriced" for the nail, but you need to account for the experience of Guichet and how quick you will be back to life compared to other methods
And for the aspirin thing, look at how many patient's have been forced to lengthen fast at 1.25 mm+ just to avoid preconsolidation, and look what it does to your soft tissues. Honestly I am more fearful of preconsolidation than non-union. With the amount of weightbearing that his patients do, im not surprised that he gives something to slow down the consolidation.
Just listen to him but also listen to your body/bones, if you see you are not consolidating well, then take a break from lengthening + help your soft tissues catch up etc etc all of the basic things that you learn from actually researchign the procedure
WTF? What in hell did she do wrong? She was 100% correct. Instead of supporting fellow patients in trouble some of you have the bad habit of blaming them. I think there is a psychological explanation for this. According to you, Unicorn had a bad result with Guichet because she did many things wrong, and that wouldn't happen to you because you would respect all guidelines. However, the real thing is you can be maimed no matter whom you choose to perform your surgery and no matter how well you respect the surgeon's advices, since this is a high risk surgery. It's true some patients don't contribute to their own healing, by adopting high risk behaviours, but it isn't the case of Unicorn, and she deserves respect. Those of you who blame her deserve going to Guichet and getting maimed.