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[maxheight35]

Hello Everyone.

Just had surgery with Dr. Becker last week, he’s taking over Dr. Betz practice.

First impression of Becker was a surprise….He’s tall, good looking, great hair, and has great style with his clothes. Definitely the “ideal” look for a man.

Anyway, flew from LA (Los Angeles, CA) to get the surgery. I had consults with almost all of the doctors in the US and with so many limiting factors (mobility, comfort, height in CM) I figured the best of the best is in Germany.

My goal is to do both tibias and femurs, and decided to go with tibias first.

Current height: 160cm (5 ft 3 inches)
First Goal: 170cm (5 ft 7 inches)

Since I have a lot of time on my hands and will be spending the next 30 days here in Germany, I created a new IG account that documents all the progress.

You can follow the IG here:

https://www.instagram.com/maxheight35/

Feel free to ask any questions here and I’ll keep this post updated throughout the journey.

Thanks!

[Limbfan2020]

Hi maxheight35,

congrats to this decision!

- Who was the surgeon? Becker or Betz or both?
- How many LL surgeries has Dr. Becker done so far?
- How long did the surgery take?
- How old are you? 35?
- How is your current pain level?
- Do you have knee pain?
- Which drugs do you take at the moment?

All the best!

[Taller90]

Congrats to this decision!

Why did you chose tibias first?

[maxheight35]

Thank you man. It took me 3 years to make a decision.

- Both did the surgery, however my main point of contract since day 1 was Becker

- Not sure how many he’s done, but I know he’s been working with Betz doing surgery’s for the last 3-4 years. My X-rays came out really nice. Pics are on the IG

- Surgery was about 4.5 hours

- Yes, I am 35 years old.

- Pain level isn’t that bad… it’s more of a tension / annoying feeling. Pain meds are helping

- No knee pain. But there’s some stiffness. It feels good to bend the legs every now and then.

- The only “drugs” I’m taking are the pain meds. It’s mostly supplements like vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, iron, anti-blood clot, and there’s an optional sleeping pill for the evening. i just posted a story / highlight of the exact supplements I’m taking everyday

[maxheight35]

Thank you! The tibias always looked very small and bothered me, so I figure go with these first and see how it looks. It will take me approx 6 months to hit 10cm. Lots of work ahead lol.

Congrats to this decision!

Why did you chose tibias first?

[Limbfan2020]

Thank you man. It took me 3 years to make a decision.

- Both did the surgery, however my main point of contract since day 1 was Becker

- Not sure how many he’s done, but I know he’s been working with Betz doing surgery’s for the last 3-4 years. My X-rays came out really nice. Pics are on the IG

- Surgery was about 4.5 hours

- Yes, I am 35 years old.

- Pain level isn’t that bad… it’s more of a tension / annoying feeling. Pain meds are helping

- No knee pain. But there’s some stiffness. It feels good to bend the legs every now and then.

- The only “drugs” I’m taking are the pain meds. It’s mostly supplements like vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, iron, anti-blood clot, and there’s an optional sleeping pill for the evening. i just posted a story / highlight of the exact supplements I’m taking everyday

Awesome man!

What's the name of the anti-blood clot drug?
Have you already done first steps? When will they remove these bottles of blood?

[Taller90]

Thank you! The tibias always looked very small and bothered me, so I figure go with these first and see how it looks. It will take me approx 6 months to hit 10cm. Lots of work ahead lol.

What did the docs told you regarding your target of 10 cm on tibia. I thought betz only recommend to do max 8 cm on tibia…

[maxheight35]

I don’t know the name. It’s the little pink one in the story post. First steps were yesterday, no video of that… it was very hard. However - extremely grateful to even be able to walk few days after surgery!!!

Awesome man!

What's the name of the anti-blood clot drug?
Have you already done first steps? When will they remove these bottles of blood?

[maxheight35]

I actually never spoke to Betz or met him. All my dealings were with Becker. Betz was there for the surgery but I was so wacked out don’t remember lol.

Anyway, Becker said it’s a case by case basis. If you stretch with routine and stay consistent - anything is achievable. Also by doing less “clicks” per day on tibia, it reduces tension massively… but it takes longer to achieve the results (6 months in my case).

What did the docs told you regarding your target of 10 cm on tibia. I thought betz only recommend to do max 8 cm on tibia…

[maxheight35]

 New Update

Instagram story posted:
blood bottles removed and a view of how my legs look so far

[leonazul99]

Congrats, I did surgery with them on femurs back in June.  You're saying Betz is no longer operating at all and is almost retired?

Hello Everyone.

Just had surgery with Dr. Becker last week, he’s taking over Dr. Betz practice.

First impression of Becker was a surprise….He’s tall, good looking, great hair, and has great style with his clothes. Definitely the “ideal” look for a man.

Anyway, flew from LA (Los Angeles, CA) to get the surgery. I had consults with almost all of the doctors in the US and with so many limiting factors (mobility, comfort, height in CM) I figured the best of the best is in Germany.

My goal is to do both tibias and femurs, and decided to go with tibias first.

Current height: 160cm (5 ft 3 inches)
First Goal: 170cm (5 ft 7 inches)

Since I have a lot of time on my hands and will be spending the next 30 days here in Germany, I created a new IG account that documents all the progress.

You can follow the IG here:

https://www.instagram.com/maxheight35/

Feel free to ask any questions here and I’ll keep this post updated throughout the journey.

Thanks!

[leonazul99]

I don’t know the name. It’s the little pink one in the story post. First steps were yesterday, no video of that… it was very hard. However - extremely grateful to even be able to walk few days after surgery!!!

Xarelto

[SpeedDialer]

Anyway, flew from LA (Los Angeles, CA) to get the surgery. I had consults with almost all of the doctors in the US and with so many limiting factors (mobility, comfort, height in CM) I figured the best of the best is in Germany.


Feel free to ask any questions here and I’ll keep this post updated throughout the journey.

Thanks!

I'm under the impression that betz nail for tibias is currently the only weight bearing internal tibia option, am I understanding right? Was that a factor in the above?

Dr. Giotikas told us that gnail can't be used for tibia so all the internal tibia patients here in Athens (er well all 2 of them) are all using precise. What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of betz nail for tibias vs precise 2 for tibias?

[RealLostSoul]

I'm under the impression that betz nail for tibias is currently the only weight bearing internal tibia option, am I understanding right? Was that a factor in the above?

Dr. Giotikas told us that gnail can't be used for tibia so all the internal tibia patients here in Athens (er well all 2 of them) are all using precise. What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of betz nail for tibias vs precise 2 for tibias?

he walks without crutches 3-4 weeks post op. Even in public. Tibia is so much smoother than femur. I think that fact alone outweighs precice by a lot tbh. Weightbearing is extremely important.
(Also clicking on tibia is easy so i dont see any cons)

[ten]

tibias = more chances of non union
precice = you can reverse the nail if slow union

[overandover]

Hello Everyone.

Just had surgery with Dr. Becker last week, he’s taking over Dr. Betz practice.

First impression of Becker was a surprise….He’s tall, good looking, great hair, and has great style with his clothes. Definitely the “ideal” look for a man.

Anyway, flew from LA (Los Angeles, CA) to get the surgery. I had consults with almost all of the doctors in the US and with so many limiting factors (mobility, comfort, height in CM) I figured the best of the best is in Germany.

My goal is to do both tibias and femurs, and decided to go with tibias first.

Current height: 160cm (5 ft 3 inches)
First Goal: 170cm (5 ft 7 inches)

Since I have a lot of time on my hands and will be spending the next 30 days here in Germany, I created a new IG account that documents all the progress.

You can follow the IG here:

https://www.instagram.com/maxheight35/

Feel free to ask any questions here and I’ll keep this post updated throughout the journey.

Thanks!

I am planning to do 1 inch(2.5 cm) tibia with this. How do you do the clicking for the tibia?

[RealLostSoul]

tibias = more chances of non union
precice = you can reverse the nail if slow union

Good point

I am planning to do 1 inch(2.5 cm) tibia with this. How do you do the clicking for the tibia?

Please don’t do this surgery for one inch. When I was at 1 inch I noticed 0.0 height change and was quite depressed but the other patients I have spoken to said it’s normal. You really only start to notice at around 2 inches. Around 5cm with tibia is pretty safe and easy. If you really only want 2-3cm you could just get an initial gap of that length with trauma nail and let it heal, no struggles with clicking or lengthening. (Not sure if that’s possible for tibia but for femur it is). Anyways 1 inch LL is wasted money time pain and massive trauma to the body for nothing in my opinion but you probably have your reasons so I am not judging. Just my 2cents

[overandover]

Please don’t do this surgery for one inch. When I was at 1 inch I noticed 0.0 height change and was quite depressed but the other patients I have spoken to said it’s normal. You really only start to notice at around 2 inches. Around 5cm with tibia is pretty safe and easy. If you really only want 2-3cm you could just get an initial gap of that length with trauma nail and let it heal, no struggles with clicking or lengthening. (Not sure if that’s possible for tibia but for femur it is). Anyways 1 inch LL is wasted money time pain and massive trauma to the body for nothing in my opinion but you probably have your reasons so I am not judging. Just my 2cents

Already did my femurs so doing 2 inches in the tibia might mess up proportions that's why I only want to do 1 inch.

[maxheight35]

Yeah that’s what I was saying earlier… with all the options out there, the Betz bone just felt like the best move overall. Seems like the best nail, great price, mobility, etc etc

I'm under the impression that betz nail for tibias is currently the only weight bearing internal tibia option, am I understanding right? Was that a factor in the above?

Dr. Giotikas told us that gnail can't be used for tibia so all the internal tibia patients here in Athens (er well all 2 of them) are all using precise. What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of betz nail for tibias vs precise 2 for tibias?

[maxheight35]

I agree with @reallostsoul on this. If you do another surgery, go for at least 8cm / 3 inches on the tibias.

I am planning to do 1 inch(2.5 cm) tibia with this. How do you do the clicking for the tibia?

[SpeedDialer]

Yeah that’s what I was saying earlier… with all the options out there, the Betz bone just felt like the best move overall. Seems like the best nail, great price, mobility, etc etc

Thanks!!!!

How much did you pay overall for internal tibias with betz bone? Roughly

Wonder how it compares to spending 6 months in Athens doing precise 2 tibias, not sure but I bet some people would be interested in comparing the two, I might try to make a chart comparing the two if I think I understand the differences enough at some point

seems like:

precise 2 in athens- cheaper? not sure, but no clicking and you can reverse lengthening if non union is a problem

Betz bone tibias in Germany- Need to spend 3 months only in Germany? not sure. have to do clicking. Wonder if there is anything else to know? 

Thanks!!!

Some rough math:

https://www.betzinstitute.com/en/patients-info.html

LOWER LEG LENGTHENING

Bilateral lengthening

of both lower legs

€ 56,300

Lengthenings incl. 2 weeks of hospital stay
Two lengthening nails (price is valid for Betzbone; other nails are available upon request) operation on both sides, anesthesia, physiotherapy, medication and all postoperative adjustments and examinations
Boarding and lodging of companions is not included in the price, but it's possible for companion boarding and lodging to be arranged

ACCOMMODATION/BOARDING
Parkhotel Weiskirchen

Everything under one roof - that is the motto of the four-star deluxe "Parkhotel Weiskirchen

Elkes House (House Liborius)

The House Liborius offers boarding for guests who prefer the comfort of a hotel combined with the personal touch of a shared house. As a privately-held house, we offer both. Hotel service at a high level

https://www.athensbjr.com/cost-pricing-of-cosmetic-limb-lengthening/

So it seems like the main thing is to figure out the costs of the Germany hotels

Tibia lengthening with PRECISE-2 nails: 42400 Euro

56,300-42400 = 13900

ok so about a 14,000 Euro difference in price

and then have to take into account the living costs in Germany (3 months in Germany vs 6 months in Athens I assume? Not sure how long someone should stay in either case) and how important the reversibility of precise 2 matters

But I'm guessing so in total maybe Germany is about 25,000 euros more expensive for internal tibia than Athens? including living costs? I'm not sure how much more expensive Germany is than Athens


my goal is 6cm, I think that is the limit Dr. Giotikas recommends so I don't think I'll be going for 7cm tibias, just 6

I'm doing gnail for femurs right now, and I think that gnail doesn't work for tibias which confuses me (I have to think that dr. guichet's (unrelated) tibia patients in France must be using a clicking device so idk..). I'm aware that I mention 3 doctors in this post (two of which start w/ G) and that this is confusing/probably stupid on my part to do 

Though I wonder if I'm already doing femur with Dr. Giotikas if its better for me to stick with him, I've heard some doctors are not willing to do rod removal for other doctor's patients

[1team]

OP you are 160cm doing 10cm on tibias?! Paley and the other top docs recommend 5cm tibias and 8cm on femurs max. I get you have a really low start height but this seems like you are asking for long term problems.

[leonazul99]

he walks without crutches 3-4 weeks post op. Even in public. Tibia is so much smoother than femur. I think that fact alone outweighs precice by a lot tbh. Weightbearing is extremely important.
(Also clicking on tibia is easy so i dont see any cons)

Do you speak from personal experience?  How is tibia, "smoother?"

[RealLostSoul]

Do you speak from personal experience?  How is tibia, "smoother?"

Lol I would define less pain much less stretching required less meds more mobility (being able to walk without crutches many months sooner) as “smoother”. Plus never duckass hip swing or wide legs… The start and surgery is tougher for tibia but that’s about it. Yea I speak from empirical observations and experience.

Already did my femurs so doing 2 inches in the tibia might mess up proportions that's why I only want to do 1 inch.

Proportions irl are very irrelevant except if you only do one segment for a large amount maybe. Man 2 inch femur no one can detect. No matter the starting ratio. I would not do tibia just for theoretical ratios. Tibia is a tougher surgery too so it‘s just unnecessary trauma. if you want extra height I think you can get 2 or 3 inches in tibia while looking good. Don‘t worry. If you want you can dm me a picture of your proportions or so and I can give you my opinion.

[Bagga]

did you do Betz Tibias LL?

[maxheight35]

Overall I paid around 56k. Not including travel of course but even if you add all those other expenses it’s less than all other options.

I’m here for next 4 weeks and I think the first 2 weeks are included in the stay. And yeah man, can’t speak for others but so far my experience with Becker and his team are amazing. I met the patient emotional support lady; Tanja… and she’s a bright ball of positivity. Really needed this!

Thanks!!!!

How much did you pay overall for internal tibias with betz bone? Roughly

Wonder how it compares to spending 6 months in Athens doing precise 2 tibias, not sure but I bet some people would be interested in comparing the two, I might try to make a chart comparing the two if I think I understand the differences enough at some point

seems like:

precise 2 in athens- cheaper? not sure, but no clicking and you can reverse lengthening if non union is a problem

Betz bone tibias in Germany- Need to spend 3 months only in Germany? not sure. have to do clicking. Wonder if there is anything else to know? 

Thanks!!!

Some rough math:

https://www.betzinstitute.com/en/patients-info.html

LOWER LEG LENGTHENING

Bilateral lengthening

of both lower legs

€ 56,300

Lengthenings incl. 2 weeks of hospital stay
Two lengthening nails (price is valid for Betzbone; other nails are available upon request) operation on both sides, anesthesia, physiotherapy, medication and all postoperative adjustments and examinations
Boarding and lodging of companions is not included in the price, but it's possible for companion boarding and lodging to be arranged

ACCOMMODATION/BOARDING
Parkhotel Weiskirchen

Everything under one roof - that is the motto of the four-star deluxe "Parkhotel Weiskirchen

Elkes House (House Liborius)

The House Liborius offers boarding for guests who prefer the comfort of a hotel combined with the personal touch of a shared house. As a privately-held house, we offer both. Hotel service at a high level

https://www.athensbjr.com/cost-pricing-of-cosmetic-limb-lengthening/

So it seems like the main thing is to figure out the costs of the Germany hotels

Tibia lengthening with PRECISE-2 nails: 42400 Euro

56,300-42400 = 13900

ok so about a 14,000 Euro difference in price

and then have to take into account the living costs in Germany (3 months in Germany vs 6 months in Athens I assume? Not sure how long someone should stay in either case) and how important the reversibility of precise 2 matters

But I'm guessing so in total maybe Germany is about 25,000 euros more expensive for internal tibia than Athens? including living costs? I'm not sure how much more expensive Germany is than Athens


my goal is 6cm, I think that is the limit Dr. Giotikas recommends so I don't think I'll be going for 7cm tibias, just 6

I'm doing gnail for femurs right now, and I think that gnail doesn't work for tibias which confuses me (I have to think that dr. guichet's (unrelated) tibia patients in France must be using a clicking device so idk..). I'm aware that I mention 3 doctors in this post (two of which start w/ G) and that this is confusing/probably stupid on my part to do 

Though I wonder if I'm already doing femur with Dr. Giotikas if its better for me to stick with him, I've heard some doctors are not willing to do rod removal for other doctor's patients

[maxheight35]

Hey man. Different doctors and their devices are completely different than what Betz / Becker are doing here.

I mean look what happened with the stride nail: recalled. And look, they had to go back in time and use the precise nail that’s not even fully weight barring.

As an American born and raised, I love my country and the people, but the doctors for this specific surgery just aren’t up to date with the technology.

Look at American made cars for an example and then compare them to the German made Mercedes Benz or the Porsche… just not comparable!

OP you are 160cm doing 10cm on tibias?! Paley and the other top docs recommend 5cm tibias and 8cm on femurs max. I get you have a really low start height but this seems like you are asking for long term problems.

[maxheight35]

Massive Update !!!

I left the hospital and checked into the clinic where I’ll be staying for the next 4 weeks and WOW!

Watch the video on my Instagram story. I also added it to the Week 2 story highlights.

More pics and videos of the clinic are coming as I start exploring.

[ten]

great updates!

[hippo60]

As an American born and raised, I love my country and the people, but the doctors for this specific surgery just aren’t up to date with the technology.

You mentioned you met with top doctors in the US. Can you share who did you meet and what's your impression vs Betz? I imagine they have their reasons for sticking with precise.

[SpeedDialer]

Overall I paid around 56k. Not including travel of course but even if you add all those other expenses it’s less than all other options.

ty!!

That's really interesting, so it comes out to be cheaper with Betzbone tibias than with Precise 2 tibias in Athens?

Tibia lengthening with PRECISE-2 nails: 42400 Euro

56,300-42400 = 13900

So the surgery itself seems to be about 14k Euros more expensive for Betzbone tibias compared to precise 2 tibias in Athens

But then have to take into account the recovery time / hotel costs in Athens and I'm not sure how the math works out. The montaza handicap room in Athens is like 62 euros per day or something so I'd ballpark the total monthly costs in Athens to be like 2500 Euros per month at least when factoring in other costs. Probably realistically closer to 3000 Euros per month from other misc expenses (transportation and what not). I'm under the impression that for precise 2 tibias you might need like 6 months at least to walk

The other x factor I wonder about is that for betzbone tibias even if you can walk after just 1 month in some cases (?is that right? can walk in 1 month with betzbone tibias or am I mistaken?) if it is a good idea to still stay in Germany to (increases costs to) be closer to Dr. Becker in case something goes wrong, not sure, what do they recommend? I do know it maybe takes like 6 months or something for the bones to consolidate but I'm not sure if that should translate into staying in Germany longer

I do understand that the weight bearing nature of betzbone for tibia probably increases the quality of life alot and that can be hard to put a price on

However, I've also heard from a current precise 2 patient in Athens that if someone is light enough but have big enough bones to use the biggest precise 2 nail, they might end up falling within the weight limits anyway. I was able to get the 13mm nail (different kind of nail though) for my femurs, I sort of wonder if my tibias might also have a large enough diameter 

I don't yet have a good sense for the recovery times, what is your impression of the living costs and recovery times for betzbone tibias vs other options you were considering?

ty!!!!!!