Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: Cooper on March 21, 2014, 02:22:00 PM
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Boys and Girls,
I have decided to go to Pretoria for surgery. I could not believe how close I was about to select other doctor. This was not easy decision, agonizing over this for few months. Lost the motivation and hardly focus on anything...work, sports etc. Believe or not I was calling Dr. M's office for surgery date just yesterday. One PM from Amatan (thanks Amatan) and Dr. B gracious posting to the forum aid to the decision.
My surgery is booked for June 4th. I am most likely to stay for entire lengthening period and insert titanium for faster consolidation and mobility. I may opt for second tibia surgery. Dr. B and I decided on wait and see approach. I am planning to work remotely from Pretoria. I will have to see how that will pan out. If the telecommute does not work than I might come back after femur and do tibia later.
I been researching over this almost two years. I profiled almost all the best LL doctors and exchanged email with almost all around the world. I communicated to Dr. Rozbruch (consulted), Dr. Paley (email), Dr. M (consulted), Dr. Jamal, Dr. Lee, Dr. Guichet, Dr. Salemah and obviously Dr. Franz. You can see I went around the globe on quest to find LL doctor that suits my requirement 8) ;D. I was determined to do this but was not sure when, where and how. The Korea Precise issue put me on hold for sometime as well :-[.
Now I made up my mind, thank goodness! I will be focusing next few months on stretching and following Precise diary to gain some perspective and what not. If you anyone wants to chat, ping me on Skype @ cooperlengthening.
Best wishes,
Cooper
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Splendid! You two certainly are pioneers. Hopefully the tremendous spirit you've displayed in taking the leap we've all be waiting for ingratiates Dr Birkholtz with current and future members of the community. Hopefully you are but two of what shall become a great many patients of Dr Birkholtz, finally providing another solid option in the mid-tier price range.
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it's good to see a diary of one of Dr.Birkholtz's patient ..He seems to be very qualify dr,,
this forum started to witness more of successful diaries (Dr. Paley, Barinov, Rozburch, and now Birkholtz) rather than Indian doctors,..
all the best both of you cooper and the rising shorty
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So jelly. Best of luck! Dr. B seems like an excellent choice. I'm excited to see your outcome. I might consider him myself down the road
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Aw shucks, I kind of wanted to be the first Dr Birkholtz patient after finding him :-\
Lol.
Congrats, Cooper. Hope your lengthening is a great success.
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Splendid! You two certainly are pioneers. Hopefully the tremendous spirit you've displayed in taking the leap we've all be waiting for ingratiates Dr Birkholtz with current and future members of the community. Hopefully you are but two of what shall become a great many patients of Dr Birkholtz, finally providing another solid option in the mid-tier price range.
I have no doubt we will have successful outcome. The lack of diary makes lot of LLers hesitant to go with any doctors. I will be like jungle with dr. Mitkovic. Me probably the first patient from this forum. I do feel obligated to provide as accurate and clear picture of my journey so I can pave the way for future LLers with another great possibility with a great doctor.
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it's good to see a diary of one of Dr.Birkholtz's patient ..He seems to be very qualify dr,,
this forum started to witness more of successful diaries (Dr. Paley, Barinov, Rozburch, and now Birkholtz) rather than Indian doctors,..
all the best both of you cooper and the rising shorty
Thank you disobedient. Please be obedient and follow my diary closely :) I will need lot of strength and support from you guyz.
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Aw shucks, I kind of wanted to be the first Dr Birkholtz patient after finding him :-\
Lol.
Congrats, Cooper. Hope your lengthening is a great success.
Thanks bro. You can still beat me if you schedule before May :P
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So jelly. Best of luck! Dr. B seems like an excellent choice. I'm excited to see your outcome. I might consider him myself down the road
Thanks shawty. May be you can see him in person since you live in Dallas area. I might come down to meet him. But I will have lot going on my final week of departure. Not sure If I can make it.
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Hope it goes well and thanks for being the first Birkholtz patient. But bro why are you also posting this on old forum ? I know it's your diary and you can do what you want but Sysop was talking smack about this forum and saying Birkholtz isn't even a real doctor so writing a Birkholtz diary on old forum isn't the best thing. Its not personal against you or anything but I think it would be best if Birkholtz diaries are exclusive to this site for a little while since this place found him and supported him whereas the other one just badmouthed him and wouldn't even accept Dr Franz as a member.
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Hiya,
Congratulations on the decision guys. Thanks for your trust.
We need to set a couple of ground rules. I think two golden rules should apply:
1) You need to be absolutely honest about the experience. Good or bad.
2) This is my last post in your personal diary for fear of creating bias. You should feel free to post whatever you want, without fear that this might somehow compromise your care.
Good luck and I am looking forward to meeting you and getting the adventure underway.
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Hiya,
Congratulations on the decision guys. Thanks for your trust.
We need to set a couple of ground rules. I think two golden rules should apply:
1) You need to be absolutely honest about the experience. Good or bad.
2) This is my last post in your personal diary for fear of creating bias. You should feel free to post whatever you want, without fear that this might somehow compromise your care.
Good luck and I am looking forward to meeting you and getting the adventure underway.
Thank you dr. Franz. I would not mind you dropping by. I will try to be unbiased and provide the LL coomunity a real life experience. Honesty is my best policy, an old adage but had worked great deal in my career and in business. Looking forward to WORKING with you on this project :)!
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Hope it goes well and thanks for being the first Birkholtz patient. But bro why are you also posting this on old forum ? I know it's your diary and you can do what you want but Sysop was talking smack about this forum and saying Birkholtz isn't even a real doctor so writing a Birkholtz diary on old forum isn't the best thing. Its not personal against you or anything but I think it would be best if Birkholtz diaries are exclusive to this site for a little while since this place found him and supported him whereas the other one just badmouthed him and wouldn't even accept Dr Franz as a member.
Hey Gichelu,
I understand your concern. I thought about that right before posting, questioned myself should even bother posting anything in old forum . I was member of that forum for two years. Learned a great deal about patient real life experience, LL techniques and doctors et cetera. I could really graduate with distinction if there was a LL test :)
I believe in my heart I owe to the LL community. Remember there are six thousands members in old forum possibly looking for good doctor. May be my experience will help them in some way and above all they will come to know this great doctor.
I do feel home on this forum and promise this will be my primary. Hope this make sense.
THANKS LL Forum for bringing this doctor to the forum. I would not know damn thing had I not checked out this forum. For that I am deeply grateful.
Cheers!!
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Hey Gichelu,
I understand your concern. I thought about that right before posting, questioned myself should even bother posting anything in old forum . I was member of that forum for two years. Learned a great deal about patient real life experience, LL techniques and doctors et cetera. I could really graduate with distinction if there was a LL test :)
I believe in my heart I owe to the LL community. Remember there are six thousands members in old forum possibly looking for good doctor. May be my experience will help them in some way and above all they will come to know this great doctor.
I do feel home on this forum and promise this will be my primary. Hope this make sense.
THANKS LL Forum for bringing this doctor to the forum. I would not know damn thing had I not checked out this forum. For that I am deeply grateful.
Cheers!!
I think that's a wise attitude. It's more important to provide information than being involved in this conflict of the two forums.
Good luck with your journey! :)
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I think that's a wise attitude. It's more important to provide information than being involved in this conflict of the two forums.
Good luck with your journey! :)
Thank you Hanna. I admired your 9cm. You are a brave soul.
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Thank you. :)
What is your goal?
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I am shooting for 6.5cm on femur and 5cm in tibia. In total 11.5.
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Cooper congrats!!! ;D I'm so excited to see Dr. B finally get the recognition he deserves. I think your diary is going to go tremendously well, and will convince a lot of others to go to him too (maybe even me for when I do my tibiae!)
Keep in mind, the internet in SA isn't the best (actually ranked 130th in the world) so you should try investing in a 3G dongle, which allows for pay-as-you-go data. You should also contact the guesthouse you're staying at to figure out what their connection speeds are and if there's any chance of you increasing them (if it's at a measly 1 mb/s).
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Cooper congrats!!! ;D I'm so excited to see Dr. B finally get the recognition he deserves. I think your diary is going to go tremendously well, and will convince a lot of others to go to him too (maybe even me for when I do my tibiae!)
Keep in mind, the internet in SA isn't the best (actually ranked 130th in the world) so you should try investing in a 3G dongle, which allows for pay-as-you-go data. You should also contact the guesthouse you're staying at to figure out what their connection speeds are and if there's any chance of you increasing them (if it's at a measly 1 mb/s).
Hey BD,
Thanks man. I am worried about the Internet. I am not planning to work much for first two weeks. I will check with Piña if I can get wifi hot spot with faster Internet and what speed guest house carries. It says four star and I am believing that comes with good connection.
I think he is a great option with world class facility and modern IM nail. He wrote me email today saying I made a good decision. That was really comforting. Since I am the first bilateral precise patient there is always that sense of anxiety. Over all I am pretty confident and time will tell.
I will be posting and loading lots of pictures. Hope the Internet will handle that much bottleneck. I will be checking with you as we are riding the journey around the same time. The LL community can observe two Precise patient with two completely different doctors.
How you feeling now about your upcoming surgery?
Best
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Good luck Cooper! :)
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Good luck Cooper! :)
Thanks bro. Watched your video and loved your flexibility. I think you are doing really well.
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Thanks bro. Watched your video and loved your flexibility. I think you are doing really well.
Thanks bro! I started walking with the walker today. I'll post a walking video soon. I can't believe things are going so well, hope the same goes for you. Did you ask Dr.Birkholtz about walking with Precice? Will you be using a walker, or a wheelchair? Sorry if you've already written about it, I didn't have the time to check the previous page.
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No problem. I have not checked on that. I am trying to figure out on logistic now. I will make sure to follow up on that. I need to know that anyway.i am hoping he will let me walk in walker. I am about 150 pound just enough to precise weight bearing limit.
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all the best, cooper!
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Dr.b advice me to take multi vitamins 6 weeks in advance. Also asked to focus on stretching the quads specially the rictus femoris muscle. He says this is the one that gives "duck ass".
He will evaluate my ITB and may do limited release.
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How you feeling now about your upcoming surgery?
It's hard to put into words, but I feel as antsy as someone who's been told that he doesn't have to be short the rest of his life and there's a cure waiting for him. :P It's all I can think about now! I want the next 2 months to just hurry up already so I can get the surgery, lengthen, consolidate, and recover. But the impatience isn't a good thing since there's many many months ahead of me, which is why I'm trying to relax more.
I feel very prepared, physically, mentally, and financially so I'm not nervous at all. There will probably be a lot of road bumps, so I'm not overly optimistic either. My only concern right now is having someone stay with me for the first 2 weeks after surgery. My girlfriend might not be able to fly out to Florida with me and I haven't told anyone else that I'm doing this, so I may need to hire a caretaker.
If you don't mind Cooper, could you tell us a little about yourself? How old are you, your height, and why you're doing LL? We all love reading each other's stories :)
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Hi Cooper,
All the best brother!
I'll be in Pretoria next month for consultation with Dr Franz. Obviously your diary will influence in a huge way my decision for LL, probably next year.
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Hey Medicore,
If you are going to be there, can you please take some pictures of hospitals and surroundings?
That will give me some piece of mind.
Thanks
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If you don't mind Cooper, could you tell us a little about yourself? How old are you, your height, and why you're doing LL? We all love reading each other's stories :)
I am feeling different (mixed emotions) lately now I have picked the LL doctor. Just like you antsy and most time happy the dream of getting taller is within the reach.
I am in my late 30s, 160CM and Asian descent, I don't want to disclose the origin. I was always the "small guy" since the early school till now. Most of the time the smallest guy in the class room from secondary school through college. It really bothered me but no solution so I have to SUCK it. I saw the Dr. Paley TV clip on LL and that actuate my desire of getting taller. I have been reading lot of diaries virtually from all the best doctor since last 2 years. I think of this every day.
Unfortunately no diary from Dr. Franz and this somewhat concerns me to tell you the truth. But his respond to the question on this forum, the youtube clip of Trevor, the fact the US doctor did fellowship under him....all those compounded and made me believe he is a good doctor. I hope I will not regret this.
I am doing LL to boost my confidence. I am pretty successful guy and own a small company. The height always concerns me when I am doing the presentation especially with new people. Most of the guy and even girls in US are taller than me. I think I fall into 5 percentile category. That probably speaks of itself why I want this badly and not one but in two segments.
edit on user's request.
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Hey Cooper,
Can you tell me what you went through in your 20s and 30s.
Has your height complex gotten worse through the years?
I'm 21, and don't have any *real* responsibilities in life except for studying and getting a good job. My parents still take care of me.
Maybe after you grow older and you have to deal with other problems more that you don't get to worry about height as much? And perhaps people don't openly make fun of you since it's a more mature crowd you hang out with. That's what I had thought.
Also if I may ask, are you married? Do you have children?
Hopefully I'll get the surgery really soon, but it's good to know what's in store for me otherwise.
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Dr. Blirkholtz will let me use walker. I will have some mobility and will not be completely wheel chair bound ;D He will let me use hospital extra office for work. What more can I ask :D
He is training 2 American, an Australian and 2 South American doctor this week. I may be doing Skype with him but his schedule is very tight. Let me know if anyone has any question.
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Hey Cooper,
Can you tell me what you went through in your 20s and 30s.
Has your height complex gotten worse through the years?
It was worst in 20 than 30s. I am good looking guy and often time friend compare me with movie star. They used to say I can date any girl if I was only few inches taller. Some friends called me shorty which really bother me. I might have height neurosis but did not tell anyone. Sometime I was so depressed I would not go out anywhere for days. It was tough. Had I know this surgery earlier I will be all over it.
I may have born shorter but will live taller and die taller ;D :) ;) this a fantasy and i get high just thinking about it. I am grateful and with Dr. B help I will achieve my dream. His package is so reasonable do not have to spend fortune for the surgery. I also need a break looking to go different country.
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I asked Dr. B how he will break my bone? Can't believe asking someone to break your own bone...hehe. He will use drill and osteotome like Dr. Paley. That was a relief :)
On Karate Chop his response was: He is black belt in Karate and finds the karate chop interesting but worries it may shatter the bone completely. Thought share this to you guys.
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I asked Dr. B how he will break my bone? Can't believe asking someone to break your own bone...hehe. He will use drill and osteotome like Dr. Paley. That was a relief :)
On Karate Chop his response was: He is black belt in Karate and finds the karate chop interesting but worries it may shatter the bone completely. Thought share this to you guys.
I lol'd at the karate chop comment.
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Cooper,
did you talk to this doctor's former patients ? I think he seems quite polite and patient on this forum but from the beginning, I'm just amazed at the power of Internet. He came here, answered questions and now he's suddenly the best man of the world...I'm accustomed to doctors and I have never seen someone choosing his surgeon via a forum. It's serious stuff, guys. We are not talking about breast implants...Though Betz and Guichet have their own horror stories from what I've heard but at least you can meet former patients.
No offense to this doctor, but I also laughed at his "rule". 165 cm maximum. Oh wait...let's say if you're taller and know about all the risks I might still break your bones. A rule should be a rule, especially for LL..and now he's talking about a discount. It's interesting that dr. Birkholtz uses Internet to communicate and convince potential patients; I understand this but it's still questionable, in my opinion.
Am I really the only one here who is a bit suspicious about this behaviour ?
HK
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HK,
You are right. we don't know too much about this doctor, and he doesn't have experience in cosmetic limblengthening, only two cases.
it looks like good person, but only by internet isn't enough. It is very difficult to choose one doctor for this surgery. All would choose doctor paley but it is impossible for his price, american doctors are too expensives. A very good option is doctor donghoo lee, but he has somes problems with precice, perhaps he is good options for LON or LATN tibias. Doctor betz and guichet i think they are on TOP LIST with the americans and perhaps donghoo lee too. Then the rest of the doctors i think are below. you need somebody who he is specialist in cosmetic limb lengthening, not deformities. This is my opinión. we are here to help us
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HK,
Your first comment does make sense but I did not made my decision solely based on this forum. I did extensive research on him. Found US doctors that did fellowship under him. There are lots of independent articles about his practice and also few YouTube videos.
He has done four precise nails and you google image on him you will see the patient with ERC device. He is coming to US to teach other doctors. Plus I will be doing consultation on the 2nd. If I see anything than I may opt out for the surgery.
He did not persuaded me and I select him based on my research. The height limitation is doctors choice. Now with the precise some doctor are relaxed on this.
Thanks
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Ok I see that you have made yours homeworks, good job.
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i would like to write more but my english is limited. I am from spain.
i am thinking doctor Frank, but doctor dong lee and doctor salameh too.
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Paco ==> Agree.
Cooper ==> In fact while writing "persuading people" I was thinking about his idea to create a discount. Anyway, he's probably a smart person, he must have known his coming here and answering questions would have a certain impact. Another thing: teaching other doctors is quite common, even if they are americans (american doctors didn't create medicine...). Of course, I did not want to frighten you. It's just such a serious and dangerous surgery. In France, a doctor called Musy decided to do bilateral LL and selected some pioneers. The guy made GREAT mistakes and had to face a lot of lawsuits. This worshipping which happened recently about dr. Birkholtz is, imo, quite dangerous. Now if you have done your researches, I will just support you and I hope everything will be fine. Keep us informed : )
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Sorry Cooper, I promised I won't post in your thread, but I think this is the most appropriate place to respond.
The criticism and scepticism is valid. I am unknown in traditional CLL circles.
Nobody is under pressure to have surgery with me. The flow is as follows: private email contact(free), followed by skype consult(free), followed by personal consultation. Up until the day of surgery the patient has the freedom to cancel or postpone if something bothers them or if I don't live up to expectation...
The discount mentioned was based on a group discount for the first three cases, as they all wanted to come around the same time. This is not in order to draw more patients and it unfortunately cannot be repeated, as the discount amount means we are working at cost (no profit).
If you read the posts re my 'rule' of 165cm, I strongly discourage people to commence CLL if they are taller than this, but, at my discretion, I may consider people who are taller, provided they understand and have realistic goals. This is done at my sole discretion and does not really need explaining, as this decision will be between myself and the patient.
I hope this clarifies the issues.
With regards to talking to patients: when you come for a consult, you will see a variety of my patients in the waiting room, at xrays etc. You are welcome to talk to them at any time and discuss anything with them.
With regards to the insinuation that CLL is more complex than deformity work: This is simply not true. The type of reconstructive work we do on patients daily is extremely challenging technically and is absolutely excellent experience for CLL. If you don't agree, of course you're welcome to look elsewhere.
Sermon over.
On a lighter note: I am hoping to post some pictures of the hospital, team, offices etc soon in my own thread.
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Hello doctor,
I'm glad you answered, but please don't use the word "sermon". You're not a priest, and I'm not a child. I understand why you answered but I was warning Cooper; I did not use defamation (I don't even know you) and I was not writing stupid things. Please let me feel free to discuss without fearing you will interfere each time we question a danger, an aspect of the surgery, and even a doctor.
In fact, I hope you didn't think I was personally attacking you (apart from my sarcasm about your "rule"). It is more about the dangers of Internet and I still believe you may have create something dangerous, and which will be difficult to control. I'm also still amazed: people here are so blind with their height neurosis, it is very, very easy to become the new best doctor. This is what happened on anold forum, with dr. Sarin, and it happened also in Paris with dr. Musy.
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Hello doctor,
I'm glad you answered, but please don't use the word "sermon". You're not a priest, and I'm not a child. I understand why you answered but I was warning Cooper; I did not use defamation (I don't even know you) and I was not writing stupid things. Please let me feel free to discuss without fearing you will interfere each time we question a danger, an aspect of the surgery, and even a doctor.
In fact, I hope you didn't think I was personally attacking you (apart from my sarcasm about your "rule"). It is more about the dangers of Internet and I still believe you may have create something dangerous, and which will be difficult to control. I'm also still amazed: people here are so blind with their height neurosis, it is very, very easy to become the new best doctor. This is what happened on anold forum, with dr. Sarin, and it happened also in Paris with dr. Musy.
HK, the 'sermon over' comment was an attempt at sarcastic humour. I am sorry if it offended you.
You are most welcome to post what you like and warnings are welcome and important.
Me being on this forum is new and may be seen as dangerous. I have been dealing with patients via electronic media for years, so am comfortable with this.
I did deem it necessary to reply, but let's agree to leave it at that? I do not want this to escalate.
You make a very valid point about 'hero worshipping' a doctor that nobody here has met in person. I agree that making decisions solely on the forum is not the way to go.
Point taken.
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Don't worry: nothing will escalate, you did not offend me and I'm not the kind of persons who would create a scandal on a forum. I'm just uncomfortable with paternalism.
Apparently, we agree about some points. I hope I'm wrong anyway. Cooper, good luck and keep us informed !
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HK,
Your warnings are very true. I genuinely appreciate it. This is not a nose job or jaw lifts. We are talking about breaking one of the biggest bone and not one but two. This is already scary and picking a doctor without any type of consultation is even dangerous.
My plan is to visit Pretoria in end of May with possibility for the surgery on June 4th. I will check the hospital facility, talk to current patients and meet most of the staff. As I mentioned before if I am not satisfied 100% than I will take train to Johannesburg and have fun for few days and fly back home.
Thanks
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Ok I see that you have made yours homeworks, good job.
I have done some but not enough as I want to. Therefore I am going bit early to check out the places before laying down in theatre room.
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Hey cooper just to make it as transparent as possible are you getting any discounts for
any surgeries with Dr Birkholtz?
Secondly what are your lengthening goals?
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Hey cooper just to make it as transparent as possible are you getting any discounts for
any surgeries with Dr Birkholtz?
Secondly what are your lengthening goals?
No discounts that I know of. I believe it will be going to be more because I might insert titanium nail after lengthening.
My goals is 6.5cm
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Sorry Cooper, I promised I won't post in your thread, but I think this is the most appropriate place to respond.
On a lighter note: I am hoping to post some pictures of the hospital, team, offices etc soon in my own thread.
No problem Dr. Franz. I will love to see the pictures though.
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If any one has any concerns about my tentative surgery than please feel free to post here. I want to hear your opinion; hence all criticism are welcome. This is better for the forum and more importantly for me.
I might learn a thing or two. Plus I want to know everything I can now than later :) I am not offended or disappointed when you have question or critical of my decision. So please feel free to chime in, keep it coming!
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My plan is to visit Pretoria in end of May with possibility for the surgery on June 4th. I will check the hospital facility, talk to current patients and meet most of the staff. As I mentioned before if I am not satisfied 100% than I will take train to Johannesburg and have fun for few days and fly back home.
Hey Cooper, I think this is a very sensible approach that should be advocated for consulting any Doctors
1) Having a Back Out Plan if you don't feel confident or comfortable after the consultation with the Doctor.
2) Having a Cooling Down Period of a few days after the consultation before committing to any final decision.
On the other hand, what should be avoided are the following scenarios.
- Patients who went ahead despite the red flags, because they had consultation the day before the surgery and did not have alternative plan to back out.
- Other patients would wired the surgery fee to a Doctor they never even met, out of desperation and naivety.
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HK made a good point earlier on about not choosing a Doctor solely base on what we read from the internet. Online information should only be used as a starting point, prior to checking Doctors out in person. Be ready to clarify any doubts with the Doctors in online or in person consultations.
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I had a Skype consultation with Dr. B. Talked about an hour and asked plenty of questions. He answered each question thoroughly and to my satisfaction. He has done 6 Precise case to date, 1 tibia and rest are femurs. The lengthening ranges from 3 to 6cms on Precise. All in total he has performed about one thousand limb lengthening and bone generation procedure. Out of which 20% are femurs cases.
The hospital is privately owned by NETCARE UNITAS CARE and he practices at Walk a Mile. Safety is #1 priority for the doctor but he is will to go over 6cm if the flexibility and soft tissues are in favorable conditions. This depends on patient variant and is unpredictable. The patients can cancel 1 day prior to surgery with no hospital charge. The hotel might charge for the early cancellation fees.
I am trying to fit the surgery based on my work schedule. I have very tight and rough schedule not sympathetic to this kind of surgery. Not sure if I can be out for 75 days as I want to, still checking on that. Option #2 is to be there for 5-6 weeks and come back home with ERC device. Dr. B will check with Ellipse technology whether they let me travel with ERC to US.
As of now my date is June 4th but that might change. I may go around same time as Rising Shortly that will help to support each other and fight the loneliness and boredom. He is working on to post the hospital pictures...stay tune.
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Word of advice - having company will make the process much, much easier and I strongly recommend it. The first month I was in South Korea there were about 10 other patients staying in the hospital and I actually *happy* there because of all the company I had and friends I made, it did wonders for making the procedure easier. Once patients left and new patients stopped coming in because Dr. Lee moved to a different hospital, the depression started kicking in.
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Hey cooper will you be his first CLL patient?
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Nope, he had done two externals CLL before.
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Got a word from Dr. B that I can return home with ERC device after six weeks. Ellipse is ok with it. Was glad to receive the message, thought share to the forum.
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Cooper how will Dr B monitor your progress if you are back home lengthening? It seems odd he'd agree to this
as he was all about safety, making sure people only lengthen within a certain range etc. There is no way he could
control how much you lengthen or deal with any problems if you are to return home during lengthening.
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I will be sending x-rays every week should I return home. Most doctor allows patient to return home after 4-5 weeks post surgery. This in not the best way of doing LL but may be the only solutions for some patient. The recommendation was to stay in through out. Dr. B is hesitant and very reluctant about this but my situation is different.
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Dr. B just posted the pictures of the hospital. How do you guys rate compare to India, China, Russia, Germany, US and other. I like to hear opinions. Please speak out with openness. Thanks!
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Only the very best hospitals in the US and Germany look better. Far superior to anything in India
and China, I cant believe people who went to India were giving South Africa hospitals such a hard time.
Looks world class. I'm sold on it.
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Dr. B just posted the pictures of the hospital. How do you guys rate compare to India, China, Russia, Germany, US and other. I like to hear opinions. Please speak out with openness. Thanks!
Where can I view this?
Also interested in Dr. Birkholtz, will be paying close attention to your diary along with the other guy whose username I have forgotten sorry.
You mentioned that your goal is 6.5cm, I thought Dr. Birkholtz only allowed 5 for tibias and 6 for femur and nothing more. Could you ask him of the prospects of doing 6 and 6 on both segments as those are my goals for a total of 12cm for someone who is 165cm. Other doctors deem 6 as 'safe' for tibias considering Dr Donghoon does 6 and 7cm as a norm it seems
I hope you can post as many pictures as possible when the time comes if its not too hard for you, never been to South Africa and would like to see how clean and professional it looks as Dr. Birkholtz seems rather professional and Im very interested in doing both segments with him. So sick of all the Indian and Dr Betz diaries on old forum which imo all seems like complete utter bs unless its a female diary, how do we know which diaries are genuine and which are Apo/Sysop writing another novel. How someone can lengthen 20cm and not look disproportionate is beyond me, but thats another story and one thats not needed here
Good luck mate
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Hey McShort, Dr Birkholtz posted the pictures here
http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=137.msg7998#msg7998
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I decided to do it in June but still can not commit 100%. My biggest fear is my work schedule. I am very busy working 60-70 hours a week and not sure how I can drop all of this and gone for 45 days. It seems impossible at the moment but still trying to make it work. If not than I have to do it here with either Dr. M or Dr. Paley and will cost me additional $50K :(
I will keep you all posted. Really frustrated at the moment regarding this. I wish I was in 20s with no responsibility. I would have just pack my bag and go.
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Where can I view this?
Also interested in Dr. Birkholtz, will be paying close attention to your diary along with the other guy whose username I have forgotten sorry.
You mentioned that your goal is 6.5cm, I thought Dr. Birkholtz only allowed 5 for tibias and 6 for femur and nothing more. Could you ask him of the prospects of doing 6 and 6 on both segments as those are my goals for a total of 12cm for someone who is 165cm. Other doctors deem 6 as 'safe' for tibias considering Dr Donghoon does 6 and 7cm as a norm it seems
I hope you can post as many pictures as possible when the time comes if its not too hard for you, never been to South Africa and would like to see how clean and professional it looks as Dr. Birkholtz seems rather professional and Im very interested in doing both segments with him. So sick of all the Indian and Dr Betz diaries on old forum which imo all seems like complete utter bs unless its a female diary, how do we know which diaries are genuine and which are Apo/Sysop writing another novel. How someone can lengthen 20cm and not look disproportionate is beyond me, but thats another story and one thats not needed here
Good luck mate
Parts of South Africa upholds western level of standards. If someone blindfolded you and flew you with a plane and dropped you in one of the western towns wouldnt be able to tell that it is a country in Africa.
There is also a caucasian population.
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Pretoria is 52% Caucasian populated based on Wikipedia. I watched the YouTube videos no different than any western modern city.
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Hope you can get the timing right and head to Dr B.
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Update
I am sad to announce I cancelled my trip to Pretoria. I even bought the ticket, but, unfortunately with current work load there is no way I can bet out of states for more than a week. With that constraint of time, contemplated for long time, had many sleepless nights and finally came to conclusion this is not possible for me. I was not happy to call this off. Was looking forward to meet Dr. Birkholtz's team and enjoyable stay in Natanja guest house.
I know many of you are deeply interested on my diary under the care of Dr. B. I will not able to deliver but I have done tremendous research on South Africa, Netcare hospitals and on Dr. B. Spend countless hours to make sure I was making the informed decision when I initially picked him. If any of guys are interested I am happy to share with you, just PM me. If you guys insist happy to upload the information here.
On the bright note- my dream of LL is still alive and I will be going under knife this June with Dr. Paley. I am doing consultation end of this month and surgery on June 11 (Big Day). I have to come up with additional $40K to accommodate this change. I was not ready to spend that sort of money but I have to do what make sense with my situation. I have lot of responsibility and cannot turn away.
I sincerely apologize to Dr. Birkholtz (please forgive me) for his time and the member of this forum for not able to provide the highly anticipated diary. I am also hoping RisingShorty will pick up the slack. I am very thankful to Dr. B for his time, informative email and truly enjoyed talking with him on Skype.
Again, truly sorry and I hope you all will understand!
P.S-
Dameon, can you please add (Incomplete) to the title of this diary.Though incomplete, this diary has some valuable info for posterity.
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Are you getting any release surgeries as well? Also is your goal still going to be lower than the full 8cm.
You are staying in Florida for just six weeks as well? Are you bringing anyone with u to help u?
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Update
I am sad to announce I cancelled my trip to Pretoria. I even bought the ticket, but, unfortunately with current work load there is no way I can bet out of states for more than a week. With that constraint of time, contemplated for long time, had many sleepless nights and finally came to conclusion this is not possible for me. I was not happy to call this off. Was looking forward to meet Dr. Birkholtz's team and enjoyable stay in Natanja guest house.
I know many of you are deeply interested on my diary under the care of Dr. B. I will not able to deliver but I have done tremendous research on South Africa, Netcare hospitals and on Dr. B. Spend countless hours to make sure I was making the informed decision when I initially picked him. If any of guys are interested I am happy to share with you, just PM me. If you guys insist happy to upload the information here.
On the bright note- my dream of LL is still alive and I will be going under knife this June with Dr. Paley. I am doing consultation end of this month and surgery on June 11 (Big Day). I have to come up with additional $40K to accommodate this change. I was not ready to spend that sort of money but I have to do what make sense with my situation. I have lot of responsibility and cannot turn away.
I sincerely apologize to Dr. Birkholtz (please forgive me) for his time and the member of this forum for not able to provide the highly anticipated diary. I am also hoping RisingShorty will pick up the slack. I am very thankful to Dr. B for his time, informative email and truly enjoyed talking with him on Skype.
Again, truly sorry and I hope you all will understand!
P.S-
Dameon, can you please add (Incomplete) to the title of this diary.Though incomplete, this diary has some valuable info for posterity.
Hey Cooper,
No worries man. Primarily CLL should make your life better, not worse.
If it ends up resulting in you losing your business, it is not worth it.
Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing how your journey evolves!
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Hey Cooper now that you are going with Dr Paley have your lengthening goals changed at all
as he seems to offer a little more leeway in how much he will allow than Dr B.
Noticed on my time off work thread mentioning 7.5cm?
I think either Dr would be a good option and you can't go wrong with Paley as he is considered
the top cosmetic LL surgeon.
Would be amazing if you could share your research.
Looking forward to hearing your journey.
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Yeah man, please share your research.
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And then there was one, no need to apologies for anything. You got to do what you got to do and make changes according to the situation.
And yes please to sharing the information on this thread if you dont mind.
Also curious along with the others on here about your goals now that you are going with Dr Paley, considering he lets you lengthen more than Dr B, has your goal in terms of cm gains increased now?
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Hey Cooper,
No worries man. Primarily CLL should make your life better, not worse.
If it ends up resulting in you losing your business, it is not worth it.
Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing how your journey evolves!
Thanks Dr. B. You are the best! I will keep you abreast on each milestone of LL journey :)
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And then there was one, no need to apologies for anything. You got to do what you got to do and make changes according to the situation.
And yes please to sharing the information on this thread if you dont mind.
Also curious along with the others on here about your goals now that you are going with Dr Paley, considering he lets you lengthen more than Dr B, has your goal in terms of cm gains increased now?
My plan always been lengthen maximum as my body allows me to. If I get the full 8cm which I doubt it than I might never have to think about CLL any more. I just need to rid of this height neurosis which is sitting on my brain for long time. Leechlet posted on old forum he does not think of height anymore and feels normal walking at 5 feet 6 inches....will see.
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Check out below youtube videos....one of the best one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2minXF6G5z4
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Orthofix...
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American doctor fellowship with dr. Birkholtz
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Articles...
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Precise patient with Dr. B...
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Dr. B as chairman and course facilitator..
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Hope you are fine any update please