Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: ShortLivesMatter on August 27, 2017, 12:33:34 AM
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Hey everyone, just thought I'd start a diary regarding my LL experience. I had consulted with Dr. Paley and Dr. Rozbruch. Both Drs were great and you can't go wrong with either one but in the end I chose Dr. Rozbruch as he lets you lengthen at home so you don't have to stay in NYC for 3 months which would be ridiculously expensive.
I had the surgery done on 8/22, arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am and went thru all the pre-op preparations.
Surgery started at 8 and before I knew it I woke up in the recovery room around 2PM. They gave me an epidural and a catheter and there was no pain post op. They hooked my legs up to this leg bending machine to simulate movement. Service and care at the hospital was top notch, there was probably a team of 20+ people handling my case and nurses around the clock for my every need.
The following day they removed the epidural and catheter but I was still pretty much pain free unless I was moving around. I was now given oxycodone to manage the pain. I had different people checking up on me every couple of hours. Dr. Rozbruch and his team stopped by to tell me the surgery went great and was a complete success. Dr. Rozbruch told me all about the post care instructions in order to achieve my goals. They used the 8.5 mm rod as I am a pretty small guy (156cm so proportions be damned I'm going to go for as much as I can). PT started as well and the team had me use the walker and walk around from the bed to the bathroom and sitting up and down. Walking was pretty easy but the getting up and sitting down was harder than I thought, pain shot up to around 4-5.
Day 2 post op was more or less the same, very minimal pain unless I was up and moving around. The Precise sales rep came by to give me the equipment and did a live demonstration on how to work it, pretty simple.
After 2 PT sessions, the team deemed I was fit to go home and I was discharged. The 4hour drive home (I don't live in NYC) made my legs stiff and made getting out of the car onto the wheelchair and then from wheelchair onto my bed a real bitch, I was exhausted and collapsed on my bed.
I am now day 4 post op and have started lengthening and following the exercises as instructed my Dr. Rozbruch. I am also using a mini stationary bike taht I can use right in my bed or from a chair. Also walking around using teh walker trying to constantly doing something while I'm awake. Again I'm only experiencing pain when doing physical activity and it's around a 5 with the most strenuous activity . Sleep has been easy and wonderful. I moved back in with my parents for recovery and they have taken 3 weeks off so I got around the clock care :).
Anyway hope things will continue to go well and I can gain 7+ cm. My starting height is pretty short and I am not flexible and am also kind of old (early 30s) so we will see. I definitely made the right decision choosing Dr. Rozbruch as he is really top notch and the ability to lengthen at home with my family really makes the process alot easier. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
Good luck everyone, we're all going to make it!
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Awesome to see another experience from Dr. Rozbruch! Your experience sounds great so far. He's one of the best for sure!
I'm curious what this is going to cost you...
Is insurance covering some of the expense? If insurance is covering some of the expense, what will your total out of pocket cost be? If insurance is not covering your expense, what is the total cost without insurance?
I really like how Dr. Rozbruch allows his patients to lengthen at home, not forcing them to stay in NYC. I think being surrounded by friends and family is the best way to lengthen, especially for the mentally challenging elements of the process.
Please keep a detailed experience. Some videos of your stretching, walking, how you function doing everyday activities, would be greatly appreciated. Those kind of videos really help to tell the complete story. You can very easily block out your face on youtube videos now, if you're concerned about privacy. Super simple function when you upload the video on to youtube.
Look forward to more posts from you. Keep up the good work!
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Hey SLM, good luck on your journey ;) Good to see a diary from another doctor, people from this forum will appreciate it :)
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Congrats ShortLivesMatter!
I'm surprised you can get around on crutches with the 8.5mm nails. Isn't that risky? What is your weight? I think the 8.5mm nails can weight bear around 15kg per leg only.
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Congratulations,man ! So brave💪
Keep us tunned with your distraction and recovery posting pics and videos☺
However I'd like to ask you what is the estimated cost for your surgery,including all parameters 😅
Best regards
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Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. I will definitely let you know the total cost once the insurance claims have been processed but so far I have had to pay
$400 for initial consult with Dr. Rozbruch
$800 for psych eval
$30k deposit for surgery (out of a total of $75k that Dr. Rozbruch charges)
The rest (x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees) have been paid by my insurance. I doubt my insurance will pay for any of Dr. Rozbruch's fees but hopefully they will cover some of my hospital stay, that's why I was adamant about going home after spending two nights there, in case none of it was going to be covered. I'm not a rich New Yorker like most of the patients staying at that hospital. They treat millionaire professional athletes there.
Pain level increased abit today but a dose of oxycodone is keeping it pretty steady. I weigh about 53kg so I try to keep as little weight as possible on my legs when using the walker as the 8.5mm rod can only support around 15kg like Dreamer said. Havn't proceeded to crutches yet.
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Do you "constantly" put some weight on the walker? I don't understand how. At least between steps, I thought you would have to stand on your feet completely.
I'm glad to know you're mobile though.
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I wish you a safa fast LL journey my friend.
Keep strong!
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Congrats mate wish you the best, the hard scary part is already over, now it's only a matter of time, lots of walking/stretching and some supplements :)
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$400 for initial consult with Dr. Rozbruch
$800 for psych eval
$30k deposit for surgery (out of a total of $75k that Dr. Rozbruch charges)
The rest (x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees) have been paid by my insurance.
If your insurance paid for the x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees, how come they didn't pay for the consult with Dr. Rozbruch or the evaluation by the psychiatrist?
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I doubt my insurance will pay for any of Dr. Rozbruch's fees but hopefully they will cover some of my hospital stay, that's why I was adamant about going home after spending two nights there, in case none of it was going to be covered.
Here is a quote from Dr. Rozbruch in the information packet he sends out to patients interested in cosmetic limb lengtheing.
"Lengthening for stature is considered aesthetic and will sometimes reimbursed by insurance carriers. This is not known until the surgery is planned and pre-authorized with your insurance carrier. If not approved by your medical insurance, all fees must be self paid in advance of the services contracted for. We will be happy to prepare a cost estimate for the evaluation, surgery, anesthesia, X-ray, hospital and physical therapy costs. This estimate must be paid in advance prior to the surgery. The approximate current medical costs for bilateral lengthening is about $100,000 which includes a discounted surgeon’s fee, hospital and equipment fees."
Dr. Rozbruch pre-authorizes your insurance coverage prior to performing the surgery. Otherwise you would have to pay the full upfront cost. Makes sense when you think about it, if you weren't pre-authorized for surgery by your insurance company he's not going to just hope you pay the remaining balance, he would ask for all the money upfront, just like every other doctor.
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@Rod Thick yes you are right now that I think about it. After I scheduled the surgery date, Dr. Rozbruch submitted a claim to my insurance. I subsequently got a letter from my insurance saying that they have been notified of the planned procedure and will process the claim once the procedure is done. I don't know why they didn't pay for the initial consult and the psychologist doesn't take insurance for that evaluation.
@alps, I use the walker by rolling it forward (it has wheels), then I either put one foot forward then the other, or lift both feet off the ground and hop forward. At no point are my legs standing just by themselves with no arm support.
Anyway lengthening is going fine, they will send a nurse and physical therapist over later this week to make sure I am doing things correctly. I will have my first post op visit with Dr. Rozbruch next week.
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Thank you for sharing your story. I wish you the best on your journey to become taller.
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@Rod Thick yes you are right now that I think about it. After I scheduled the surgery date, Dr. Rozbruch submitted a claim to my insurance. I subsequently got a letter from my insurance saying that they have been notified of the planned procedure and will process the claim once the procedure is done. I don't know why they didn't pay for the initial consult and the psychologist doesn't take insurance for that evaluation.
If you don't already know, find out if Dr. Rozbruch and HSS are considered in network for your insurance policy? If you have a zero or low deductible policy and Dr. Rozbruch and HSS are in network, you probably wont have to pay more than what you've already paid (30K). That might qualify as the best deal in the history of cosmetic limb lengthening. Dr. Rozbruch and PRECICE at HSS for only 30K.
@alps, I use the walker by rolling it forward (it has wheels), then I either put one foot forward then the other, or lift both feet off the ground and hop forward. At no point are my legs standing just by themselves with no arm support.
Please post a video of this. It would be so helpful. You can shoot a video from the shoulders down or you can very easily block out your face on a youtube video. Youtube now has built in functions that allow you to do this right when you upload the video. Super super easy.
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Hey guys, I just had my 2 week post op today. X-Rays are looking good, have lengthened 1.5cm so far and there is a little bit of callus forming at the original site. Legs still having good range of motion, right leg is doing excellent while left leg is a little bit behind, but still good. Pain is holding steady around 3 (only on the left leg, there really isn't any pain at all on the right). During the day it's not that bad but the nights are pretty rough where the pain intensifies and I'm having trouble sleeping but apparently that's a common thing. My next post op visit will be in 3 weeks.
My insurance policy is out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS but it still paid for pretty much everything hospital wise, still waiting to see if they will pay for any parts of the surgery.
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Do you do you 4 hour commute for every consultation with Dr. Rozbruch?
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My insurance policy is out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS but it still paid for pretty much everything hospital wise, still waiting to see if they will pay for any parts of the surgery.
I'm really surprised your health insurance is considered out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS.
Based on this list you should be in network. https://www.hss.edu/insurance.asp
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Do you do you 4 hour commute for every consultation with Dr. Rozbruch?
Yeah, for a total of 8hrs both ways, it's a pain. I will probably just fly from now on.
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I'm really surprised your health insurance is considered out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS.
Based on this list you should be in network. https://www.hss.edu/insurance.asp
Sorry, meant to say that dr. Rozbruch is out of network, while HSS accepted my insurance.
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Hi SLM,
How are you feeling ? How are the first couple of weeks coming along in general? I hope you are progressing without complications whatsoever.
Curious to continue hearing about your progress.
All the best.
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Hi SLM,
How are you feeling ? How are the first couple of weeks coming along in general? I hope you are progressing without complications whatsoever.
Curious to continue hearing about your progress.
All the best.
I have kind of settled into a rhythm now where every day is pretty much the same. It's just stretching, using the walker to walk while partial weightbearing and watching shows/movies all day long. My folks have gone back to work so no more around teh clock care but still pretty nice to have all your meals cooked for you.
The hospital is sending a Physiotherapist over twice a week to my house for 1hr PT sessions. No complications so far but again this is the easy stage until 4-5cm. My left leg is still in a small, constant dull pain while there is no pain in my right, oddly enough it is my left leg that is more flexible. Only bad thing is having trouble sleeping at night. I can only get a couple of hrs in at a time before waking up to pain and then taking another hour or so to all back to sleep.
I'm also starting to get bored out of my mind being cooped up all day in the house lol. I am an introvert so I thought I would actually relish a couple of months alone but man was I happy when a couple of my friends stopped by to visit. Overall feeling good, I just need to stop looking at the end date and just take it a day at a time.
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Do you know if Dr. R lets people lengthen from out of town and send in X-rays remotely rather than attending in person consults?
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Do you know if Dr. R lets people lengthen from out of town and send in X-rays remotely rather than attending in person consults?
No, he really needs to see you during the lengthening phase to check nerve function and range of motion in addition to the x-rays. If you are out of town he will let you visit every 3 weeks instead of 2.
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I have kind of settled into a rhythm now where every day is pretty much the same. It's just stretching, using the walker to walk while partial weightbearing and watching shows/movies all day long. My folks have gone back to work so no more around teh clock care but still pretty nice to have all your meals cooked for you.
The hospital is sending a Physiotherapist over twice a week to my house for 1hr PT sessions. No complications so far but again this is the easy stage until 4-5cm. My left leg is still in a small, constant dull pain while there is no pain in my right, oddly enough it is my left leg that is more flexible. Only bad thing is having trouble sleeping at night. I can only get a couple of hrs in at a time before waking up to pain and then taking another hour or so to all back to sleep.
I'm also starting to get bored out of my mind being cooped up all day in the house lol. I am an introvert so I thought I would actually relish a couple of months alone but man was I happy when a couple of my friends stopped by to visit. Overall feeling good, I just need to stop looking at the end date and just take it a day at a time.
Glad to hear you're well SLM and there isn't anything major. True this is the easier stage, but hopefully it continues to progress without pain or complications beyond 5 or 6CM.
It's great that family is close as it makes a tremendous difference in the recover I'm sure.
The sleeping seems to be a hit and miss with different individuals. Some sleep as normal while others have real trouble with it. Maybe a matter of timing the pain meds before bed.
Enjoy the time off, time flies and this will be over before you know it.
Can't wait to be in your shoes soon. Best wishes!
Keep us posted!
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@LAGrowin thanks man! Yeah sleeping hasn't been easy as I have stopped using the pain meds as it was causing me terrible constipation. Couldn't take it last night tho so had to pop an oxy to be able to sleep.
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that's a bummer, shortlives, rozbruch told me it wasn't uncommon to be completely weaned off meds like 10 days after the surgery. what do u think, was he sweet talking me a little (i really like rozbruch, not talking smack) or is your experience uncommon?
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that's a bummer, shortlives, rozbruch told me it wasn't uncommon to be completely weaned off meds like 10 days after the surgery. what do u think, was he sweet talking me a little (i really like rozbruch, not talking smack) or is your experience uncommon?
haha, yeah I mean I have been off meds since about 2 weeks post op, just last night the pain flared up in my hamstring so I caved.
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well, i hope the pain is under control and all goes well for u. your thread's been a great resource, keep it coming when you can and have updates
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Hello,
How's the lengthening going?
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Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation. I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible. Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area . Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.
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Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation. I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible. Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area . Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.
Haha i saw you in radiology. You're looking good man!
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Haha i saw you in radiology. You're looking good man!
Haha thanks bro! Your amazing LL thread was actually what led me to looking up and going with Dr. Rozbruch. I read you were pretty flexible to begin with so you probably didn't run into any knee bending issues or pain in the lower legs like I'm going thru right now.
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i'm a 5'5.5'' dude scheduled for surgery at the beginning of 2018, i don't remember rozbruch saying anything in particular about my flexibility during the consultation so i assume i'm average... in any case, anything 6feet or shortlives recommend to improve flexibility in a way that'll mitigate pain, or it's something out of my control?
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i'm a 5'5.5'' dude scheduled for surgery at the beginning of 2018, i don't remember rozbruch saying anything in particular about my flexibility during the consultation so i assume i'm average... in any case, anything 6feet or shortlives recommend to improve flexibility in a way that'll mitigate pain, or it's something out of my control?
Congrats man, you will be in excellent hands! I would definitely work on stretching your hamstring as much as possible between now and then.
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Thanks for the updates. Keep up the good work. Stretch, stretch, stretch!
Curious if you have any further information on what the total amount your insurance company is going to cover?
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Thanks for the updates. Keep up the good work. Stretch, stretch, stretch!
Curious if you have any further information on what the total amount your insurance company is going to cover?
Yeah it looks my insurance covered most of the hospital fees except a couple hundred dollars. As for the surgery they covered some of it and I'm responsible for 55k.
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Yeah it looks my insurance covered most of the hospital fees except a couple hundred dollars. As for the surgery they covered some of it and I'm responsible for 55k.
Your TOTAL out of pocket expenses for everything including surgery, x-rays, anesthesia, hospital, stay, nails, is $55,000?
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Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation. I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible. Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area . Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.
Hi SLM,
Glad to hear your doing well. Thanks for the info about cost. $55k is a heck of a deal through Rozbruch.
Can you tell us which insurance you have ?
How is the knee bend coming ? Any improvement since you slowed to .66mm/day?
As always, wishing you well!
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Your TOTAL out of pocket expenses for everything including surgery, x-rays, anesthesia, hospital, stay, nails, is $55,000?
Yes.
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Hi SLM,
Glad to hear your doing well. Thanks for the info about cost. $55k is a heck of a deal through Rozbruch.
Can you tell us which insurance you have ?
How is the knee bend coming ? Any improvement since you slowed to .66mm/day?
As always, wishing you well!
I have unitedhealthcare. I'm still having knee bend so I'm putting some ankle weights on top of them to help when just laying on my bed. Slowing down to .66mm a day has helped with the pain but I'm supposed to go back to 1mm tomorrow, I'll see if the pain intensifies again
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Yeah it looks my insurance covered most of the hospital fees except a couple hundred dollars. As for the surgery they covered some of it and I'm responsible for 55k.
Wow this is amazing! I would definitely pay 55k to get surgery with Dr. Rozbruch. Can you tell us more about the process of getting insurance to cover that much? So theoretically if I sign up for united healthcare I can pay 55k to get LL with Dr. Rozbruch? Do you have united healthcare through an employer? Is it HMO or PPO? I planned on leaving my job when I started lengthening because they probably wont allow me to leave for a few months. So I would have to pay for united healthcare with cash and sign up during open enrollment. This is a purely cosmetic procedure right? and the insurance is ok with that?
Sorry for all the questions but if I could pay 55k to get surgery with Dr. Rozbruch it would amazing.
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Would you please provide a breakdown of the charges and what you personally had to pay out of pocket. For example-
Hospital $25k - Paid $5k
Anesthesia $10k - Paid $2k
Dr. Rozbruch $?
Thanks. This is the deal of the century for limb lengthening....
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Wow this is amazing! I would definitely pay 55k to get surgery with Dr. Rozbruch. Can you tell us more about the process of getting insurance to cover that much? So theoretically if I sign up for united healthcare I can pay 55k to get LL with Dr. Rozbruch? Do you have united healthcare through an employer? Is it HMO or PPO? I planned on leaving my job when I started lengthening because they probably wont allow me to leave for a few months. So I would have to pay for united healthcare with cash and sign up during open enrollment. This is a purely cosmetic procedure right? and the insurance is ok with that?
Sorry for all the questions but if I could pay 55k to get surgery with Dr. Rozbruch it would amazing.
You should check if your specific insurance plan is listed under the hospital's accepted insurances here https://www.hss.edu/insurance.asp. This will be for the non surgical fees part. THe other part is Dr. Rozbruch's surgical fee. If he's not in network (he was out of network for me), make sure your plan has some out of network coverage that will hopefully cover some of the costs for that part. Call his office to check. Check out 6FeetSoon's LL thread, he was able to even get it a little cheaper than me.
I must stress however that you won't know how much everything will cost until after the surgery when all the insurance claims are process so you need to have 100k+ in reserve just in case nothing is covered. But Dr. Rozbruch says usually insurance will cover some of it so take it as you will. You will have a good idea if your insurance will cover anything during your initial consultation as that is when you will get xrays taken, if they are covered by your insurance, you are on the right track.
I was lucky that my employer granted me an extended leave of absence until I recover and get back to work so I am still having my health benefits. If you have to quit your job, do it early in the month as most companies will let you keep your insurance til the end of the month after you quit. Then have the surgery later that month while still being covered. Afterwards you will either need to buy your own health plan or use COBRA to extend your employer's insurance, not sure which one is cheaper. This is for post op follow ups and x-rays and hopefully no complications.
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Would you please provide a breakdown of the charges and what you personally had to pay out of pocket. For example-
Hospital $25k - Paid $5k
Anesthesia $10k - Paid $2k
Dr. Rozbruch $?
Thanks. This is the deal of the century for limb lengthening....
This breakdown would be very helpful.
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how u doing, shortlives?
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how u doing, shortlives?
I've just passed 5.2 cm of lengthening. I'm losing my range of motion pretty rapidly. The knee bend issue has gotten worse, it's getting really hard to straighten the leg and I can't keep it straighten for long. On the opposite end I can only bend it to about 100 degrees. Obviously it's not going to get better until I finish lengthening and the muscles can catch up. I hear this is common with femur lengthening? Would make sense as I already had tight hamstrings prior to the procedure. No signs of duck ass yet so that's good at least.
The pain is still located in the lower leg area running down the shin to ankle. Absolutely no pain on the operated femurs and upper leg. It's not bad during the day but getting a full uninterrupted sleep is impossible for me due to the pain.
My legs look like twigs now and whatever barely there butt I had prior is now gone, flat as a board. I'll probably try to get to 7cm and stop. The mental aspect of this is way harder than I thought, I want to get back to life soon. And this is me doing lengthening at home with family with Precise. I can't imagine the people staying in a foreign country for many months. I need to avoid facebook as seeing all the stuff my friends are doing that I'm missing out on is just making it worse lol.
Since several people have asked for it, I'll take a look at all insurance finances/charges and post a breakdown.
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damn, i'm sorry, sounds like you're having a really tough time! not the most heartening update as my surgery date gets closer, although i'm still committed, and hoping i face less complications. i love my friends of course, but i also don't mind being alone (always something good to watch or read)... however, psychologically the sleep trouble kind of scares me. 7 hours per night is pretty vital to my wellbeing. are u still happy with and often communicating with rozbruch, has he said anything about why you're having trouble? anyway you've definitely motivated me to start stretching
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damn, i'm sorry, sounds like you're having a really tough time! not the most heartening update as my surgery date gets closer, although i'm still committed, and hoping i face less complications. i love my friends of course, but i also don't mind being alone (always something good to watch or read)... however, psychologically the sleep trouble kind of scares me. 7 hours per night is pretty vital to my wellbeing. are u still happy with and often communicating with rozbruch, has he said anything about why you're having trouble? anyway you've definitely motivated me to start stretching
Haha no worries man, I'm still in good spirits, definitely no regrets. I mean probably 90% of people will experience pain and lose range of motion thru the distraction phase unless they are extremely flexible/young which I am neither. I'm still getting about 7 hrs of sleep, its just spread out in a 10-11 hr interval.
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right, i know lengthening presents challenges for everyone. it's good to hear u have no regrets and are doing ok. would u mind sharing your weight? are u on the heavier side? i'm in my early 20s and thin, which i hope puts me at an advantage
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Haha no worries man, I'm still in good spirits, definitely no regrets. I mean probably 90% of people will experience pain and lose range of motion thru the distraction phase unless they are extremely flexible/young which I am neither. I'm still getting about 7 hrs of sleep, its just spread out in a 10-11 hr interval.
How much did you end up paying out of pocket my friend? Glad everything went well.
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right, i know lengthening presents challenges for everyone. it's good to hear u have no regrets and are doing ok. would u mind sharing your weight? are u on the heavier side? i'm in my early 20s and thin, which i hope puts me at an advantage
I weighed about 54kg/120lbs.
Here is the breakdown of what was charged to my insurance plan:
Anesthesia: 6.5k
Plan discount: 2.5k
Plan paid: 4k
Me: 0
Hospital fees including room and equipment: 88k
Plan discount: 45k
Plan paid: 43k
Me: 0
Surgery: 62k
Plan discount: 0
Plan paid: 7k
Me: 55k
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Keep fighting budddy, you are almost there.Soon this will just be a distant memory.
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SLM, sorry to hear you’re having a tough time. Just remember you’re in the best of hands and he wont let you do anything to hinder your longterm prospects. Happy to visit sometime soon. 5cm was probably the toughest spot (relatively speaking) but when i pushed through that, i was coasting. Keep at it!
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Hi 6FS,
I currently live in Boston but I am willing to make a trip to NYC to meet you sometime to discuss my LL options with Dr Rozbruch. Are you free sometime soon?
Thanks
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happy november, shortlives... how you doing?
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Thanks for the words of support guys :). I had a checkup yesterday, am currently at 6.2cm and received good/bad news. The good news is my knee bending issue has improved since last time once I really stepped up the PT stretches to keep the legs straight. I was at about 12 degrees of bending and now down to about 3. The other good news is the constant sciatic pain on the lower legs has gone away so I've been completely off any painkillers. The bad news is my bone formation has been slow. So due to that and my still present knee bending issue I've decided to go up another .5cm and then stop at 6.7cm. Hopefully the bone formation will pick up afterwards.
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any idea why your bone formation's been slow?
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2.7 inches is not bad, especially since the rule of thumb seems to be to stop at 3 inches. Also think of it this way, you sacrificed three months of hardship for spending the rest of your life happier.
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How have you been doing, man? I hope things are going well for you.
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Things are going well, I stopped at 6.7cm as I wanted a faster recovery. Each month of not working is costing me alot of money lol. Completely pain free now and the knee bending issue is getting better everyday. I'm just working on standing/walking with the walker alot now to help speed up consolidation. Hopefully I'll see some good bone growth during my checkup next week.
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right that makes sense about getting back to work, sorry if i was being too nosy / negative, glad to hear things are going well for you, i think just for me personally the full 3 inches is kind of crucial and i wanted to make sure i wasn't operating on bad info that 3 inches is (while not easily attainable), u know, attainable if u have a lot of time / energy, and i certainly will have ample time and expect i'll have the energy i guess
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I had another checkup a couple of days ago, exactly 3 months post op. My knee bending issue has been fixed in my right leg while there is still a little bit of bending on my left which will be resolved pretty shortly. My bone growth while not great, has been good and in line with the normal time frame of 4-5 months before walking. We will check back again at the 4 month mark. So overall I'm feeling good, but not much going on until January.
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I had another checkup a couple of days ago, exactly 3 months post op. My knee bending issue has been fixed in my right leg while there is still a little bit of bending on my left which will be resolved pretty shortly. My bone growth while not great, has been good and in line with the normal time frame of 4-5 months before walking. We will check back again at the 4 month mark. So overall I'm feeling good, but not much going on until January.
Hi SLM. Hope consolidation has continued without issue. How long has it been since you stopped lengthening exactly?
Any issues you can share with us? Would you do this again? How does the new height feel?
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Hi SLM. Hope consolidation has continued without issue. How long has it been since you stopped lengthening exactly?
Any issues you can share with us? Would you do this again? How does the new height feel?
Consolidation is going fine, legs feel so light and normal now. I stopped lengthening about 3 weeks ago. Like I have mentioned I had 2 issues, nerve pain and knee contracture. I experienced nerve pain in my lower legs between 3cm to 5cm of lengthening whenever I straightened my legs for a period of time. This caused me to keep my legs bent to avoid the pain which caused me to develop the knee bending issue. Once the nerve pain went away I started doing heavy PT exercises to straighten the legs which I have completely fixed now.
The only pain I have left now is in my hip whenever I lie on my side due to the screws in there. This kind of sucks as I am a side sleeper so I had to adjust to sleeping on my back. This probably won't go away until the screws are taken out during rod removal.
I would do this again, no regrets, life is pretty rough down here at my height lol. At 5'2 you are pretty screwed. When you are short, you have a chip on your shoulder. You have to try harder at life socially and professionally. You have to compensate elsewhere wherever you can like your face and body aesthetics. A good career helps too so you can have money to throw at your problems like something as "ridiculous" as limb lengthening haha.
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Consolidation is going fine, legs feel so light and normal now. I stopped lengthening about 3 weeks ago. Like I have mentioned I had 2 issues, nerve pain and knee contracture. I experienced nerve pain in my lower legs between 3cm to 5cm of lengthening whenever I straightened my legs for a period of time. This caused me to keep my legs bent to avoid the pain which caused me to develop the knee bending issue. Once the nerve pain went away I started doing heavy PT exercises to straighten the legs which I have completely fixed now.
The only pain I have left now is in my hip whenever I lie on my side due to the screws in there. This kind of sucks as I am a side sleeper so I had to adjust to sleeping on my back. This probably won't go away until the screws are taken out during rod removal.
I would do this again, no regrets, life is pretty rough down here at my height lol. At 5'2 you are pretty screwed. When you are short, you have a chip on your shoulder. You have to try harder at life socially and professionally. You have to compensate elsewhere wherever you can like your face and body aesthetics. A good career helps too so you can have money to throw at your problems like something as "ridiculous" as limb lengthening haha.
Hi SLM,
Thank you for the continued responses and for sharing with us. So good to hear that you were able to overcome those issues in time and with PT. Seems like PT and personal push through can overcome a lot of issues that could otherwise be serious. Great to hear the knee bend is gone as well as the nerve pain.
As for the hip pain from the nails, 1 year will be gone before you know it. Seems some have that issue and some don't. Hoping to be in your shoes and consolidating soon as well. It is a little scary for me the closer it gets.
Good to hear that there are no regrets. Hopefully life is much improved for you at your new height. Enjoy it. Good that you were able to do something about it for you.
Wish you well SLM.
Another question? Did you lose a lot of leg muscle during the process ? Did you do anything to try to avoid it?
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Hey all, I had another checkup today, it's been about 4.5 months post op. I was disappointed to hear that while my legs are now strong enough to stand on their own, they haven't consolidated enough to where I can start walking without any support. Hence I am relegated to using crutches for walking. Dr. R said another month should be all I need to be able to ditch the crutches in February. I am definitely behind the curve when it comes to consolidation, probably due to me being a little older and Asian. Feelsbadman.
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The hard part's over, just a little longer! Glad to hear that things are going relatively smoothly.
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So how much did you finally lengthen Shortlive?
Don't worry about 1 months more, many things with LL are much worse (non union, malunion, infection etc) than having a little longer consolidation.
Although I think that about 5 months for about 7cm for unaided walking are not much.
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So how much did you finally lengthen Shortlive?
Don't worry about 1 months more, many things with LL are much worse (non union, malunion, infection etc) than having a little longer consolidation.
Although I think that about 5 months for about 7cm for unaided walking are not much.
I lengthened 6.7cm.
Things are getting better now. Getting around with crutches is pretty easy with balance getting much better. I can stand without any support for extended periods of time now without getting tired which means I can actually pee, brush teeth, shower... standing up. Today was the first time I was able to stand up from my bed without using my hands to push off.
Other than that I'm using the stationary bike an hour a day and doing side leg raises to strengthen my glutes. Thankfully I don't have duckass, but will see how weird my walk is once I'm off the crutches. The only pain I'm having right now is in the back of the knee in my right leg. This happens after I have been standing with the legs straight and then I bend it to start moving. But it goes away after I take a couple of steps. My next appointment is in 2 weeks and hopefully then I'll be given permission to get rid of the crutches. My company really wants me to come back from my leave of absence so I'm going back to work in a month, hopefully my gait won't be too weird by then. It'll be nice to start making some money again haha.
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Hi Shortlive. Andy update?
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Sure, since running into bigdreams at my office visit about 10 days ago, I've begun walking. I don't have duckass but my hips sway from side to side from the weak glutes so I'm walking like a penguin waddling. I still use 1 crutch to traverse the stairs if there is no railing, cannot climb them on my own. I get tired quickly and my muscles hurt after walking but it's slowly improving.
I've also gone back to work and obviously people have noticed my weird swaying walk and asked what happened. I told them I had surgery to straighten my bowed legs and was bedridden for awhile and my legs are still recovering and regaining strength. This made perfect sense to them. The height difference isn't really that noticeable as I used to wear 1 inch lifts and now I don't so not many people have noticed. Some have commented that I have gotten skinnier and better looking while one did say that I seemed to have gotten taller. I think she was the only one who noticed since we were the same height prior. I told her the bowed leg surgery straightened my legs which gave me half an inch height increase, again this made perfect sense to her.
Anyway looking forward to getting my life back together little by little. Thankfully I did not have any big complications except for nerve pain and knee contraction which both are now gone, just a slow consolidation. I'm still short but not so ridiculously short, which is what I wanted to achieve.
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Hey, SLM. I hope you've been well.
Do you think you will also ever do tibias?
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Yeah I'm doing well, hips sway is still there but has improved. Working again has made it tougher to recover quickly as i sit 8 hrs in front of a computer and am tired by the time I get home so I haven't been walking as much as I should. 2 people that were similar height to me have noted a difference. Several women have complimented and said I look different and better. I said it was probably due to me getting skinnier and getting a trendy haircut.
Will I ever do tibias? That's tough to say. Like I said I am still pretty short at 5ft 4inches now but I don't stick out like a sore thumb like prior to LL, well maybe I still do but not as much lol. Money is not an issue as I am fortunate to work in a field that compensates well but I am also not in my 20s anymore so am not that young. Another problem is I am skinny and have a small frame so going up another 2 inches will probably look weird unless I start lifting to fill out my body. But the upcoming Precises 3 and its ability to bear full weight looks really tempting :), I'll have to wait for some Precise 3 user experiences to come out before making a decision.
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hey shortlives, hope you're well. i'm wondering if you think anything other than genetics / age contributed to slow consolidation. anything you would've done differently in regards to exercise or diet?
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Hey everyone, just wanted to give a quick update. It's been about a year since my procedure. Dr Rozbruch truly did a magnificent job. Everything is pretty much back to normal now, gait is normal, no more hip swaying. Running is still weird and slow but it's just something I need to work on more. I am not as flexible as I was prior, again something I need to continue to work on. Absolutely no pain, only minor discomfort when I sit with my legs crossed due to the nails still being in there. The scars are still pretty evident and they are keloid, will have to consult with a plastic surgeon on how to remove them.
So many people have commented that I look really different upon the first time seeing me again and I always credit it to my new hair style and me losing weight. I was rocking a buzzcut before and now have a pompadour which added like 2 extra inches lol so I steer the conversation to that direction and avoid suspicion. The people alot taller than me has no idea tho, it's the people close to my previous height that seems to notice.
Going from 5'1.5 to 5'4 is huge. I no longer stick out like a sore thumb. But I still feel like my journey is not yet complete, which is why I am going back to have another consultation with Dr. Rozbruch about lengthening my tibia. I am waiting for the STRYDE to be available and he said he should have it by September. My plan is to take a month off from work for the procedure and then come back as I think Stryde patients can come off crutches after 3 weeks. Sure it'll be hell going to work and lengthening at the same time but I can't afford to take 5 months off again. Pain is only temporary...
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Hey everyone, just wanted to give a quick update. It's been about a year since my procedure. Dr Rozbruch truly did a magnificent job. Everything is pretty much back to normal now, gait is normal, no more hip swaying. Running is still weird and slow but it's just something I need to work on more. I am not as flexible as I was prior, again something I need to continue to work on. Absolutely no pain, only minor discomfort when I sit with my legs crossed due to the nails still being in there. The scars are still pretty evident and they are keloid, will have to consult with a plastic surgeon on how to remove them.
So many people have commented that I look really different upon the first time seeing me again and I always credit it to my new hair style and me losing weight. I was rocking a buzzcut before and now have a pompadour which added like 2 extra inches lol so I steer the conversation to that direction and avoid suspicion. The people alot taller than me has no idea tho, it's the people close to my previous height that seems to notice.
Going from 5'1.5 to 5'4 is huge. I no longer stick out like a sore thumb. But I still feel like my journey is not yet complete, which is why I am going back to have another consultation with Dr. Rozbruch about lengthening my tibia. I am waiting for the STRYDE to be available and he said he should have it by September. My plan is to take a month off from work for the procedure and then come back as I think Stryde patients can come off crutches after 3 weeks. Sure it'll be hell going to work and lengthening at the same time but I can't afford to take 5 months off again. Pain is only temporary...
Just a quick FYI:
If they are truly keloids and not hypertrophic scars, research seems to indicate cryotherapy alongside surgical intervention is the best method of removing keloidal scars. Simply cutting it out during a surgical intervention, without cryo or laser therapy, just makes the keloids come back and in even bigger size than before, in most cases.
Glad to hear you're also not having any pain, either. From what Microbe and some others wrote here, things should feel even better after nail removal.
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Hi SLM,
Did you drive between your home and the Dr's office or you had someone else drive you?
Would you say you could manage on your own during lengthening?
DO you use a walker or wheelchair when you get to HSS?
How is the wait in the lobby?
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Just a quick FYI:
If they are truly keloids and not hypertrophic scars, research seems to indicate cryotherapy alongside surgical intervention is the best method of removing keloidal scars. Simply cutting it out during a surgical intervention, without cryo or laser therapy, just makes the keloids come back and in even bigger size than before, in most cases.
Glad to hear you're also not having any pain, either. From what Microbe and some others wrote here, things should feel even better after nail removal.
Thanks for the info, yeah they might not be keloid and just hypertrophic scars.
@Troma I had someone drive me but you can drive yourself. I moved back in with my parents during lengthening and had them take care of me, you can survive on your own but you definitely need a caretaker the first week. To get to HSS i used a wheelchair as the walk from the parking garage to the office can be busy and difficult. The wait at the office is pretty standard, you check in, they send you to do xrays, once that's done, you come back and they let you wait some more until Dr. Rozbruch comes sees you.
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hello shortlive,
I am 34 years old male. 82 kg. Athletic.
I scheduled a surgery for right femur lengthening with the same Dr. at the end of this month (Precise nail).
My right leg is shorter than my left leg by 10 mm. I used to modify all my shoes for the last 10 years to be able to walk and run with back pain free and i want to get rid of this noticeable and tiring solution. i will start a thread later with the details but the question is: From ur experience, do u think that lengthening by such a small amount would result the same issues that u have talked about ? (nerve pain, stiffness, or any others ...). Please advise.
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hello shortlive,
I am 34 years old male. 82 kg. Athletic.
I scheduled a surgery for right femur lengthening with the same Dr. at the end of this month (Precise nail).
My right leg is shorter than my left leg by 10 mm. I used to modify all my shoes for the last 10 years to be able to walk and run with back pain free and i want to get rid of this noticeable and tiring solution. i will start a thread later with the details but the question is: From ur experience, do u think that lengthening by such a small amount would result the same issues that u have talked about ? (nerve pain, stiffness, or any others ...). Please advise.
Nah you should be fine, I only started experiencing nerve pain and stiffness after 3cm of lengthening and they went away after I was done with lengthening. Best of luck!
So I just had another consultation with Dr. Rozbruch about lengthening my tibia and fixing my bowed legs. He said he could do them at the same time which was music to my ears since I had always thought you could not do them at the same time internally. He said we could aim for 5cm of lengthening and then possibly more depending on how I hold up and that straightening the tibia would give me an additional .6-.7cm of length. Dr Paley had said it would give me about .8cm so about the same ballpark. I asked if Stryde was available and if I could use it. He said right now only the 11.5mm nail is available and that is too big for my bones so I would have to wait until the 9mm nail comes out, this surprised me as I did not know there was a 9mm nail, I thought the smallest one was 10mm. Anyway the important thing is I will have to wait for the smallest STRYDE nail which really sucks, I was all ready to go for round 2.
Oh and someone had asked for pics of the scars, so here they are and they are not pretty. But I am asian and prone to scarring so whatever, will need to get them fixed later. Also be warned you might experience temporary blindness due to the whitness of my legs lol.
https://imgur.com/a/TnhawIo
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Thanks ShortLives! I'm asian as well. Could I ask are you planning to get those scars removed and how?
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Thank You. I hope that i can pass this small correction with no complications.
I also mailed the DR. asking about STRYDE availability, he said he will try to order it for me and i am still waiting his reply.
My bones are not very thick so maybe i have the same case as u (11.8mm might not fit and i have to wait for the 9mm)... did he tell u when the 9mm will be available ?
What about the surgery itself, is it painful ? I am an international patient so i am staying in a hotel in time square, do u think that during lengthening (10 days approx.) i will be able to go outside the hotel with crutches ?
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Since the femur bone is thicker than tibia, you should be ok. He said that the 10mm nail is out but there's limited availability and not readily available which I think is why he said he would try to order it for you. No idea about the 9mm. Surgery isn't really painful, you will be on painkillers.
Due to popular demand, I've posted more scars below. So in total on each leg there's 2 on the hip, 1 on the upper thigh and 1 on the lower thigh. I will be going in for nail removal soon so will probably get some more scars then ;D.
https://imgur.com/a/vFeabub
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Since the femur bone is thicker than tibia, you should be ok. He said that the 10mm nail is out but there's limited availability and not readily available which I think is why he said he would try to order it for you. No idea about the 9mm. Surgery isn't really painful, you will be on painkillers.
Due to popular demand, I've posted more scars below. So in total on each leg there's 2 on the hip, 1 on the upper thigh and 1 on the lower thigh. I will be going in for nail removal soon so will probably get some more scars then ;D.
https://imgur.com/a/vFeabub
The Dr. answered that the STRYDE is still new and it shows some minor problems so he prefers to go with Precise Nail 2.
Do u think that i will be able to go outside the hotel during lengthening phase by using crutches ?
The scars are thick why ? is it a special case or same scars would show for all patients ?
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I too am interested if these scars are commonly keloid for everyone ?
Not to offend. They look kind of bad for internal. Have you talked to a doc about removal?
nonetheless a worthy trade in my opinion.
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Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation. I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible. Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area . Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.
Pretty good so you done 3cms in about a month
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I too am interested if these scars are commonly keloid for everyone ?
Not to offend. They look kind of bad for internal. Have you talked to a doc about removal?
nonetheless a worthy trade in my opinion.
I have done the surgery in 21 of august with Dr. Rozbruch (correction of small LLD by lengthening my right femur). Scars are perfect with no keloids. I will stop using the crutshes on the 1st of october.
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Had the rods removed this morning, am back home now. Walking is slow and with a sway atm. Dr. said it should take about a week or two to recover.
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That was fast! Congrats on finally having finished with this ordeal.
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Hi SLM!
Thank you for the update! Hope everything goes well !!!
I am very likely to pick Dr. Rozbruch to do a femur LL next year if everything goes right since I am a New Yorker and lives with parents at the moment.
Did you ask him regarding about STRYDE (such as expected experience, etc...) when you were contemplating to do a tiabias LL with him? Also if possible, can you share even more info or insight on how the insurance process works with Dr. Rozbruch (Like can you file the claims to see if how many expenses are covered by your insurance BEFORE, actually needing to pay the doctor the fees ?)
I estimated that I can pay around $70k out of pocket expenses if my insurance (Cigna) does cover certain expenses for the LL like your does, and if not, then I have to wait another year :'(
Thank you for your help!!
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Hi SLM,
Thank you for posting your diary. It’s really an exciting experience.
I still don’t understand the insurance coverage part: how could healthcare insurance cover this obvious cosmetic surgery? Some other leg problem(s) got fixed at same time?
Thank you
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Walking is back to normal now after a week. Was at a party last night and after standing for about 3 hours, the legs started getting a bit tired but not a big deal. The incision sites still hurt if I put pressure on it but that should go away soon. I honestly thought the removal surgery would be a bigger deal but thankfully Dr. Rozbruch is the best at what he does.
I did ask him if the STRYDE 10mm nail was available yet and he again said that Nuvasive was still testing some things and it was available but not readily available? I think Dr. Rozbruch is a very conservative doctor and he is waiting a little bit to see more results from the new STRYDE nail. He recommended that I wait til the spring to do my tibias and let Nuvasive work out all the kinks of the new nail. I have a follow up appt with him next week and will ask him if any of his patients are using any of the STRYDE nails yet.
As for insurance, as I have explained before, there is the surgeon fees and the hospital fees. If you have insurance, there is a good chance the hospital fees should be covered as it is not voluntary, the other patients have experienced the same. For the surgeon fees, insurance "might" cover a small portion of it but that amount won't be the deciding factor whether you want to go through with it or not. Again tho I have to STRESS that you have to be prepared to cover all expenses in case insurance covers nothing. I don't think you can know before hand how much it will cost you until after the surgery and the claims are submitted.
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Hi SLM , i was wondering from which surgery exactly did you get those scars from ?? Is it the precice 2 ??
Also do you have an idea about the cost of Dr Rozburch 9mm Stryde nail on femurs ??
I was planning to do it after a year
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Yes I got the scars from Precise 2. It is not surprising tho as I am asian and prone to scarring. I will get the scars fixed later on. I don't think there's a 9mm nail coming out. I think Dr. Rozbruch misspoke when he said that there was one as the last convo I had with him he said there was a 10mm one. I have an appt with him tomorrow so I will double check. As for the cost I figure it should be the same as the current Precise 2 cost with an additional 5k for the new STRYDE nail like Paley is charging.
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Had my apt yesterday and got the stitches removed. Dr R confirmed that the smallest Stryde nail is 10mm. He is having his first Stryde patient in the next couple of weeks. I am tentatively doing my tibias with the 10mm next year in feb/march.
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Thanks for your answers and updates SLM!
I almost missed the point that you are an Asian; I am also an Asian too! ;)
I will be meeting with Dr. Rozbruch next month for my initial consultation appointment. Great to know that doctor is finally using Stryde on patients! I am actually planning to have my femur surgery at around the same time like you planned for your upcoming one at around Feb/March too! Maybe we can meet if everything goes smoothly on my side! wow!
I know I am dreaming big here, but I hope to discuss with the doctor on the possibility to claim my whole surgery as a treatment for short stature due to thalassemia minor, which unfortunately I was born with. The only thing worrying me is the cost/insurance. If I am lucky to have my insurance covering that much of the expenses like you had, then I am at a pretty sweet spot.
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Hey man! Any updates on how your walking is now or any pain since you got the nail removed?
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Thanks for your answers and updates SLM!
I almost missed the point that you are an Asian; I am also an Asian too! ;)
I will be meeting with Dr. Rozbruch next month for my initial consultation appointment. Great to know that doctor is finally using Stryde on patients! I am actually planning to have my femur surgery at around the same time like you planned for your upcoming one at around Feb/March too! Maybe we can meet if everything goes smoothly on my side! wow!
I know I am dreaming big here, but I hope to discuss with the doctor on the possibility to claim my whole surgery as a treatment for short stature due to thalassemia minor, which unfortunately I was born with. The only thing worrying me is the cost/insurance. If I am lucky to have my insurance covering that much of the expenses like you had, then I am at a pretty sweet spot.
Good luck man, yeah maybe we can get together sometime in the spring haha. Yeah there was someone in here who got to do it for under $40k with Dr. R as they had some condition. But you can never count on that, always have to go in with the mindset that you might have to shell out $100k.
Hey man! Any updates on how your walking is now or any pain since you got the nail removed?
Walking is perfectly fine but it was already that way before the nail removal. Running tho has improved, feels more natural now. And the one minor pain that I still felt when laying on my side and putting pressure on the rod is now completely gone after they were taken out. I definitely recommend removing them. I am now just bidding my time until the spring when I can return to do the tibia, it's going to be a long winter haha.
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Good luck man, yeah maybe we can get together sometime in the spring haha. Yeah there was someone in here who got to do it for under $40k with Dr. R as they had some condition. But you can never count on that, always have to go in with the mindset that you might have to shell out $100k.
Walking is perfectly fine but it was already that way before the nail removal. Running tho has improved, feels more natural now. And the one minor pain that I still felt when laying on my side and putting pressure on the rod is now completely gone after they were taken out. I definitely recommend removing them. I am now just bidding my time until the spring when I can return to do the tibia, it's going to be a long winter haha.
Thanks for the blessing, SLM.
Just met with Dr. Rozbruch (along with Dr. Zach) for the first time today. Woah can't believe I am doing this step by step! I might eventually start my own diary once I have every details of my surgery consolidated.
So something worth sharing now is that Dr. R is very conservative in terms of the what Styrde Nail brings to the table (or that I have too high of expectations of it..) He said that it is very unlikely I will be able to go back to work in a normal manner after a month past surgery, which I was expecting to do, since it is a desktop job. He said I might be able to walk with crutches maybe after 6 weeks or so. He explains that all the difference that Styrde Nail makes is simply being more of a guarantor that wear-bearing would no longer be an issue to the process, but in terms of your ability to walk by just relying on the rod, it is still really tough due to many factors.
Something more of my personal side is that after I asked and explained to Dr. R regarding to my condition with thalassemia, they believe it is definitely worth a shot to put that into the insurance claim for the surgery. He didn't know about thalassemia having connections height stature/height growth, and so he asked me to send a few medical articles to him (and Dr. Zach) to go over and put that into the file. Hopefully this goes well!
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can you post x-ray pics when you had the nail and when you got them out? I am trying to see how intact the bone looks after removal after all the reaming, etc
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Thanks for the blessing, SLM.
Just met with Dr. Rozbruch (along with Dr. Zach) for the first time today. Woah can't believe I am doing this step by step! I might eventually start my own diary once I have every details of my surgery consolidated.
So something worth sharing now is that Dr. R is very conservative in terms of the what Styrde Nail brings to the table (or that I have too high of expectations of it..) He said that it is very unlikely I will be able to go back to work in a normal manner after a month past surgery, which I was expecting to do, since it is a desktop job. He said I might be able to walk with crutches maybe after 6 weeks or so. He explains that all the difference that Styrde Nail makes is simply being more of a guarantor that wear-bearing would no longer be an issue to the process, but in terms of your ability to walk by just relying on the rod, it is still really tough due to many factors.
Something more of my personal side is that after I asked and explained to Dr. R regarding to my condition with thalassemia, they believe it is definitely worth a shot to put that into the insurance claim for the surgery. He didn't know about thalassemia having connections height stature/height growth, and so he asked me to send a few medical articles to him (and Dr. Zach) to go over and put that into the file. Hopefully this goes well!
Haha Dr. R is indeed very conservative. I don't know what to say about his assessment of the STRYDE nail. I was kind of hoping to go back to work too after a month when I do my Tibia. I mean you see Dr. Paley patients off of crutches 3 weeks after the STRYDE surgery. Obviously that was just a demonstration of walking
a short distance, but I still think it should be ok to return to work after a month if you are careful and utilize crutches.
can you post x-ray pics when you had the nail and when you got them out? I am trying to see how intact the bone looks after removal after all the reaming, etc
Sorry I don't have the x-rays with me as I have to request and pay for them to get them :(. But 2 weeks after the nail removal, I had the xrays taken and you can see that the places where the rods and screws used to be were hollow but Dr. R said that will thicken over time. There wasn't much reaming as I used the 8mm Precises 2 nail. Now when I do do the Tibia with the 10mm STRYDE nail, my Tibia bone canal is only 7mm wide at the thinnest point so there will be some amount of reaming there.
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No worries, keep us posted on next stage of lengthening!
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Are you back to normal SLM? Are you still planning to lengthening tibias?
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Are you back to normal SLM? Are you still planning to lengthening tibias?
Yeah, all back to normal, thanks for asking :). Still planning to do tibias sometime in the spring, hopefully March.
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Yeah, all back to normal, thanks for asking :). Still planning to do tibias sometime in the spring, hopefully March.
will you use Precice or stryde?
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will you use Precice or stryde?
I have been waiting for the 10mm stryde nail which dr. Rozbruch has informed me that it is now available for use, so it is a matter of scheduling the procedure.
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Hi SLM, i know you discussed the insurance stuff already many times but i just wanted to ask that how were you able to get your insurance to cover this procedure? I thought cosmetic surgery wasn't covered under insurance. Only way it would be covered would be if theres a medical issue. I would love to get a procedure done with Dr. R if i could get the cost under 80k which I've heard isn't possible unless insurance covers hospital fees.
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Hi SLM, i know you discussed the insurance stuff already many times but i just wanted to ask that how were you able to get your insurance to cover this procedure? I thought cosmetic surgery wasn't covered under insurance. Only way it would be covered would be if theres a medical issue. I would love to get a procedure done with Dr. R if i could get the cost under 80k which I've heard isn't possible unless insurance covers hospital fees.
Like I said before and others that have done with Dr. Rozbruch have attested to, the hospital fees will most likely be covered by your insurance as you staying in the hospital is not voluntary, only the procedure is. So since the procedure fee is around 75k, expect to pay at least that much, and if your insurance is good, it should cover most of the rest which is the hospital fees, but it's not a guarantee. Now if you do have a medical issue, Dr Rozbruch's office will submit it to the insurance in attempt to get some of it covered, then that 75k procedure fee can potentially be reduced. There are some here that will be doing it with Dr. Rozbruch soon, perhaps they can chime in with their own experiences with the costs.
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Thanks appreciate the feedback.
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So I've been doing alot of thinking these past couple of weeks now that the 10mm STRYDE nail is out and the only thing left to do is to actually go thru with the procedure and yet I can't seem to pull the trigger. My parents are completely against it noting the dangers and cost. They think it's a waste of time and money (well they thought the same about my first surgery too) but they come from a different time and place, it's different nowadays. I have been able to hide my first surgery for the most part but there is no way I will be able to hide this second surgery, everyone will notice a difference of me growing a combined 5 inches. Also my frame will be totally out of whack in addition to my arms not in proportion anymore. Still, I feel like I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life if I don't finish this journey, you only have one life to live, you have to maximize it.
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So I've been doing alot of thinking these past couple of weeks now that the 10mm STRYDE nail is out and the only thing left to do is to actually go thru with the procedure and yet I can't seem to pull the trigger. My parents are completely against it noting the dangers and cost. They think it's a waste of time and money (well they thought the same about my first surgery too) but they come from a different time and place, it's different nowadays. I have been able to hide my first surgery for the most part but there is no way I will be able to hide this second surgery, everyone will notice a difference of me growing a combined 5 inches. Also my frame will be totally out of whack in addition to my arms not in proportion anymore. Still, I feel like I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life if I don't finish this journey, you only have one life to live, you have to maximize it.
Hi ShortLivesMatter, I understand what you mean here. It took real courage to go forward the first time and you have tremendous resolve to want to do this again to achieve your re-imagined self.. I have to admit, with our proportions at 5'1'ish... the 5'6 range is a sweet spot for us. Actually; we look really nice and streamlined with that height. It's attractive. My opinion is that if you're in a good position to go forward, then you are in good hands with your Dr. R. He has such an excellent reputation and he's already done a fine job with you during the first operation. It will all turn out great. You're going to do fine regardless of what you decide. You're a good man; and go with your heart on this one because your mind has already located a great doctor and safety has been top priority obviously since you have invested top dollar for the best. Looking forward, friend.
Best regards,
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Did Doctor Rozbruch perform IT band release on you?
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Did Doctor Rozbruch perform IT band release on you?
Yes he did.
Hi ShortLivesMatter, I understand what you mean here. It took real courage to go forward the first time and you have tremendous resolve to want to do this again to achieve your re-imagined self.. I have to admit, with our proportions at 5'1'ish... the 5'6 range is a sweet spot for us. Actually; we look really nice and streamlined with that height. It's attractive. My opinion is that if you're in a good position to go forward, then you are in good hands with your Dr. R. He has such an excellent reputation and he's already done a fine job with you during the first operation. It will all turn out great. You're going to do fine regardless of what you decide. You're a good man; and go with your heart on this one because your mind has already located a great doctor and safety has been top priority obviously since you have invested top dollar for the best. Looking forward, friend.
Thank you for the words of wisdom my friend. I went ahead and scheduled the surgery for March, let's go!
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Are you not afraid of knee pain doing tibia with internal nail? Will you do with Dr Rozbruch too? Does he use suprapatellar approach of nail incision?
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Are you not afraid of knee pain doing tibia with internal nail? Will you do with Dr Rozbruch too? Does he use suprapatellar approach of nail incision?
Sure that's a concern but when you are so far away from what is considered below average to average, you have to take more risks. Dr. Paley and Dr. Rozbruch, probably the top 2 LL docs, does internal tibia so I trust their judgement. Plus with the STRYDE nail, my recovery should be faster.
I am heading up to NYC on 3/7 for some pre op stuff and meeting with several interested LLers, if anyone is in the area and want to meet up as well, let me know.
Oh and after my 2nd surgery, everyone is going to know, there is no hiding it anymore, most females have already noticed after just 2.7inch increase from my first surgery. Their comments are usually along the lines of "you look really different, did you get taller or skinnier"? And I would ask back "different better or different worse"? And the response would always be better. Some now express interest when they never did beforehand, which hurts a little bit as I know the only reason is due to those inches. Maybe after this second surgery and all this is done, I will just move to a different part of the country and start fresh.
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You have some real guts, my friend. Your courage puts you over 10 feet tall. You're going to really do well with the new Stryde nail. No more worrying about if you're putting to much weight on you legs while on a walker, crutches, etc. And you are even able to take little steps as needed. You can work out your legs from day 1 and your recovery will go much faster. I'll be following your new diary if you create one! Good luck, man.
Don't move just yet..just say that you have found the secret elixir to getting taller. Sell that potion in a fire sell; make millions and then leave the country. Ha ha.
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I am heading up to NYC on 3/7 for some pre op stuff and meeting with several interested LLers, if anyone is in the area and want to meet up as well, let me know.
Hey I happen to be in the area this month. I sent you a PM if you want to meet.
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Hey I happen to be in the area this month. I sent you a PM if you want to meet.
That would be awesome, I sent you a PM.
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Got it! Thanks.
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It was very nice meeting you! Good luck for your surgery!
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It was very nice meeting you! Good luck for your surgery!
Thanks bro, it was great meeting you as well. It is hard to believe I'm going back in for a 2nd round, I can only hope I will have the same outcome as the first time around!
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Thanks bro, it was great meeting you as well. It is hard to believe I'm going back in for a 2nd round, I can only hope I will have the same outcome as the first time around!
Good luck, SLM!
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SLM, how are you holding up?
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Thanks for the well wishes guys, I had surgery 2 weeks ago and am going thru the painful process yet again lol. Debating whether to start up another diary for internal tibia with Stryde, I dunno, kinda lazy haha.
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Thanks for the well wishes guys, I had surgery 2 weeks ago and am going thru the painful process yet again lol. Debating whether to start up another diary for internal tibia with Stryde, I dunno, kinda lazy haha.
I dont regard internal tibia as a good idea.In fact,external tibia is already fit
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Please, start a new diary.
Whats is your goal with tibia? How much does Dr Rozbruch let you lengthen tibia with stryde?
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Dr Rozbruch told me by mail that it is possible to kengthen 8cm in tibias with stryde.
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Dr Rozbruch told me by mail that it is possible to kengthen 8cm in tibias with stryde.
Dr R said aim for 6cm and then if I am still in good condition I can go further. theoretically you can go up to 8cm but can your soft tissues handle it, I doubt mine can so I am aiming for 6cm, plus the tibia surgery fixed my bowleggedness which gives me an extra .5cm.
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You did 6.7cm on femur. Do you think you could go further if you had more patience?
I hope you get a satisfactory amount of tibia lengthening and if you want 6 cm I'm rooting you are able to get it.