Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: Jim_dabarber on December 01, 2017, 05:07:05 AM
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Alright guys today is the day. I arrived in st petersburg russia nov 28 had comsultation with dr. Kulesh and dr solomon. Both very experienced doctors who answered all my Qs and who i consider genually caring people as theyve been helping me get situated here and helping me with any needs i may need. I am 26 years young. 165cm with a wingspan of 170cm. Ill be doing cross - lengthening in 2 steps. First step will be right upper femur + left lower limb. LON will be with femur and traditional illizorav with lower leg. Once lengthening is complete i will remove femur frame and lock in the nail and wait for bones to consolodate before starting on the next step which will be left femur + right lower limb. I will be lengthening back in my hometown in the united states for personal reasons. Personally i think with the help of supporting family one can get thru such an event like this better instead of being in a foreign country where you cant even order something to eat let alone explain your needs to the nurses. I am waiting to go into surgery now. Hopefully everything goes great! A bit nervous but so glad im finally going thru with this. Ill keep updating as soon as i can.
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Hey man i wish u all the best. I'll be following your diary and will wait for the update. which clinic you've chosen municipal or medem? tc.
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Wishing the very best mate! Having a good doctor on your side is key.
What is your height goal?
Take care!
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Cross lengthening is maybe the worst idea for LL. Especially if it comes with external femurs.
It is no wonder why they do it in Russia and other third world countries as no respectable doctor would do this.
But it is stupid for people to think that they'll have faster rehabilitation with that . The rehabilitation will be much longer than doing tibias and then wait 6 months to do femurs than doing cross lateral. Also the rehabilitation will never be full.
The last LLer that did cross lateral LL on the old forum was crippled with knee rom less than 20-30 degrees and I have never heard a good case with cross lateral.
I don't know why some people are willing to almost ruin themselves with like than when even one segment LL with the best doctors in the world (not charlatans from India, Russia etc) is very risky and extreme.
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Bodybuilder: bc of money. You’re short, time goes by and you want to be tall today, not tomorrow. You look into your options and find russia is the only one. It is risky, yes, but you won’t die.
Traveling with the frames on is a very bad idea. I would lengthen at the clinic.
Good luck.
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Looking forward to reading more about your journey, best of luck!
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Cross lengthening is maybe the worst idea for LL. Especially if it comes with external femurs.
It is no wonder why they do it in Russia and other third world countries as no respectable doctor would do this.
But it is stupid for people to think that they'll have faster rehabilitation with that crap. The rehabilitation will be much longer than doing tibias and then wait 6 months to do femurs than doing cross lateral. Also the rehabilitation will never be full.
The last LLer that did cross lateral LL on the old forum was crippled with knee rom less than 20-30 degrees and I have never heard a good case with cross lateral.
I don't know why some people are willing to almost ruin themselves with crap like than when even one segment LL with the best doctors in the world (not charlatans from India, Russia etc) is very risky and extreme.
I don't think having two external frames on the femurs at the same time would be particularly manageable so that's with the do the cross thing. Rehab will be tough no doubt, but OverDozer did the same thing for a gain of 15cm total and seems to be fine now. I believe when he first got his frames off he had ROM of only 40 degrees and is now normal, so yeah, sounds like it can be done.
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I don't think having two external frames on the femurs at the same time would be particularly manageable so that's with the do the cross thing. Rehab will be tough no doubt, but OverDozer did the same thing for a gain of 15cm total and seems to be fine now. I believe when he first got his frames off he had ROM of only 40 degrees and is now normal, so yeah, sounds like it can be done.
Forget about it. Stop spreading nonsense. You will never be normal after neither 16cm nor cross lengthening.
There will be aches every day for the rest of your life.
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Forget about it. Stop spreading nonsense. You will never be normal after neither 16cm nor cross lengthening.
There will be aches every day for the rest of your life.
You'll never be normal after 1cm of lengthening, internal or external, no one is saying that. I just stated what was in Dozer's diary. He did 15cm cross lengthening and says he has pretty much normal ROM. Maybe you could try reading it before just dismissing it completely.
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Bodybuilder: bc of money. You’re short, time goes by and you want to be tall today, not tomorrow. You look into your options and find russia is the only one. It is risky, yes, but you won’t die.
Traveling with the frames on is a very bad idea. I would lengthen at the clinic.
Good luck.
Time does not matter if the result is bad.
Why would someone want to save 6 months-1 year max for having a moderate or bad rehabilitation and limp around while he could do tibias, wait 1 year and then do femurs and be much better?
After all, adding 6-7 cm is not little so I think that noone would be too busy to do 2 LLs and end up crippling himself.
Anyway, crosslateral LL is a very bad idea and no respectable doctor does it. Some people should think more careful before doing such crazy things and risking everything for some months less.
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By time I meant in your life. I agree you should go safe, but if it takes forever to save up more money you will pass by life as short - until you go through with it.
If he can’t afford safer methods at 26 and have to wait 5 more years, he will experience 5 more short years.
For some that’s unbearable.
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Body builder all your negative comments and your basing them on what? Have you have cross lengthening before ? No! So how would you know. Instead of bashing people and trying to make false accusations why dont you get on this forum and try to motive. Ever thought of that.? You sound like a little piece of s**t bully from middle school. Its actually not as bad as you think. Yea the first day i woke up with really bad pain on my femur almost unbearablea and my tibia was just fine maybe a pain of 2/10. So yea i agree with you in some way ll on femur external is very painful but today i actually woke up much better. Pain infemur is around 4/10. And according to my doctor will get better as time prgresses and i have faith in him as dr kulesh is a great surgeon from the little time ive met him and hes been following up with me the whole time. Why did i decide on cross lengthening well for safety reasons. Im not looking to gain an unrealistic height. In my country 5’8” is normal which is my target height. 4cm on tibia and 4 cm on femur. Obviously if i wouldve had the money to do internals i wouldve but im not a rich spoiled brat who his parents give him money for whatever they want. Ive had to work hard for my money. I have a wife and a 2 year old girl and life has not been easy trying to get her thru med school and paying for all the bills while at the same time saving up for this surgery. I decided that enough was enough. I didnt want to go anymore years being short. I will not be crippled as you so much sugest bodybuilder. Im a very athelitic person and im aware that alot of that will go away but immconfident that over time ill be able to return to a somewhat normal life.
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So you have a family (wife and children) and doing 2 LLs at the same time was so important for you?
For what reason?
My negative comments are because people like you don't respect their bodies and do extreme things like cross lateral LL which for sure will impact a lot your body, much more comparing to doing 2 LLs the one after one year from the other.
And pain has nothing to to with that. The ability to walk is what matters and you'll be unable to walk normally for more than a year which is too much.
Anyway, still I wish you'll have a good rehabilitation as I wish for all fellow LL'ers but I want people to think more wisely before doing such an extreme operation.
And cross lateral is really a stupid idea.
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I had surgery at the medem clinic for those wondering. All inclusive price was 266660. That included everything surgery medications trip to airport, 7 days hospital stay with food. Rebandges while im here and a physotherapist while im here. There are doctors in the USA who actually still perform illizorav on femurs and tibias but since its considered a selective surgery its not covered with my insurance which in terms ends up costing me about 8 times the amount that i paid here. So obviously body builder your comments are just nonsense because i have done plenty of research on this! I will be returning to the states to procede lengthening with my local orthopedic there who will be covered by my insurance as it will no longer be considered a selective surgery but rather preventative. Im praying for the best as this was not an easy journey to start. I was really scared but im sure i will get thru it fine.
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Im short! Plain and simple. Ive always been the shortest of my friends family everybody and that will never go away unless i do something about it. Im very happy with my family but its just going to social events and her being taller than me with heels really bothers be and it always will. Trying to always find pants or shorts that fit me all these little things will forevor bother. And btw im not doing both surgeries right after the other. I will most likely wait till next year to do the second step as this will give my body time to recover from tje the stress im putting it thru. And its been proven that doing 2 small segments instead of 1 long segment will cause less stress on that limb. 4cm per segment is a very reasonable amount in my opinion. Think what you want to think bodybuilder at the end of the day you can sit there and read my diary till i get all through with this then well see who was right.
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Im short! Plain and simple. Ive always been the shortest of my friends family everybody and that will never go away unless i do something about it. Im very happy with my family but its just going to social events and her being taller than me with heels really bothers be and it always will. Trying to always find pants or shorts that fit me all these little things will forevor bother. And btw im not doing both surgeries right after the other. I will most likely wait till next year to do the second step as this will give my body time to recover from tje the stress im putting it thru. And its been proven that doing 2 small segments instead of 1 long segment will cause less stress on that limb. 4cm per segment is a very reasonable amount in my opinion. Think what you want to think bodybuilder at the end of the day you can sit there and read my diary till i get all through with this then well see who was right.
I am a veteran LLer.
And I plan for another LL in femurs in 2 years from now. I was where you are now and I know that cross lateral LL is simply the worst idea for LL and no respectable doctor does it.
The same with external femurs.
So you said you did research but you made the 2 biggest mistakes you could do.
So I hope I prove wrong, I really do, but odds are not with you and anyone who did LL can understand how bad is cross LL.
Anyway, people should avoid that kind of surgery but you can't turn back time so I wish you the best consolidation possible.
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Good luck. I lengthened crosslaterally myself with Dr. Kulesh and I know at least two other who did it or are in the process. You're in safe hands.
If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to ask me. I know right now you're probably only thinking about the pain, but it goes away rapidly after the surgery, just wait.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/2Cirl
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Good luck. I lengthened crosslaterally myself with Dr. Kulesh and I know at least two other who did it or are in the process. You're in safe hands.
If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to ask me. I know right now you're probably only thinking about the pain, but it goes away rapidly after the surgery, just wait.
Thanks overdozer! Pain around my knee/lower femur is whats bothering me right now. Tibia is literally no pain at all. Dr kulesh is coming in tomorrow to see me hopefully he can fix the problem as everything but that is going good.
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Good luck. I lengthened crosslaterally myself with Dr. Kulesh and I know at least two other who did it or are in the process. You're in safe hands.
If you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to ask me. I know right now you're probably only thinking about the pain, but it goes away rapidly after the surgery, just wait.
Thanks overdozer! Pain around my knee/lower femur is whats bothering me right now. Tibia is literally no pain at all. Dr kulesh is coming in tomorrow to see me hopefully he can fix the problem as everything but that is going good.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/2Cirl
The link doesn't work,try to repost it
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https://imgur.com/gallery/TTvwY
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https://imgur.com/gallery/2Cirl
These should work
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Thanks for sharing the photos, how are you doing now? What's next?
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Thanks for sharing ur experience. Are u russian? Do you have any language barrier in the Medem Clinic? I plan on doing my tibias w/ Kulesh/Solomon in the future.
Good luck, hope u reach ur goals and stay strong thru everything.
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Thanks for sharing ur experience. Are u russian? Do you have any language barrier in the Medem Clinic? I plan on doing my tibias w/ Kulesh/Solomon in the future.
Good luck, hope u reach ur goals and stay strong thru everything.
Sorry for my answer And surely OP can answer better, but MEDEM clínic is for intetnational patients, no language barriers, dont know if they still operate un Sta Elizabeth Hospital.
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Thanks for sharing the photos, how are you doing now? What's next?
Im doing better. Still bedrest. Just had my xray taken today and Dr kulesh said everything came out fine. Im still concerned about the pain in my left knee where the rod was inserted as my knee feels very weak and unstable. Does anybody have any knowledge as to why? I asked Dr kulesh but he asssured me it would be ok. Sleeping at night is practically imopssible as its very unfomfortable i just find myself taking naps here and there throughout the day. I had my frame cover measurements taken today and i will be starting pt tomorrow.
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Thanks for sharing ur experience. Are u russian? Do you have any language barrier in the Medem Clinic? I plan on doing my tibias w/ Kulesh/Solomon in the future.
Good luck, hope u reach ur goals and stay strong thru everything.
No i am american. Language barrier here is horrible. The only ones who speak english are my proffessors and the anesteologist. All the nurses and stuff dont have a clue as to what im saying so i find myself using a translotor app on my phone alot. Thanks man! Outside frames on femurs are deffinately no joke. If your really on a budget i would still not recomend it. Im hoping after this surgery and once i go back to America that ill be able to do internals with a doctor near my hometown who is covered by my insurance. Itll no longer be a selective surgery but a preventative so i have my fingers crossed.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/YypeM
First xrays after surgery
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Good luck Jim, cross lengthening is extreme in my opinion, but you took a good decision in choosing moderate amount of 4 cm over both segments.
From what I understand you plan on lengthening at home. Have you organized PT's and a plan for recovery training? Remember although it is going to be a very hard journey, it is vital that you keep up the training of your legs.
Best of luck, keep up us updated. 4 cm lengthening should take less than 2 months if you go for 0.81mm a day, so just stay strong!
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https://imgur.com/gallery/YypeM
First xrays after surgery
This is the weirdest bone break I ever saw.
It is not a straight cut but a Z one? Isn't the bone very prone to premature consolidation with a cut like that?
I am not sure if it will cause anything bad but for sure this cut is not usual. I never saw any respectable doctor doing that kind of cut.
Also, on your femurs you have a modified Ilizarov? Why not a monorail? Anything external on femurs is a bad idea but Ilizarov is way too barbaric and also causes extreme problems on knee rom.
Anyway, in your surgery everything is too extreme to cope with.
But please ask your doctor why he did that kind of cut and why he didn't prefer a straight cut as most doctors do.
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This is the weirdest bone break I ever saw.
It is not a straight cut but a Z one? Isn't the bone very prone to premature consolidation with a cut like that?
I am not sure if it will cause anything bad but for sure this cut is not usual. I never saw any respectable doctor doing that kind of cut.
Also, on your femurs you have a modified Ilizarov? Why not a monorail? Anything external on femurs is a bad idea but Ilizarov is way too barbaric and also causes extreme problems on knee rom.
Anyway, in your surgery everything is too extreme to cope with.
But please ask your doctor why he did that kind of cut and why he didn't prefer a straight cut as most doctors do.
The first pic is a S-osteotomy. It increases the surface of bone contact and as such should decrease healing time. Premature consolidation is very rarely a problem for tibia lengthening, all it should do for him is make him heal faster.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3779558/
External fixation index in group A (21.02 ± 3.16 days/cm) was significantly lower than that in group B (76.19 ± 8.32 days/cm; P < 0.05). Consolidation index was significantly lower (more rapid healing) in group A (43.38 ± 5.35 days/cm) than that in group B (76.19 ± 8.32 days/cm; P < 0.05).
In group A, 78 tibial lengthenings were performed with longitudinal S-osteotomy and LATN technique. In group B, 98 tibial lengthenings were performed with the classic method.
Conclusion
The novel method combined longitudinal S-corticotomy and LATN technique safely reduces the consolidation time, rate of pin-tract problems and axial deviation during leg lengthening, compared with the classic Ilizarov method.
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The first pic is a S-osteotomy. It increases the surface of bone contact and as such should decrease healing time. Premature consolidation is very rarely a problem for tibia lengthening, all it should do for him is make him heal faster.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3779558/
I was almost healed at 6 cm with 0.66mm lengthening oer day and I increased to 1mm up to 7.5 (thats why I had bf problem).
And I had a straight cut.
So yes, if that S cut don't lead to premature consolidation it will help with faster bine healing.
But I really think that it may cause premature consolidation because most of the sides are almost touch each other.
Anyway we'll see. But I've never seen any respectable doctor using that cut.
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S-cut is practiced in the Slavic countries. Mirzoyan uses it.
There is really no need for it no.
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I was almost healed at 6 cm with 0.66mm lengthening oer day and I increased to 1mm up to 7.5 (thats why I had bf problem).
And I had a straight cut.
So yes, if that S cut don't lead to premature consolidation it will help with faster bone healing.
But I really think that it may cause premature consolidation because most of the sides almost touch each other.
Anyway we'll see. But I've never seen any respectable doctor using that cut.
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Good luck Jim, cross lengthening is extreme in my opinion, but you took a good decision in choosing moderate amount of 4 cm over both segments.
From what I understand you plan on lengthening at home. Have you organized PT's and a plan for recovery training? Remember although it is going to be a very hard journey, it is vital that you keep up the training of your legs.
Best of luck, keep up us updated. 4 cm lengthening should take less than 2 months if you go for 0.81mm a day, so just stay strong!
Exactly why i decided to only do 4cm across all four segments. Proportions and tissue muscle recovery ade important to me. I have an orthopedic near my hometown who will continue the treatmeant. I am from florida so finding reputable orthopedics who would take my health insurance was not hard. At the moment i havent discussed the pt plans yet. He wasnts to see me in person and figure out where we are and what our approach will be. I will be doing .80mm a day on my tibia where as my femur i will be doing 1.15mm per day depending on callus formation and to not have preconsolidation.
Thank you!
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I discussed the use of z-shaped osteotomy of tibia with dr kulesh and he explained that it helps reduce the possibility of non-union or mal-union formation.
Today i finally started distraction! Tibia was pain free as expected. Once i got to the the femur thats when reality sunk in. This is deffiniately not going to be a walk in the park but its doable. Pain for tibia 1/10 more discomfort than pain. Pain for femur 6/10. Big difference! But once again. Very doable and at my budget i think i made a great choice. People on this forum will bash and talk trash about peoples desicions but at the end of the day this forum is to share personal experiences hands on. Everyone has their entitlement to opinion but unless youve gone thru the process and pain theres no way you can judge on any of their actions. I will and i know i can get thru this.
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Hi there,
I have a few questions for you. I hope you could share some info as I am finalizing my LL plans, which I will do this coming summer!
- Who was your surgeon? Was it Solomin or Kulesh? I'm really confused on how their partnership works.
- Did you have the option to choose one of them?
- How are the doctors treating you so far?
- How is the quality of MEDEM?
- How hard and how long was the visa process? I'm from North America as well (USA/Canada).
- What was your method of payment? wire transfer, credit card, or cash?
Your responses will be greatly appreciated. :) I wish you the best bro.
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I discussed the use of z-shaped osteotomy of tibia with dr kulesh and he explained that it helps reduce the possibility of non-union or mal-union formation.
Today i finally started distraction! Tibia was pain free as expected. Once i got to the the femur thats when reality sunk in. This is deffiniately not going to be a walk in the park but its doable. Pain for tibia 1/10 more discomfort than pain. Pain for femur 6/10. Big difference! But once again. Very doable and at my budget i think i made a great choice. People on this forum will bash and talk trash about peoples desicions but at the end of the day this forum is to share personal experiences hands on. Everyone has their entitlement to opinion but unless youve gone thru the process and pain theres no way you can judge on any of their actions. I will and i know i can get thru this.
Why do you think there is such a pain difference between femurs and tibias.
Are the pins causing the trouble (because femurs are encircled with much bigger muscles than tibias) or the cut causes more pain on femurs compared to tibias?
My tibia LL was almost painless as you described but most LLers with internal on femurs didn't described much pain too. Thats why I wonder if the Ilizarov is what gives you pains in femurs.
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Hi there,
I have a few questions for you. I hope you could share some info as I am finalizing my LL plans, which I will do this coming summer!
- Who was your surgeon? Was it Solomin or Kulesh? I'm really confused on how their partnership works.
- Did you have the option to choose one of them?
- How are the doctors treating you so far?
- How is the quality of MEDEM?
- How hard and how long was the visa process? I'm from North America as well (USA/Canada).
- What was your method of payment? wire transfer, credit card, or cash?
Your responses will be greatly appreciated. :) I wish you the best bro.
-My main surgeon who i have always been in touch and guided me through all this has been Dr. Kulesh although during the operation they were both precent. Dr Solomin was the one who inserted the LON nail on my femur while Kulesh performed all the other stuff.
-Yes i had the option to choose between either one but obviously Dr Solomins price was way higher than Dr Kulesh and so i decided to go along with Kulesh and i was confindent since hes been working along side Solomin for 10+ years that hes highly trained.
- The doctors are good. They all speak english so if you have any questions or concerns you can can always reach out to them. Dr Kulesh is always an email away and responds fairly quickly.
- i actually decided on getting operated at the municipal clinic which is st elizabeth as the cost was way lower and they had availailable spots. Dr kulesh sent out an asstant to pick me up from my hotel that morning and he was in charge of translating and helping me get around the hospital. After i got situated he left and the aenesthesia guy came in along with the gp doctor who both understand good english and explained the rest for me. The nurses and other staff have no idea how to speak english but im getting along just fine with a translating app that i downloaded before coming and if any qs i just call Dr kulesh and he speaks for them.
- The visa process took aproximately 3 weeks in total but i had everything expidited and paid extra just incase. Im sure the regular time frame for visa is around 5-6 weeks. It was actually really easy to aquire with the agency that Dr Kulesh recomended me with.
- I honestly just brought $5k cash and hid it in my pants the whole time here. Omce here i just simply went to a local bank and changed currencies although Dr Kulesh did say i could wire the money but then you would have to have somebody from your country doing all that for you and to me it was just too much of a hassle. I believe he doesnt accept credit card payments. Never really ask him. But i could if yould like?
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https://imgur.com/gallery/2Cirl
These should work
Those link don't work,at least for me
It says:"Ops,couldn't find the page"
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Those link don't work,at least for me
It says:"Ops,couldn't find the page"
They work for me as long as I open it in a new tab.
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Wow. Thank you for this thorough response.
-Yes i had the option to choose between either one but obviously Dr Solomins price was way higher than Dr Kulesh and so i decided to go along with Kulesh and i was confindent since hes been working along side Solomin for 10+ years that hes highly trained.
How much was this price difference in your case?
The doctors are good. They all speak english so if you have any questions or concerns you can can always reach out to them. Dr Kulesh is always an email away and responds fairly quickly.
Based on patient's feedback, Dr. Kulesh seems to be going the extra mile all the time. That's good to hear!
- i actually decided on getting operated at the municipal clinic which is st elizabeth as the cost was way lower and they had availailable spots. Dr kulesh sent out an asstant to pick me up from my hotel that morning and he was in charge of translating and helping me get around the hospital. After i got situated he left and the aenesthesia guy came in along with the gp doctor who both understand good english and explained the rest for me. The nurses and other staff have no idea how to speak english but im getting along just fine with a translating app that i downloaded before coming and if any qs i just call Dr kulesh and he speaks for them.
Wait. I thought you had your surgery at MEDEM as written in your earlier entries. ??? You may want to clarify that up for the other readers. Anyway, since you were able to visit both hospitals, what can you say about the quality difference between them? And how do you compare them to hospitals in North America? (Although I know that MEDEM is top notch. Hence it's semi-ridiculous prices.)
- The visa process took aproximately 3 weeks in total but i had everything expidited and paid extra just incase. Im sure the regular time frame for visa is around 5-6 weeks. It was actually really easy to aquire with the agency that Dr Kulesh recomended me with.
How much did this process cost you in total?
- I honestly just brought $5k cash and hid it in my pants the whole time here. Omce here i just simply went to a local bank and changed currencies although Dr Kulesh did say i could wire the money but then you would have to have somebody from your country doing all that for you and to me it was just too much of a hassle. I believe he doesnt accept credit card payments. Never really ask him. But i could if yould like?
Nah, I think I'm good. I'm going to start talking to them in 2 weeks anyway (after exams). I guess I could just bring cash. My only concern is pickpockets. It's a huge thing in Europe, let alone Eastern Europe. No disrespect, just want to take the necessary precautions. ;D
Again, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Take care.
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I had surgery at the medem clinic for those wondering.
Sorry guys my surgery was at the municipal clinic and not MEDEM
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Why do you think there is such a pain difference between femurs and tibias.
Are the pins causing the trouble (because femurs are encircled with much bigger muscles than tibias) or the cut causes more pain on femurs compared to tibias?
My tibia LL was almost painless as you described but most LLers with internal on femurs didn't described much pain too. Thats why I wonder if the Ilizarov is what gives you pains in femurs.
Honestly now on day 2 the pain has gone down to like a 2/10 for femurs. Walking hurts tibia and femur regardless and i think alot of that has to do with the pins. The most discomfort from the femur frame is at the top where the big bolts go into the side of my hip. Dr kulesh calls those my favorite pins 😭 very uncomfortable but the pain has gone down alot. Ive managed to finally find my sleeping position as that was another problem. Any little movement to those top bolts at night and i would wake up imeddiately and going back to sleep was almlst impossible.
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Wow. Thank you for this thorough response.
How much was this price difference in your case?
Based on patient's feedback, Dr. Kulesh seems to be going the extra mile all the time. That's good to hear!
Wait. I thought you had your surgery at MEDEM as written in your earlier entries. ??? You may want to clarify that up for the other readers. Anyway, since you were able to visit both hospitals, what can you say about the quality difference between them? And how do you compare them to hospitals in North America? (Although I know that MEDEM is top notch. Hence it's semi-ridiculous prices.)
How much did this process cost you in total?
Nah, I think I'm good. I'm going to start talking to them in 2 weeks anyway (after exams). I guess I could just bring cash. My only concern is pickpockets. It's a huge thing in Europe, let alone Eastern Europe. No disrespect, just want to take the necessary precautions. ;D
Again, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Take care.
- Price difference between Doctors was about 300000 rubles and since Dr kulesh would write back to my responces faster i just decided to go with him.
- Total for 8 hospital days and the surgery and the nail on my femur, transport to airport , and walker came to exactly 263.710 rubles. My flight ticket was $800 usd roundtrip. My visa i ended up paying about $500 usd for the whole process.
- Medem hospital is obvioulsy of way higher standards and i probly wouldve got better after care but for the time i was staying in russia i didnt feel like that would be a good investment afterall whichever clinic i wouldve picked i wouldve got the same surgery done by the same Drs.
- pick pocketting was my biggest fear. I had a little pouch that wrapped around the inside of my thigh under 2 pairs of pants so i felt a little safer that way.
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does DR Dr kulesh do LON with monorails for tibias? If he does, do you know how much does he charge?
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How is it goin? :D
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Updating here since Jim posted this elsewhere (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=5130.msg80514;topicseen#msg80514):
Im currently doing cross lengthening with dr kulesh and i just reached 3.5cm and ive been lengthening for about 35 days. I can be honest with you external femur is not the easiest but its managable. The first 2-3 weeks are gonna be extremely tough not because of the pain but the discomfort of the frame and not being able to sleep comfortable. I was only sleeping max 2 hours before i would have to wake up and stretch and finally go back to sleep. Overdozer managed to do 7.5cm on his femurs externally but me personlly i think i would only be able to reach 5cm tops just because im really tired of wearing the fixator although im only shooting for 4cm maybe 4.5cm. I already have my set date in a couple weeks to remove my fixator so well see how much more i can achieve by then.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/PwObh
Current xray update
Sorry for not updating guys just been really busy lately and not in the mood to post any updates as this whole process has been wearing me down. LL is deffinately not for the weak!
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https://imgur.com/gallery/PwObh (https://imgur.com/gallery/PwObh)
Current xray update
Sorry for not updating guys just been really busy lately and not in the mood to post any updates as this whole process has been wearing me down. LL is deffinately not for the weak!
Understandable. Looking good Jim, thanks for keeping us in the loop!
When do you go back to Russia?
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Hope you are getting better.How is the pain level on your femur? Is it something that can be controlled with painkiller? And is it difficult to lengthen your femur compared to your tibia?
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Hi Jim! First, many thanks for your valuable informations and comments, and happy recovery! Do you know that? Does Dr. Kulesh do LON with monorails for the femur and tibia lengthening? Does he do with any other modern internal methods, too? Good luck! :)
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They don't. Also Dr. Solomin does the nailing.
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Understandable. Looking good Jim, thanks for keeping us in the loop!
When do you go back to Russia?
Thank you! My flight is the 21st so in a couple days. Surgery will be a day or 2 after.
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Hope you are getting better.How is the pain level on your femur? Is it something that can be controlled with painkiller? And is it difficult to lengthen your femur compared to your tibia?
Pain level on femur is about 6/10 at night. During the day about a 4/10 but most of the pain was from me trying to bend my knee and stretch as the pins in that area really irritated my skin and most of the pain would be from the pinsites. I started getting really bad muscle contractions at around 2cm as i was instructed to lengthen 1.50 mm per day to avoid preconsolidation and thats when i would wake up in pain. I started using IcyHot Rub cream and bumped up my pain meds so that seemed to help alot at managing the pain. Im pretty sure with strong pain meds the pain would be way more tolerable. I am only taking acetomophine and nsaids.
The difference between lengthening my tibia vs my femur was that for my tibia i am having nerve pain in the front of my tibia which is like a constant numbing tingling feeling which is very irritating and also i started getting ankle stiffness once i hit 3cm but no pain from pinsites. Femurs most of pain is from the pinsites since theres way more soft tissue around those areas and muscle contractions from lengthening fast. Again pain would be more tolerable if i was on stronger pain meds but i decided to stay away from opiods.
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I am thinking about external femur. What do you think how much experience does Dr Kulesh have on that? By the way, are you doing LON on your femur or LATN?
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That's LON.
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There is higher risk of nail infection in LON method compared to LATN. But I don't understand why people mostly choose LON
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Jim's probably on a plane right now, hope he has a good flight.
There is higher risk of nail infection in LON method compared to LATN. But I don't understand why people mostly choose LON
I think more people choose LON because LATN involves more taxing surgeries, increasing initial recovery time. Many doctors offer LON but not LATN, so that'll skew the numbers (though Dr. Solomin / Dr. Kulesh does). LATN has advantages over LON like correction before nailing, so I'd go for LATN given the choice.
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I am thinking about external femur. What do you think how much experience does Dr Kulesh have on that? By the way, are you doing LON on your femur or LATN?
He has plenty of experience which is why i trusted him and ended up going thru with this surgery. Dr soloman is the one who does the nailing tho and hes has alot of experience also. Together i think they make a great team of surgeons. I am doing LON on the femur.
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I arrived to St petersburg Russia yesterday morning at around 10:30am. My surgeons assistant Roman was there to assist me and help me with my stuff from hospital to hotel. Plane ride was really exhausting. Its a nightmare to fly for 12+ hours and not be able to fully extend your legs with these frames on. I think i got like 2 hours of sleep the whole time so as soon as i got to the hotel i slept for id say atleast 15 hours. Best sleep ive had this whole ll journey haha.
Anyways in a couple hours Roman will be here to take me to the hospital where i will have consultation then xrays and then dr kulesh will set the hexapods for correction and then xrays again. I will be staying at the hospital after that. Again guys sorry for not keeping up with this diary on a daily basis from the beginning but if theres any questions you guys have ill be glad to answer them!
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Thanks for updating your diary) I talk to Dr Kulesh and Dr Solomin via mail. And it seems their both prices are the same. I want to do external femur and dr Kules said me thay it is better to do each leg separately othetwise it will be difficult. And I have question to you in terms of accommodation. What do You think should I stay in hospital during lengthening (it is very expensive) or I can rent room? If i rent room, I don't know who will change my bandage or come for phototherapy. I should go to hospital every time for those?
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Thanks for updating your diary) I talk to Dr Kulesh and Dr Solomin via mail. And it seems their both prices are the same. I want to do external femur and dr Kules said me thay it is better to do each leg separately othetwise it will be difficult. And I have question to you in terms of accommodation. What do You think should I stay in hospital during lengthening (it is very expensive) or I can rent room? If i rent room, I don't know who will change my bandage or come for phototherapy. I should go to hospital every time for those?
Yes i would suggest 1 femur + LON or LATN. After distraction lock in the nail and start the process with the second femur right after. Obviously itll take longer than you want but doing 2 femurs at a time will be rather umcomfortable honestly probably not doable since the frames are rather bulky and not comfortable. May i ask how much do you plan on lengthening on femur?
If i were you i would deffinately stay in hospital. They help you with using the restroom, cleaning yourself, and provide you with food. If you rent a room you will be all by yourself and it will be really hard. Who will bring you food or cook for you? I came home for dristraction but always had either my wife or sister prepare my food for the day and i would be alone and just use my wheelchair to move around and take the food out the refrigerator and heat it up and eat. You have to think about all those things. Saving money is good but at the end of the day you have to really plan how you will go about your day to day tasks is not easy well for me atleast it wasnt. You will be doing 1 femur at a time so it might be easier for you. I would suggest try to go about your day with 1 crutch on one side to get the feeling and see if your able to care for yourself.
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Staying in hospital really going to be expensive as they advise me to rent a house. But as u said,there should be someone to take care of me. I am thinking about 6,5 cm. I was thinking that dr Kulesh will be less expensive than dr Solomin. But I am surprised that prices are same. And I have one more question to you, is your ilizarov Apparatus full ring size? Or it doesn't have back side? Because Dr Kulesh told me that it is conventional
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Staying in hospital really going to be expensive as they advise me to rent a house. But as u said,there should be someone to take care of me. I am thinking about 6,5 cm. I was thinking that dr Kulesh will be less expensive than dr Solomin. But I am surprised that prices are same. And I have one more question to you, is your ilizarov Apparatus full ring size? Or it doesn't have back side? Because Dr Kulesh told me that it is conventional
6.5 is very doable but yes staying that long will be extremely expensive! Dr solomin had gave me a price for surgery at medem and visa help around 3 years ago and when i contacted dr kulesh last year he gave me a more reasonable price but surgery would be at st elizabeth hospital which is cheaper and i found my own visa company in my hometown. My apparatus is 2 full ring size at the lower part where distraction takes place and modified pieces at the top of my femur. Your able to sit but you have to sit either on the edge of chair or on a really squishy surface. Laying down on your back will be no problem as the frame doesnt get in the way.
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Where St Elizabhet is located? I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house. And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)
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Where St Elizabhet is located? I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house. And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)
Ulitsa Vavilovykh, д. 14, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 195257
eliz.spb.ru
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Ulitsa Vavilovykh, д. 14, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 195257
eliz.spb.ru
Thank you, I guess it was the one for local people, medem is designed mostly for foreigners,but price is affordable in elizabeth)
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I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house. And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)
I don't think Jim was suggesting bartering, but that staying at St. Elizabeth is cheaper compared to MEDEM.
You could stay at an apartment close to St. Elizabeth, which would be cheaper than either hospital. And if you ever have problems, just contact Dr. Kulesh as he'll be local. You'd be getting regular x-rays every week or two anyway.
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What do you think are bandage change, physiotherapy important, I mean they can be done by doctor or someone else? Or I can do them by myself?
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What do you think are bandage change, physiotherapy important, I mean they can be done by doctor or someone else? Or I can do them by myself?
You can definitely do the rebandages yourself. With physio, do a few sessions with a trainer. Once you know the routine, do them yourself. Did you email Dr. Kulesh? He can provide you a file that can answer most of your question here. When are you planning to do your LL with them? I will go there this coming summer.
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I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent. I am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money. Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month. So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives) to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me
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I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives) to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me
You could hire a caretaker to come once a week or as necessary, help clean and do laundry. Grocery stores deliver as well.
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I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent. I am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money. Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month. So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives) to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me
Around what month in the summer? I am thinking of coming back in 3 months hopefully if my bones consolidate fast and i regain my rom and just getting the second part of my cross lengthening done. We could probably rent a house and see if dr kulesh can help us find somebody to bring us food im sure we will save alot of money that way. Changing bandages is easy. I would do them myself or my wife would do them but its nothing you cant do alone.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.
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Around what month in the summer? I am thinking of coming back in 3 months hopefully if my bones consolidate fast and i regain my rom and just getting the second part of my cross lengthening done. We could probably rent a house and see if dr kulesh can help us find somebody to bring us food im sure we will save alot of money that way. Changing bandages is easy. I would do them myself or my wife would do them but its nothing you cant do alone.
Maybe after may, as my senmester in university will finish on that time. You are coming with yout wife or alone? I am not thinking about cross lengthening, I will have femur lengthening ( dr Kules said it is better to lengthen your femurs separately). As you said, renting a room with someone is really good opinion to save money
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https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.
Good luck in your correcttion process, how long does it take?
How long correction will take
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https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?
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Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?
No,there are pictures of his legs with installed hexapods
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Good luck in your correcttion process, how long does it take?
How long correction will take
I will be coming alone if i find a roomate and can hire a caregiver to atleast cook for me or bring me food daily. I plan on having my wheelchair and walker so itll be easier for me to move around by myself in the apartment. Yes doing each femur separate is better!
Correction takes 5 days so 3 more days and ill be done and ready for surgery hopefully.
The only reason i plan on staying in saint petersburg for next time is because of the plane ride. 14+ hours of being on a plane is horrible and after im done with this one i will no longer have a job so i will lose my healthcare benefits and my xrays will be really expensive so i figured i would just stay here and save money.
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Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?
There should be photos of my frames with hexapods. Try opening the link in new tab.
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I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent. I am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money. Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month. So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives) to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me
How about Airbnb where you live with a host (a private room)? Just ask the host to cook food for you or pay them to do that. Airbnb accommodations are pretty affordable based on my research so far. My current reservation is C$650 for 30 days. Although I will have someone with me during this time. For the next month(s), I will try to live alone and rely on online grocery/food shopping. Also, if you don't speak Russian, your stay at St. Elizabeth would suck anyway. And you gonna eat hospital food for 4 months? ??? That's even worse than LL. Lol.
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How about Airbnb where you live with a host (a private room)? Just ask the host to cook food for you or pay them to do that. Airbnb accommodations are pretty affordable based on my research so far. My current reservation is C$650 for 30 days. Although I will have someone with me during this time. For the next month(s), I will try to live alone and rely on online grocery/food shopping. Also, if you don't speak Russian, your stay at St. Elizabeth would suck anyway. And you gonna eat hospital food for 4 months? ??? That's even worse than LL. Lol.
I haven't heard about airbnb accommodation. I am just surprised that It costs 600$, does meal include? if not, are there any packages they offer for monthly meal? I can't speak Russian, just english( not very well), but my fathet can speak Russian, probably he will be with me there for 15 days
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I will be coming alone if i find a roomate and can hire a caregiver to atleast cook for me or bring me food daily. I plan on having my wheelchair and walker so itll be easier for me to move around by myself in the apartment. Yes doing each femur separate is better!
Correction takes 5 days so 3 more days and ill be done and ready for surgery hopefully.
The only reason i plan on staying in saint petersburg for next time is because of the plane ride. 14+ hours of being on a plane is horrible and after im done with this one i will no longer have a job so i will lose my healthcare benefits and my xrays will be really expensive so i figured i would just stay here and save money.
It should be really terrible to be on plane with frames for 14 hours. Do you know how much should you pay for caregiver monthly?
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I haven't heard about airbnb accommodation. I am just surprised that It costs 600$, does meal include? if not, are there any packages they offer for monthly meal? I can't speak Russian, just english( not very well), but my fathet can speak Russian, probably he will be with me there for 15 days
It doesn't include meals. You can just hire a cook/maid to bring you food every day. Or a few days before your surgery, stockpile grocery that will last you months. Delivery is pretty cheap anyway like C$5 for grocery. KFC does delivery for the same price. I am still looking for fast foods that offer delivery service. There's this one company (ginza project) that offers food delivery but mostly caters higher end restaurants.
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It doesn't include meals. You can just hire a cook/maid to bring you food every day. Or a few days before your surgery, stockpile grocery that will last you months. Delivery is pretty cheap anyway like C$5 for grocery. KFC does delivery for the same price. I am still looking for fast foods that offer delivery service. There's this one company (ginza project) that offers food delivery but mostly caters higher end restaurants.
Also there should be link for ordering meals in the file that Dr Kules sent. However, It was in russian language. I think finding caregiver would be cheaper
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There should be photos of my frames with hexapods. Try opening the link in new tab.
I've solved the issue,it was the fault of my crappy browser
Sorry man
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https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.
Hey man
Can you ask Dr kulesh why the reaming of you tibia is being done after lengthening instead of doing it at the first surgery?
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It should be really terrible to be on plane with frames for 14 hours. Do you know how much should you pay for caregiver monthly?
I read somewhere on dr solomans thread that its around $600 a month. I will ask dr kulesh tomorrow to verify.
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Hey man
Can you ask Dr kulesh why the reaming of you tibia is being done after lengthening instead of doing it at the first surgery?
At first i was going to do pure externals on tibia which is why i didnt have the rods inserted initially but now i have changed my mind. I have nomore knee pain from the rod that was inserted for my femur through my knee so im confident dr soloman will do a great job on my tibia as well. I should have done LON for both from the beginning but was scared to end up with 2 bad knees. Now i have to pay more for reaming and nail of tibia but having the frames removed sooner will be worth it. And i can go ahead and start with my second part of cross lengthening sooner also.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/i2QOv
Most recent xrays of my correction. Tibia is as straight as its going to get. Femur still has about a couple more corrections to go. Then i will lengthen 5mm just so i can end up with exactly 4cm after nailing and nailing surgery will be next.
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that tibia got really good regenerate even better than femur. At least it looks like this from the xray.
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that tibia got really good regenerate even better than femur. At least it looks like this from the xray.
It does. The femur has really good regenerate also just cant see in the long film xray. Im going to try and get the lat view of the femur to post it. It looks really nice also but the tibia is forsure better. No sign of malunion so im extremely happy!
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Good stuff Jim, when do you start part two (your opposite limbs)?
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Good stuff Jim, when do you start part two (your opposite limbs)?
Thanks Android! I was going to wait a year but now decided to go ahead and start as soon as my bones consolidate. So i say 3 months or so. Maybe sooner.
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It's not a regenerate on the tibia what you see in the long film but the half section of broken tibia due to stair-case like osteotomy. Take a look at his previous posted images with xrays following the surgery to know what I'm taking about.
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I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that you don't have good regenerate on tibia but it's not what people see on your long film. On your long film it's a half of your old bone. You can definitely see it what it is on lateral views in the case of the stair-case osteotomy, though. Everything looks good anyways.
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lol the comments on imgur from those random people are hilarious.
it's pretty much what happens when you try to explain LL to someone thats not in the LL community
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Exactly why it's pointless to explain in the first place. And I dont know if you know the forum page called bodybuildingforums but it's complete cancer :D
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May I know how much does it cost to install nails on the tibia?
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your frames look super cool in those pics. I'm currently doing LL in Volgograd Russia with Dr. Barinov. Almost done lengthening. Enjoying your diary and wish you good health.
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lol the comments on imgur from those random people are hilarious.
it's pretty much what happens when you try to explain LL to someone thats not in the LL community
Yep, I can't help myself but to read those Imgur comments. Granted, not many imagine that this is voluntary surgery.
Exactly why it's pointless to explain in the first place. And I dont know if you know the forum page called bodybuildingforums but it's complete cancer :D
I've seen a post there with a person who knew very little about CLL, but more than the others. He basically enlightened everyone there that doctors will continuously break your bones over and over; made LL sound painless in comparison.
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May I know how much does it cost to install nails on the tibia?
It all varies on different factors. What hospital you choose. Type of nails used and how many days youll be in hospital. Here is dr kulesh estimates.
Second surgery:
We recommend:
in private clinic - 296.000 (LATN – second step)
+ cost of 2 nails:
110.000x2 = 220.000 (Chinese nails)
130.000x2 = 260.000 (American nails)
+ 3 days in clinic:
8.532x3=25.596 (double room)
11.340x3=34.020 (single room)
19.872x3=59.616 (lux room)
OR
in private clinic - 137.000 (LON – second step)
+ 2 days in clinic:
8.532x2=17.064 (double room)
11.340x2=22.680 (single room)
19.872x2=39.744 (lux room)
We consider admissible:
in municipal clinic – 148.000 (LATN – second step)
(without visa – 240.000)
+ cost of 2 nails:
23.000x2 = 46.000 (Russian nails)
57.500x2 = 115.000 (American nails)
+ 3 days in clinic:
4.400x3=13.200 (single room)
4.700 x3=14.100 (lux room)
OR
in municipal clinic – 73.000 (LON – second step)
(without visa – 163.000)
+ 2 days in clinic:
4.400x2=8.800 (single room)
4.700 x2=9.400 (lux room)
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How hard were the trips between Russia and the US after your first surgery?
Thanks, man.
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How hard were the trips between Russia and the US after your first surgery?
Thanks, man.
The trip after my surgery was really painful. 14 hours in a plane with frames and just a week after surgery is not easy. I was lucky enough that the 10 hours from Moscow to NewYork the plane was not full so i actually had a full 3 seats to myself but even then i was still in pain constantly having to move positions and stretch. On the way back to Russia for frame removal i thought i would be better but again its really uncomfortable because of the femur frame. I think if it was just tibias it would be a lot easier. Im actually leaving Russia as we speak. No frames on tho but i just had them removed friday so its not even a week so im still sore. I paid extra for the premium economy seat on the 10hour flight so hopefully its not so bad. I will give everyone an update of how everything went when i arrive home.
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yeah man , it would be awesome to see some xrays. anyway im glad youre ok.
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hey guys
new here and very confused
i'm thinking about LL for a while and don't know really how you guys chose your Dr, i'v sent message to a few Dr and they never got back back to me
I don't have money to do it with Paley so my options are limited to the cheapest,
Also nobody talks about taking such a long time off from work, i still don't know how long i should take my time off from work and how i can do that , since i can't talk about what i'm doing to anybody
my budget is limited
do you guys know how i can talk to Dr Solomin or other Russian Dr? i just wanna arrange a consultation fly to Russia from Canada and then do it!!
I'm thinking about 3inch 7.5 to 8 on my femur
It's a big decision because i do martial art and i got flexible legs, Split, not a problem and i know after all these im gonna loose it all!!'but i have made my mind!!
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i'm thinking about LL for a while and don't know really how you guys chose your Dr, i'v sent message to a few Dr and they never got back back to me
Also nobody talks about taking such a long time off from work, i still don't know how long i should take my time off from work and how i can do that , since i can't talk about what i'm doing to anybody
Make sure you're sending your inquiries to the right addresses. Email both at same time, but expect only Dr. Kulesh to respond:
kulesh_pavel@mail.ru
solomin.leonid@gmail.com
About taking time off, I'm going to just quit my job, staying wherever the clinic is to make recovery as easy and safe as possible. Look around the forums and you'll see this mentioned by others too, like Purushrottam (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=4823.msg76619#msg76619). Some take a month or more off in the form of a sabbatical, don't expect to do that unless you've been with a company for a while. And if you're doing external femurs, you're really going to regret having to work.
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thank you very much Android, i appreciate that
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Hey Jim_dabarber so you went back to for lengthening phase? are you visiting local orthopedic doctor? how are you doing now?
Did you take time off from work ?
hope everything is ok
I'm thinking about flying back to my country after done the LON surgery and go back to work during the lengthening phase, in that case i need to get a referral from my family doctor and find a orthopedic doctor for check ups, it's not easy! it seems risky.
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Hey frost,
how wide is your frame, can you sort of cover it with pants?
And how much mobility you have during distraction? Do you think you can drive a car?
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Hey Jim_dabarber so you went back to for lengthening phase? are you visiting local orthopedic doctor? how are you doing now?
Did you take time off from work ?
hope everything is ok
I'm thinking about flying back to my country after done the LON surgery and go back to work during the lengthening phase, in that case i need to get a referral from my family doctor and find a orthopedic doctor for check ups, it's not easy! it seems risky.
Yes for the lengthening phase i came home and then returned to Russia for correction and frame removal. Im doing way better now than i was after coming back. I had to distract 1cm extra in Russia as doing LATN on my tibia i was going to lose height gained and i had to compensate for that. In doing so i lengthened to fast and developed ballerina foot. Im currently working hard on stretching everyday to get rid of it and its pregressing but very slowely. I also got nerve damage so sleeping has been terrible as the pain increases at night. I had nerve conduction tests done last week and next week i go in for the results. Hopefully its nothing serious. Yes i been out of work since nov 26. Working would be impossible for me as the job i did involved me on my feet and carrying heavy stuff all day.
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30 days post frame removal and im still having pain. Mainly because of nerve damage and ballerina foot. Im finally able to put my foot at a 90 degree angle but the pain from stretching my calf and achilles is really painful. Even worse than the lengthening itself from LL. Dorsiflexion is terrible. Im praying that things get better soon. Although im sure that once im fully consolidated and walking around that ill see results way faster. My femur is doing really good actually. No pain at all only when i work on my knee rom but thats because of tight quads but ive managed to get my knee rom to about a 120 degrees which is a great improvement from 60 degrees after frame removal. Another month and im confident ill regain my full range of motion. Ill attach some xrays that were taken 10 days ago.
https://imgur.com/gallery/D2K7B
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Sorry to hear about the nerve injury, most likely related to the lengthening too fast. Hope that the test results are in your favor.
By the way, which nails (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=5016.msg81230;topicseen#msg81230) did you decide to go with?
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Sorry to hear about the nerve injury, most likely related to the lengthening too fast. Hope that the test results are in your favor.
By the way, which nails (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=5016.msg81230;topicseen#msg81230) did you decide to go with?
Thanks android. Yes hopefully i get good news! I went with the russian nails.
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Hey Jim_dabarber, I hope you are feeling better now,
Did you break any pin during distraction or did you have any infection?
Breaking pin is one thing I'm worry about,
Do you think the doctor you visited there in US can replace it? Are they familiar with Illizarov?
How did you take time off from work?
Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Hey Jim_dabarber, I hope you are feeling better now,
Did you break any pin during distraction or did you have any infection?
Breaking pin is one thing I'm worry about,
Do you think the doctor you visited there in US can replace it? Are they familiar with Illizarov?
How did you take time off from work?
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Im doing much better thanks! Ballerina is the only issue now just slowly getting better.
No i didnt break any pins during distraction. I had mostly bolts and a couple pins so my frames were really stable. Yes i had pin site infection twice but i took antiobiotics and it resolved quickly.
Yes my orthopedic couldve replaced them if needed. They are familiar with ilizarov just the frames they use are different than the one dr kulesh used.
I have FMLA which lets me take 3 months off work a year if im not able to work and then i have LOng Term Disability which kicked in after the 3 months of fmla. So right now im actually on Long Term Disability leave.
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By the way, I searched far and wide on this forum and the old one, but I believe you're going to be the first person 165cm and over to do less than 5cm in a segment, much less both of them. I'm really looking forward to see how good your recovery is going to be two years from now.
All the cases I've seen of <5cm were in shorter people who had trouble with lengthening more than that.
Everyone who undergoes LL tries going for the most they can, for obvious reasons, but since there's so few cases of people doing smaller amounts, we can't know for sure if it isn't much better.
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Hi man, important things first: thanks a lot for your diary. A lot of fresh and very useful informations. It's nice to feel in a sort of mini guys family who share these very bad, and often overwhelming feelings. Most people will say to you JUST learn to accept yourself, but only short people know how it feels going over every day comments about your height, as if for us it's a joke, an easy thing, or anything to make constantly jokes about. Now I would want to ask to you: you've spent in st petersburg a bit of time at this point, on a purely yours personal estimation, how much do you think it would cost 1) to do a cross lateral lengthening, in st elizabeth, (all surgeries related costs) and 2) rent a house once you're able to with people cooking and taking care of you for the whole process? And how long would it take at its fastest yet properly done? I plan to do the same things as you did, I'm 21 and started working one month ago, if everything goes well I should be able to afford it in 1-2 years :) 23 would still be a decent age I suppose... wish you all the best my friend, looking forward to hearing from you. Take care!!
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I know its been a while since ive updated and im sorry i just dont really have anything new to say. Im waiting for my bones to fully consolidate. After frame removal bone consolidation slowed down in my tibia. Maybe since i had the rod inserted that must of had something to do with it but its slowly healing again. Balerina is gone. I can walk with my feet flat on the ground again. I feel pain at the front of my shin when walking fast but doctor thinks its because of the screws from the rod where left not flush with the bone so when i flex my foot to take a step they rub on the soft tissue and thats whats causing the pain. I still have nerve pain but its slowly getting better. I take 400mg of gabapentin at night so i can sleep during the day its not really an issue. Next xrays will be taken may 18 so hopefully the bones are fully healed by then so they can remove the bottom screws and hopefully the pain will go away.
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By the way, I searched far and wide on this forum and the old one, but I believe you're going to be the first person 165cm and over to do less than 5cm in a segment, much less both of them. I'm really looking forward to see how good your recovery is going to be two years from now.
All the cases I've seen of <5cm were in shorter people who had trouble with lengthening more than that.
Everyone who undergoes LL tries going for the most they can, for obvious reasons, but since there's so few cases of people doing smaller amounts, we can't know for sure if it isn't much better.
Im really hoping that my decision to do less in each segment greatly benefits me in the long run. I will definately keep you guys posted through my journey and after also. Hopefully this helps future lengtheners as well.
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Hi man, important things first: thanks a lot for your diary. A lot of fresh and very useful informations. It's nice to feel in a sort of mini guys family who share these very bad, and often overwhelming feelings. Most people will say to you JUST learn to accept yourself, but only short people know how it feels going over every day comments about your height, as if for us it's a joke, an easy thing, or anything to make constantly jokes about. Now I would want to ask to you: you've spent in st petersburg a bit of time at this point, on a purely yours personal estimation, how much do you think it would cost 1) to do a cross lateral lengthening, in st elizabeth, (all surgeries related costs) and 2) rent a house once you're able to with people cooking and taking care of you for the whole process? And how long would it take at its fastest yet properly done? I plan to do the same things as you did, I'm 21 and started working one month ago, if everything goes well I should be able to afford it in 1-2 years :) 23 would still be a decent age I suppose... wish you all the best my friend, looking forward to hearing from you. Take care!!
1. All surgeries around $18000 for all 4 segments if your doing lon and that includes about 5 days hospital stay per surgery.
2. You can rent an 1 bedroom apartment for around $800 usd a month maybe cheaper. Im not sure about caregiver you would have to ask dr kulesh about that but i do know that they can deliver months worth of food for around $600 a month. The whole process would take around 1 year so honestly it can get very expensive if you are trying to stay in st petersburg the whole lengthening and consolidation.
I wanted to do each section back to back but dr kulesh refused to do it. He insisted i take a 4-6 month break in between just so my body could recover and also i went from 145 pounds to 110 pounds in just 2 months so he wanted me to regain most of my weight back for health reasons. I was in the hospital for around 20 days and thats when i lost most of my weight. The food they give you is just not enough calories that your body needs especially when dealing with 2 broken bones.
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Glad to hear that your complications are either minor or going away.
To combat unwanted weight loss, maybe you can take bulking supplements like this one (http://a.co/azi8ywS).
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Oh, I didnt realise that he insited on surgeries back to back. So I guess if you were to lengthen the femur then he would require you to take a long break begore the next surgery?
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Oh, I didnt realise that he insited on surgeries back to back. So I guess if you were to lengthen the femur then he would require you to take a long break begore the next surgery?
Dr Kulesh /Solomin don't recommend and let you to lengthen both femur at the same time because it is too uncomfortable having 2 big frames around your femur.
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Dr Kulesh /Solomin don't recommend and let you to lengthen both femur at the same time because it is too uncomfortable having 2 big frames around your femur.
Yep, bilateral femurs should be avoided for externals. Funny anecdote in Overdozer's diary (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=1671.msg36731;topicseen#msg36731):
Dr. Kulesh actually had a patient who lengthened 5-6 cm bilaterally on femurs from Germany. I think he was talking about how fun it is taking a crap while standing? Not sure.
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I thought what jim said was that they dont let you lengthen tibia straight after femurs for at least 6 months?
I plan on lengthening only femur both at the same time with LON. Sure externals will be but then Ill have the nail so...
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I thought what jim said was that they dont let you lengthen tibia straight after femurs for at least 6 months?
I plan on lengthening only femur both at the same time with LON. Sure externals will be but then Ill have the nail so...
Believe me it is impossible to have 2 bulky frames around your femur, just look at the frame that Jim shared. How will you sit or sleep with that frame on both your legs? I was also thinking LON femur (both femur) on May. But Dr Kulesh advised me to do unilateral femur lengthening with Latn method. So, i will try to follow what he said. But I may choose LON method instead of LATN
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I thought what jim said was that they dont let you lengthen tibia straight after femurs for at least 6 months?
I plan on lengthening only femur both at the same time with LON. Sure externals will be but then Ill have the nail so...
Jim finished lengthening his left tibia and right femur. He wanted to get frames on the opposite pair of limbs right after lengthening, but the doctor made him wait 4 to 6 months for consolidation (and getting weight back up) before doing so. Hopefully that's more clear.
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My problem is that I have little amount of time to lengthen(7 months) and my tibia is already long...
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My problem is that I have little amount of time to lengthen(7 months) and my tibia is already long...
I can understand you mate, i have also limited time as I will withdrawal from University for one year. I searched many doctors doing external femur but they are not good as Dr kulesh/Solomin. I also would like to do both femur at the same time. It is easier said that done. But it seems so difficult. Even Overdozer described that having frame on one femur is hell because of its discomfort.
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Limited time, budget and also with quad lengthening if I decide that Im satisfied with say 7cm then I will still need another LL to make my legs look even. On top of all that in my case I want to lengthen the femurs because mine are short as they are so they my body will look better not worse, plus the femurs can handle more lengthening than the tibia as I have read on these forums. Faster healing, ect.
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I would advise you to do one femur, then after 2 weeks or 1 month of operation, you can think whether you can manage second operation or not. If you are okay, you can have second surgery on your another femur after 2 weeks of your first operation . So there will be 2 weeks gap between your first and second surgery . Main advantages is that It will help to reduce embolism risk + when you have second surgery, pain on your operated leg will be decreasing
Your starting height is good enough compared to me, I think 7cm femur lengthening will make you get rid of height complex.
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Would the cost of these 2 seperate operations be more than only 1 operation?
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Would the cost of these 2 seperate operations be more than only 1 operation?
I think yes, but it will not be too much
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Let us know if you guys e-mail Dr. Kulesh about this and he replies.
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I already emailed him about doing 2 lengthenings one after another during the consolidation period after the first lengthening and he just asked me about where I wanted to stay, and my visa, ect. He never said anything about me not being aloud to do this or he doesnt recommend it or anything. This is why I was suprised that he asked Jim for a 7 month break in between.
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I already emailed him about doing 2 lengthenings one after another during the consolidation period after the first lengthening and he just asked me about where I wanted to stay, and my visa, ect. He never said anything about me not being aloud to do this or he doesnt recommend it or anything. This is why I was suprised that he asked Jim for a 7 month break in between.
He asked me to take 4-6 month break because of the condition i was in. I had lost about 30 pounds in 50 days and was so skinny that i was practically nothing but bones plus i had ballarina all this made him not want to operate me. He was just looking out for my health. Trust me he will definately not let you do 2 femurs at a time. He refuses to because of how bulky the frames are. Especially for 7cm you will not reach your goal because of the pain and discomfort youll be in. He will however let you do one femur then after lengthening lock the nail and remove the frame and install the next femur frame and lengthen and then lock that nail and remove the frame. Youll be able to do it this way in 7 months forsure. Just make sure you eat alot while lengthening and work on your rom so youll be ready for both operations. I was eating the same while lengthening as before LL and now iknow that your body requires way more calories while trying to heal broken bones.
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I get what you mean Jim. Did he mention anything about price discounts or mabey even financing?
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He asked me to take 4-6 month break because of the condition i was in. I had lost about 30 pounds in 50 days and was so skinny that i was practically nothing but bones plus i had ballarina all this made him not want to operate me. He was just looking out for my health. Trust me he will definately not let you do 2 femurs at a time. He refuses to because of how bulky the frames are. Especially for 7cm you will not reach your goal because of the pain and discomfort youll be in. He will however let you do one femur then after lengthening lock the nail and remove the frame and install the next femur frame and lengthen and then lock that nail and remove the frame. Youll be able to do it this way in 7 months forsure. Just make sure you eat alot while lengthening and work on your rom so youll be ready for both operations. I was eating the same while lengthening as before LL and now iknow that your body requires way more calories while trying to heal broken bones.
Why don't dr Kulesh prefer LON as it avoids misalignment during lengthening period and doesn't require second big surgery to insert nail. He said me that latn gives more stability. But i think the second surgery will take time again to recover from pain
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Why don't dr Kulesh prefer LON as it avoids misalignment during lengthening period and doesn't require second big surgery to insert nail. He said me that latn gives more stability. But i think the second surgery will take time again to recover from pain
There was a discussion about this recently in another thread (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=5387.msg84341#msg84341), comparing LON with LATN.
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There was a discussion about this recently in another thread (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=5387.msg84341#msg84341), comparing LON with LATN.
Yes, I looked at that discussion before. But I would still prefer LON even though it has more risk of infection compared to LATN. For example, if someone lengthens each femur separately, imagine that after lengthening period when inserting nail , there will be 0,6 cm height loss on first femur, and 0,2 cm height loss on second femur. is there any possibilities for that? However,there will not be height loss with Lon method I think.
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I get what you mean Jim. Did he mention anything about price discounts or mabey even financing?
No he doesnt offer discounts or financing. You pay completely hospital fee, surgery fee, nail priceand everything that has to do with first step of surgery in rubles and then you pay for locking of nail and frame removal, hospital fees once your done lengthening before the second surgery. So its not all at once. He breaks it down for you but he doesnt finance.
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Why don't dr Kulesh prefer LON as it avoids misalignment during lengthening period and doesn't require second big surgery to insert nail. He said me that latn gives more stability. But i think the second surgery will take time again to recover from pain
Lon doesnt prevent misalignment. It can still happen. It happened to me on my femur. If you look closely at my initial xrays right after surgery my femur bone was misaligned because of my muscles pulling it out of alignment. He corrected it as much as he could before locking the nail but because the nail was already in my canal he couldnt align it perfectly as there was a risk of fracturing my bone since the nail was pressing again the canal in some spots already. With latn its way easier to get perfect alignment as theres nothing in the canal that will risk fracturing the bone. Your right tho, latn causes alot of pain after again and it took me about a month for the swelling and numbness to go away from my tibia. Id rather have all that pain 1 time then have to go through it twice like i did.
For my second step in cross lengthening im doing lon on my femur and just external on my tibia. As much as i hate having the frame on my tibia i really do not want to open up my right knee again and with that frame on my tibia it will be full weightbearing so ill be able to do more stuff on my own plus ill have less scars. The scars from the screws to lock the nail are not healing so well and i really dont want that many scars on my other tibia.
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Yes, I looked at that discussion before. But I would still prefer LON even though it has more risk of infection compared to LATN. For example, if someone lengthens each femur separately, imagine that after lengthening period when inserting nail , there will be 0,6 cm height loss on first femur, and 0,2 cm height loss on second femur. is there any possibilities for that? However,there will not be height loss with Lon method I think.
Im not sure how dr kulesh and dr solomin did it but they were able to make sure my tibia was at 4cm (3.9cm in some spots and 4.1 in some spots) but for the most part it was right at 4cm so i dont think you should be worried about that much difference. You should ask him tho. And your right with lon theres no height loss after nailing.
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Lon doesnt prevent misalignment. It can still happen. It happened to me on my femur. If you look closely at my initial xrays right after surgery my femur bone was misaligned because of my muscles pulling it out of alignment. He corrected it as much as he could before locking the nail but because the nail was already in my canal he couldnt align it perfectly as there was a risk of fracturing my bone since the nail was pressing again the canal in some spots already. With latn its way easier to get perfect alignment as theres nothing in the canal that will risk fracturing the bone. Your right tho, latn causes alot of pain after again and it took me about a month for the swelling and numbness to go away from my tibia. Id rather have all that pain 1 time then have to go through it twice like i did.
For my second step in cross lengthening im doing lon on my femur and just external on my tibia. As much as i hate having the frame on my tibia i really do not want to open up my right knee again and with that frame on my tibia it will be full weightbearing so ill be able to do more stuff on my own plus ill have less scars. The scars from the screws to lock the nail are not healing so well and i really dont want that many scars on my other tibia.
So as far as I understood, Latn gives more alignment, why will you prefer Lon? Because of pain? I think if I choose Lon, i should rent a house in order to be under the control of doctor. But surely expenses will increase
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So as far as I understood, Latn gives more alignment, why will you prefer Lon? Because of pain? I think if I choose Lon, i should rent a house in order to be under the control of doctor. But surely expenses will increase
Yes latn gives more alignment. Yes i would prefer lon because of the pain and also with lon right after locking in the nail you can start pt right away and start weightbearing with crutches ofcourse and speed up your bone consolidation. With latn you will be sore and really swelling up so youll have to rest a couple weeks. Also the price. Latn is more expensive than lon. You dont need to rent a house just a one bedroom apartment. For me i calculated it to be around $600 a month and i would have to be there atleast 3 months so thats $1800. My plane tickets were $1600 so in reality i only saved about $200 and i risked getting a blood clot on the plane and it was probably the most uncomfortable part of my journey. Im actually planning on staying in st petersburg for the lengthening process this time in june.
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Yes latn gives more alignment. Yes i would prefer lon because of the pain and also with lon right after locking in the nail you can start pt right away and start weightbearing with crutches ofcourse and speed up your bone consolidation. With latn you will be sore and really swelling up so youll have to rest a couple weeks. Also the price. Latn is more expensive than lon. You dont need to rent a house just a one bedroom apartment. For me i calculated it to be around $600 a month and i would have to be there atleast 3 months so thats $1800. My plane tickets were $1600 so in reality i only saved about $200 and i risked getting a blood clot on the plane and it was probably the most uncomfortable part of my journey. Im actually planning on staying in st petersburg for the lengthening process this time in june.
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Any news bro?hope everything's smooth
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Any news bro?hope everything's smooth
Everything is going great actually! Im practically back to my normal self as far as walking. I still have the bottom screws irritating me on my tibia if i try to walk fast but besides that no pain as long as im walking at a normal pace. Im actually heading back to Russia in a couple weeks and planning on staying over there for the whole lengthening period and coming back after frame removal. Rented an airbnb for 2 months and it was only $600 usd. Im excited to get this over with already.
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Hi, thank you for all the information. Im convinced for Russia now mainly because of budget and experienced doctor.
I just have one concern. How bad are the scars? I will go for cross lengthening?
Are the scars really bad after frame removal? Do the doctor mention that they know a plastic surgeon and can be revised ?
Are scars worse on tibia or femur ?
Can you possibly share a picture?
Greatly appreciate it.
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I have been following your comments because I will go to St. Petersburg in September. Any tips or comments about the AirBNB process? Not real comfortable about ponying up a month's (or 3 months) rent in advance.
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Do you know what the price is? And how are you guys getting your visas
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Do you know what the price is? And how are you guys getting your visas
You should contact with Dr Kulesh in order to get detailed information about price. (kulesh_pavel@mail.ru)
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I contacted Solomin who told me to contact Kulesh who told me this exactly
"I don't think, if it's possible
unfortunately, at present time clinics don't provide visa support
best regards, dr kulesh"
after I asked
"So i need an invitation from the doctor to apply for the visa? Thanks"
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I contacted Solomin who told me to contact Kulesh who told me this exactly
"I don't think, if it's possible
unfortunately, at present time clinics don't provide visa support
best regards, dr kulesh"
after I asked
"So i need an invitation from the doctor to apply for the visa? Thanks"
As far as I know, only private clinic offers visa support. You can also checek pope's diary, he has written about how he was able to get visa support
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Hi, thank you for all the information. Im convinced for Russia now mainly because of budget and experienced doctor.
I just have one concern. How bad are the scars? I will go for cross lengthening?
Are the scars really bad after frame removal? Do the doctor mention that they know a plastic surgeon and can be revised ?
Are scars worse on tibia or femur ?
Can you possibly share a picture?
Greatly appreciate it.
I have way more scars on tibia because of the IM nail screws. If you are worried about scars i would do pure external on tibias but ofcourse for me they arent that bad. They have been fading away with time. Immediately after frame removal i hated them but now they arent as noticeable to me. The scars on femur are worse as they are indented but are easily covered by my clothes and even boxers. Im sure you can get the scars removed but that would be really expensive. Probably more expensive than the LL surgery itself lol. I never asked Dr kulesh as scars wasnt what i was worried about.
I took some photos so you could see for yourself.
https://imgur.com/gallery/vmyKDrD
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I have way more scars on tibia because of the IM nail screws. If you are worried about scars i would do pure external on tibias but ofcourse for me they arent that bad. They have been fading away with time. Immediately after frame removal i hated them but now they arent as noticeable to me. The scars on femur are worse as they are indented but are easily covered by my clothes and even boxers. Im sure you can get the scars removed but that would be really expensive. Probably more expensive than the LL surgery itself lol. I never asked Dr kulesh as scars wasnt what i was worried about.
I took some photos so you could see for yourself.
https://imgur.com/gallery/vmyKDrD
Scars on the tibia don't look noticeable to me. But on the femur, they look bigger I heard that Dr kulesh offers scar removal surgery
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I have been following your comments because I will go to St. Petersburg in September. Any tips or comments about the AirBNB process? Not real comfortable about ponying up a month's (or 3 months) rent in advance.
Im not really sure about how its going to go with the Airbnb that Pope and I got together. He dealt with that part you can ask him. Im arriving on the 28th and meeting up with the owner and everything seems legit. Ive never had a problem with Airbnb in the states but in Russia ive never tried it. Hopefully it goes smoothly as well.
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Scars on the tibia don't look noticeable to me. But on the femur, they look bigger. Have you talked about scar removal surgery with Dr Kulesh? Can they be treated with that surery? I heard that he also offers scar removal surgery
They arent as noticeable but i do have way more and are hard to hide with shorts. I havent talked to Dr kulesh about them but i will before the next surgery. I just havent been worried about the scars as most of them will be re-opened when i get the IM nails removed in a year. Ill be sure to bring it up when i see him again to have an idea on the cost and if he offers that procedure and i will be sure to post it on here.
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Do you know what the price is? And how are you guys getting your visas
The price for visa was around $500 for a 3 year visa. Pope and i used the same online visa support. They offer invitation letter and will even fill out the whole process for you for additional cost. Its really easy. http://www.russia-travel.com/visa-services/russian-visa/
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They arent as noticeable but i do have way more and are hard to hide with shorts. I havent talked to Dr kulesh about them but i will before the next surgery. I just havent been worried about the scars as most of them will be re-opened when i get the IM nails removed in a year. Ill be sure to bring it up when i see him again to have an idea on the cost and if he offers that procedure and i will be sure to post it on here.
Okay, I don't think that scar revision surgery is more expensive than LL and especially in russia with dr kulesh, it shouldn't be so expensive. I will also ask him when I visit russia
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2nd Step of Cross Lengthening
Arrival
I booked my flight and arrived to Russia on June 28. As soon as i landed i went straight to Beeline. Forget about getting around Russia without internet. Email is all the doctors use and then WhatsApp and of course the mighty Uber! I got in contact with the AirBnb landlord that Pope and i had booked and headed to the place. The flight had really drained me out so i decided to take a nap. Worst idea. Slept through the whole rest of the day. Realized i wasn’t going to have time to go exchange my money and go to the consultation so i sent Dr Kulesh an email apologizing and thankfully he said i could go the next day. I then went to a hotel that Pope recommended (refer to his diary for info) to do my registration as AirBnb doesn’t do that for you and i would need that for the bank in order to exchange the money. They told me i wouldnt be able to pick it up until 1pm the next day. I went home rested till the next morning.
I woke up the next day really early as i had to exchange the money. I called to see if i could pick up the registration early and nobody would pick up. I took my chances and arrived around 12pm and thankfully it was. It took me about 2-3 hours to finally find a place that would exchange the $6000 that i had into rubles. Every bank i tried would have a limit of $300-$500. Eventually a bank teller was nice enough to tell me id have better luck looking for an exchange center instead of a bank and of course they were right. Btw they didnt even ask for my registration. I was in and out in 10 minutes and i even got a better exchange rate than the banks so if you guys are trying to exchange money i would recommend an exchange center instead of a bank. I headed to Mcdonalds and then i was off to the consultation. The visiting hours at St Elizabeth during the summer are something like 5pm-7pm really stupid so trying to get in was nearly impossible. The security knew no english and didn’t even want to communicate through the translating app. I couldn’t get a hold of Dr Kulesh so i asked Pope if he could tell him i was in the lobby trying to get in. Took a while but finally i see Dr Kulesh walking towards me and man was i glad to see him. We tried going in and of course security guard would still not let me in even with him. Dr Kulesh had to sneak me in through another building and we walked for about 10 minutes going up and down stairs. Something that just 4 months post op was actually doable for me thank god! Even Dr Kulesh was impressed. He kept looking back to see if i was still behind him. We finally get to the consult room and literally in 5 minutes we were done. Explained what was going to be done. 5cm LATN on femur and 4cm LATN on tibia. Pope had a different setup than me on the femur and i asked to keep my old setup as it worked perfectly for me hence my quick recovery. Consultation was done and i headed to the famous Popes room. I brought him Mcdonalds and greeted him. One crazy dude! Bilateral external femurs. Man i cant imagine how hard that must be. Talked for about 30 minutes and i headed back to my apartment as i was to be at Medem by 7am for surgery.
Surgery Day
June 30th. Arrived at Medem clinic at 7am and waited in the lobby till my appointment at 7:30am. I was taken to my room and asked to undress and put on a gown. Tests were done and i was ready for surgery. Even though i had already done this once i was honestly still nervous. Having to go through this once is hard enough but to put yourself through it twice is just madness. I was given general anesthesia and i was out.
Nightmare
Woke up to extreme pain! Asked for painkiller and it quickly went down but had to vomit a couple times. Moved me into my own room. 3 days later i realized why i was in so much pain. My femur setup was nothing like last time. In fact i had 2 clamps gripping onto my broken femur.
X-RAYs
https://imgur.com/gallery/QerBMFy
I was devastated and immediately asked for explanations. Dr Kulesh explained that the method was changed as the clamps make nail insertion for LATN much easier as theres nothing penetrating through the bone so the nail can just slide in. Makes sense but man were these clamps hurting. I wasn’t able to stand up until the 5th day as opposed to the 3rd day of my 1st step but i was confident i could get through this.
July 5th -13th
These days weren’t easy for me at all. The pain had started to come down on the 6th but then i started lengthening on the 7th and pain shot right back up. I was doing 1.25mm on tibia and 1.50mm on the femur. I had 2 re-bandages in between these days. First 1 by Dr Kulesh and the next by the doctor here at the hospital. Not a good experience. First he rushed through my re-bandages and then after he back up into my femur leg that btw can only bend about 35 degrees so its always pretty much straight. Cursed at him real good and got him to calm down and be more careful. It worked! He apologized and took me back to my room.
July 14th - 29th
Days were just the same. Dr Kulesh would be out of town until July 30th so i was basically left under the care of the hospital staff. I would lengthen stretch eat and i would save the sleeping for the night. I was actually getting a good 6 hours of sleep every night thanks to my lucky Zzzquil that i brought from home. Highly recommend it! I would wake up about 2-3 times at night in pain but stretching would help and if it didn’t i would ask for painkiller and i would fall back asleep. Second X-rays we’re taken on July 17.
X-RAYs
https://imgur.com/gallery/3gwPBxc
I was starting to get nerve pain on the tibia after i started lengthening the tibia 1.50mm. Luckily i had some Gabapentin that i brought from home and it helped. I started running out so i asked to see the neurologist so i could get more medicine. Took about 2 days and he came in and prescribed me Lyrica. 150mg twice a day once at night and one in the morning. The pain on my femur was getting really bad. Id say about 5-10 constant pain and 8-10 pain at night. I got about 3 hours of sleep two nights in a row and finally i asked to see the doctor here. It took about 4 different doctors all telling me that everything was normal but if it was normal why am i in so much pain? Compared to the first step i had previously done i felt like i was being tortured 24/7. Finally another came in and i explained to him my pain and that the painkillers were not working anymore. The next day before re-bandaging he came in with a Fentanyl patch. A few hours later the pain was gone. Amazing! I felt so relieved. The next 3 days were so easy. Slept for hours and i did get nauseous a few times but asked for medicine and felt better right away. Sadly after the third day they took the patch off and i was back on regular pain relievers. Although the pain was much less now for some reason. Staying in Russia i felt like i would be better off staying close to my doctor as opposed to last time that i went home. This time i felt abandoned. Dr Kulesh was gone and i was left alone with doctors who hadn’t even operated on me. Ended up regretting not flying back home.
July 30th - Aug 9th
Dr Kulesh was finally back and i felt so much better knowing someone who actually operated on me would be able to tell me that everything is going good. He confirmed it July 31st when he came and looked at me and took the 3rd set of x-rays.
X-RAYs
https://imgur.com/gallery/QFqQVQk
At this point im at 35mm on the tibia and 35mm on the femur. Almost there. I had the hexapods put on Aug 5th and started corrections in hopes of getting these frames off Aug 10th. Unfortunately because my initial payment was late the surgery had to be moved to Aug 17th. Mu wife tried sending Dr Kulesh the money through Western Union and it got rejected. She tried a wire transfer and it got rejected also because the VO code was not right. Dr Kulesh gave me another VO code and my wife tried again but the wire transfer would take 3 days to get through and if it got rejected i would miss my cut off date so i asked my wife to leave the wire transfer but send the initial payment straight to me through western union. Theres no way that could go wrong right? Wrong! Aug 6th gets here and I’m supposed to be getting transferred to St Elizabeth so i pack all my stuff and ask Dr Nikita if we can stop by Western Union to pick up the money. So here i go in a wheel-bed and two guys pushing me into Western Union. Funniest situation ever! So I’m there for about 2 hours trying to get my money and finally the lady tells me that my money has been sent back and I’ve been blocked from receiving money. She didn’t know why and told me to call Western Union and they might be able to tell me. I call them and they say they have no idea either to go to the store and they might be able to help me so i gave up. I just had to sit there and hope that the wire transfer would go through. I was taken back to Medem and finally on Aug 8 in the morning it went through but it was late. Now i just have to wait till next week for surgery. I took long films with correction hexapods.
X-RAYs
https://imgur.com/gallery/cmUx5rw
So far so good. I am lengthening 1mm per day at the moment as i have to over lengthen for loss of mm during nailing and i still had a couple mms left to be completely straight. As of now i don’t have pain during day and i have only been asking for painkiller at night to sleep and taking the Lyrica as well.
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Great update Jim!
Thank you for updating it, those clamps look insanely painfull, arent those giving lots of scars?
Goodluck!
Arch
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Great update man!
Those claps wtf? I have never seen those before. I really feel that Dr Kulesh wasnt too confident about inserting half pins so later the nailing could be difficult. Maybe that why its better to go with Solomin.
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Great update Jim!
Thank you for updating it, those clamps look insanely painfull, arent those giving lots of scars?
Goodluck!
Arch
Extremely painful! I hate them. When i try and work on my ROM i can feel my quad rubbing on the front clamp 🤢
Hopefully Dr Kulesh does a good job of stitching me up after because right now the openings look terrible.
Clamp Gashes
https://imgur.com/gallery/dmTwRSA
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Great update man!
Those claps wtf? I have never seen those before. I really feel that Dr Kulesh wasnt too confident about inserting half pins so later the nailing could be difficult. Maybe that why its better to go with Solomin.
First time I've seen them also. Not too happy about them. Actually Dr Solomin was the one who insisted on these. Something new hes trying out i guess and i happen to be the first with 2. Android was lucky to only get 1.
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Damn man, you will definitly have some scarring.
Its better to get out of the frame asap.
Goodluck Jim and let us know how the nailing went!
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Awesome update Jim! It was fun to read it in this distilled, non-panicked form. What a rollercoaster of a journey it has been for us.
Let me add that the presence of the clamp has nothing to do with confidence. You also don't get to choose which doctor performs your surgery, they work together as a team. Dr. Solomin has the final say on frame configuration, and for some reason he put in clamps for us (well, like Jim said, they said it's for easier rod insertion at the nailing phase). Here's mine in my femur in plain view (http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=8993.msg93222#msg93222), probably overlooked by most.
Jim and I did some research when we got our x-rays, because we were confused about our limited ROM, especially since he had nearly 90 degrees of knee ROM on his femur frame leg during the first stage. I looked through Dr. Solomin's book and found the clamp (https://books.google.com/books?id=DbJGAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false), called the Extracortical Bone Clamp (ECD), in the parts list on page 14. The ECD isn't necessarily new, here's a paper (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267026068_Use_of_the_Extracortical_Clamp_Device_in_the_treatment_of_periprosthetic_femoral_fractures_and_deformities_Abstracts_from_the_11th_Congress_of_the_European_Hip_Society) by Dr. Solomin, and here's a document detailing the ECD (http://ortho-suv.org/razrabotk-eng/ECD-booklet-eng.pdf) on the Ortho-SUV site.
Regarding the limited knee ROM on the femur frame knee, after a while we both agreed that maybe it's because the frame is set a bit too low on the leg. There's a wire that is basically right above the knee joint, and this may be the culprit. As you can see in the later pages in the last link, this patient's flexion is just fine; but the frame is much higher up on the thigh compared to Jim and me. Our frames go right over our knee caps.
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Jesus those externals look brutal. I guess there is reason why doctors dont use them in western countries. Then again the price is very low.
Any idea how is doing they guy lengthening two femurs?
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Jesus those externals look brutal. I guess there is reason why doctors dont use them in western countries. Then again the price is very low.
Any idea how is doing they guy lengthening two femurs?
Jim's thread but I'll add my two cents: I actually don't mind externals. They're cumbersome sometimes, but as long as the pain is managed with injections and pills, I'm good. However! The current configuration that severely limits my knee ROM is not good.
Pope is doing well. He completed his lengthening, got nailing (LATN), and has gone back home. Hopefully he'll update his thread soon, but life sometimes gets in the way.
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But isn't externals much safer than internals? Since it's been around since the 50s and it has been improved and practiced on a lot of patients since? Internals has been around for a little more than a decade, but some LL surgeons have barely gotten their hands on internals and some had just started using them.
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But isn't externals much safer than internals? Since it's been around since the 50s and it has been improved and practiced on a lot of patients since? Internals has been around for a little more than a decade, but some LL surgeons have barely gotten their hands on internals and some had just started using them.
Yes. Pure externals are proven to be safer as no reaming of the bone canal is being done and you dont mess with the patella in trying to insert the rods. Although my surgeons consider it rather safe and say no long term effects are made by inserting rods through the knee area. So far i havent experienced any chronic knee pain on my first segment. Pure externals on the femur though is something really tough and only a few have been able to accomplish it. Pure externals on tibia is more tolerable.
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Hi Jim. Thanks for sharing your diary!
I am a new LL-er here as you can see. I share around the same height @164 with you and also similar to Android's. After reading your and Android's LL diary with Dr. Solomin and Dr. Kulesh, it really pushes me to get the procedure done myself following you guys' step.
MayI ask why didn't you go for more than 10cm+ in total ? Is it because of body proportion ? Or something that the two doctor did not advise you to do? This is actually something I am a little bit worried about since I do intend to get at least 10 cm+ in total like you and Android are currently undergoing, but I feel like I have a very small torso and short arms (never measure, and perhaps I feel that way because of height?)
I am at my early twenty and I can definitely quit my job next year to get the procedure done for whatever recovery time necessary. How long does the recovery process really take? I am a little bit confused (well, I am really new to the LL scene, and so many terminology is foreign to me...) as to how many surgeries you are actually undergoing, and also what stages of recovery you are undergoing in each surgery. And when do you expect to walk with the new height ? Really appreciated it if you can answer as much and as detailed as possible.
Thank you and wish you the best !!!!! :)
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How much does it cost to use a Solomin doctor to do a traditional llizarov extension of the 6.5cm tibia in Russia? the full cost
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Glad your doing good Jim, Best of luck. Would you happen to know by any chance if a private clinic is mandatory? I would rather spend thousands less to get it done like the rest of Russian patients.
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dear jim
Thanks for your shareing 2step of cross lengthening with 9cm gain with good proportion with good price. Could I ask you a question that what do you think about the drop feet due to the surgery? Do you think it could be avoid by lowering the lengthening speed?
Hope your recovery good. Thanks.
Kind regards
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Alright guys today is the day. I arrived in st petersburg russia nov 28 had comsultation with dr. Kulesh and dr solomon. Both very experienced doctors who answered all my Qs and who i consider genually caring people as theyve been helping me get situated here and helping me with any needs i may need. I am 26 years young. 165cm with a wingspan of 170cm. Ill be doing cross - lengthening in 2 steps. First step will be right upper femur + left lower limb. LON will be with femur and traditional illizorav with lower leg. Once lengthening is complete i will remove femur frame and lock in the nail and wait for bones to consolodate before starting on the next step which will be left femur + right lower limb. I will be lengthening back in my hometown in the united states for personal reasons. Personally i think with the help of supporting family one can get thru such an event like this better instead of being in a foreign country where you cant even order something to eat let alone explain your needs to the nurses. I am waiting to go into surgery now. Hopefully everything goes great! A bit nervous but so glad im finally going thru with this. Ill keep updating as soon as i can.
I really don’t understand this. How can someone with these bulky frames on one femur and one tibia, fly back on a long haul flight to lengthen at home?? I’m genuinely confused. How is this possible or safe?? What if something goes wrong?? I’m sorry I’m finding a lot of this information very confusing. Can’t wait now to have consultations to ask full questions.
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Could you update the diary if you're around Jim?
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How are you feeling after all this time, Jim?
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can you please upload a video with your walking/running/jumping?
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Alright, i dont own a labtop or computer as i have no use for one and i couldnt blurr my dang face out so here it is. Unedited video of a little jog and a few jumps. I recorded this video after jogging for 2 miles straight so im already wore out and tired and 3-4 screws were bothering me by this time. Criticize all you want guys:)
https://imgur.com/gallery/FYCYHY0
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Im also posting a 2 week post nailing picture and a 1 year post nailing picture. I have been hitting legs 2 times a week for the last 2 months. Before that i was really slacking, just focusing on regaining full rom on both ankles and knees.
https://imgur.com/gallery/HyeZIFf
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good video jim da barber. thank u for being honest.
honest opinion= ur running is not good. some hip sideway movement is visible. and agility is reduced. work hard and u may be able to improve it !
atleast there is some evidence of a russian patient who did cross lateral lengthening and is happy and doing not so bad.
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You look great!
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good video jim da barber. thank u for being honest.
honest opinion= ur running is not good. some hip sideway movement is visible. and agility is reduced. work hard and u may be able to improve it !
atleast there is some evidence of a russian patient who did cross lateral lengthening and is happy and doing not so bad.
I know its not perfect but after 3.5 inches of lengthening i am more than happy. Im sure itll only get better. Just need to run more often.
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You look great!
Thanks California2:) i would love to see some Precise/Stryde patient running videos so i can compare them to mine but we all know that wont happen.
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jim:: I am sorry for my harsh language i may used in the past about u and external femur . I had some misconception about the procedure and had convinced myself no one will get back to normal. i had thought i was doing others good by warning against externals and in russia. you're recovery is good and may u live a happy life.
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Truth is: he is not 90% back as he claimed. He can't sprint and probably never will, even if he needs to dodge a car. I don't know the reason for this.
But if he is happy with the results, that's what matters.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/2Cirl
Hi ,
It looks scary for me.
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Truth is: he is not 90% back as he claimed. He can't sprint and probably never will, even if he needs to dodge a car. I don't know the reason for this.
But if he is happy with the results, that's what matters.
I say im 90% recovered and you see what my condition is. Imagine what those people claiming to be 100% recovered really are?!?
Truth is: nobody and i mean nobody will be the same after doing LL. Maybe after 10+ years of hard training you can get really close to pre op level but at least im being honest. I jumped into this surgery by thinking it was gonna be way easier that what i went thru all because of the veterans on here claiming to be ”100%”recovered lmao
But yes i am happy. And thats all that matters. I will continue to post videos at least once a year and hopefully my recovery continues to get better which im sure after nail removal will increase dramatically as the hardware really aggravates my legs when i try to run.
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dang bro if you're able to run 2 miles continuously with hardware in you a year post op, you're already doing better than most! honestly you're doing decent for a year post op having done both segments, I congratulate you and have no doubt in my mind you'll only continue to improve and eventually be back 100% or very close to it.
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Hey Jim,
Just wanted to say thank you so much for posting those videos and photos, so few vets do that! I just had my frames removed one week ago and my legs look exactly like yours did after frame removal; it's very motivating for me to see your legs now because they look great!
Also thanks for the videos, your walking looks totally normal, never would have guessed you had LL if I saw you in the street. It's great that you're starting to jog and it's very early days, I'm sure in one more year your athletic ability will be much better.
For 9cm lengthening, at your stage in recovery, I think you are doing very well :)
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damn you look so fine in video bro, just more practices and you will back to 100% recovery. dont care about negative comments here. wish you all the best
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I say im 90% recovered and you see what my condition is. Imagine what those people claiming to be 100% recovered really are?!?
Truth is: nobody and i mean nobody will be the same after doing LL. Maybe after 10+ years of hard training you can get really close to pre op level but at least im being honest. I jumped into this surgery by thinking it was gonna be way easier that what i went thru all because of the veterans on here claiming to be ”100%”recovered lmao
But yes i am happy. And thats all that matters. I will continue to post videos at least once a year and hopefully my recovery continues to get better which im sure after nail removal will increase dramatically as the hardware really aggravates my legs when i try to run.
Now I check the dates and see you did the second part of lengthening in the middle of last year. So I believe you can still improve your condition.
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I know its not perfect but after 3.5 inches of lengthening i am more than happy.
Honest thought:
People who go into the surgery have different outcome expectations. You say you are happy with the running/jogging yet try to justify it with reasoning like "after 3.5 inches", "im only 1,5 years post-op" and "i still have the nail inside".
There are videos out there of LL patients like helloworld, oldiebutgoldie even ShyShy who are actually running. And these were people older than you.
From what I can see on the two short videoclips you run like the grandpa at my local gym. Your jump is only lifting you 20-30cm off the ground vertically, the folding of legs give illusion of higher elevation.
I get it you're happy, thats okay.
But what is not okay is the advertisement you do in this forum when there are LL surgeons and LL methods namely Precice1,2,3 who produces much better athletic outcome.
I have seen you enter all types of Russian diaries on this forum to defend both the practices of your own surgeon aswell as the methods. Is this forum not about helping each other find the best place to get the best outcome.
Given your athletic outcome, how can you with a clear conscience promote your surgeon?
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Honest thought:
People who go into the surgery have different outcome expectations. You say you are happy with the running/jogging yet try to justify it with reasoning like "after 3.5 inches", "im only 1,5 years post-op" and "i still have the nail inside".
There are videos out there of LL patients like helloworld, oldiebutgoldie even ShyShy who are actually running. And these were people older than you.
From what I can see on the two short videoclips you run like the grandpa at my local gym. Your jump is only lifting you 20-30cm off the ground vertically, the folding of legs give illusion of higher elevation.
I get it you're happy, thats okay.
But what is not okay is the advertisement you do in this forum when there are LL surgeons and LL methods namely Precice1,2,3 who produces much better athletic outcome.
I have seen you enter all types of Russian diaries on this forum to defend both the practices of your own surgeon aswell as the methods. Is this forum not about helping each other find the best place to get the best outcome.
Given your athletic outcome, how can you with a clear conscience promote your surgeon?
Im not justifying anything buddy. I know my athletic ability is not great but after 1 year and lengthening 3.5 inches its pretty damn good. The videos you seen of those other diaries was videos 3+ Years after lengthening im only 1 year post op from my last lengthening plus i lengthened both segments. You cant compare me to those lol
No offense to OYG but if you want to compare outcomes me and him would be perfect examples as we both did both segments and lengthened about the same amount. I say my outcome is better than his as i dont have x legs. Show me runing videos of precise or stryde patients running and then you can come attack me.
My athletic ability will get better and i will show you and everyone else. Give me a few years. Ill have you feeling stupid.
Didnt you do femur lengthening btw??? Let me see you running. Probly run just like me lol
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Im also posting a 2 week post nailing picture and a 1 year post nailing picture. I have been hitting legs 2 times a week for the last 2 months. Before that i was really slacking, just focusing on regaining full rom on both ankles and knees.
https://imgur.com/gallery/HyeZIFf
Im impressed with your recovery so far. The difference in this picture is amazing. Im a few years further post ll and my legs are still kinda skinny haha. any tips on how you got the mass back in your thighs? Are you doing mostly heavy weight training at the gym when you do legs?
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Im impressed with your recovery so far. The difference in this picture is amazing. Im a few years further post ll and my legs are still kinda skinny haha. any tips on how you got the mass back in your thighs? Are you doing mostly heavy weight training at the gym when you do legs?
Thank you so much! I have been hitting calves 2 times a week, hamstrings 1x a week and quads 1x a week. Each on separate days. Main focus is going heavy with less reps. Also make sure you are eating enough protein and drinking plenty of water to help your muscles grow.
I usually do about 5-6 different exercises for each muscle group and mix it up at least every 3 weeks to confuse your muscles and make them grow. Doing the same exercises causes your muscles to plateau.
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Quick update:
Just had all 4 rods removed with Dr Kulesh, Dr Solomin and their team on Feb 1st!
I actually went back to work on the 7th and 8th but man it wasnt easy at all.
Every day im feeling better, just had my wife remove all my stitches today but really think its going to take about a month to recover from this. Kind of thought it would be a smoother process than inserting the nails but i was really wrong!
Dont take rod removal lightly guys!
Im just glad im finally done with all this and im ready to put all this behind, recover once more from this last surgery and just move on.
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Quick update:
Just had all 4 rods removed with Dr Kulesh, Dr Solomin and their team on Feb 1st!
I actually went back to work on the 7th and 8th but man it wasnt easy at all.
Every day im feeling better, just had my wife remove all my stitches today but really think its going to take about a month to recover from this. Kind of thought it would be a smoother process than inserting the nails but i was really wrong!
Dont take rod removal lightly guys!
Im just glad im finally done with all this and im ready to put all this behind, recover once more from this last surgery and just move on.
Hey Jim, I hope you are doing well and you get better everyday!
How would you rate your experience with Dr. Kulesh and Dr. Solomin?
Was it hard to communicate with them and the staff?
How was your experience with LON femurs?
Thank you!
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hey sir .how much did you pay . what is your analgesics and how much they decrease the pain .if i am allergic to tramadol but not other analgesics is it ok .and how long did you take drugs
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I will made video to you can see my foot and give me advice is drop or not ok thx
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Hey sir
Was the pain in femur the same as tibia i am asking about cross lenghthning
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Quick update:
2 years post nailing running video
Just want to say this, if you think youll be close to your previous LL athletic ability after doing LL your crazy. Im nowhere near! Getting closer every year but i highly doubt ill be as fast.
The drop foot on my left foot set me back a lot and my left foot gets tired after running so much. Especially since im back at my previous job order picking and basically jogging and on my feet for 8-10 hours a day.
Overall i think im doing pretty good. I had knee pain but its slowly going away now that i been focusing my workouts mostly on my knees.
https://imgur.com/gallery/Hl7YKd8
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Hey sir
Was the pain in femur the same as tibia i am asking about cross lenghthning
Oh no! Femur was definitely way worse ☠️😭
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Hi Jim,
Why did you opt to get the rods removed? Is there less discomfort after the removal? I just had nailing done and the area where my locking screws are located hurt quite a bit when standing or pressing directly on it.
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Quick update:
2 years post nailing running video
Just want to say this, if you think youll be close to your previous LL athletic ability after doing LL your crazy. Im nowhere near! Getting closer every year but i highly doubt ill be as fast.
The drop foot on my left foot set me back a lot and my left foot gets tired after running so much. Especially since im back at my previous job order picking and basically jogging and on my feet for 8-10 hours a day.
Overall i think im doing pretty good. I had knee pain but its slowly going away now that i been focusing my workouts mostly on my knees.
https://imgur.com/gallery/Hl7YKd8
Maybe it is because you lengthened your legs at the same time which is impressively hard and needs more courage. congratulations. But still, If you had waited for a year before having a second surgery, i'm pretty sure you'd be better than this position.
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Maybe it is because you lengthened your legs at the same time which is impressively hard and needs more courage. congratulations. But still, If you had waited for a year before having a second surgery, i'm pretty sure you'd be better than this position.
He did cross lengthening. Meaning 1 tibia and 1 femur on opposite side for one surgery, then the rest for the second surgery. Waiting is not a feasible option, his knees would be different position and quality of life would be very poor if he had to wait 6 additional months in Russia
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By far one of my most favorite outcomes. I just keep coming back to check out your videos and pictures. You look fúcking sxxy.
Videos of Jim (he posted, just compiling them all here so people don't need to search):
https://imgur.com/gallery/FYCYHY0
https://imgur.com/gallery/Hl7YKd8 (you look like the big dudes I would never try to fight in the street)
Proportion pic:
https://imgur.com/gallery/HyeZIFf
God tier proportions for 9cm lengthening. Especially after gaining weight, signed obviously post distraction you're gonna be skinny as fúck which makes legs look much thinner and weirder. Looks literally unnoticeable after you returned to a normal weight.
Congratulations Jim. Leave and never come back, enjoy your height forever. Imagine going from 165 to 174. Literally life changing. Congrats 🎉🎊🎊🎉🎊🎊🎉🎊
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Quick update:
2 years post nailing running video
Just want to say this, if you think youll be close to your previous LL athletic ability after doing LL your crazy. Im nowhere near! Getting closer every year but i highly doubt ill be as fast.
The drop foot on my left foot set me back a lot and my left foot gets tired after running so much. Especially since im back at my previous job order picking and basically jogging and on my feet for 8-10 hours a day.
Overall i think im doing pretty good. I had knee pain but its slowly going away now that i been focusing my workouts mostly on my knees.
https://imgur.com/gallery/Hl7YKd8
Your running looks great in this video. And you look symmetrical. Regardless off the method you chose, you had a good outcome. Would It be possible to get a 3 year post op update?
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great progress man, I am happy for you
I'm going to get LL from either Dr. Kulesh or Dr. Buldu haven't decided yet, would you recommend Dr. Kulesh?
Also how long were you in russia? How long before you could walk? I'm planning on doing 4-5cm tibia if I go with Kulesh and I want to know the recovery time. Do you have knee pain from the nail that was inserted?
Also would you say the discomfort is so unbearable you can't work remotely? My job is remote so I'm hoping I can just do it while lengthening
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Please, 4 year update!
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Your portions and recovery looks like it went well. You were smart to do 4cm on tibias and 5cm on femurs.