Topic: Cross lengthening in st petersburg russia (Read 38964 times)

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #124 on:** April 13, 2018, 02:58:22 PM »

Quote from: AchieveYourGoals on March 24, 2018, 03:25:27 AM

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.

Android · « **Reply #125 on:** April 16, 2018, 02:32:29 AM »

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #126 on:** April 25, 2018, 09:59:26 PM »

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?

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #127 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:18:56 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 25, 2018, 09:59:26 PM

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.

Android · « **Reply #128 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:27:44 PM »

Quote from: Tiger9898 on April 25, 2018, 10:18:56 PM

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:

Quote

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #129 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:32:26 PM »

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...

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #130 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:48:52 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 25, 2018, 10:32:26 PM

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

Android · « **Reply #131 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:51:11 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 25, 2018, 10:32:26 PM

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #132 on:** April 25, 2018, 10:53:14 PM »

My problem is that I have little amount of time to lengthen(7 months) and my tibia is already long...

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #133 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:00:00 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 25, 2018, 10:53:14 PM

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #134 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:04:05 PM »

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.

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #135 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:07:35 PM »

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #136 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:08:56 PM »

Would the cost of these 2 seperate operations be more than only 1 operation?

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #137 on:** April 25, 2018, 11:10:54 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 25, 2018, 11:08:56 PM

Would the cost of these 2 seperate operations be more than only 1 operation?

I think yes, but it will not be too much

myloginacct · « **Reply #138 on:** April 26, 2018, 12:02:28 AM »

Let us know if you guys e-mail Dr. Kulesh about this and he replies.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #139 on:** April 26, 2018, 12:29:54 AM »

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.

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #140 on:** April 26, 2018, 02:47:52 AM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 26, 2018, 12:29:54 AM

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.

Hamiltonzac · « **Reply #141 on:** April 26, 2018, 06:35:58 AM »

I get what you mean Jim. Did he mention anything about price discounts or mabey even financing?

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #142 on:** April 26, 2018, 06:45:48 AM »

Quote from: Jim_dabarber on April 26, 2018, 02:47:52 AM

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

Android · « **Reply #143 on:** April 26, 2018, 07:09:57 AM »

Quote from: Tiger9898 on April 26, 2018, 06:45:48 AM

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, comparing LON with LATN.

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #144 on:** April 26, 2018, 07:17:02 AM »

Quote from: Android on April 26, 2018, 07:09:57 AM

There was a discussion about this recently in another thread, 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.

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #145 on:** April 26, 2018, 01:23:48 PM »

Quote from: Hamiltonzac on April 26, 2018, 06:35:58 AM

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.

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #146 on:** April 26, 2018, 01:37:29 PM »

Quote from: Tiger9898 on April 26, 2018, 06:45:48 AM

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.

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #147 on:** April 26, 2018, 01:42:34 PM »

Quote from: Tiger9898 on April 26, 2018, 07:17:02 AM

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.

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #148 on:** April 26, 2018, 01:44:59 PM »

Quote from: Jim_dabarber on April 26, 2018, 01:37:29 PM

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

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #149 on:** April 26, 2018, 02:02:05 PM »

Quote from: Tiger9898 on April 26, 2018, 01:44:59 PM

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.

Tiger9898 · « **Reply #150 on:** April 26, 2018, 02:07:12 PM »

Quote from: Jim_dabarber on April 26, 2018, 02:02:05 PM

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.

AchieveYourGoals · « **Reply #151 on:** May 29, 2018, 08:01:07 AM »

Any news bro?hope everything's smooth

Jim_dabarber · « **Reply #152 on:** June 02, 2018, 01:51:21 AM »

Quote from: AchieveYourGoals on May 29, 2018, 08:01:07 AM

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.

Bosnian2018 · « **Reply #153 on:** June 05, 2018, 10:22:27 AM »

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.

Pyotr · « **Reply #154 on:** June 05, 2018, 02:35:58 PM »

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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Author Topic: Cross lengthening in st petersburg russia (Read 38964 times)