Dr Dimitrios Giotikas (Athens, Greece)

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Oh no connections are not limited to Asian hospitals

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Keep being so vague, I'm sure it will make your words more credible.

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If you are such a data oriented person then why don’t you get interested in a few years long veterans of Giotikas?
How can you feel safe with a doctor like Giotikas who doesn’t have that long enough history of CLL
CLL journey doesn’t end really until a few years after surgery
Many develop joint problems a year or two years after surgery

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Quote from: TemakiSushi on December 23, 2019, 12:21:08 PMIf you are such a data oriented person then why don’t you get interested in a few years long veterans of Giotikas?
How can you feel safe with a doctor like Giotikas who doesn’t have that long enough history of CLL
CLL journey doesn’t end really until a few years after surgery
Many develop joint problems a year or two years after surgery

TemakiSushi,

Stop with all the negativity on Dr. Giotikas.  I too considered Dr. Donghoon of Korea and Dr. R, Dr. P, Dr. M & Dr. D of the US before finally choosing Dr. G after all my research and Thank God I did.  Not sure what the outcome will be if I didn’t choose Dr. G, but I’m more than HAPPY with my results and recovery and so are all the patients I met in Athens.  In fact a few of us still keep in contact by WhatsApp since we are international patients.
Before leaving Athens, I have met 3 patients that did Stryde on their TIBIAS and they are walking and recovering nicely.  Reading information on this forum is one thing but meeting patients face to face is another.  So before bashing a doctor, go meet that doctor and their patients and your worries and whole view will change.
Dr. Donghoon is a good doctor also and good luck with your planned surgery when he get Stryde.  Start a dairy when you finally actually get the surgery, anything before the surgery are just talk.

Azman

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Quote from: TemakiSushi on December 23, 2019, 12:21:08 PMIf you are such a data oriented person then why don’t you get interested in a few years long veterans of Giotikas?
How can you feel safe with a doctor like Giotikas who doesn’t have that long enough history of CLL
CLL journey doesn’t end really until a few years after surgery
Many develop joint problems a year or two years after surgery
Temaki Sushi had you ever contacted Dr Giotikas before contacting Dr Dongoon? Did he reject you because of BDD or something else? I am only asking because I do know that Dr Giotikas has specific selection criteria for his patients and I cannot think of any other explanation of your obsession with him except for revenge because of bitterness of rejection.

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Quote from: cobalt on December 23, 2019, 02:57:08 AMOne of the downsides to Greece that I agree with is their pain management is unlike that of the US. So just be aware and prepared mentally when you go overseas in other countries esp Asia and Europe for this surgery, they are more wary and hesitant of prescribing stronger meds such as opiods for pain. These other countries want to curtail opiod addiction and have less of an opiod epidemic than the US. In the US, normally surgeons prescribe Percocet(oxycodone) or Vicodin(hydrocodone) for those who undergo orthopedic procedures to take every 4-6 hours to effectively manage their pain after surgery. This helps patient sleep. Downside to pain med is constipation, slower bone healing, vomiting, and potential of addiction. Tramadol, ibuprofen, aspirin for pain and neurontin, lyrica for nerve is what you see more often in some of the overseas diaries out there reporting to have available for their pain management.
Hi cobalt
I don't really know how Europe or Greece controls the pain management.  But I can tell you that in US, docs are very hesitant of prescribing oxycodone, even tramadol.  When I was in Paley institute, I received oxy only for about 2 weeks after surgery.  After that, there was no more pain prescription.  I wish I would have got more oxy, but was refused to get more oxys not even tramadol.  That was one of my complaints about Paley institute.

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Quote from: Andy on December 23, 2019, 08:26:02 PMTemaki Sushi had you ever contacted Dr Giotikas before contacting Dr Dongoon? Did he reject you because of BDD or something else? I am only asking because I do know that Dr Giotikas has specific selection criteria for his patients and I cannot think of any other explanation of your obsession with him except for revenge because of bitterness of rejection.
What a delusion 
No doctor reject me for CLL or any kind of treatment or surgery

There have been guiniepigs, then after some cases there are stories of devastating experiences
This kind of history is repeated  just too many times here
Look at what’s been happening in India, China, Armenia, Russia, Uklaina,Germany, Spain, Italy etc etc
People don’t need to hide negative information
Why you wanna hear only good things about the doctor you are interested in?
It’s way better to estimate the risks before the surgery is done
Some do surgery without having extra funds
If they’ve known the risks they could have prepared for it
How much will they loose if they cannot walk normally for two years, living without income
Some come from the country which doesn’t provide enough health welfare

Also, many CLL doctors or their staff are reading this site
It should be good for them to learn here to provide better treatments

Rejection of criticism will only produce tragedies
Ignorance and optimism can jeopardize someone’s life

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Quote from: Ghostfish on December 24, 2019, 01:22:06 AMHi cobalt
I don't really know how Europe or Greece controls the pain management.  But I can tell you that in US, docs are very hesitant of prescribing oxycodone, even tramadol.  When I was in Paley institute, I received oxy only for about 2 weeks after surgery.  After that, there was no more pain prescription.  I wish I would have got more oxy, but was refused to get more oxys not even tramadol.  That was one of my complaints about Paley institute.

Hello Ghostfish, I am from the US as well, this is due to many states in recent yrs introducing new opioid laws in place regulating how much can be prescribed at a visit. It is a Schedule II controlled substance, subject to high abuse, overdosing, and even death. Doctors are under more scrutiny now when they prescribe it but they do still prescribe it as part of better pain management in the US, esp in cases like orthopedic surgeries, cancer, acute or chronic back pain. They will prescribe it in the limits of the legal amounts that they are allowed to, whether they give you the min or max depends on your doctor's comfort level. He doesn't want professional liability nor a visit from the Drug Enforcement Agency. Doctors can be sanctioned for not following the new opioids laws. Despite this, US doctors will all in likely prescribe someone with broken bones the appropriate pain meds even if its temporary rather than not at all unlike other countries out there that would just throw you a bone for your pain.

Also US Pharmacies can report a doctor to the DEA if they see too much of an over the limit, suspicious, or ongoing amount of Percocet or Vicodin or any other CII prescriptions being prescribed by any one Prescriber. Aside from trouble, Paley also probably doesn't want you to develop dependency on it. I think Paley is a responsible provider. Thanks for the information.

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Hi cobalt
I am very aware of all potential problems of opioid and knew that new opioid laws have been introduced recent years.  However, I was still suffering from deficiency of pain medication, since my pain seemed to be a little worse than others.  Some other patients also complaint about not being given strong pain medication.  Although I and most other patients managed to finish CLL journey, it could be better to have a little more support of strong pain medication.

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Judging by:

https://www.giotikasorthopaedics.co.uk/cost-pricing-of-cosmetic-limb-lengthening/

...Giotikas offers CLL here in the UK.

I’ve emailed them for confirmation. If they do I’ll be having it next year.