Posted on Jun 16, 2021, 1:21 pm
#1
Hi everyone! After many (many) years of looking and intending to do this procedure, I have finally taken the plunge! I gained a lot from this forum and everyone’s reported experiences, both the good and the bad. I want to pay it forward as much as possible. Also, regular uploads will (hopefully) help keep me sane as I work through the day-to-day of the process. I’ll be as honest as possible and as regular as possible, as much as I can be.
ABOUT ME: (I’ll keep details not directly relevant to CLL, a little vague for the sake of privacy):
o Current height: ~166 cm morning). I underwent puberty very early, but also stopped growing fairly early – I’d say I was done by ~14. I kept hoping for a second burst, even as all my friends blasted past me, but it never came.
o Current span: ~174-175 cm. I’m pretty happy with my general frame, apart from my legs length – I look like a gorilla with my current ape index!
o Desired gain: Minimum 6.5 cm bilateral femurs. Anything above is a bonus. I’m hoping to get this one process, and then never think about the issue again, so maybe aiming for ~8.5 cm might be better; +6 cm looked pretty unimpressive/made little difference on the Betz simulated mock-ups. However, I am also something of an obsessive personality, and I may come back to tibias in a couple of years, in order to get a few more centimetres…
o Age: Early-thirties
o Ethnicity: S. Asian
o Currently work/live: E. Asia
o How to afford procedure: Work and investments – scrimping and saving over many years.
o Who have I told: a couple of friends and my siblings.
o What I told work: I plan to have operation on my legs. I also mentioned I would be on crutches when I returned. No further questions were asked and no further information was necessary (what little I told them was already treated as TL;DR :p).
WHY I WANT CLL: I have lived a pretty blessed/fortunate life to-date, in almost all other aspects (i.e.; professional, social, etc.). CLL is one of the final things I wanted to address, but it is not a magic pill that I am expecting to change everything else in my life. That, I have (mostly) managed to get right already, although it is all a work in progress of course. Simply, height issues take up valuable bandwidth that could otherwise be spent elsewhere and give me far greater returns. After CLL, I want to not have to think about height as an issue/excuse ever again.
HISTORY: I first looked into the procedure >10 years ago with Guichet (!). To be fair to him, I found my email interactions to be perfectly cordial and he gave a detailed, technical overview of the entire process. Unfortunately, I had nowhere near the required money at the time and no way to get it. Fast forward a decade and things are a little more feasible. I thought now was the time to take action, especially given the unprecedented flexibility afforded by the pandemic. Plus, the CLL process will only get harder and increase the risk of complication the longer I delay.
THE ROAD TO BETZ: Like many others, I planned to do Stryde initially (with Giotikas), but as soon as I received the notice about the delay, I made a booking with Dr Betz. That original Stryde return date seemed wildly optimistic when I received the notification, and so I gave up on that avenue completely. I picked the Betzbone because it was the only other fully weight-bearing internal nail - this was a minimum condition of my even doing the surgery, and also because of the possibility to return to my residence for at least part of the lengthening. I had no interest in Precise II, or any of the external fixators. Plus, there have been some really inspirational and detailed Betz diaries over the past few years (e.g.; OldieButGoldie, Constantine, etc.) Also, and this is highly under-rated, Dr Betz’s team is very responsive and organised. For some of the other superstar surgeons on this forum, whilst their surgical skills may be excellent, the admin, engagement, speed/quality of response, and organisation seems a little lacking… No-one likes to be ignored, or to wait weeks to receive a perfunctory response.
I had the online meeting with Dr Betz in early 2021. Like for others, it was marathon session of >3 hrs. It was extremely detailed. All my questions were answered (i.e.; the remaining ones after my conversations with other CLL doctors – mainly to do with variations between the nails than anything else). Once that was done, I booked my appointment the next day - for the summer period. Apart from a small delay to the originally intended operation date, everything else is has gone smoothly so far.
THOUGHTS ON GERMANY & SAARLAND: Idyllic. It’s Germany, so everything is well-developed, maintained etc. The air is clean and there is lots of greenery. The weather is pleasant this time of year – not oppressively hot or cold. Mid 20’s°C; perfect! A very decent place to do at least part of the recovery!
PLAN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS: I arrived ~1 week early. I am not in prime physical shape, but I have spent the past few months trying to do at least something daily, whether it is strength, cardio etc. Nowhere near as much as I would have liked, but the pressures of life, etc., always get in the way. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to arrive a little earlier to Germany. Whilst not much, it would give me a little bit more time to get in some daily runs, daily yoga/Pilates, etc., in order to raise my general condition, rather than jump in completely unprepared.
I arranged for airport pick-up via the Institutes’ designated driver – I want to minimise as much stress etc., as possible for this entire process. Plus, Thomas is a talkative guy and his English is good, if that is a worry for anyone. Frankfurt airport is pretty easy to navigate.
I’m currently staying at an Airbnb (I didn’t know that staying at Elke’s was a possibility prior to the surgery, which might otherwise have been a better and similarly priced option). I’ve completed all the other meetings, PCR tests, X-rays, mock-ups and all other pre-check appointments over the course of the week. The actual surgery is scheduled for Friday morning.
My intention/plan is to stay at the hospital for the two weeks, then stay at Elke’s for another ~4 weeks. However, if I get sick of the hospital, I may leave to Elke’s earlier, and if I think I am good to return home earlier, I may cut short my stay at the guesthouse. It is good to have that flexibility. Regardless, a 1 month minimum period will be spent here. Basically, I want to stay long enough to build a system/habit required for the lengthening, and learn the required methods, but then, provided there are no complications, get back to more familiar surroundings as soon as possible.
CURRENT THOUGHTS: I have no fear, there is no trepidation. Only a desire to get started and get going! Enough time has been wasted. For now, I am enjoying the full and free use of my legs – running daily and exploring the area by foot. It will be a while before I can do this freely again!
Another potential benefit is that I am looking forward to eating multiple meals a day again! Ever since I hit my thirties (exacerbated by a semi-sedentary, office-type job), life is a choice between eating what I want and blowing up like a balloon, or trying to eat ~1 meal a day, in order to try and keep some weight off. I’m ready to throw off the shackles and let loose for this procedure!
ABOUT ME: (I’ll keep details not directly relevant to CLL, a little vague for the sake of privacy):
o Current height: ~166 cm morning). I underwent puberty very early, but also stopped growing fairly early – I’d say I was done by ~14. I kept hoping for a second burst, even as all my friends blasted past me, but it never came.
o Current span: ~174-175 cm. I’m pretty happy with my general frame, apart from my legs length – I look like a gorilla with my current ape index!
o Desired gain: Minimum 6.5 cm bilateral femurs. Anything above is a bonus. I’m hoping to get this one process, and then never think about the issue again, so maybe aiming for ~8.5 cm might be better; +6 cm looked pretty unimpressive/made little difference on the Betz simulated mock-ups. However, I am also something of an obsessive personality, and I may come back to tibias in a couple of years, in order to get a few more centimetres…
o Age: Early-thirties
o Ethnicity: S. Asian
o Currently work/live: E. Asia
o How to afford procedure: Work and investments – scrimping and saving over many years.
o Who have I told: a couple of friends and my siblings.
o What I told work: I plan to have operation on my legs. I also mentioned I would be on crutches when I returned. No further questions were asked and no further information was necessary (what little I told them was already treated as TL;DR :p).
WHY I WANT CLL: I have lived a pretty blessed/fortunate life to-date, in almost all other aspects (i.e.; professional, social, etc.). CLL is one of the final things I wanted to address, but it is not a magic pill that I am expecting to change everything else in my life. That, I have (mostly) managed to get right already, although it is all a work in progress of course. Simply, height issues take up valuable bandwidth that could otherwise be spent elsewhere and give me far greater returns. After CLL, I want to not have to think about height as an issue/excuse ever again.
HISTORY: I first looked into the procedure >10 years ago with Guichet (!). To be fair to him, I found my email interactions to be perfectly cordial and he gave a detailed, technical overview of the entire process. Unfortunately, I had nowhere near the required money at the time and no way to get it. Fast forward a decade and things are a little more feasible. I thought now was the time to take action, especially given the unprecedented flexibility afforded by the pandemic. Plus, the CLL process will only get harder and increase the risk of complication the longer I delay.
THE ROAD TO BETZ: Like many others, I planned to do Stryde initially (with Giotikas), but as soon as I received the notice about the delay, I made a booking with Dr Betz. That original Stryde return date seemed wildly optimistic when I received the notification, and so I gave up on that avenue completely. I picked the Betzbone because it was the only other fully weight-bearing internal nail - this was a minimum condition of my even doing the surgery, and also because of the possibility to return to my residence for at least part of the lengthening. I had no interest in Precise II, or any of the external fixators. Plus, there have been some really inspirational and detailed Betz diaries over the past few years (e.g.; OldieButGoldie, Constantine, etc.) Also, and this is highly under-rated, Dr Betz’s team is very responsive and organised. For some of the other superstar surgeons on this forum, whilst their surgical skills may be excellent, the admin, engagement, speed/quality of response, and organisation seems a little lacking… No-one likes to be ignored, or to wait weeks to receive a perfunctory response.
I had the online meeting with Dr Betz in early 2021. Like for others, it was marathon session of >3 hrs. It was extremely detailed. All my questions were answered (i.e.; the remaining ones after my conversations with other CLL doctors – mainly to do with variations between the nails than anything else). Once that was done, I booked my appointment the next day - for the summer period. Apart from a small delay to the originally intended operation date, everything else is has gone smoothly so far.
THOUGHTS ON GERMANY & SAARLAND: Idyllic. It’s Germany, so everything is well-developed, maintained etc. The air is clean and there is lots of greenery. The weather is pleasant this time of year – not oppressively hot or cold. Mid 20’s°C; perfect! A very decent place to do at least part of the recovery!
PLAN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS: I arrived ~1 week early. I am not in prime physical shape, but I have spent the past few months trying to do at least something daily, whether it is strength, cardio etc. Nowhere near as much as I would have liked, but the pressures of life, etc., always get in the way. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to arrive a little earlier to Germany. Whilst not much, it would give me a little bit more time to get in some daily runs, daily yoga/Pilates, etc., in order to raise my general condition, rather than jump in completely unprepared.
I arranged for airport pick-up via the Institutes’ designated driver – I want to minimise as much stress etc., as possible for this entire process. Plus, Thomas is a talkative guy and his English is good, if that is a worry for anyone. Frankfurt airport is pretty easy to navigate.
I’m currently staying at an Airbnb (I didn’t know that staying at Elke’s was a possibility prior to the surgery, which might otherwise have been a better and similarly priced option). I’ve completed all the other meetings, PCR tests, X-rays, mock-ups and all other pre-check appointments over the course of the week. The actual surgery is scheduled for Friday morning.
My intention/plan is to stay at the hospital for the two weeks, then stay at Elke’s for another ~4 weeks. However, if I get sick of the hospital, I may leave to Elke’s earlier, and if I think I am good to return home earlier, I may cut short my stay at the guesthouse. It is good to have that flexibility. Regardless, a 1 month minimum period will be spent here. Basically, I want to stay long enough to build a system/habit required for the lengthening, and learn the required methods, but then, provided there are no complications, get back to more familiar surroundings as soon as possible.
CURRENT THOUGHTS: I have no fear, there is no trepidation. Only a desire to get started and get going! Enough time has been wasted. For now, I am enjoying the full and free use of my legs – running daily and exploring the area by foot. It will be a while before I can do this freely again!
Another potential benefit is that I am looking forward to eating multiple meals a day again! Ever since I hit my thirties (exacerbated by a semi-sedentary, office-type job), life is a choice between eating what I want and blowing up like a balloon, or trying to eat ~1 meal a day, in order to try and keep some weight off. I’m ready to throw off the shackles and let loose for this procedure!
