This is a diary of my experience at Ilizarov Centre in Kurgan, Russia. I wrote it to help anyone that is thinking about getting limb lengthening surgery.
Welcome to the forum! Thank you for your willingness to share your experience with us.
How was your leg lengthening procedure?
How much did you lengthen?
What was your initial and final height?
What complications did you face and how were they addressed?
How did your self-perception change after the procedure?
What would you have done differently?
How is your athletic recovery?
How do you feel about your leg to upper body and tibia to femur proportions, now?
Can you sprint/how fast can you run?
Do you regret limb lengthening?
How did people/society react to your change in height?
Is there any other wisdom you'd like to share with our community?
I did not want to post my Leg Lengthening diary until after I have left the place that was going to do my Leg Lengthening surgery. Just in case there will be any problems, I do not want to have to stop writing it. I did not want the doctor or workers there to get mad at me when I was there.
Hello everyone, I am an Asian American male in my 30's. I am five feet zero inches or 152 cm tall. I have been planning on getting Leg Lengthening surgery for the pass two to three years. I have saving up enough money to get Leg Lengthening surgery and was planning on doing it in March of 2014. I will try to increase my height by 7cm or 2.7 inch with the surgery.
At first, I was planning on doing it in India with Dr. Amar Sarin because I heard he was very good and never had any patients with any major problems. The weather there would be better then Russia for me. The pictures of the rooms that I would be staying in looks good enough for me to stay in comfortably for 6 to 7 months.
About 4 month before I was planning on going on the trip for the Leg Lengthening surgery in India, I started to hear a lot of patients having problem in India with Dr. Amar Sarin. I started to get scared. I was thinking about changing to a different doctor in India. But, I found out that the other doctors in India have not been doing it for a long time The other doctor's places at I would have to stay at was not very clean or their patients were also having problem.
So, I decided on go to Russia to get my Leg Lengthening surgery. I was thinking between Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre (Kurgan, Russia) and Dr. Alexander Barinov, RUSCOM (Volgograd, Russia) . I call both of them and ask them many questions. So, I could find the best place for me to get my surgery.
I finally decided on going to Dr. Alexander Barinov, RUSCOM (Volgograd, Russia). I picked him because heard he has done over 60 cosmetic leg lengthening with out one major problems. The great dairy from Rgkey. I have read some of their patients dairies on www. and it feel like a place that I would like to have my surgery done. The plane ticket there was a little cheaper. The price of the room that I was going to be staying at was the same price as the other place, but the room in Volgograd, Russia would be more private. Because, I would only have one roommate and in Kurgan, Russia I would have 7 other roommate. The rooms in Volgograd, Russia was more roomy so it would be easier to do thing and two bed instead of seven for the same price. And finally, Volgograd City is much bigger then Kurgan City so after I finish the lengthening process it would be easier to find a cheap hotel or apartment for 3 month to heal. There would also be a lot more thing to see and do around a bigger city.
In early January 2014, I told RUSCOM (Volgograd, Russia) that would like to get Leg Lengthening surgery done there in March or early April. I ask them to help me get a letter of invite so i can get a visa to travel to Volgograd, Russia. They told me the Olympics was going to happen in January in Russia and they could not start the process until the beginning of February, after the Olympics ends. I told them fine but can they start it as soon as possible. I start to call them once a week every week starting in February to see were the process was.
Final on April 6, 2014, they told me that Moscow lost all my information and letter of invite and if I wanted to start over again? I told them yes and sent them all my information again. But, this time i also ask Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre to send me a letter of invite also. On May 27, 2014, Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre sent me the letter of invite. It is July now and I still have not heard anything or gotten an e-mail from RUSCOM (Volgograd, Russia) about my letter of invite.
What was your rate of lengthening?
How was wifi in hospital?
What is the food like?
Looking back, are you confident you made the right decision by choosing the Ilizaroc Center as the place to get yor surgery done?
regarding visa, did you get a medical visa and just extend every three months or a normal visa?
im also interested in the asnwers to Taller's question.
Im going there next month so thanks alot for ur diary.
On July1,2014, I arrival today in Kurgan, Russia. I am stay in a hotel near the Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre that they have recommended to me. They told me it will be over a week before I can be admitted to the Center.
On July2,2014, I have visited the Center. I have meet with the head doctor at the center. They told me that I will have to do the tests again. I have look at the room that I would be staying in. There is just 7 small beds, each with there draw and one closet that we all share. Everybody there share the one bathroom. There is also no way to have any privacy in the room
In the past few days I have had many tests done inside the Center and one done outside the Center. I have had many pictures taken of me. I had to meeting with a different doctor and then I had go to meeting with all the doctors for approve for the surgery, six doctor. I meet and talk to the doctor that was going to be my doctor. His name is Dr. Roman. He is a big guy that know some English and is currently the doctor of four international patients in that department
They told me the reason that it is taking so long for me to be admitted is because I got liposuction done a week before coming to Russia. Most people usually take a week or two to get admitted and 2 to 7 days after being admitted to have the surgery.
They have approved me for surgery. They told me that I had to pay for the full Leg Lengthening surgery with 4 month stay before i can be admitted to the Center.
So, I open a bank account in Russia so that I can have my parents wire me my money. It is July 17, 2014 today and a Friday so I can not get a wire sent until Monday morning.
Letter of invite mailed and Visa = $300
General Physician health report and test = $625
Report signed by psychiatrist = $250
Round trip plane ticket = $2500
Tests before you can get Leg extension surgery = $475
About 17 days staying in Kurgan, Russia. The experience for taxi, food and hotel before being admitted to Center = $700
The Leg Lengthening surgery with 4 month stay at Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre in a 7 group room will around = $15.500.
Extra food, snacks, laundry and etc for the 4 month stay at Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre = $1000
I think the cost of stay at a cheap hotel for the three month in Russia will be around = $3300. I do not want to leave Russia until my frames are removed here.
So, the total cost of everything for me to do Leg Lengthening surgery in Kurgan, Russia would be a little over $24,000 if nothing goes wrong. That is at the current USD to RUB exchange rate, 1 USD = 35 RUB.
Quote from: Silvertiger on February 09, 2015, 07:32:09 AM1 USD = 35 RUB.
The rate is 1 USD = 65 RUB. Should be good news for you. 35 rub is the old rate which was before all that situation with Ukraine. By the way, after you've lengthened your legs, there's really no reason to stay in Russia. You can move back and then remove the fixators at your local Dr. when your legs are consolidated. In fact, you can remove them yourself.
Good luck!
Can you explain what kind of test you have to do inside the Ilizarov Center and outside the Ilizarov Center before you were aproved for the surgery?
Also the psychiatrist report.
What did you tell psychiatrist. Did you mention the letter you needed was for surgery or just in general?
yes, the rate is better. But, they have been raising some of their prices.
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