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.
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.
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.
yes, the rate is better. But, they have been raising some of their prices.
They did some blood tests, urine test, poo test and check up. I had to get an Ultrasound Testing test outside because one of the blood test was a bit off the first time.
I have been trying to post my pictures here. I got like 30 of them. I would like to post them at different parts of the diary. But the forum will not let me. So, i guess I have to post my diary with the pictures. I know pictures would be a lot better.
On July18, 2014, I was admitted to Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre. I have meet three guys and one girl that are patients here that speak fluent English. All four of them are getting Leg Lengthening surgery here. There are many other Russia patients, but most of them are not here to get Leg Lengthening surgery but to having bone correction or repairing bone problems.
I have talked with the guys a lot the past few days before my surgery. They have told me what they are going though, everything I should expect, things I need to buy and what should do. After trying the food here the past few days I would say the food is mostly eatable but not good at all. I am small and do not eat much but they do not give you enough during the meals. You will have to buy extra food outside are you will still be hungry.
On July 23, 2014, today was my surgery day. I went in at 2:00pm. I could not eat the day before after 8:00pm. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything before my surgery. Before the surgery they give me a spinal tap on my back bone. They then give be meds to knock me out. When I woke up it was past 5:00pm. I have no memories of what happen during the surgery, just waking up in bed. I do not feel any pain at all after the surgery, the pain killer has not worn off yet.
When I went to sleep that night, I woke up around 3.00am because of pain was starting getting bad. After, an hour it got much worst. I was in real pain, it felt like a 9 of 10. So, I call the nurse for the first time of pain killer. It take an hour for the pain to go down after taking it.
On July 30, 2014, this is just a report for the week. On Friday, July 25,2014, was the day I took my first steps. I use crutches but I could only take five steps. Every steps were very painful and did not have much energy afterwards.
They told me the gym is only open Monday thru Friday and our department patients only have a hour a day set time that we can use it. So, you can not go when you want or stay as long as you want. You can walk inside or outside the building or even leave, but have to be back in the Center before 8:00pm. If you do not get back on time they can kick you out. Then you will have to stay at a hotel or an apartment and come to the Center to get treatment You need to be in your room at 10:00pm by you can sleep anytime you want.
I know a Russian patient here that was kick out of the Center because he came back very drunk. He stay at an apartment now but comes to the Center for treatment. He come to visit other patient here but can not stay very long.
On Monday, it was my first time to the gym. They just showed me some easy work out to get my leg strength back. Tuesday and Wednesday, I walking a little with the walker in the gym. So, it has been a week. I feel much stronger now then after the surgery but I still can not walk very far.
I think there are a few major difference between Russian Ilizarov Scientific Centre and other places that use external fixator leg surgery. The first one is that they make you get a half ring around your feet if you are doing more then 4 cm.. That half ring is much more painful then the rings around your leg. It is about three to four times more painful then the leg frame when you walk. They told me reason why we need it was to prevent getting ballerina foot.
The second difference is that they do two breaks on each bone instead of one if you are getting more then 4cm. The reason is so they can lengthen faster and spread the lengthen to two area and not just one. And, also when you are healing you will healing in two area. So, the healing will be more faster.
The third difference is when they remove the frames they will put a cast on your entire legs for 2 weeks. They will do one leg at a time. They say it will help you have less scars, prevent things like bow leg and make your leg stay straight. Because of these reasons the full treatment for 5cm - 7cm should be 4 - 6 months.
I just read what happened to Rgkey at last week. Damn, after all that hard work and after returning home he later got bow leg. He is one of the main reason I made Dr. Alexander Barinov, RUSCOM (Volgograd, Russia) my first choice. I do not know if it is his faint or Dr. Alexander Barinov, RUSCOM faint for letting him go home so soon. I know 9 cm is a lot. But, if it was RUSCOM faint I am so glad they fked up my invite letter to Russia twice.
On August 5, 2014, it has been a week since my legs has started lengthening. Saturday and Sunday lengthening was very bad. I was having 6-7 pain in my right leg and it would not go away. There was bad electric shock that keep running through my right leg. If i move it wrong, workout, or touch it i feel a bad shock. The foot of that leg get very hot if something touch it. When that foot get hot anything that touches it there is a 8-10 pain. It was very bad. I got scared. Just 1.5 cm into the surgery and my right leg was in great pain how was i going to take it when to get to 5, 6, or 7 cm.
Tuesday, I had my first X-ray and my bandage change again this morning. After the doctor looked at my x-ray he made 3 big movements to the nuts on my leg frames, One major correction on the left leg and two major correction on the right one. I am still having the problems on my right legs but it is much less and the constant pain on it went down to a 3. I hope the problems with my right legs do not come back after i start lengthening again. That is my greatest fear now.
The doctor will give me a two day break from lengthening. This is so I can rest a little to get my energy back and so I will have the strength to walk more. I have walk two 30 feet distance today any will try for another one after writing this. Wish me the best of luck because know I will need it.
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