I've been following the forum for years and have learned a lot, thank you all! The time has finally come for me to take the big step...I am scheduled for surgery on December the 17th! In this diary I will share my own experience for the benefit of our community.
A soup of nervousness, joy, determination, hope and fear exists in my mind as the time for my surgery is geting closer, with each of its ingredients changing in intensity every day and every hour. As long as the soup remains tasty... I know i am good to go!
I'm flying to Athens on Saturday to do it with Giotikas. Femurs with g-nail for 8cm lengthening, maybe 9 if proportions look good. I am 1.71m and 66kg
Trying to sleep in my hotel room in (a very Christmassy) Athens tonight!..still can't believe that this is actually happening...My pre-ops are tomorrow at 1.00pm!...Ready for anything!!
@w449: I saw Giotikas twice, once in London and once online. Both times he was very thorough with explaining risks and complications (including th fatal ones) and had no problem to answer all questions I asked.
@livelifetaller: The medical package is around 48000euro and covers all medical expences etc during lengthening. I think if you stay in one of the rehabilitation apartments here it costs 45 euro/night.
@tallerin2025: I chose Giotikas because I understand he is much more experienced than Becker.
I did it...!!!!!!!!!! Surgery went well, the doctor was happy. I got the 13mm g-nail. I had literally zero pain on the first day; a bit more on the second day but generally manageable.
I clicked and walked and stretched without problems but kept thinking that I may bend the nail or cut the stitches through the wounds when stretching. The doctor was like "engage to physio confidently, you need to work on your recovey now, nails dont'bend like that and the skin doesn't fall apart like wet toilet paper!".
First day in my hotel room today....i need to learn to live again, there is no way back now!
@w449 I will stay in Greece for 6 weeks and then will finish off lengthening back home.
Christmas Eve today!!...or day 2 of mylengthening!
I'm getting better and better every day.. Only need 2 tramal for pain and the clicking of g-nail is not that hard.
Voula the head nurse came earlier in a very Christmassy mood to help me with the lengthening and brought me traditional Greek Christmas treats that are made in most homes here or sold everywhere. They are called "kourambe" (which is a type of sortbread with powdered sugar) and "melimakarono" which basically means honey cookies. They were both delicious!
Later, I received this message from Dr. Giotikas' direct whatsapp line, which I found very touching and inspiring:
"Dear patient, Just a few hours before Christmas, I want to send you my love, my thoughts and my warmest wishes for happiness, achievements and prosperity in your life. You have earned my respect over the past year because you have proven that you have the courage and determination to fight for your well-being, your success in life and your overall improvement. I am confident that with these qualities, the perseverance, the wisdom and the results that you will have acquired by the end of your treatment with us, you will achieve everything you desire in life. Merry Christmas! Dimitrios Giotikas."
I know for sure that this will be a Christmas that I will remember forever in my life, but I feel like I got the best Christmas present of my life this year... I wish you all a Merry Christmas and may your dream come true!
@HelloMe: I know that Giotikas operates in London. www.giotikasclinic.com
Quote from: HelloMe on December 24, 2024, 08:19:21 PMAre you based in the UK? Why did you opt to get surgery in London itself then?
Hi, yes, I live in London. Doing it in London would have been unnecessarily expensive. In Athens I get all the UK medical standards from Giotikas (he is professionally insured in the UK so he can't afford to do otherwise if he doesn't want to risk losing it). Plus I visited the hospital in Athens one year before my surgery and I found it much nicer than the typical private hospital in the UK (excluding of course some high-end luxury hospitals in Mayfair that only Arabs, Russians and Royals can afford).
I've never been that happy since a long time! I saw my doctor and had x-rays yesterday! Doctor was happy with my condition, lengthening and consolidation was "lovely"!
I managed to go through the first 3 weeks from surgery (the most "overwhelming" ones according to Dr Giotikas) without too many problems and I am already 2.1cm taller! 
Next step now is to increase my activity and walking distance per day. (I got the green light for some limited sightseeing in Athens..I got the big fat g-nails after all!)
I'm happy to upload my xrays here if someone tells me how to do it.
@HelloMe: Giotikas is at LIPS Battersea now. I was thinking of hospitals like King Edward VII, Schoen, Princess Grace, Cleveland Clinic etc. I believe Weymouth street hospital is an inpatient facility hospital, not just for day cases.
Hi,
I have uploaded my last x-rays here as promised, I hope it works, if not let me know: https://imgur.com/a/VEk2wg1.
I have now increased my walking and standing time to 2 hour per day and started walking in public for short distances prerparing myself for some sightseeing in Greece. I will see the doctor next week and then off to Santorini Island for a few days!!! Mediterraneo hospital has a small hospital there too, in case I need anything.
Clicking of the nail is easy, I now need less than 5 minutes to finish each session.
@HelloMe: Yes, I consulted Guichet & Paley & Assayag. You can PM me if you want.
Quote from: UncleE on January 15, 2025, 03:43:53 PMTo get your link to work, remove the "." at the end of the URL.
https://imgur.com/a/VEk2wg1
Thank you!
https://imgur.com/a/VEk2wg1
I believe this works fine now.
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