UNICORN - Dr. Guichet Internal Femurs 8cm - Summer 2016

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What's the longest lengthening upon graduation among you and your classmates?

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Hey Unicorn hope you're doing well,

sorry to hear what happened for your left leg, is it your fault or the nail was weak?

is lengthening 8 cm required two surgeries?

how much does the surgery cost?

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and yeah does it include accommodations?

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Quote from: Unicorn888 on September 29, 2016, 11:57:01 AMYes, but ANYTHING can happen during LL.  It is a dangerous and serious procedure and EVERYONE wishing to undergo needs to understand the risks and consequences.

Whether it is due to my eggshell fracture at initial drilling that led to a fracture later which prevented me to lengthen, or whether one lengthens both legs and encounter issues with one leg later...  it's all a roll of the dice!   Many LL'ers encounter different leg lengths towards the end and have to adjust. 

Both our legs are different, left and right, and every individual is completely different.  None of my 7 classmates have exactly identical issues... it boils down to genetics, lifestyle, discipline, attitude etc.  In fact, most people are born with different minor leg length disparities or have pelvis tilts of various degrees.

Of my classmates, one had osteoporosis but doc prepared him with a lot of supplements for a year, another had thin bones and had to prepare ahead of time as well... and they still went ahead and completed.  I on the other hand, was the ideal candidate with thick dense bones from years of professional gymnastics, and am very flexible.  Yet, I'm the one with a fracture and complication.

But don't forget, I have little to no lengthening (I didn't say post-surgery) pain, no stretching pain, no soft tissue pulling pains.  I was able to click until the end with ease whereas most people encounter lengthening pains at 4cm on.

One thing is sure...  bones will heal (and then they might not, like non-union issues).  Genetics count, so going to a credible doctor and getting a realistic consultation of whether you're a good candidate for lengthening (or rather, bone breaking and healing) is IMPORTANT.

Finally, get a good doctor who can FIX.  And have good materials, and understand that whether it's g-nail, precise, fitbone etc.  Anything can happen... hence, the high risk of LL.

Hence, for me... again, LL is 90% will/mental power.  Need to have a POSITIVE attitude no matter what.  We will succeed!  There is a plethora of potential complications out there x100, hence, it's best to be aware of them, but not to be enslaved by the fear of them.  Getting by everyday, seeing improvements in your legs, strength and body changes are in itself rewarding enough to overcome obsessing over what can possibly go wrong next.

Hey unicorn, I've been following your thread for a while now and I have to say out of the many posts I follow you have a very charismatic personality, and you're pretty damn awesome - not to mention brave! Thanks for having the time to post your journey
I hope you don't mind me asking some questions (if they're too invasive you don't need to answer)
How can I increase the density of my bones?? (I lacked a lot of vitamins as a child, hence why I'm so small and I do not drink a lot of dairy until quite recently)
Like what should I eat, exercises and so on. I do not plan on having the surgery soon until 4-7 years from now unless I win the lottery so I do have quite a lot of time to prepare.
I've heard that it costs roughly 50-60k for each bone (so 60k to do femurs, and then 60k for tibias) Is this case true as I am looking into doing both my Tibia and Femur around the same time.
Also, if and when you recover could you state how well you can walk/what exercises you can do when you've fully healed? I wish to be a paramedic when I'm older so I'd need to know how this surgery would effect me work-wise.

I wish you the very best for the rest of your recovery dude

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Quote from: wasabix on October 03, 2016, 02:16:20 PMHey unicorn, I've been following your thread for a while now and I have to say out of the many posts I follow you have a very charismatic personality, and you're pretty damn awesome - not to mention brave! Thanks for having the time to post your journey
I hope you don't mind me asking some questions (if they're too invasive you don't need to answer)
How can I increase the density of my bones?? (I lacked a lot of vitamins as a child, hence why I'm so small and I do not drink a lot of dairy until quite recently)
Like what should I eat, exercises and so on. I do not plan on having the surgery soon until 4-7 years from now unless I win the lottery so I do have quite a lot of time to prepare.
I've heard that it costs roughly 50-60k for each bone (so 60k to do femurs, and then 60k for tibias) Is this case true as I am looking into doing both my Tibia and Femur around the same time.
Also, if and when you recover could you state how well you can walk/what exercises you can do when you've fully healed? I wish to be a paramedic when I'm older so I'd need to know how this surgery would effect me work-wise.

I wish you the very best for the rest of your recovery dude

Guichet does not recommend doing both segment at a same time, he said its longer recovery and double pain

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Quote from: petite on October 03, 2016, 03:34:29 AMWhat's the longest lengthening upon graduation among you and your classmates?

Hi Petite,

Of this round of classmates, 7.5cm is the longest, and it was a girl.  She started in mid June, and already is home and slowly walking without crutches    

I had mine measured (via xray) today, I achieved 7.1cm on my right leg (yay!!!) since I'm limited to 7cm only.

I notice that the girls tend to have less lengthening pains than the guys.  One of our classmates started his lengthening pain at 3cm, so that's quite tough!

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Quote from: The Kaiser on October 03, 2016, 03:52:24 AMHey Unicorn hope you're doing well,

sorry to hear what happened for your left leg, is it your fault or the nail was weak?

is lengthening 8 cm required two surgeries?

how much does the surgery cost?

Hi Kaiser,

1)  The nail did not bend or break.  My bone cracked like an eggshell at drilling and it became vulnerable.  It fractured without any accident, just regular movement.  The nails are still in perfect condition, that's why Guichet did not remove it but repositioned it lower so that when my fracture is fully healed, I can start clicking again

2)   No, lengthening up to a maximum of 10cm requires only 1 surgery (the insertion of the G-nail) unless you have complications like myself (a fracture) which needed (1) the nail to be repositioned AND another surgery (2) to rebreak my femur so that I can start clicking again.  Also, for those who wish to remove the G-nail in 1 to 2 years, you need another surgery.  That's why it's super important to budget around potential complications as it can take more than just 1 surgery to complete your lengthening.

However, to answer your question, only 1 surgery is required to insert the G-Nail

3)  The pricing varies but do count £50k and above just for the lengthening alone (I think with my complication which also includes 2 more surgeries, more tests, more meds, more helper time, more transport costs etc, I'm coming close to £80k now):

INCLUDES
-  Bi-weekly consultations with Guichet
-  Daily physio
-  Isokinetic training/treatments

EXCLUDES
-  Pre-operation tests
-  Post-operation tests (each x-ray is approximately £300-400)
-  Pharmaceuticals
-  Accommodation
-  Treatments (ie. chiropractor)
-  Food
-  Transportation
-  Helper
-  Removal of nail (later)

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Quote from: wasabix on October 03, 2016, 02:16:20 PM
How can I increase the density of my bones?? (I lacked a lot of vitamins as a child, hence why I'm so small and I do not drink a lot of dairy until quite recently)

Like what should I eat, exercises and so on. I do not plan on having the surgery soon until 4-7 years from now unless I win the lottery so I do have quite a lot of time to prepare.

I've heard that it costs roughly 50-60k for each bone (so 60k to do femurs, and then 60k for tibias)

Is this case true as I am looking into doing both my Tibia and Femur around the same time.

Also, if and when you recover could you state how well you can walk/what exercises you can do when you've fully healed? I wish to be a paramedic when I'm older so I'd need to know how this surgery would effect me work-wise.


How can I increase the density of my bones?? (I lacked a lot of vitamins as a child, hence why I'm so small and I do not drink a lot of dairy until quite recently)

Yes, you can improve your bone quality over time.  Best to consult Guichet as he helped a patient with osteoporosis with supplements for one year before the surgery and he has completed his lengthening successfully    So, there's definitely hope.  I'm no expert but taking Glucosamine, vitamin D3, vitamin C and L-Lysine helps.

Like what should I eat, exercises and so on. I do not plan on having the surgery soon until 4-7 years from now unless I win the lottery so I do have quite a lot of time to prepare.

It's a long time away, so I'd say work on your flexibility.  That's most important and it does take years to improve.  Hence, taking up YOGA now will be most beneficial for lengthening later.  As for muscles, you will need strong and flexible quads, hamstrings, abs and triceps

I've heard that it costs roughly 50-60k for each bone (so 60k to do femurs, and then 60k for tibias)

It depends on who you go to, but yes, you can count on that much for 2 femurs or 2 tibias.

Is this case true as I am looking into doing both my Tibia and Femur around the same time.

Do read Iamready's blog as he did both at the same time (even then, it was separated by weeks, not really at the same same time).

Also, if and when you recover could you state how well you can walk/what exercises you can do when you've fully healed? I wish to be a paramedic when I'm older so I'd need to know how this surgery would effect me work-wise.

From my understanding, most people go back to regular activity and athletic levels after a year or two.  So unless you're planning to be in the Olympics , lengthening shouldn't hinder you from your noble goal of being a paramedic

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Quote from: The Kaiser on October 03, 2016, 03:12:54 PMGuichet does not recommend doing both segment at a same time, he said its longer recovery and double pain

Hi both,

Guichet actually doesn't do tibia lengthening   So there you go...

On his website, he mentions that it's better to do bilateral lengthening (2 legs at the same time) versus unilateral lengthening (1 leg at a time) because you take less risks (1x surgery/hospital stay versus 2x surgery/hospital stay) + costs are double (double xrays/tests, double physio time, double meds/pharma, double time?)

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Quote from: Unicorn888 on October 03, 2016, 05:00:33 PMHi Kaiser,

1)  The nail did not bend or break.  My bone cracked like an eggshell at drilling and it became vulnerable.  It fractured without any accident, just regular movement.  The nails are still in perfect condition, that's why Guichet did not remove it but repositioned it lower so that when my fracture is fully healed, I can start clicking again

2)   No, lengthening up to a maximum of 10cm requires only 1 surgery (the insertion of the G-nail) unless you have complications like myself (a fracture) which needed (1) the nail to be repositioned AND another surgery (2) to rebreak my femur so that I can start clicking again.  Also, for those who wish to remove the G-nail in 1 to 2 years, you need another surgery.  That's why it's super important to budget around potential complications as it can take more than just 1 surgery to complete your lengthening.

However, to answer your question, only 1 surgery is required to insert the G-Nail

3)  The pricing varies but do count £50k and above just for the lengthening alone (I think with my complication which also includes 2 more surgeries, more tests, more meds, more helper time, more transport costs etc, I'm coming close to £80k now):

INCLUDES
-  Bi-weekly consultations with Guichet
-  Daily physio
-  Isokinetic training/treatments

EXCLUDES
-  Pre-operation tests
-  Post-operation tests (each x-ray is approximately £300-400)
-  Pharmaceuticals
-  Accommodation
-  Treatments (ie. chiropractor)
-  Food
-  Transportation
-  Helper
-  Removal of nail (later)

what a professional answer, ok may i ask you 1- the fractured happened in your bone or in the device itself?

2- should you hire a helper or you can manage yourself alone? 3- how the helper cost?

4- this question make me like crazy, how much is the surgery itself in Milan, is it 45000, 50000 or 65000 Euros, i always here a different answer?

i hope you recover very well, god bless