What country has the least expensive doctors?

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I am considering LL surgery. I live in Florida, so if price were not an issue, I would go with Dr. Paley, but price is an issue.

I've heard of doctors in India that do for $17,500 for tibia and another $17,500 for femur. Is that the lowest prices I should be expecting? I am trying to find a doctor that is inexpensive compared to Paley, but also that has good reviews. I don't mind traveling, I actually like to travel.

How many cm's should I go for? I want to gain as much as possible, but I don't want to ask for more than what's realistic, and I don't want to increase the chance of complications by trying to get too much height increase.

How bad is the pain during the recovery? And how long does it last for?

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From reading other threads, it seems like Russia, India, and China are my best bets.

Any suggestions for specific doctors?

It seems like internal is the way to go. I hope I can find a reputable, reasonably priced doctor outside of the USA to do this.

And hopefully I won't have to be out of the country for too long.

After I heal and am moving forward with my life... Will I still be able to lift the same amount? Will I have to worry about my leg breaking under stress when I'm old?

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vietnam is the cheapest. but someone should go and find more details for us

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Note that this is just info I've learned from reading patient diaries and doctor info threads.

For India there's Dr. Parihar, who charges around $15k for externals and under $50k for internals. He's highly respected and is a good choice, recommended by Dr. Paley as well. Dr. Parihar has a good reputation because there are more patient diaries for him. His technique is solid, but his office and hospital aren't very modern looking, so you'll have to lower your expectations on that front. You'll need to find accommodation yourself, and you may end up getting a hotel for around $30-50/day.

If you'd like to save more money, there's Dr. Solomin and Dr. Kulesh in Russia. They both work together, with Dr. Solomin being the senior of the two. Around $3k-5k for traditional externals or $5k-8k for LON/LATN. They do not offer internals. They have less diaries, but the ones we have are positive so far. They offer two hospitals for treatment, one is more expensive (about double) but they have English speaking staff, is more modern, and offers foreign visa support. You can choose to do some operations in one hospital and stay at another. They'll help you find an apartment through a realtor, which is around $430/mo.

There's also Dr. Birkholtz in South Africa. Just a disclaimer if you're unaware, South Africa is a metropolitan country and is very modern and safe. It will cost more here, at around $35k or $52k for internals, but accommodation is included. He does impose a limit on lengthening however (5 cm tibia, 6 cm femurs).

dean9191 suggested Vietnam, and they are indeed the cheapest with Dr. Thuy, but there are so few diaries that it's still an uncertain choice. Externals only, around $12k which includes accommodation, physician, food, house keeper, driver, etc.

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Quote from: Android on October 22, 2017, 03:14:13 AMNote that this is just info I've learned from reading patient diaries and doctor info threads.

For India there's Dr. Parihar, who charges around $15k for externals and under $50k for internals. He's highly respected and is a good choice, recommended by Dr. Paley as well. Dr. Parihar has a good reputation because there are more patient diaries for him. His technique is solid, but his office and hospital aren't very modern looking, so you'll have to lower your expectations on that front. You'll need to find accommodation yourself, and you may end up getting a hotel for around $30-50/day.

If you'd like to save more money, there's Dr. Solomin and Dr. Kulesh in Russia. They both work together, with Dr. Solomin being the senior of the two. Around $3k-5k for traditional externals or $5k-8k for LON/LATN. They do not offer internals. They have less diaries, but the ones we have are positive so far. They offer two hospitals for treatment, one is more expensive (about double) but they have English speaking staff, is more modern, and offers foreign visa support. You can choose to do some operations in one hospital and stay at another. They'll help you find an apartment through a realtor, which is around $430/mo.

There's also Dr. Birkholtz in South Africa. Just a disclaimer if you're unaware, South Africa is a metropolitan country and is very modern and safe. It will cost more here, at around $35k or $52k for internals, but accommodation is included. He does impose a limit on lengthening however (5 cm tibia, 6 cm femurs).

dean9191 suggested Vietnam, and they are indeed the cheapest with Dr. Thuy, but there are so few diaries that it's still an uncertain choice. Externals only, around $12k which includes accommodation, physician, food, house keeper, driver, etc.

I didn't realize internals were so much more expensive. It's gonna suck wearing those braces for so long.

You said Vietnam was cheapest, but the price for the Russian guy was less?

What is the maximum I should expect to realistically achieve for both tibia and femur?

I'm currently just under 5'8". I wouldn't mind being 6'2" or more.

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Quote from: farmerjohn1324 on October 22, 2017, 02:44:04 AMIt seems like internal is the way to go. I hope I can find a reputable, reasonably priced doctor outside of the USA to do this.

And hopefully I won't have to be out of the country for too long.

After I heal and am moving forward with my life... Will I still be able to lift the same amount? Will I have to worry about my leg breaking under stress when I'm old?

Externals for tibia are fine, but you might want to consider internals for femurs as it's a lot more comfortable. On externals, you'll have frames going up to your butt, so you can imagine the hassles you'll face going to the bathroom.

You'll be out of the country for at least three to four months during the distraction phase. This is when you're lengthening your bones around 1 mm per day, and this is when the doctor will need to keep a closer eye on your progress. Many doctors will allow you to go home during consolidations, when your bones are healing after lengthening. This will take approximately the same time it took to lengthen. You will be in crutches or a wheelchair for most of this time. You can get the frames removed in your home country if you'd like. Some methods, including internals, will require another surgery session.

You won't have to worry about your leg snapping, but you will most likely never return to 100% of your original athleticism. Not a big concern unless your life revolves around running or active sports like football. A more common concern is ballerina foot, in which your feet look like they're tiptoeing like a ballerina. Extreme cases can lead to releasing the Achille's tendon, which should be avoided if possible. This can be avoided via daily stretching and physical therapy.

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Quote from: farmerjohn1324 on October 22, 2017, 03:29:35 AMI didn't realize internals were so much more expensive. It's gonna suck wearing those braces for so long.

You said Vietnam was cheapest, but the price for the Russian guy was less?

What is the maximum I should expect to realistically achieve for both tibia and femur?

I'm currently just under 5'8". I wouldn't mind being 6'2" or more.

Internals are much more expensive, because the nail itself -- be it PRECISE or Fitbone -- cost a lot of money themselves. For instance, Dr. Parihar doesn't charge any more for the surgery, but he has to import the nails from America and that's the price difference. They create less scars (note: can get scar removal if it bothers you) and it'll be comfortable, but yes... Much more expensive. But plenty of people have done external femurs, so you can do it as long as you're determined and resourceful.

Vietnam is cheaper because it's all inclusive. While in this example Russia is cheaper at first glance, it doesn't include accommodation, food, physical therapy, transportation to/from hospital, etc. But again, we don't have a lot of data yet on Vietnam (we have three diaries), so don't get too excited at the price.

Many recommended maximum lengthening of around 6 cm (2.36 in), but this is an average; you won't know until you get a consultation. The taller your starting height, the longer you can go. Generally the rule of thumb is you'll gain 10~20% of your existing bone segment length (which we can't measure accurately ourselves, hence the consultation).

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Quote from: Android on October 22, 2017, 03:39:00 AMInternals are much more expensive, because the nail itself -- be it PRECISE or Fitbone -- cost a lot of money themselves. For instance, Dr. Parihar doesn't charge any more for the surgery, but he has to import the nails from America and that's the price difference. They create less scars (note: can get scar removal if it bothers you) and it'll be comfortable, but yes... Much more expensive. But plenty of people have done external femurs, so you can do it as long as you're determined and resourceful.

Vietnam is cheaper because it's all inclusive. While in this example Russia is cheaper at first glance, it doesn't include accommodation, food, physical therapy, transportation to/from hospital, etc. But again, we don't have a lot of data yet on Vietnam (we have three diaries), so don't get too excited at the price.

Many recommended maximum lengthening of around 6 cm (2.36 in), but this is an average; you won't know until you get a consultation. The taller your starting height, the longer you can go. Generally the rule of thumb is you'll gain 10~20% of your existing bone segment length (which we can't measure accurately ourselves, hence the consultation).

Do both internal and external create scars? Which is worse?

If I do external, how long should I expect to be in the brace? Does it depend on how many cm I add?

Are the crutches and wheelchair only during distraction? Or consolidation as well?

That's 6 cm for tibia and another 6 cm for femur, totalling 12? Which would mean up to a year in the fixator? Up to 6 months in the area surrounding the hospital for the distraction phase?

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Quote from: farmerjohn1324 on October 22, 2017, 05:22:15 AMDo both internal and external create scars? Which is worse?

If I do external, how long should I expect to be in the brace? Does it depend on how many cm I add?

Are the crutches and wheelchair only during distraction? Or consolidation as well?

That's 6 cm for tibia and another 6 cm for femur, totalling 12? Which would mean up to a year in the fixator? Up to 6 months in the area surrounding the hospital for the distraction phase?

Internals will leave smaller and fewer scars. Pin site infection rate is also lower with internals; common with externals, but it's not a big deal.


Both internal and external will take about an inch a month during the lengthening phase, so yes -- amount lengthened will increase time. If you go with pure externals, you'll also have to leave the frames on during the consolidation phase, basically doubling the discomfort time. The advantage of only going purely external is that it's generally cheaper and is easier to fix complications. But you can go for LON or LATN to lock in nails after lengthening, which means you can remove the frames; much more comfortable. You can read the different methods here.


You'll need crutches and/or wheelchair during consolidation as well. This depends on your bone regrowth speed, weight, and method of CLL chosen. You could be walking unassisted in just four to five months depending on a combination of factors (e.g. fast growth, light weight, PRECISE internal nail, etc.).


Generally you can lengthen a little more on the femurs, and depending on your doctor and your body, they may suggest you to lengthen more (or less). You might even decide yourself that it's time to stop if you start to feel pain.


If you want to do all four segments (both femurs and both tibias), you have a few options:

• Pick femurs or tibias and finish one at a time: takes the most time, flexibility of quitting if you're satisfied at the end
• Internal femurs and external tibia: start one pair, wait a month or so and start the next pair. Comfortable, expensive (still cheaper than internals for both)
• Sequential cross-elongation (external): lengthen left femur and right tibia, wait a few months, then operate on opposite pair. Not as uncomfortable as two externals on femurs

Note that aside from #1, you'll need to find a doctor that is willing to do all segments for you. In the end, what you read on the internet and what your doctor will say will depend on many variables, so take this with a grain of salt.

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I dont understand why people dont consider dr pili/catagni when on a low budget. Their fees is low and skills are better than others in that range.