Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: forumonly2019 on July 15, 2021, 05:08:06 PM
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Hi,
I had tibia lengthening surgery with Dr. Rozbruch on early July and just started lengthening today. To my surprise, the pain on Tibias post surgery were that bad at all, i only used one 5.5mm oxy 2 days post surgery. But after that I had another oxy in 6 hours and continue to use since I had to have pt session. I stayed at hospital for 4 days, for the first three days I didn’t rest well because of the Ac was set on extreme cold, thank god a nurse helped me to turn it on heat. Then I had 8 hours sleep that night. My legs were hooked up on this bending machine, it was used one and a half hour per leg per day.
I was awake during my surgery as I believe less sedation would be less harmful to my body. They used spinal block for anesthesia so I could feel my upper body during the surgery. The surgery took four hours and Dr. Rozbruch did cosmetic stitches so my wounds are very small. He corrected my lightly bowleg a bit. Overall, this tibia surgery was a huge success, I was able to get on long flight right after I get discharged from the hospital.
When I lay down and have ice bags over my tibias my pain level is around 0, it’s just stiff if I don’t move my legs every 2 hours. The problem is I can’t walk more than 4 steps while using the walker mainly because I’m afraid precise nail would break as it’s not full weight bearing. And it hurt so bad when I tried to walk since I don’t want to take any pain medicine if I don’t have to at this point. When I sit on the edge of bed my legs fall down, they hurt a lot for first few mins and I can feel them being swollen but actually they look fine, my foot were pretty swollen from the long flight though, it went away after I elevated my legs after I got home.
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Damn you are brave for doing this awake.
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All the best bro. Follow the motions and suceed.
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Damn not many people can brag about having surgery while awake.
Did you choose internal precise for tibias becauae you wanted to lenghten at home? I heard from the interview withDr. Donghoon internal fixators are extremely complicated for tibias and LON or external are preferred
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Thx. It was nothing actually.
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I did some research on possible early arthritis caused by inserting rods through knee, only found few papers related. Conclusion is that there are risks involved in which surgeon’s skill is an essential part. I ended up choosing precice2.2 because it hurts less than external fixator and internal method seems to be a more advanced development.
I will monitor my knee condition from now on to ensure if early arthritis become reality early intervention will be applied immediately. It’s the most I can do as I have to make compromise for my ends.
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I have lengthened 3+mm and constantly felt my skin being stretched. Right foot falls more than left, it was like this since surgery. Currently I’m on 0.02mm x 4 per day, I’m thinking to buy an electric wheelchair so I could have more mobility when outside. Didn’t take oxy or Tylenol because pain has been manageable. Had really bad spasms two times, latter one lasted more than one hour, couldn’t move or do anything to help so I just waited it to go away. Cant have ice bags on tibias often as it may cause spasms.
Swelling has gone completely even if I dangle my legs more than one hour it’s not coming back.
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My goal is to reach maximum lengthening that my tibias can handle without leaving long term side effect. Anyone lengthened more than 7cm on tibias and turned out fine?
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Think donghoon had a patient who did 7 on tibs and runs like a champ. A few years after though. Check his channel, there's a video on it.
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All the best for your journey. You have taken the first and keep up the good work so far bro. If you don't mind me asking how old are you? and what was your current height before the surgery?
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Just wanna update my current situation. Throughout the lengthening process, pain level is quite low, i would rate 0/10 for most of time. I was able to achieve 6.3cm for left tibia and 6.5 for right one (to make up the discrepancy from last femur lengthening). I could have lengthen pass 7 for sure but I have developed foot drop due to lack of pt exercise, now I’m still working on this issue. Every morning foot drop is obvious and by night time it’s almost flat, but it keeps coming back every next day. Even with foot drop I’m able to walk without any aid, if I control my pace I look completely normal, it’s just two months past my lengthening. Walking long distance does make my feet hurt though.
Dr. Rozbruch is the most professional doctor I have met, he gives the impression like a college professor. His skillset and HSS experience are top in the field.
Only problem now is that I’m self pay and the hospital bill is over 170k not including anesthesia cost (Dr. Rozbruch’s fee has been paid before surgery). I thought total cost is fixed as 125k.
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Just wanna update my current situation. Throughout the lengthening process, pain level is quite low, i would rate 0/10 for most of time. I was able to achieve 6.3cm for left tibia and 6.5 for right one (to make up the discrepancy from last femur lengthening). I could have lengthen pass 7 for sure but I have developed foot drop due to lack of pt exercise, now I’m still working on this issue. Every morning foot drop is obvious and by night time it’s almost flat, but it keeps coming back every next day. Even with foot drop I’m able to walk without any aid, if I control my pace I look completely normal, it’s just two months past my lengthening. Walking long distance does make my feet hurt though.
Dr. Rozbruch is the most professional doctor I have met, he gives the impression like a college professor. His skillset and HSS experience are top in the field.
Only problem now is that I’m self pay and the hospital bill is over 170k not including anesthesia cost (Dr. Rozbruch’s fee has been paid before surgery). I thought total cost is fixed as 125k.
Thank you for updating.
Do you mean ballerina foot or drop foot? The latter happens due to nerve damage and is quite serious.
And 170k?? Woah. That is just for hospital and not even including the surgeon's fee?
Can you please provide a breakup of the various costs and how much it is? And if the surgery happened 6 months ago are they giving you the bill now?
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Just wanna update my current situation. Throughout the lengthening process, pain level is quite low, i would rate 0/10 for most of time. I was able to achieve 6.3cm for left tibia and 6.5 for right one (to make up the discrepancy from last femur lengthening). I could have lengthen pass 7 for sure but I have developed foot drop due to lack of pt exercise, now I’m still working on this issue. Every morning foot drop is obvious and by night time it’s almost flat, but it keeps coming back every next day. Even with foot drop I’m able to walk without any aid, if I control my pace I look completely normal, it’s just two months past my lengthening. Walking long distance does make my feet hurt though.
Dr. Rozbruch is the most professional doctor I have met, he gives the impression like a college professor. His skillset and HSS experience are top in the field.
Only problem now is that I’m self pay and the hospital bill is over 170k not including anesthesia cost (Dr. Rozbruch’s fee has been paid before surgery). I thought total cost is fixed as 125k.
This is not Foot drop its Ballerina foot or equinus foot . Foot drop occurs if nerve is damage.
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170k only for the hospital fees???
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Just wanna update my current situation. Throughout the lengthening process, pain level is quite low, i would rate 0/10 for most of time. I was able to achieve 6.3cm for left tibia and 6.5 for right one (to make up the discrepancy from last femur lengthening). I could have lengthen pass 7 for sure but I have developed foot drop due to lack of pt exercise, now I’m still working on this issue. Every morning foot drop is obvious and by night time it’s almost flat, but it keeps coming back every next day. Even with foot drop I’m able to walk without any aid, if I control my pace I look completely normal, it’s just two months past my lengthening. Walking long distance does make my feet hurt though.
Dr. Rozbruch is the most professional doctor I have met, he gives the impression like a college professor. His skillset and HSS experience are top in the field.
Only problem now is that I’m self pay and the hospital bill is over 170k not including anesthesia cost (Dr. Rozbruch’s fee has been paid before surgery). I thought total cost is fixed as 125k.
Hi... Great update... How much you going to lengthen?
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Hi. How much does he charge for tibia lengthening with TSF frames?
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Hi i just got rods moved and everything went well, doctor Rozbruch corrected right heel problem with a cut on calf, was in pain for about two weeks when walking but now it’s all good. Left leg had no pain at all (didn’t do anything on calf), the stitches were handled during the surgery so great to the extent that there may not be scars later on, just one thing, I didn’t remove monocryl stitches po-op this time so when i push i can feel them underneath the skin. Also great news Doctor Rozbruch helped me with negotiating with management so hospital fees was lower to 80k, which i was told prior to surgery, i paid it and its such a relief.
I did all my surgeries at HSS awake, used as less anesthesia as possible, only the last one that new anesthesia doctor injected too much, 30ml, it was 4ml with combination with another injection (just a bit more) i checked. So not so happy with this, but its nothing compared to the harm if done with general anesthesia.
I highly recommend Dr. Rozbruch, he is the most professional doctor I have met, graduated from IVY, top in the class and have been the best in his practice field.
Be prepare to flight back home the second day after getting rods removed, the same day would not be enough.
Hope you all have safe surgery.
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And I lengthened 6.3 and 6.5, was done intentionally to correct uneven lengthening on femurs. I do regret didn’t do pt often to get to 8cm, so take mine as a lesson, when you do get this surgery, do pt as much as possible and get 8cm.
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I’m thinking to get arms lengthened once i can cover my loss on stocks….really damned that i invested more than i can lose and didn’t get a close look on that. Anyways, if anyone has done arms please let me know how it went, I believe for upper arm precice is an option but for forearm only external. Would it affect the flexibility for hands movement later on?
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And I didn’t take most of the medicines after discharged from hospital, thought they wouldn’t be necessary although I bought them all cost my hundreds, do regret that, no use at all. Unless you are flying no need to take, to my experience, not medical advice, maybe because I’m young I’m recovered really easily, bones healed great, still can’t run though, but I’m not really athletic type prior to surgery, so can’t tell the difference.
I do feel not as healthy as i was prior to all these surgeries, but my mom said this due to diet irregularly, almost no exercise and poor sleep (I’m stressed), if you can rest well eat well and be in happy steady mood all the time, I don’t think this surgery will harm your health too much, although body repair does need cells to work heavily and it costs life I remember, you can make it up by other aspects perhaps, if not, i mean its the cost, i will have to take it.
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One thing that the hospital disappointed me is the night shift nurse i got after surgery this time, only this time. This one complained to her colleague that I’m being “a little absurd” and that colleague little dared to say that I’m annoying in front of my face just before getting discharged, really weird and mad. I didn’t have the energy to fight back so i just let it go. I was being really friendly with this nurse we chatted well, didn’t want to bother her so took care of my own hygiene, don’t know what her altitude come from. Because my surgery was delayed about 5 hours i was starving so checked with her several times for food, that’s it. Unbelievably rude, i even made few jokes and she laughed, so when i overheard she called me absurd i was really shocked. Honestly i didn’t like her the first moment i met her, felt like she didn’t’ like me, probably racist, treated me so bad and i just done surgery, horrible person, both of them.
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And I lengthened 6.3 and 6.5, was done intentionally to correct uneven lengthening on femurs. I do regret didn’t do pt often to get to 8cm, so take mine as a lesson, when you do get this surgery, do pt as much as possible and get 8cm.
How much PT did you do? Did you stop because you were too tight and couldn't continue? That's what Rozbruch recommended?
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Dr. Rozbruch asked to stop . I could have lengthening beyond 7cm for sure, even touch 8cm if doing more pt. He allowed lengthening until too tight, so this is completely my bad to end early.
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I did pt on my own the entire time which was barely nothing honestly, I remember once I skipped couple days then it became too tight and I had to stop. Dr. Rozbruch's skill is really impressive, I never felt that I couldn't take more actually and i barely took any pain medicines, my right heel was the problem while left heel didn't really have the problem, it was like this post surgery, I suppose its either that he did my left one and right one wasn't him or just my right leg was more difficult.
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and Im gonna stop replying at this time, need to earn that money to do arms and get back to normal life asap, thanks everyone on this forum that shared experience and options, really ease the concerns a lot.
it's a safe surgery I have confirmed 4 times now haha, with right doctor. my life has been changed, love the new height and Im not insecure to social and such anymore, height matters to all, if I can I wish to be taller than anyone, being tall feels great and I hate when men are taller than me.
Good luck to you all.
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and Im gonna stop replying at this time, need to earn that money to do arms and get back to normal life asap, thanks everyone on this forum that shared experience and options, really ease the concerns a lot.
it's a safe surgery I have confirmed 4 times now haha, with right doctor. my life has been changed, love the new height and Im not insecure to social and such anymore, height matters to all, if I can I wish to be taller than anyone, being tall feels great and I hate when men are taller than me.
Good luck to you all.
Congrats on your successful surgery! What would you recommend bringing (in terms of luggage) with you for tibia surgery? I'm doing internal femurs now and am thinking about doing internal tibias in Athens next year
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and Im gonna stop replying at this time, need to earn that money to do arms and get back to normal life asap, thanks everyone on this forum that shared experience and options, really ease the concerns a lot.
it's a safe surgery I have confirmed 4 times now haha, with right doctor. my life has been changed, love the new height and Im not insecure to social and such anymore, height matters to all, if I can I wish to be taller than anyone, being tall feels great and I hate when men are taller than me.
Good luck to you all.
Thanks for the info man! I thought Rozbruch doesn't do cosmetic arms but anyhow good luck 8)
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and Im gonna stop replying at this time, need to earn that money to do arms and get back to normal life asap, thanks everyone on this forum that shared experience and options, really ease the concerns a lot.
it's a safe surgery I have confirmed 4 times now haha, with right doctor. my life has been changed, love the new height and Im not insecure to social and such anymore, height matters to all, if I can I wish to be taller than anyone, being tall feels great and I hate when men are taller than me.
Good luck to you all.
Good for you my brother!! Good luck for your new life with your new height! Looks like Dr Rozbruch is the best from what I read here.
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Hello,
thank you for sharing your story, may I ask how your experience with Dr Rozbruch overall?
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Does he still do cosmetic limb-lengthening surgeries? According to this article, he is strongly against CLL:
"I'm a leg-lengthening surgeon. I won't do cosmetic procedures because they cheapen what my work is really about — fixing deformities.
I do limb-lengthening reconstruction, not that bull**** cosmetic limb-lengthening that was discussed in GQ. That article was very disheartening because it's taken this incredible field and cheapened it.
The idea of some celebrity who's 5-foot-10 getting stature-lengthening done to be 6-foot-1 isn't appropriate. It makes me nauseous that those stories get labeled with "limb-lengthening" and everybody and their uncle sends me the article, saying "Oh, wow, did you see this?" That's not what I am; that's not what we are."
https://www.businessinsider.com/limb-lengthening-surgery-not-make-you-taller-cosmetic-height-2022-12 (https://www.businessinsider.com/limb-lengthening-surgery-not-make-you-taller-cosmetic-height-2022-12)
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"Stature-lengthening is something we can do. It's appropriate for carefully selected patients with very short stature that's debilitating physically or psychologically. That's very different from operating on someone who just wants to be taller and is already average height, which is 5-foot-9 for men and 5-foot-4 for women in the US."
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Professional. Entire treating process was well worth the price. Had less pain and pills. Just need to manage pt near your place. I strongly recommend.
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I think so. However I need to admit that I’m a bit shocked by his tone towards cosmetic lengthening in that article, although he did mention that this surgery is meant for ppl whose height is below average. My femur surgery was done by paley. Then tibia with Rozbruch, obviously my proportion was off after lengthening femurs, i was able to schedule surgery with him after psychological evaluation with another doctor at manhattan. I explained to him that all my relatives and friends are taller than average height which made me feel inferior truly, he understood,
Last removal of rods surgery he looked tired and made me waited couple hours which was fine, but maybe he has been on tight schedule during recent months or so, I’m not sure.
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He is ok with lengthening upper arm, not so sure on forearm. But if i do get first part done, i will have to lengthen forearms as well, or else i would look really weird.
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Interesting that you didnt have any PT- in my 20 years experience, PT is essential for the LL process. Patients who are diligent and motivated can get by, but I highly recommend having someone skilled and knowledgeable monitoring your progress physically.
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I did pt on my own but not much, initially 15-25 minutes standing per day and some flat stretches, later on i relaxed more so less and less, for tibia lengthening there are only two stretches so don’t need to hire someone for pt wise actually.
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What are your thoughts on a patient ice wrapping the lower legs for hours each day the first two weeks? For pain
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How is your pain?
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He is ok with lengthening upper arm, not so sure on forearm. But if i do get first part done, i will have to lengthen forearms as well, or else i would look really weird.
Did you end up getting humerus lengthening with Dr. R? Forearm lengthening is impossible AFAIK.
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i want humerous lengthening maybe one inch. but dunno how my arms will be . in so much pain i can imagine. ill have 5'8 wing span by then.
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HSS is quite poor, i would not go there
I recently had therr a corrective surgery for ankle where all the weight was put on one fibula bone in one spot. Because of this, all the pins were placed in one area, creating a huge scar around them. Now, I'm dealing with chronic pain, and it feels like there's no end in sight.
The surgeon barely put any effort into my treatment. It seems like he just wanted to get paid by the insurance. He made quite a lot from my surgery but didn't even bother to meet with me beforehand to discuss my options again, even though he said he would. Instead, he went straight to surgery on a Friday evening, and it was super delayed.
. I'm stuck in this awful situation and need to find a way out fast. This whole thing has messed up my chances of getting decent treatment elsewhere.
I am going to local hospital to remove the metal where it is the most painful and will look for other treatment options t
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There was little interest in following through to ensure I achieved a functional, pain-free outcome. This money-driven approach. the focus seemed to be more on achieving textbook corrections rather than addressing my specific needs as a patient. The operated leg didn’t match my healthy leg or my functional goals, leaving me with pain and mobility issues.
What’s more concerning is that after my initial surgery, it felt like my case lost priority once the insurance payments were collected.
I’ve noticed that this company is often named the number one provider in limb-lengthening and reconstructive surgery. However, based on my experience, I find it hard to understand how this ranking is achieved. If cases like mine—where textbook corrections lead to functional issues, and follow-up care seems to lose priority after insurance payments—are not rare, how is this level of service considered the best? Can someone clarify what criteria are used to determine this ranking, and how patient outcomes and satisfaction factor into it?
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There was little interest in following through to ensure I achieved a functional, pain-free outcome. This money-driven approach. the focus seemed to be more on achieving textbook corrections rather than addressing my specific needs as a patient. The operated leg didn’t match my healthy leg or my functional goals, leaving me with pain and mobility issues.
What’s more concerning is that after my initial surgery, it felt like my case lost priority once the insurance payments were collected.
I’ve noticed that this company is often named the number one provider in limb-lengthening and reconstructive surgery. However, based on my experience, I find it hard to understand how this ranking is achieved. If cases like mine—where textbook corrections lead to functional issues, and follow-up care seems to lose priority after insurance payments—are not rare, how is this level of service considered the best? Can someone clarify what criteria are used to determine this ranking, and how patient outcomes and satisfaction factor into it?
I think it's a combo of credentials/years of practice along with location.
It's unfortunate that your experience hasn't been good with Dr Rozbruch. What functional issues do you remain with? Is he just dismissive of your remaining issues?