Planning on doing femur LL surgery with betz institute/becker on march 2024,
Questions:
1. how much length did you achieve? My goal is around 9-10cm is that realistic? from what you guys have done/seen in betz institute.
2. 214 euros per day accommodation at the physio place seems kinda nutty... was there a cheaper option for accommodation? and if I were to say, book an airbnb for 4-5months near the institute which would save me 10+k euros, do I have the option of booking a cheaper variant of just physio only(non-homestay) in the betz/physio institute?
3. To all those that returned to their home countries after the surgery, how was it like? How did u secure physiotherapists in your home country? I'm not sure if my country has the equipment for LL physio.
4. After the lengthening period, is there a locking mechanism for betz nail? What if u accidentally click after the lengthening period?
5. Please give additional tips if any!!! would really appreciate it
1) I did 3.2cm. Hit early consolidation. Probably wont re-break but well see. 3.2cm while small in the LL world is noticeable and I'm glad I did it.
1.2) Yes you can hit 9-10cm, people do it all the time with Becker. However, I think people have regrets doing too much. I know people who did around 10cm and regretted it People who stay under 8cm all seem to have happy endings (from a proportion and recovery perspective). You will get mockups of what you will look like at different lengths when you go there. Becker is a cosmetic surgeon, if you want 8 he will do 8, if you want 12 he will do 12. He only cares about safety in terms of limitations. Your aesthetics are on yourself. Hes not there to tell you what to do from that standpoint. You're also going to have plenty of time to decide when to stop. Lengthening will take months. So lengthen and monitor.
2) You can not do the airbnb thing at the beginning but maybe later on, lets say after 3 weeks. You're barely going to be able to walk down the hallway and back without being winded your first couple weeks. Traveling to and from and airbnb will take so much out of you and be extremely inefficient. You need to be at the hotel and go right down to physical therapy (or whatever the set up is now, I know he was building a whole new facility which may or may not be open now).
3) You dont actually need a physiotherapist if you are self reliant and actually stretch. So you just go home and lengthen. If you hit an issue from another country you're kind of screwed though. And Becker always recommends you stay with him through the whole process. If you take off (like I did) the results are on you. But most people do make it work.
4) Theres no locking mechanism. Your callus becomes extremely tough and stops any clicking in short order when you stop lengthening. There might be accidental clicks for some people if they are slow healers but he has a phasing out plan to deal with that which he will go over with you.
5) For travel, just ask the assistants what the best way to travel is and they will tell you. Theres no need for guess work and they know best. Airports, trains, hotels, etc. Also dont roll in the day before surgery. You should be there at least 2 days before. I was there maybe 3 days prior. You will want to meet Becker in person, get x-rays, get mock-ups done, get settled.