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[live_potato]

Hello there,

I haven't seen that many posts from recent patients who have had LL with Dr. DH Lee so I thought I'd share my experience.

Currently lengthening ~3.5cm. Originally from the U.S.

I got my first consultation back in 2021. Was supposed to get Stryde in December but due to it being recalled, my surgery was postponed to May the following year. While waiting for a status update on the recall, I decided to switch to Precice rather than wait for Stryde to come back on the market and I'm glad I made that decision.

Had the surgery about a 1.5 month ago. The surgery went well without any complications. I think I was under for less than 1.5 hour. The nurses came to take me to the surgery room at around noon; they took me to the OR and after meeting with the anesthesiologist, I fell asleep about 15-20 min later and woke up in my room at around 2:30pm. Assuming the pre and post surgery procedures, I'm guesstimating I was under for a very short period. Was worried that I’d wake up nauseous but had no anesthesia-related side effects.

Experience in the hospital post surgery
Dr. Lee requires that his patients stay in the hospital for the first 6 days post-surgery.  It is mandatory to hire a helper or have a family member stay with you post surgery (i.e., to monitor you in-between the nurses and doctor’s visits; empty your pee bag during the first 3 days; grab stuff for you since you’ll be bed ridden for 3 days, etc.). I hired a helper. Was bed ridden for the first 2.5 days. On the third day, I started using a wheelchair.

I felt that I received very thorough care from start to finish from the hospital staff. Nurses would come by to take my vitals every several hours; every morning, someone from the rehabilitation center would drop by to give me some type of cryotherapy to help with the swelling and pain; and Dr Lee made the rounds daily towards the end of the day to check on his patients so there was ample time to ask questions. On the second to last day, I started my physical therapy sessions. The hospital assigned me to a physical therapist who has been treating me ever since.

After leaving the hospital, I was scheduled for physical therapy sessions everyday. My physical therapist HY Kim is very skilled, knowledgeable, and kind. He took the time to answer all my questions while working on my legs based on my condition and pain level. I felt like getting physical therapy was psychologically helpful as well.

Pain management
They say pain levels vary by individuals. For me, the pain has been the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life. To be more specific, the post-surgery pain was manageable (I actually was able to work full-time while hospitalized. FYI: I have a remote job). However, the pain related to lengthening was excruciating. I was barely about to work 2-3 hours day. I managed the pain with painkillers and regular stretching. Thankfully, I only lengthened about 3.5cm, so the lengthening process lasted a little over a month. I'm currently in consolidation phase but the pain level is still quite high.

Day-to-day post-surgery
My days are usually spent doing rehab at the rehab center and at home. I do about an hour of stretching/strength training in the morning before heading to the hospital where I have my 30 min appointment with my PT and then stay for an additional 2.5 hours so I can take advantage of their facilities. Once I go home, I do an additional 2.5 hours of stretching. So all in all, that's about 5.5-6 hours of PT everyday.

I see Dr. Lee once every two weeks. During the appointment, they take my x-rays, and I sit down with Dr. Lee while he looks over my x-ray scans and answers any questions I may have. So far, he said my bones are coming in nicely so hopefully I'll be able to stand in the next month or so.

Im about 1.5 month post surgery. I know I still have about a month and a half of regular PT left before I can stand and start walking somewhat normally.

Overall, I’m glad I chose to get the procedure done with Dr. Lee. The post-surgery care - specifically the rehab care (physical therapy and hydroptherapy sessions) is top class and I don’t think I would’ve gotten this level of care even back in the U.S. or anywhere else.

One thing that I noticed while watching some of his YouTube videos (the ones on the Korean channel) is that Dr. Lee is genuinely passionate about his work and prioritizes his patients above all else. I don't say this lightly. I'm very skeptical when it comes to doctors/surgeons in general and think most of them are in it primarily for the money, but after my experience over the past 1.5 with Dr. Lee and his staff, I can honestly say that the doctor is driven by his passion to help patients - be it by correcting leg deformities or performing cosmetic lengthening to help patients realize their full height.

I don’t think I’ve met a doctor who cares so much about the well-being of his patients as Dr. Lee.

Will continue to update as I progress. Feel free to ask questions!

[GodsGrace]

Hey live_potato, congrats on your journey. You are in safe hands. Keep us posted.

[GodsGrace]

I had my surgeries 6 months ago and I totally forgot the surgery pain now. I know the first 2 days I was suffering a lot but now I am unable to recollect those painful moments and they feel like distant memories. Also, it's been more than 2 months since I stopped lengthening and now even the lengthening memories are slowly fading away from my mind. The time flies by quickly and you will be on the other side of the tunnel sooner than you realize.

[boklecrt]

Congratulations on your choice of doctor, it doesn't get better than this, a perfect balance of price and quality. i can't say I am not jealous. Good luck and keep us well posted!

[live_potato]

Thanks for the encouraging words all!

Since my last post, I've had another appointment to with Dr. Lee to review my x-rays. I've been having my x-ray scans reviewed regularly every 2 weeks, but this was my first x-ray after completing the lengthening phase. Based on the x-ray results, he estimates that I should be able to start walking appx one month from now. Till then, I'm continuing with my physical therapy 5x a week.

I forgot to mention in my last post, my weekly PT sessions consists of four 30-min sessions with a physical therapist, and one (sometimes two) SwimEx sessions/Hydrotherapy sessions. I've already done 7 hydrotherapy sessions, and I noticed a HUGE and dramatic difference in how I walk in the water between session 5 and 6. Up until session 5, my knees were killing me and I had major duck ass, which made it really hard to feel like I was walking normally. It was quite painful to move around in the water, but somehow starting with the 6th session, I noticed a huge reduction in pain levels, as well as more flexibility in my muscles. All that stretching must be paying off! 

Typically, hydroptherapy consists of walking on a treadmill in the water, learning to stand on different legs one at a time, and walking back and forth from one end of the pool to the other - basically re-learning how to walk while my therapist points out problematic areas that I need to work on.

Will be going back to see Dr. Lee in 3 weeks for my second post-lengthening x-ray. Will keep you all posted!

[Dash]

Congratulations. Man..

[Vogel]

Thank you very much for sharing with us your positive experience. I hope all keeps going well for you.

Could you please ask the doctor on your next visit on how to reach them, as I have been trying through WhatsApp and email for several months but I’ve got no reply whatsoever.

[live_potato]

Thank you very much for sharing with us your positive experience. I hope all keeps going well for you.

Could you please ask the doctor on your next visit on how to reach them, as I have been trying through WhatsApp and email for several months but I’ve got no reply whatsoever.

Hi Vogel! Will do.

[Vogel]

Thank you very much

[akali]

Hey live_potato! How did you decide to do the surgery. I still have doubts so I don't know how to handle the pain and everything. Any advise you can give?

[Dirona]

It is remarkable that Dr Lee hasn't had even 1 non-union for stature lengthening..Did you ask him about the non-union risk while discussing complications? Is it pure coincidence or does he use some special technique to prevent it?

[live_potato]

Thank you very much

Hi Vogel - I met with the international rep and she said to use this WhatsApp #: +82-10-8729-0030.

Let me know if that works.

UPDATE:

I had my 2nd post op x-ray review yesterday and I was told that I can start weight-bearing 100%. It's been exactly 2.5 months since the surgery, and one month since I stopped lengthening so I was ecstatic! Of course, I still use crutches when I have to go long distances because my muscles need to catch up. But damn. After my appointment with Dr. Lee, while waiting in the lobby, I decided to stand on my own, and it was glorious!

Muscles are still a bit sore and my walking gait still needs work (aka more stretching and strength training) but damn is it good to be able to walk and not rely on my wheelchair 100% of the time!

@Realistic - it's not a coincidence that he has 0% non-union. From what I understand from watching his YouTube videos, he uses a very precise (no pun intended), clean, and minimally invasive way of cutting the bone not using an electric saw because it generates heat which destroys more tissue. He explains a lot of this in his YouTube channel). Of course, I mentioned that during my initial consultation with him but he assured me that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

For reference, here are the videos I'm referring to, which explain a few of Dr. Lee's techniques and methods. They are in Korean but if you choose CC > English, you can get the Eng subtitles.

safest osteotomy for limb lengthening

details that patients might not have recognized

I stumbled upon his non-English YouTube website about a month ago and I wish I had found it sooner. It contains a lot of useful info about the procedure, which relieved a lot of my concerns I had even post-surgery. The channel also does a good job profiling Dr. Lee to give you a taste of what he's like as a person and what he did prior to doing LL. For eg I had no idea he was an army surgeon who was deployed in Iraq. That's pretty bad ass. 

Anyway, there are patients whose bones come in a bit slower, but they have special treatments (i.e, Lipus ultrasound or something like that) that can help with bone growth. He also will adjust the rate at which you lengthen depending on how fast or slow your bone grows. Hope that answers your question! I'm sure he will be able to give a much more thorough explanation but that's what I've been able to gather from talking to some of the patients and watching YouTube.

@Akali - I decided to go through with this because I wanted to get rid of the stress I had due to having non proportionate legs. TBH I was close to giving up and just living like this for the rest of my life because I was under the impression that limb lengthening is a life/death matter. But after coming across Dr. Lee, and learning about how thorough, meticulous, and careful he is, I decided to go through with it. Of course, the one thing that I have to accept is the small chance that my sports ability won't be 100% what it was pre-surgery. I'm doing everything I can in my power to make sure that doesn't happen but even in the event that my sports ability is 90% of what it was pre-surgery, I can live with that and I don't regret my decision.

Regarding the pain, if you expect it, you'll know how to deal with it. They'll prescribe you pain killers and the physical therapists will treat you based on your pain level during your PT sessions, so I found that that helped a lot. My biggest advice is: stretch, stretch, and stretch your muscles pre-surgery. If your muscles are nimble and stretched prior to lengthening, you'll most likely have an easier time. I did not stretch as much as I should've and I regretted it.

I'm super happy with how my legs turned out. The pain and tears (yes, I actually cried a few times during the lengthening period because of the pain and because I felt a little depressed being stuck to a wheelchair) were well worth the results.

Bottom line; I don't think I would've done this surgery with any other surgeon, not even the ones in Europe or the U.S. If you have a chance to get it with Dr. Lee, I'd say go for it!

[4cm]

Hi

You did limb lengthening for only 3cm?

[akali]

wait, what do you mean "being stuck to a wheelchair"
how long it takes you to walk with crutches? I didn't know about the wheelchair thing actually. I know about Precice cannot bear the body weight but I thought it would be crutches or something else. Because being stuck to a wheelchair must be really hard...

[Vogel]

Hi Vogel - I met with the international rep and she said to use this WhatsApp #: +82-10-8729-0030.

Let me know if that works.

UPDATE:

I had my 2nd post op x-ray review yesterday and I was told that I can start weight-bearing 100%. It's been exactly 2.5 months since the surgery, and one month since I stopped lengthening so I was ecstatic! Of course, I still use crutches when I have to go long distances because my muscles need to catch up. But damn. After my appointment with Dr. Lee, while waiting in the lobby, I decided to stand on my own, and it was glorious!

Muscles are still a bit sore and my walking gait still needs work (aka more stretching and strength training) but damn is it good to be able to walk and not rely on my wheelchair 100% of the time!

@Realistic - it's not a coincidence that he has 0% non-union. From what I understand from watching his YouTube videos, he uses a very precise (no pun intended), clean, and minimally invasive way of cutting the bone not using an electric saw because it generates heat which destroys more tissue. He explains a lot of this in his YouTube channel). Of course, I mentioned that during my initial consultation with him but he assured me that I wouldn't have to worry about it.

For reference, here are the videos I'm referring to, which explain a few of Dr. Lee's techniques and methods. They are in Korean but if you choose CC > English, you can get the Eng subtitles.

safest osteotomy for limb lengthening

details that patients might not have recognized

I stumbled upon his non-English YouTube website about a month ago and I wish I had found it sooner. It contains a lot of useful info about the procedure, which relieved a lot of my concerns I had even post-surgery. The channel also does a good job profiling Dr. Lee to give you a taste of what he's like as a person and what he did prior to doing LL. For eg I had no idea he was an army surgeon who was deployed in Iraq. That's pretty bad ass. 

Anyway, there are patients whose bones come in a bit slower, but they have special treatments (i.e, Lipus ultrasound or something like that) that can help with bone growth. He also will adjust the rate at which you lengthen depending on how fast or slow your bone grows. Hope that answers your question! I'm sure he will be able to give a much more thorough explanation but that's what I've been able to gather from talking to some of the patients and watching YouTube.

@Akali - I decided to go through with this because I wanted to get rid of the stress I had due to having non proportionate legs. TBH I was close to giving up and just living like this for the rest of my life because I was under the impression that limb lengthening is a life/death matter. But after coming across Dr. Lee, and learning about how thorough, meticulous, and careful he is, I decided to go through with it. Of course, the one thing that I have to accept is the small chance that my sports ability won't be 100% what it was pre-surgery. I'm doing everything I can in my power to make sure that doesn't happen but even in the event that my sports ability is 90% of what it was pre-surgery, I can live with that and I don't regret my decision.

Regarding the pain, if you expect it, you'll know how to deal with it. They'll prescribe you pain killers and the physical therapists will treat you based on your pain level during your PT sessions, so I found that that helped a lot. My biggest advice is: stretch, stretch, and stretch your muscles pre-surgery. If your muscles are nimble and stretched prior to lengthening, you'll most likely have an easier time. I did not stretch as much as I should've and I regretted it.

I'm super happy with how my legs turned out. The pain and tears (yes, I actually cried a few times during the lengthening period because of the pain and because I felt a little depressed being stuck to a wheelchair) were well worth the results.

Bottom line; I don't think I would've done this surgery with any other surgeon, not even the ones in Europe or the U.S. If you have a chance to get it with Dr. Lee, I'd say go for it!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer all of us. Much appreciated and I’m really happy that all is going well with you and I’m sure that you will regain 100% of your athletic ability prior to your surgery, just stay consistent and you will get there. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

[Taweel]

How cm he gained?tibia or femur?

[live_potato]

wait, what do you mean "being stuck to a wheelchair"
how long it takes you to walk with crutches? I didn't know about the wheelchair thing actually. I know about Precice cannot bear the body weight but I thought it would be crutches or something else. Because being stuck to a wheelchair must be really hard...

Sorry for the delay!- been a while.

During the lengthening phase, you can't weightbare, at all. Period. Not sure how other doctors do it, but I was told not to weight bear during lengthening. I was able to walk and fully weightbare one month after I stopped lengthening. I was on the faster side since usually, at 4-weeks post lengthening, most patients can start to walk using a walker and gradually can start putting more weight over the next several weeks. It all depends on how fast your bone comes in. Hope that answers your question.

And yes. Being wheelchair bound for 2 months was tough!

[akali]

Sorry for the delay!- been a while.

During the lengthening phase, you can't weightbare, at all. Period. Not sure how other doctors do it, but I was told not to weight bear during lengthening. I was able to walk and fully weightbare one month after I stopped lengthening. I was on the faster side since usually, at 4-weeks post lengthening, most patients can start to walk using a walker and gradually can start putting more weight over the next several weeks. It all depends on how fast your bone comes in. Hope that answers your question.

And yes. Being wheelchair bound for 2 months was tough!

It’s okay! Thank you for the answer. It was though but you did it!! Congratz with your new height 🤙🏼

[sy1555]

Thank you for the diary! Not many diaries about Dr. Lee here, very helpful!!! I am considering going to Korea next year. May I ask if you are staying at the hotel recommended by the hospital? (I was told that the hospital doesn't have inpatient packages anymore
). How long did you stay in Korea and did you need someone to accompany you to the rehab center after the surgery? Looking forward to your reply!

[Unknown]

Do you know how much does LON cost currently with him? Is the price same as 2021? How much did u spend on accomodation and helper? I am thinking of doing with him on my own and hiring a helper, but not sure how long do i need the helper for.

[sy1555]

Did you know that they are much more expensive for foreign patients? It's a little unacceptable for me...

[sy1555]

Do you know how much does LON cost currently with him? Is the price same as 2021? How much did u spend on accomodation and helper? I am thinking of doing with him on my own and hiring a helper, but not sure how long do i need the helper for.

The first and second surgery（Lon） is about $38,000(53000000KRW) now, more expensive than 2021，but Korean won has depreciated to dollar recently. And Koreans are much cheaper than foreigners.

[Unknown]

The first and second surgery（Lon） is about $38,000(53000000KRW) now, more expensive than 2021，but Korean won has depreciated to dollar recently. And Koreans are much cheaper than foreigners.

Emailed him multiple times, no response, wondering if i should look for another. He has not been responding for almost a year.

[live_potato]

Back with another update. I've also responded to the questions! Sorry it took a while.

I had my last appointment with Dr. Lee before I head back home. Based on my last x-rays, he told me that I don't need to get anymore x-rays until next year when I return to get the rods removed. Yay! So, I'm planning on coming back one year post surgery for the 2nd operation.

It's been about 1.5 month since I've been able to stand. I still have a few remaining PT sessions that I'm going to about 2-3x a week, but I can walk around 3.5-5 km/day without any problem. I was using crutches when going long distances for the first 2 weeks, but now I no longer need them.

I spend around 2 hours a day stretching and strength training as my hip muscles are still weak and tight. My PT therapist told me it'd take a few more months for that muscle to go back to normal as it is one of the "tougher" muscles to stretch and build.

Thank you for the diary! Not many diaries about Dr. Lee here, very helpful!!! I am considering going to Korea next year. May I ask if you are staying at the hotel recommended by the hospital? (I was told that the hospital doesn't have inpatient packages anymore
). How long did you stay in Korea and did you need someone to accompany you to the rehab center after the surgery? Looking forward to your reply!

You're welcome Glad you find it helpful.

I stayed in an airbnb near the hospital (~10-15 min by taxi). I stayed in Korea longer than planned (about 5 months). Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone accompanying me so I had to do everything on my own (i.e., getting to and from the hospital, going about my day to day - groceries, laundry, cleaning, etc.). But there are companies that provide caretakers. The hospital has a list of companies that they recommend. I would recommend hiring a caretaker at least for the first few days after you leave the hospital while you establish a routine. Hope that helps!

Do you know how much does LON cost currently with him? Is the price same as 2021? How much did u spend on accomodation and helper? I am thinking of doing with him on my own and hiring a helper, but not sure how long do i need the helper for.

That I don’t know. I know they recently increased their prices due to inflation and such but I’d check with the international team for an exact quote. As for accommodation, I got a long-term airbnb near the hospital for around $1300/month including everything. This area tends to be a bit pricey though. I would recommend looking at places further outside of Seoul but within Seongnam for more affordable options. 

I hired a caretaker during the one-week I was hospitalized. It cost around $100/day.

Did you know that they are much more expensive for foreign patients? It's a little unacceptable for me...

Yup. It is more expensive for international patients. Part of the reason is that there is a separate team that handles the international patients (basically you have an interpreter who accompanies you whenever you need translation, which is pretty much every follow-up appointment, most PT sessions, etc.).

Lastly, I'd try the WhatsApp # I shared a while ago. A few months ago, I informed Dr. Lee and his international team that there were reports of people not hearing back from them and they were surprised. I don't think it's intentional. I wonder if they need to update their email address...what email address are you using?

[Mlncholia]

hey may I know how well is your surgery scars? And if I am not wrong is it correct that you can walk 3.5-5km after 4 months post surgery ?

[xvyriene]

Hai, I'm new here. Thank you live__potato for your excellent diary. It's really help me a lot, cause now I know how to figure it out when I'll do LL coming soon.
But may I know something like exactly how your routine was during rehabilitation and therapy after 1st post op such as :
1. How do you find that airbnb ? is there any website that I should log in to be in waiting list or definitely will find it while in Korea ?
2. What criteria is when you choose that airbnb ? Like are you choose 1'st floor since you use wheelchair for almost 2 month.
2. How are you doing your activities with wheelchair ? Like sleep, shower, laundry and clean the airbnb
2. Do you cook or delivery while stay in airbnb, if you cook how you do the groceries ? are you going to the supermarket by yourself with wheelchair ?
3. May I know your financial budget while you stay in airbnb like how much you spent ? Also budget for transportation for your airbnb to the hospital for doing rehabilitation.
4. Do you use any insurrance for your treatment ?
5. And the last do you need any visa if yes what kind of the visa ?
Thank you very much sweetie. Hope you recover well

[akali]

Sorry for the delay!- been a while.

During the lengthening phase, you can't weightbare, at all. Period. Not sure how other doctors do it, but I was told not to weight bear during lengthening. I was able to walk and fully weightbare one month after I stopped lengthening. I was on the faster side since usually, at 4-weeks post lengthening, most patients can start to walk using a walker and gradually can start putting more weight over the next several weeks. It all depends on how fast your bone comes in. Hope that answers your question.

And yes. Being wheelchair bound for 2 months was tough!

Thank you for your answer and happy to see you fulfilling your dream. I hope some day I will do it too!!!

[Unknown]

Did you bring a friend and family member for the initial surgery?

[darthmaul]

Did you know that they are much more expensive for foreign patients? It's a little unacceptable for me...

It's a bit strange because I know that one company has price list for the natives and foreigners separate and the price for the natives are much more expensive because of the currency.