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[Descreteuser]

can you give us some knowledge on how exactly you shower yourself, and how often it is required.

and how many clothes should i bring, for example;

5x pair of socks
5x pair of boxers
2x track pants? (i take it you only use this when going outside to avoid infections?)
5x shorts (i assume you wear shorts all the time while inside so device can be seen)

how do you wash your clothes, do you hand it to someone.

also what is your typical stance througout the day, can you spend most of the day sitting on a chair with a laptop on your desk, or must you be in bed? and if so is there some bed desk you can have so your laptop can sit on it nicely.

do you pay for the operation in dinars, and if so how much is it exactly.

I have also been looking at other diaries on anold forum, is much of what is said there applies here, for example is it the same 'military hosppital', they also mention something about a guesthouse, and they had a ball for exercise and some machine to give your legs some muscle, check George61's diary for more information, seems that is not available anymore?

I read on another diary that you must ensure that the hospital has applied on your behalf for a 'temporary resident' visa within 3 days of your arrival, I don't know if you did that, but I thought i should mention as you may get a fine or be held up and the airport upon leaving.

yeah clothes what u mentioned is fine.. hotel staff can get ur clothes cleane for u downstairs. sitting up or lying downs fine.. theres desks in the rooms.. operation is payed genrally by card in dinards translated from 9300 euros. theresamilitary hospital but thats just for getting xrays.. but dont get there for x raysas theres a better place.. dunno bout the guest house.. visa wise u only have to go to the border every 3 months to get ur pssport stamped

[microman]

oh right so it's translated from 9,300.00 euros into say 1,120,585 dinars, which i then would pay in pounds sinc it's a UK bank card, which would cost £6,732.

so strange for it to be like that but okay.

yeah okay i should be able to fit all that in my rucksack, I plan to not have any baggage with me so it doens't get put on the plane, i prefer a single bag as hand luggage as that goes in overhead compartments

track pants are made with different material, so i want to check this is an okay one as i don't want to cause infection, can you confirm this is an okay trackpant

http://www.sportsdirect.com/adidas-samson-woven-tracksuit-bottoms-mens-493079

I think you said it was not needed, but i think i will go to the tailer and get him to add a full side zip to the track pants,or add the ability to remove the bottom of the trousers via a zip, kinda like a zip in the kneebone area, this will make it easier to take off with the device on,

also when do you use track pants, was I right in saying it is when you are outside, and inside it's shorts only, I only ask because i need to know if i can get away with just one track pants, which i think i can.

[Descreteuser]

oh right so it's translated from 9,300.00 euros into say 1,120,585 dinars, which i then would pay in pounds sinc it's a UK bank card, which would cost £6,732.

so strange for it to be like that but okay.

yeah okay i should be able to fit all that in my rucksack, I plan to not have any baggage with me so it doens't get put on the plane, i prefer a single bag as hand luggage as that goes in overhead compartments

track pants are made with different material, so i want to check this is an okay one as i don't want to cause infection, can you confirm this is an okay trackpant

http://www.sportsdirect.com/adidas-samson-woven-tracksuit-bottoms-mens-493079

I think you said it was not needed, but i think i will go to the tailer and get him to add a full side zip to the track pants,or add the ability to remove the bottom of the trousers via a zip, kinda like a zip in the kneebone area, this will make it easier to take off with the device on,

also when do you use track pants, was I right in saying it is when you are outside, and inside it's shorts only, I only ask because i need to know if i can get away with just one track pants, which i think i can.

i just wear trackpants all the time even when im in my room.. im pretty lazy with changing my pants i dont really care if they get abit grubby.. prob had the ones i have on now for the past 2 weeks.. i have 2 other pairs but hardly ever rotate them..

[microman]

okay that is noted, would it not be easier to wear shorts over trackpads, as each time you get to the device youd have to take them off no?

exactly how long do you have left before you leave?

[Descreteuser]

okay that is noted, would it not be easier to wear shorts over trackpads, as each time you get to the device youd have to take them off no?

exactly how long do you have left before you leave?

to get to your device you just ;pull the pants up

[Descreteuser]

okay that is noted, would it not be easier to wear shorts over trackpads, as each time you get to the device youd have to take them off no?

exactly how long do you have left before you leave?

another 4 to 5 months

[ewf]

okay that is noted, would it not be easier to wear shorts over trackpads, as each time you get to the device youd have to take them off no?

exactly how long do you have left before you leave?

Hey Microman,

When are you leaving for Serbia?

[increase]

Hello Descreteuser,
I am keeping in touch with Dr Mitkovic. My goal is to stretch tibia and femur. He told me he needs a period of four months between the two surgeries. I would like to know your opinion about the surgery with the device in the femur, it is recommended to Mitkovic device, you know patients who lengthened the femur?

[Descreteuser]

Hello Descreteuser,
I am keeping in touch with Dr Mitkovic. My goal is to stretch tibia and femur. He told me he needs a period of four months between the two surgeries. I would like to know your opinion about the surgery with the device in the femur, it is recommended to Mitkovic device, you know patients who lengthened the femur?

i normal suggest to do tibias first then once you are fully recovered from tibias to then do femrs.. i dont know any patients that have done femurs here yet... but one of the patients here is recovering from 6cm on tibias and is going to do femurs once his tibias are strong

[Morgenst.]

Would you mind uploading some of your recent X-rays? I'm curious to see how you let looks with the bump you had fixed

[microman]

there are some other diaries on anold forum of femurs with mitkovic, i don't think they are using the mitkovic device though.

given my proportions I may have to do 2xLL, my legs are soo short that even 5cm on tibs will make me look like a heron.



sadly I cant justify the expenses of internal femur with betz etc., so mitkovic will be my only option for femur.

[Descreteuser]

Would you mind uploading some of your recent X-rays? I'm curious to see how you let looks with the bump you had fixed

i have another x ray is just over a week so ill post them then.. i dont have a record of my last x ray

[Morgenst.]

Alright thanks. I noticed from your pictures (unless Im mistaken) that the fixator doesnt touch the fibula. Is it safe to simply leave it to it's own devices? I'd personally worry about it becoming deformed.

[Descreteuser]

Wednesday 17th June – A new patient arrived today. I shared my experience and told him everything I could so he knew what to expect. I showed him how the device worked and how it was fixed to the leg so he had an understanding before having the operation. His surgery is scheduled for the following Friday. I told him what things he should purchase to make things easier for when he returns from the hospital. It was kind of good another patient arrived, as I was starting to go a bit f*kin mental being by myself all the time.

Thursday 18th June – I decided today that my walking with the walker was good enough that I could start doing my own grocery shopping from now on. I took a back pack and went collected my food and other groceries I needed. The hotel charges 2 euros per day to collect my food so id be saving myself 14 euros a week getting it myself. It took me about half hour just to do a return trip of about 150m but its good exercise and gets me walking out in the fresh air. Plus I get to check out all the fit Serbian chicks walking around. And believe me they are everywhere.

Sunday 21st June – The sun was out and it was hot. I decided to go for a big walk to the closest park and have a bit of a sun bake. I found a bench and decided to take my shirt off and lie down to try and get a bit of color on my skin. Im starting to look like a ghost, so it was nice to get some rays. Got back to my hotel finally and my legs were absolutely throbbing. Probably took about an hour before the throbbing went away but I knew that this was good for my recovery so I didn’t mind it.

Monday 22nd June – Hung out with the new patient in his hotel room. We tried to figure out the best way to arrange his room for the most space. He probably changed the configuration of the room about 10 times. He went all out and bought a PS4 and a big flat screen TV and we played Call of Duty for a few hours. It kind of took my mind off my legs for a while which was good. Made me feel as though the worst is over, and all the stress I’ve been through has been worth it and will just be a thing of the past.

[ewf]

Wednesday 17th June – A new patient arrived today. I shared my experience and told him everything I could so he knew what to expect. I showed him how the device worked and how it was fixed to the leg so he had an understanding before having the operation. His surgery is scheduled for the following Friday. I told him what things he should purchase to make things easier for when he returns from the hospital. It was kind of good another patient arrived, as I was starting to go a bit f*kin mental being by myself all the time.

Thursday 18th June – I decided today that my walking with the walker was good enough that I could start doing my own grocery shopping from now on. I took a back pack and went collected my food and other groceries I needed. The hotel charges 2 euros per day to collect my food so id be saving myself 14 euros a week getting it myself. It took me about half hour just to do a return trip of about 150m but its good exercise and gets me walking out in the fresh air. Plus I get to check out all the fit Serbian chicks walking around. And believe me they are everywhere.

Sunday 21st June – The sun was out and it was hot. I decided to go for a big walk to the closest park and have a bit of a sun bake. I found a bench and decided to take my shirt off and lie down to try and get a bit of color on my skin. Im starting to look like a ghost, so it was nice to get some rays. Got back to my hotel finally and my legs were absolutely throbbing. Probably took about an hour before the throbbing went away but I knew that this was good for my recovery so I didn’t mind it.

Monday 22nd June – Hung out with the new patient in his hotel room. We tried to figure out the best way to arrange his room for the most space. He probably changed the configuration of the room about 10 times. He went all out and bought a PS4 and a big flat screen TV and we played Call of Duty for a few hours. It kind of took my mind off my legs for a while which was good. Made me feel as though the worst is over, and all the stress I’ve been through has been worth it and will just be a thing of the past.

It sounds like you're doing really well. Good to know there's going to be a few fellow LL patients when I get there.

Be sure to let us know how the new guy's upcoming surgery goes.

Thanks.

[microman]

is it a simple procedure to remove the device at home by yourself when the consolidation period has finished.

does it take a lot of time, do you need assistand of someone else etc, or is it a 20 minute job if you will.

i know with external ilazarov you need to had resurgery to remove it.

also would someone buy me a wheelchair over there somehow, so i can go back home in that wheelchair, i don't think i would be able to go into any shop on my own, i guess this would be a common occurence.

also does this device have the same issues that ilazarov has when turning in that the actual turn isn't the true gain you get, people were saying that when you turn 0.66 it end up being 0.44.

[Descreteuser]

is it a simple procedure to remove the device at home by yourself when the consolidation period has finished.

does it take a lot of time, do you need assistand of someone else etc, or is it a 20 minute job if you will.

i know with external ilazarov you need to had resurgery to remove it.

also would someone buy me a wheelchair over there somehow, so i can go back home in that wheelchair, i don't think i would be able to go into any shop on my own, i guess this would be a common occurence.

also does this device have the same issues that ilazarov has when turning in that the actual turn isn't the true gain you get, people were saying that when you turn 0.66 it end up being 0.44.

its simple to remove.. you loosen bolts that are connected to the pins which removes the bar.. then its just a matter of using a small spanner to unwind the pins from the bone.. u would prefer a doctor to do it but u can do it yourself if your careful.. youll be able to purchase a wheelchair no problems. i used a combination of x rays and a chart to track my amount lengthened.. you will find that the device requires quite a number of turns at the start before the bone starts distracting.. its nothing to worry about i will be able to show you how to set your chart out and can even go to the x ray place with you to get an accurate measurement of ur distraction gap.. basically what i did is i used the chart to ensure i was doing equal amount of turns on each length so theyd be the same as each other.. after about 3 weeks from when i began lengthening, i had an x ray and had my distraction gap accurately measured.. once i knew what the gap was, i used the chart to determine how many turns would get me to my goal of 4cm..once i got to where i thought was 4cm i had an x ray to get the gap checked and it was exactly 4cm.. i ended up doing 1mm more just to be safe.. so dont worry i can show u everything i did to ensure you know how much you have done.. and its a very accurate system that measures it so dont worry bout that..

[microman]

that's good news, would be good to see a diagram or video of it being done, but i can't see anything going wrong when removing the device as essentially the bone has consolodated so it simply doesn't need the device anymore.

I think this feature should be added to the main FAQ when comparing ilazarov to monorail, its clearly a big bonus over the ilazarov, i had no clue this could be done before reading your diary, i don't think it was even mentioned in the other diaries.

and yeah i have been reading other mitkovic diaries apparently you need to turn 3mm in one go as the first 3 don't really do anything.

i understand about the chart thing, with that you can tell what the gain you got from the amount of turns you did, good idea.

[microman]

Do you know if you need your own footholder for dr. mitkovics device, i read in a barinov diary that someone said to get your own footholer, this would have been external ilazarov of course.

Are you taking multivitamin pills, would you recommend them, what does the doctor say about them, i read on a diary that you should bring and take.

1. Bone builder supplements - like calcium tablet and other mineral
2. Vitamin C - I find it helped me with curing itches and fight off infection from the open wound
3. Melatonin - it's natural sleep enhancer. Pop a pill when you find yourself having difficulty sleeping

take 500mg vitamin c and a multi vitamin pill everyday.

do you think that would be a good idea?

I just wanted to check that if i go home during the first month of the consolodation phase will i be returning home in a wheelchair or on crutches?

[Descreteuser]

Do you know if you need your own footholder for dr. mitkovics device, i read in a barinov diary that someone said to get your own footholer, this would have been external ilazarov of course.

Are you taking multivitamin pills, would you recommend them, what does the doctor say about them, i read on a diary that you should bring and take.

1. Bone builder supplements - like calcium tablet and other mineral
2. Vitamin C - I find it helped me with curing itches and fight off infection from the open wound
3. Melatonin - it's natural sleep enhancer. Pop a pill when you find yourself having difficulty sleeping

take 500mg vitamin c and a multi vitamin pill everyday.

do you think that would be a good idea?

I just wanted to check that if i go home during the first month of the consolodation phase will i be returning home in a wheelchair or on crutches?

theres some sleeping tablets i had that i dont use.. you can have them... i probably only used 5 tablets the whole time but i obviously dont need them anymore/. as of yesterday i started taking multi vitamin tablets to speed up my bone consolidation and vitamin e tablets but thats mainly for my skin... the first 3 weeks after lengthening my walking wasnt good enough to walk around outside.. but after 3 weeks i found i was able to 100% weight bear which meant my walking with walker was good enough to go get my own groceries.. i started using crutches a week which was 1 month after distraction phase.. once your legs are strong enough to use crutches you can get around quite easily even tho its pretty slow still.. but when ur in crutches you can get up and down stairs easily..

[microman]

oh right so i can go home in crutches then? i wont need the wheelchair? and i can go up and down stairs in my two story home with the crutches, its important to know if i can do that as i will need to get an x-ray each month at my local hosptial and my room and bathroom is upstairs.

if that's true i wont need to buy the wheelchair then, just the crutches, and yeah that makes things way better especially for getting on the plane, if i went with external ilazarov would I be walking with crutches going home or would i be in wheelchair? just want to know so I can undestand the pros and cons of monorail vs ilazarov, i like to know as much information as i can.

oh okay so you personally didn't take multivitamin tables while lenthening, but you are during consolodation, interesting to know that.

what about the foot holder, did you use one, should i buy one.

[Descreteuser]

oh right so i can go home in crutches then? i wont need the wheelchair? and i can go up and down stairs in my two story home with the crutches, its important to know if i can do that as i will need to get an x-ray each month at my local hosptial and my room and bathroom is upstairs.

if that's true i wont need to buy the wheelchair then, just the crutches, and yeah that makes things way better especially for getting on the plane, if i went with external ilazarov would I be walking with crutches going home or would i be in wheelchair? just want to know so I can undestand the pros and cons of monorail vs ilazarov, i like to know as much information as i can.

oh okay so you personally didn't take multivitamin tables while lenthening, but you are during consolodation, interesting to know that.

what about the foot holder, did you use one, should i buy one.

if i were you id finish lengthening here and then dont go home until your legs are strong enough to use crutches.. for me i started using crutches 3.5 months after surgery.. but u have to remember everyone recoveries differently.. walking with the walker when ur legs are weak requires quite alot of upper body strength so the less physically fit you are the harder it will be to keep motivated.. i havent missed a day of walking no matter how hard it   got.. i stretched every single day 4 or 5 times a day without fail, ive made sure ive done weight training 4 or 5 times a week without fail, and ive used the stationary bike every second day without fail for the past 1.5 months... some patients that do this get very lazy and dont walk for months and months after they finish lengthening.. so if you put alot of effort in and dont get lazy, the more chance you will have to be able to go home with crutches within the 4 months after surgery.. when you are unable to walk its very easy to fall into a trap of being lazy, which could lead you to requiring a wheelchair for 6 months or more.. 

i only started taking multi vitamins now cause i spoke to another patient who was 4 months ahead of me swore by them for speeding up consolidation.. i would have taken them the whole time but i never really thought about it,,

i never bothered about a foot holder.. but i guess it wouldnt hurt getting one but i didnt really feel the need

[microman]

oh i see so its more likely about 6 weeks into consolodation i would be able to use the crutches, otherwise it's the wheelchair.

I'd probably go home anyway in a wheelchair anyway but we'll see how it goes.

okay i will buy

multi vitamin tablets,
vitamine E tablets for skin
Melatonin
Vitamin C
Calcium tablets

if there are any other tablets or special brands you or any other LL you know recomend let me know.

and yeah i have no idea what a foot holder is, if you have a better description i can search for let me know as i can't seem to find it when searching online and not sure what to look for exactly, if you can't find one its okay, it may not be important for monorail fixator.

I should only need 1 pair of track pants right, then i can have about 5 pairs of shorts, seems like not an important question but the reason is my rucksack can only fit soo much in it and i don't want to use a luggage bag as i would have to try to find the luggage on the airport so it's a bit of a hassle, likely i would board the airport in the track pants.

[Descreteuser]

oh i see so its more likely about 6 weeks into consolodation i would be able to use the crutches, otherwise it's the wheelchair.

I'd probably go home anyway in a wheelchair anyway but we'll see how it goes.

okay i will buy

multi vitamin tablets,
vitamine E tablets for skin
Melatonin
Vitamin C
Calcium tablets

if there are any other tablets or special brands you or any other LL you know recomend let me know.

and yeah i have no idea what a foot holder is, if you have a better description i can search for let me know as i can't seem to find it when searching online and not sure what to look for exactly, if you can't find one its okay, it may not be important for monorail fixator.

I should only need 1 pair of track pants right, then i can have about 5 pairs of shorts, seems like not an important question but the reason is my rucksack can only fit soo much in it and i don't want to use a luggage bag as i would have to try to find the luggage on the airport so it's a bit of a hassle, likely i would board the airport in the track pants.

yeah you dont need much clothes to be honest.. have you booked your flight.. do u know what date u arrive yet

[microman]

just getting the money together as it's in a savings account so needs time to be 'liberated', then will confirm with mitkovic hopefully by tomorow, he offered me 10- 17th of july a few days back, hopefully that date is still available even when i get back to him on the 1st of July.

do you know if I can pay for the operation via bank wire transfer, I heard the exchange rates were better than by card, and can i check that you are charged in EUROs and not in serbian dinars, and if it's dinars do you know the rough amount, as if it is the exchange rate may give me a different amount.

also do you pay the rent of the hotel monthly or weekly, and can that be by card or do i get cash from an atm machine which will convert my money into dinars, i think i may have asked this before so sorry if i have.

I also read somewhere that my plane ticket might have to have a return date otherwise it might mess with my visa, is this true?

you don't need a visa to come here. As long as your plane ticket has a return date, you can stay here for up to one year I think. –cbick66 diary.

just want to make sure i don't need a return ticket, it will just be one way.

[microman]

do you know if the hospital has wifi, my parents would like to know so I can communicate with them if re surgery is required as I may need the extra money to transfer.

also if re-surgery is required, does it happen after a few days of operation, or can it happen about 20 days after operation.

do you have any pictures of the hospital, I tried typing in the address into google maps and didn't get much out of it.

do you know if I check into hotel after surgery or before, because if it is before I guess I could e mail parents before the operation which would be useful.

thanks

[Descreteuser]

do you know if the hospital has wifi, my parents would like to know so I can communicate with them if re surgery is required as I may need the extra money to transfer.

also if re-surgery is required, does it happen after a few days of operation, or can it happen about 20 days after operation.

do you have any pictures of the hospital, I tried typing in the address into google maps and didn't get much out of it.

do you know if I check into hotel after surgery or before, because if it is before I guess I could e mail parents before the operation which would be useful.

thanks

yes wifi in hospital.. additional surgery is only required if fibulas consolidate which if it happens wont happen until a month or so in.. but chances of you consolidating that quick is very rare..

[microman]

okay I just went to my tomas cook for money exchange, they said they don't do Serbia dinars, they also said that you don't want to use your bank card there as you will get charged a lot for using it.

they said to bring English notes with me, and I can exchange them for dinars at any hotel, does this sound right to you?

also if using your card is so bad there how did you get new money out for paying the rent, or did you bring a lot of English or american money with you in cash while there.

[Descreteuser]

okay I just went to my tomas cook for money exchange, they said they don't do Serbia dinars, they also said that you don't want to use your bank card there as you will get charged a lot for using it.

they said to bring English notes with me, and I can exchange them for dinars at any hotel, does this sound right to you?

also if using your card is so bad there how did you get new money out for paying the rent, or did you bring a lot of English or american money with you in cash while there.

theres an exchange place near the hotel

[microman]

okay and i can exchange english pounds for dinars?

but what happens when I need more money, do i go to the bank in serbia and ask for english pounds, then exchange those pounds for dinars at the exchange place.

the lady said if i pay for anythign direct with pounds i will be charged heavily.

are the mitkovic drivers okay with the fact that i wont be able to pay them instantly as i wont have any dinars, or am i meant to exchange pounds in cash for dinars as the airport.

thanks.

[Descreteuser]

okay and i can exchange english pounds for dinars?

but what happens when I need more money, do i go to the bank in serbia and ask for english pounds, then exchange those pounds for dinars at the exchange place.

the lady said if i pay for anythign direct with pounds i will be charged heavily.

are the mitkovic drivers okay with the fact that i wont be able to pay them instantly as i wont have any dinars, or am i meant to exchange pounds in cash for dinars as the airport.

thanks.

i get the hotel manager to get money out from atms...as for the driversim not sure.. they r pretty friendly so u wont have any problems..