I wonder how much is your allotted budget for your LL, if you don't mind. Dr. Paley is on my top list if money is not an issue.
Does he really give old forum members discount? How about us, LL Forum members?
The budget question is a real complicated one for me! I know I can spend at least $100,000 on this surgery, but when we start getting in the upper 100s range (for quadrilateral), then I get very nervous. I want to be able to have enough money for when I have to do taxes at the end of the year. Also, I have to base being able to afford the quadrilateral surgery on whether or not my projected income can afford it. I'm going to email him later to see if he has any financing plans.
As far as discounts, nope, that's just an old forum ploy. His prices are actually much higher than they were years ago, so whoever called that LL was going to become more expensive over time was right!
Good for you. Are you going to him for sure? Can't wait for that update
Thanks Smallguy
I think if I were to do LL with any doctor now, it would definitely be Dr. Paley.
So no go for Birkholtz? I agree with everyone else, if you have the money, go with Paley. I was banking on you being Birkholtz's first though.
Dr. Birkholtz is a fantastic doctor who is still my #2 choice for PRECICE 2. The only reason he isn't #1 is because he operates in a time zone much different than mine, and in a country that has less than great internet speeds. My job relies on me being in the states and having very good Internet. Also, not to downplay the successes of Dr. B, but he hasn't had as much experience in cosmetic lengthening as I'd like. Once he has a breakthrough and starts seeing more cosmetic lengtheners, I think his practice is going to be an absolute hit. I also think anyone considering PRECICE 2 who can't afford Dr. Paley and would have no problem moving to a foreign place should definitely have the surgery done with Dr. B. At least schedule a consult with him, and you'll see that you're in safe hands.
I wonder how much would be the difference between Dr Paley and Dr Franz. If not that big, then definitely Paley.
It's pretty significant
Paley charges $80,000 for bilateral femoral lengthening which only includes physio, while Birkholtz charges only $48,000 for bilateral femurs, physio and accommodation for 75 days included. That's an absolutely amazing price Birkholtz is charging because his profit margins are so thin. A pair of nails cost $30,000!
Hey BD!
This is an awesome post that is extremely valuable.
Gives you a lot to think about. I think it is evident that Paley is certainly the best option out there. What I love is his vast experience, honesty and focus on safety. Most of us have been influenced by him in some way.
If you can afford it, go for it, but be careful about quad.
Good luck with your decision.
Dr. B,
I cannot express my gratitude to you enough. You've helped educate and inform so many people on this forum, including myself. Thank you! I really really hope your practice starts seeing a lot of guys from this forum visit you, since you offer such a tremendous opportunity at the best prices anyone will find anywhere for PRECICE 2.
Any LL doctors reading this, Dr. B is a class act. Watch and learn!
Wow, thanks for the abundance of interesting information! That's a lot of releases the doc wants to do on you. He's confident that you'll recover from all of them? The gastrocnemius soleus release seems like it would have the most long term effect. I thought after that release people who need them aren't ever quite the same. Interesting reading that Paley thinks you'll rebuild that strength. Maybe the effects of that release aren't permanent like some others have said?
Judging from your witnessing of Dr. Paley's depth of knowledge, if you did not have the funds to go to him do you think you would have a higher degree of confidence in a different surgeon who had a fellowship or took a course under him, as opposed to a surgeon who has not studied under Paley?
I agree, I'm nervous actually about how many releases I would need. I had a feeling too that it would come to this, because I'm a naturally tight individual, no matter how much I stretch. My dorsiflexion is a joke especially. He's confident that I'd recover from the ITB release and also the biceps femoris release. But, when talking about the gastrocnemius release, it seemed to me like he was unsure when talking about its potential for full recovery. I understand that it'd probably result in a permanent reduced strength in my calves. It's a risk I'm willing to take because I'm not a professional athlete and I can live with being weaker in my calves for height.
I'm not sure if I would go to one of his fellow to be honest. Dr. Donghoon Lee was one of his fellows, and is running a very successful clinic in South Korea, but he doesn't believe in ITB releases and his patients have been having bad results with the PRECICE 2. I still don't know if that's because of his decisions or the nails, but I do believe being a fellow underneath Dr. Paley does give the doctor a lot more credibility. But I'm not sure if it would make me more compelled to select them.
This is extremely informative.
Thanks a lot.
My pleasure. It really helps me to write all this stuff out!
BD,
excellent post!
Did paley mention if you did one surgery on your femurs and did 8cm would you have any knee pain in the future do to a large femur:tibia ratio.?
We went over my x-rays and my tibia/femur ratio is actually .84. This means I can afford to do more lengthening on my femurs to keep the ideal .8 tibia/femur ratio. They recommended 8 cm/5 cm if I were to do two separate lengthening (as opposed to quadrilateral).
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After a lot of discussion with my girlfriend, we realized I probably shouldn't go the quadrilateral route, instead play it safe and lengthen 7-8 cm on my femurs. Recover, consolidate, and then come back for 5 cm on my tibias. Who knows, I may even be happy with my height after 8 cm!
And I come that much closer to my goal of being 5' 10" one day...
This reason is not only for safety, but also financial security. 160K-180K is a s**t-ton of money, so I'm better off being completely financially secure and doing just 1 LL surgery this year, and then a 2nd next year.