Hi folks!
My name is "Bradley" and I'll be undergoing cLL surgery with Dr. Leonid Solomin (St. Petersburg, Russia) in July of 2016. I wanted to start a diary now to start sharing my thoughts and to share any challenges I have with the visa process and the logistics of actually completing the surgery in St. Petersburg.
Current Statistics:
22 year old American male
5'7 (171 cm tall)
155 lb (70.3 kg)
Why Russia?
The price! As much as I'd like to get surgery with Dr. Paley in Florida, spending $100K+ on cosmetic surgery is not something I can afford to do. I'm estimating (based on conversations with Dr. Solomin) that my full cost will be between $10,000 -$20,000. I can't fully vouch for Dr. Solomin (because I haven't actually had the surgery yet) but I can say that he has been incredibly communicative and very helpful pre-operation. He has an impressive list of credentials, is mercifully able to speak English very well, and has an 'open door' policy. He told me that if he's "online" on skype, I shouldn't hesitate to call with any questions or concerns.
Why now?
I've been researching LL for the past 2 years and am at a unique spot in life where I think I should pull the trigger and actually do this. I've been saving up money in my current job (I work as a receptionist in a hospital) and am planning on going back to school. I see this surgery as a good stepping stone between leaving my current job and then going back to school.
Who knows?
No one knows what I'm about to do. I broached the topic with a female friend (in a hypothetical, did you know that some people do this? type of way) and she was mortified that some people would actually do this. I took her shock as my cue to not tell her that I was 'one of those people'! Ha!
How much lengthening?
This is the big question! My dream height (I literally dream of this! haha) is 6'2 (187 cm) but I also understand that lengthening 16cm could potentially be very dangerous and painful. [I seem to remember a journal where an LL'er went from 5'7 to 6'2. Does anyone know what combo of surgeries they did to accomplish this?] Dr. Solomin has told me that he is usually comfortable with lengthening between 10% - 15% of the original tibia/fibia. I don't know my exact measurements but I'm going to try to convince Dr. Solomin to get me as close to the magical 6'2.
Thoughts about height
Literally everyone on this forum right now understands the importance of height. Taller people are viewed differently. Looking back, I have this weird resentment toward my parents for not having me prescribed HGH as a child. I have a friend (who was shorter than the rest of us in elementary school) who was prescribed growth hormone and is now about 6'3!
I've been with female friends who have commented on other guys with things like 'he's cute but he's so short!' or 'I'd never date someone below 6 foot'. Like it or not, this is a challenge we are faced with. Some of us resort to uncomfortable lifts to desperately seek an extra inch or two. I have spent the last 4 years of my life wearing different combinations of lifts, boots, and hidden heels. They're uncomfortable, clunky to wear, and embarrassing when it comes time to take them off.
A surgery that can physically change my height would be life changing.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with you.
Author
Topic: Bradley's LL Diary with Dr. Solomin (Read 3263 times)