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[cole slaws]

Unaided as in with the help of a walker/crutches? I hope this is normal. Btw how long do you reckon it will be before you can walk unaided?

[Penguinn]

Unaided as in with the help of a walker/crutches? I hope this is normal. Btw how long do you reckon it will be before you can walk unaided?

Unaided = without any aid (stick/walker/crutches)
If you meant me, it's normal, just late. I reckon I'll take another month. PM me for any queries though. I'd prefer not to answer on someone else's diary.

[onemorefoot]

How are you doing, Unicorn?

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Thank you for asking about me.  Sorry I haven't replied in so long.  Just fighting to survive every day.

I've really been through a rough time this last month, and to think that last year I naively thought things couldn't get much worse, well it has.

During the surgery in Milan 3 weeks ago, my existing left nail broke while Guichet was removing it from my left femur to perform the osteotomy.  He had to hammer it out and reinsert a brand new nail through my knee.  During this surgery, marrow was extracted from both pelvic areas to graft my non-union right femur as well.  I was in excruciating pain, the surgery took longer than expected and even more complications arose including a suspected blood clot.  The hospital, Casa di Cura Columbus, and its doctors and nurses were really top class.  Definitely better than at Princess Grace Hospital in London especially when it comes to hospital food

I stayed overnight at the hospital and returned to Radisson Blu hotel to recover for the next 5 days with no helper.  I relied on Room Service to feed me and when I couldn't get myself to the bathroom, I folded my British Airways boarding pass into an origami funnel so that I could pee into a garbage can and then carefully siphon it into Pellegrino bottles.  The Nespresso machine water jug looked very tempting as a pee vessel but what little dignity I had left stopped me from using it.  When the boarding pass got too wet and soft, I used the In-Room Dining menu folder, and even found the bible to be super useful for once.

Because I speak Italian, the nurses at the hospital put me in touch with another Guichet patient in London who has non-union after 1.5 years.  I've since met with him and since he could no longer afford Guichet to repair him, he went to NHS and they're preparing to give him a real bone graft soon.  My heart goes out to him because he has maintained such a positive and cheerful disposition in spite of it all.

When I got back home in London, my nurse wasn't there to help me as she had taken a new job in Poland and didn't dare tell me.  So I had nobody to help out last minute and had to survive on cornflakes, water and resorted to pee-ing into my cat's water bowl because I wasn't mobile.  In addition, Guichet and my GP were concerned that I might die of pulmonary embolism because of the plane ride and suspected blood clot.  So they insisted that I go get an ultrasound scan.  I didn't want to do it privately at his Princess Grace Hospital because it cost me £1,200 just for basic blood tests the last time and I don't have this kind of money anymore.  I have already paid Guichet £69k so far and am still owing him much much more (closer to £100k) according to his new invoice. 

I went to A&E of the public hospital near me and was xray-ed, blood tested and checked for infections.  My wound sites at this point were oozing green liquid and my skin started to stain with red hot patches.  The doctors immediately hospitalized me, gave me strong IV antibiotic drips, cleaned out all my wounds, took swabs for the lab and didn't let me go home.  The reason is because if the infection reaches my bone and nail area, I risk sepsis, gangrene and amputation.   Can you imagine if that would happen?  At this point, I wouldn't put it past my rotten luck.

In the meantime, of course, Guichet now tells me I owe him 3x more than the £9k I paid for the Milan surgery because he had to use a new nail.  He said I should be thankful to him that he didn't wake me up in the middle of general anaesthesia to make me pay him first.  Apparently, he said in the US they will do that.  He is charging me £10k more for 2 months' PT/Isokinetic even though I barely used last years' sessions because my left femur fractured after 2 weeks post-op.  Guichet says his package expires after 2 months and I had to re-pay again.  In fact, there's now a new item on his invoice to cover the running costs of his office as well, it's called Admin Fees whatever that entails.

I was so angry and stressed out to discover that I'm continuously owing him more money and that invoices keep appearing post facto for every flimsy reason - my muscles refuse to relax and I couldn't click for 2 days last week.  I was crying on Facetime with his PT trying to find my clicks through 8 straight hours and finally, I had to go to Guichet's office for help.  He clicked me and then made me do 30 more sets lest I pay £4k+ for clicking under general anaesthesia.  2 days later, the same thing happened again, and he made me do 135 sets.  To this day, I don't know if I have fked up my left leg by following his instructions to distract close to 10mm in one day.  I already have a history of non-union on my right leg and thought it might have been caused by my fast click rate of 1mm/day from start to end.

Now Guichet is chasing me to pay up and while I was howling in pain in his office trying to click, he was standing over me holding his bill and demanding that I pay.  At that point, I was so desperate, what else can I do short of jumping out the window?  I am not human anymore.  I don't have this kind of money anymore, I had to scrap together the £9k to pay him for Milan.  I told him I didn't break his nail, he did and maybe his nail was defective since it broke so easily.  Same thing, I didn't fracture myself, he created the eggshell fracture in the first place as well.  He said that I signed all the waivers and understood the risks and his contract stipulates that I have to pay pay and pay because only I am solely liable.

I'm currently living day to day, expecting very little, and just hoping to get through my clicks.  Ironically speaking, my left leg needs extreme rotation to click (more than 120 degrees to get enough tension for a click) and it is excruciatingly painful, the mental anguish I go through 3x a day to will myself to rebreak my leg is unbearable.  What are the chances?  I was expecting easier clicking in exchange for non-union.  Every time I think I have hit rock bottom, the rug gets pulled from under me and I free fall even lower.

I hate where my life is right now, I hate having to rebreak my leg 3x per day with so much pain and agony, I hate being unable to pay Guichet, I hate getting fat and losing my self confidence, I hate losing my social life, I hate the very real possibility that I will never get married and have kids, I hate having lost all my investments (when oil tanked twice last month, I lost all my margins and my life savings with it), I hate not being able to go back to work whenever I want and finally, I hate myself for being such a loser to be so easily preyed on.

My brother is getting married in Hawaii in September and he asked me if I could take pictures without crutches then.  I hate that even my own family is ashamed of me.  I just want to disappear and never be a burden to anyone again.  Not even to my cat.

So, if you're still thinking about lengthening to improve your life, please think many times again about the odds that it can also ruin your life 10x over.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

This past hospitalization has been particularly tough because instead of the very luxurious private Princess Grace Hospital, I had to go to a general hospital.  After waiting 5 hours in A&E to be seen by a doctor, I was immediately admitted to a ward of 6 other women so that I could be administered antibiotic IV drip urgently.

I couldn't help but sob because I was all alone in this, and my health is going down the drain.  Because I was admitted to the hospital ward after dinner time, there was no more food left for me.  And I had gone to A&E right after lunch, so I was hungry, weak and very depressed.

The 5 other grandmothers in my public ward were there for broken hips, legs and ankles.  In spite of that, they pooled together their snacks of leftover crisps, grapes and half an egg sandwich and that became my dinner between halting sobs and shame.

That's how low I've fallen.  I will never forget the kindness of strangers when you least expect it.  That is why it is so shameful that others could continue to draw blood from stone so unscrupulously from the downtrodden.

[Body Builder]

Guichet is a greedy scumbag.
After all these, even if he was the best doctor in the world (which he is not by far) only a moron could trust his feet on a greedy doctor without sense of morality.

Unicorn things are tough but don't give up because these hard moments are when we must really be courageous and take the fate in our hands.
The new nail will help you a lot and I hope that the non union will be fixed with bone narrow.
You have beem through a lot but I really believe that now you will start to get better.

Of course if I were you I wouldn't pay Guichet even 1 euro more and when I finished with all these I would hire a lawyer to bring this greedy doctor to justice.

Keep strong, all people here will be on your side.

[Penguinn]

Wow. That was hard to read. Based on what you've written, Guichet sounds like a money minded douche to say the least. Perhaps consider other doctors, since he has failed you continuously(?). This is very f*cked up and none of this is your fault.

[doomsday]

Unicorn888 apply immediately for employment and support benefit, then housing benefit if you're renting. Also you qualify for Personal independent payments. You need to have some cash to afford proper food.

Ive been where you are right now(being in the UK and using NHS) and things will get better but don't lot lose motivation to get better!

[guichethope]

You should sue this man . I now understand why he left france this man is a criminal .

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

Unicorn888 apply immediately for employment and support benefit, then housing benefit if you're renting. Also you qualify for Personal independent payments. You need to have some cash to afford proper food.

Ive been where you are right now(being in the UK and using NHS) and things will get better but don't lot lose motivation to get better!

I couldn't do that Doomsday even if I qualified.  I chose cosmetic surgery voluntarily and I cannot deprive some other family with more serious problems from getting public support.  This is fully my fault and I knowingly asked for it.  So now, I've to bear the consequences.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

You should sue this man . I now understand why he left france this man is a criminal .

I'm sharing my story not to promote surgeon bashing.  I just want people who are looking to do this surgery to follow a journey where it is less rosy than most and plagued with complications.  I think what happened to me is a combo of many things gone wrong and I myself bear responsibility as well.  And it can happen to any patient with any doctor.

If anything positive can come out of my story, it is to ensure every potential LLer prepare for the worst case scenario including losing all the things one value in their life, which could end up being a big metaphorical price to pay.  Perhaps too much in exchange for a few cm more.

[google42]

I couldn't do that Doomsday even if I qualified.  I chose cosmetic surgery voluntarily and I cannot deprive some other family with more serious problems from getting public support.  This is fully my fault and I knowingly asked for it.  So now, I've to bear the consequences.

It's not all your fault. You went into this surgery thinking you'd be in good hands and you were prepared for it, but you had no idea Guichet was going to do crap like this. I think you should apply for some help atleast to give yourself some peace of mind.

[doomsday]

Yes you can! If you pay tax it's your money. Even when you do cosmetic LL and you get complications the state is here to help you. When you get better you will repay this money while working.
Sorry to say that but you're not in position to take the moral high ground. People get LL for idiopathic short stature in the UK. Because you're physically ok it doesn't mean that you're not suffering from short stature. Seriously apply for it, just in case. If you wont need it you can donate or give it back.

[alps]

Sorry to hear this Unicorn. The infection seems particularly very wrong. Isn't that completely a mistake during surgery?

I second that it is no time to take the moral high ground. When you get through all this mess you can give back to society in greater measure.

Take care.

[onemorefoot]

Unicorn, I know that you signed a paper knowing all the possible risks, but I am almost sure that somethings have been caused by Guitchet, can you Sue him for  medical negligence? Where do you draw the line between anatomy And negligence? Is really hard reading about you And your money, Hope you get well soon.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Hi Unicorn. I'm so sad to hear that. I hoped you had stayed longer in Milan after surgery so you could better recover. I'm amazed by your strength, going to a plane so soon, days after being in a major surgery. But you risked too much, because immobility plus orthopedic surgery are risks factor from pulmonary thromboembolism. I could have find you a very cheap philippino helper who charges less than 10 euro an hour but you never told me. In the state you were it's to be expected that you could not realize your wounds infection but hopefully your antibiotics will take care of that without further complications.
Another thing, I don't understand why you need to do clicks so fast. If you are at risk of non union and have delayed consolidation wouldn't it be better if you could click as slowly as possible? I don't understand the concept of clicking so fast someone who has delayed bone healing. Does Dr Guichet thinks you will pre consolidate??
I would suggest if you had some problems clicking and can't achieve your original goal. Contact a ORTHOPEDIC doctor, not a the greedy COSMETIC limb lengthening doctors. You now need correction, not cosmetics.
Finally, please don't be stubborn and proud, you need to rely on social services. You are NOT a cosmetic patient now, you are an orthopedic patient who is trying to get herself back to feet. Don't feel like you don't deserve it, you do. This help and a lot lot lot more. You deserve everything of life.

[YellowSpike]

Unicorn I am so sorry to hear of your continued struggles. I really don't know what to say. I can honestly see where Dr. G would have a jerk streak within him. I had a good result with him (I'm only just now 2.5 years later feeling almost entirely normal, finally have my knee pain under control through physical therapy) for the most part...but maybe I was lucky? Honestly I still think complications as bad yours (and Musicmaker's, and others) aren't the norm. I am in no way trying to minimize what you're going through!  I do think Dr. G should be more understanding since he definitely had a hand in this, and he should try to help you out more with the cost.

I think the main draw with Dr. G (at least, when I was in the research stages) was the weight bearing rod. And at the time, he seemed to have a better rep than Dr. Betz (I still believe this is the case). If Precice comes out with a weight bearing rod, then Dr. G might not be the best option. He doesn't have a bedside manner, often takes long to respond to emails, and is disorganized (this was my experience too). And him working in two different countries is a pain to deal with too, especially when you need him to be there.

Hang in there Unicorn. Someday you will be on the other side of this and it will make you soooo much more appreciative of all the things you have in your life. You'll see.

[Joe]

Hi, I have tried to to send you an email but not sure you got it. If you would like a chat/visit/help i could come over to you on Sunday. Let me know

[jbc]

This is so incredibly painful to read.

(not Dr. bashing, a bit of context)

I considered Dr. Guichet myself, initially. The appeal was the weight-bearing nail. Talking to several doctors (Dr. Paley and Dr. Birkholtz were incredibly helpful with this), who explained the dangers of clicking through the break, and detecting some red flags myself with the way he runs his practice, I opted out and crossed Dr. Guichet off my list. I'm super glad I did.

Unicorn, reading through your diary, some severe medical mis-steps were made - this is pretty obvious. I don't know what you signed, and I'm not a lawyer, but you're first and foremost a human being, and have rights to premium healthcare, especially for what you've paid for it. Please consider consulting a barrister in the UK to see what your rights are.

Don't feel ashamed to ask for help. The government sets this up for people in need. Life happens. For everyone, at some point. You've paid into the system for others, it is more than fair for you to take advantage of it for yourself.

Last, this:

"He said I should be thankful to him that he didn't wake me up in the middle of general anaesthesia to make me pay him first.  Apparently, he said in the US they will do that."

This is patently, unequivocally, and 100% false. No Dr. in the US would dare wake up a patient from general anesthesia to make them pay. They would lose their license and might face criminal charges for medical malpractice. For elective surgery, you simply won't go in if you haven't paid and/or you haven't made an arrangement with the Dr. to pay. For non-elective surgery, you would get all the treatment you would need - every bit, and then get a bunch of bills, which either insurance and/or you would cover. But no one would ask you for money up front.

I have been to the hospital a few times for personal issues (nothing major, thank goodness), have had family members go, and know of people who have received care that have no insurance and no means of payment. They received the care they needed for non-elective care, no questions asked. That's actually the law here in the US. Whatever happened to payment afterward happened, but they never lacked for care when they needed it.

So feel free to tell Dr. Guichet he's full of sh*t if he tells you that again. I'm praying for you, and hope you get well soon.

Best,

-jbc

[Bander72]

Wow guichet is a real scumbag. People that go with him better hope they don't have fractures because he will treat them in the same harsh manner that he has treated unicorn. I never heard of a doctor saying that he could wake you up in surgery to make you pay up, sounds like a loan shark than a doctor.  He showed lack of humaniity not to see her suffering and only focus in getting his money.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Yes there is no way that happens in the US. Doctors are very afraid of lawsuits there. What would happen is that the doctor would do what needs to be done and then the millionaire bill would arrive. That's why people with no insurance can lose everything after a stay in hospital.

@jbc could you explain to us the dangers of clicking through the break?

[Bander72]

Yes living in the u.s I know that they wont.leave you to die on the street but will stick the medical bills after they help you. And if it's not a life or death situation then you would have to pay up first.

[notimportant]

Dr Guichet is then second Dr Monegal as Unicorn is second Musicmaker, but you should know Dr Monegal DID woke Musicmaker up in the middle of surgery to tell her fitbone failed during surgery and if she wanted to be exfixed and also she wasn't hospitalited because nobody paid the bills. Patients from 2015 were there and told me the poor girl was sent home crying in pain after major surgery. I don't want to hijack this thread but think about this. Both doctors seem to be greedy men who don't care about patients wellbeing. Main difference is Musicmaker is weaker and brainwashed by her doctor. I congratulate strong Unicorn and send all my regard to Unicorn and also to Musicmaker because she needs strength.

[Bander72]

Dr Guichet is then second Dr Monegal as Unicorn is second Musicmaker, but you should know Dr Monegal DID woke Musicmaker up in the middle of surgery to tell her fitbone failed during surgery and if she wanted to be exfixed and also she wasn't hospitalited because nobody paid the bills. Patients from 2015 were there and told me the poor girl was sent home crying in pain after major surgery. I don't want to hijack this thread but think about this. Both doctors seem to be greedy men who don't care about patients wellbeing. Main difference is Musicmaker is weaker and brainwashed by her doctor. I congratulate strong Unicorn and send all my regard to Unicorn and also to Musicmaker because she needs strength.

While I agree with the points  you make this is not the thread to talk about mongeal. Please restrain yourself for once.

[mediocre]

Such serious accusations vs Dr Guichet. I hope he can air his side.

And for Unicorn, I feel for you. Hopefully it ends up great. Don't lose hope, it's useless to regret things — those are beyond your control. What's within your control are the present and the future. You are brave for even undergoing CLL. This is what the forum is for, to push you, cheer you up, and say that you are not alone in this. We'll be there listening and will follow your progress.

[IwannaBeTaller]

It really hurts to read your story, and I'm very sorry you had to go through that hell. Everyone wanting LL should read your diary, especially the taller folks, to see what it can entail.

My understanding is that you have a right leg that is lengthened by about 7 cm's but not consolidated, and a left leg that is still in the lengthening progress. So my advice would be to complete the process using the state health care system, AKA the NHS. Would that not work, since you currently have a leg discrepancy which is a recognized medical condition that is covered by your health insurance? This would allow you to be in the hands of doctors who are not greedy cosmetic surgeons and more importantly stay away from Guichet, who has proven to be a unethical POS. I strongly recommend taking this route.

And, as far as I see, you have previously been a very successful professional person, which means you already helped a lot of families in need of help, with your tax money. You fully deserve to use the services of the system yourself.

[Nathan10]

this is so dishearting to read. I think we need to open up a gofundme project for her.
it's bad enough that there is a complication wasn't unicorn's fault.
she needs to be mentally happy too.

[Oniria]

Nathan, great idea. I agree with you.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

It really hurts to read your story, and I'm very sorry you had to go through that hell. Everyone wanting LL should read your diary, especially the taller folks, to see what it can entail.

My understanding is that you have a right leg that is lengthened by about 7 cm's but not consolidated, and a left leg that is still in the lengthening progress. So my advice would be to complete the process using the state health care system, AKA the NHS. Would that not work, since you currently have a leg discrepancy which is a recognized medical condition that is covered by your health insurance? This would allow you to be in the hands of doctors who are not greedy cosmetic surgeons and more importantly stay away from Guichet, who has proven to be a unethical POS. I strongly recommend taking this route.

And, as far as I see, you have previously been a very successful professional person, which means you already helped a lot of families in need of help, with your tax money. You fully deserve to use the services of the system yourself.

Yes, you got the summary right!  What are the chances, eh?  I think there's bad luck and then there're too many unfortunate coincidences...

Right leg now is still clicking by accident.  I'll take an EOS scan soon to have an exact measurement of the length.  It should not be more than 7.5cm.  Since my Milan bone graft, I don't see any changes, my leg is still clicking with the slightest of movements.  I'm currently wearing a thigh brace to prevent further unwanted lengthening.

The left leg is now lengthening after the Milan osteotomy of April 18th.  Because the old nail broke when Guichet removed it, he installed a new one.  It means that the old max capacity of 6.8cm is now nil, and I've a max lengthening capacity of 10cm again.  Hence, both legs, God willing, will be able to match in length (of approximately 7.2cm ish of the right leg, and obviously not to go beyond that). 

The one thing that is super hard right now, is clicking on the left leg is absolute torture.  It is so painful because I have to rotate my hips above 130 degrees (which is freakishly inhuman) to get a click.  I've been spending about 7 hours trying to click every day and I'm slowly going crazy with the pain, the mental will and anguish needed to push through 3x a day.

I also understand now why during my first consultation Guichet extended my thighs backwards to a maximum bend (above 180 degrees for me) and he said it's not great that I have no tension.  Now I get it, because I'm so flexible, no tension means I cannot trigger clicks that easily.  So it's hell every day... and my heart palpitates nonstop just thinking about upcoming clicks.  I've been cheating by taking some paracetamol and 1/4 diazepam to relax my muscles so that I can click through.  The 2 week high dosage of antibiotics 4x a day causes severe nausea.  So I do spend most of my time just trying to keep my head above water.  I know all these pain and discomfort will diminish with time and soon, I won't remember it.

I agree with the general assessment that cosmetic LL surgeons regardless of who they are, how credible and talented - are all doing this as a business and seek max profits.  Hence, when I cannot afford, NHS will be the best option if one of the orthos will accept my case.  I'm starting the referral process right now and do not know how long it will take.

I've also looked into ESO and other welfare subsidies.  Unfortunately, the wait time to receive anything is about 16-39 months
So that assistance is out too.

I told Guichet that if he wanted to get rid of me, since I don't have the capability to pay him yet, he should refer me to someone else.  He says he will do just that because he doesn't have the time to deal with me since other paying patients demand his time as well.  So at least, that's clear now.  He says that I'm not a student but a consenting adult and not having money to pay him is not an acceptable excuse and I should ask family or friends or get a bank loan.

His last invoice is £31k and I've paid him £69k, which suspiciously adds up to a very pre-meditated £100k.  Again, coincidences or bad luck for me.

I agree with you, please please please read my journal from the beginning if you're contemplating cosmetic LL because it can turn out very badly.  I think majority of LLers emerge unscathed regardless of doctor, so they have to thank their lucky stars and not take their good health and fortune for granted  

Others who suffer graver complications SHOULD really share their stories so as not to mislead potential LLers about how easy the journey is.  Understandably, it takes time and effort to properly journal one's daily emotions, pain, experience accurately, and if there's a time lapse, our brain automatically effaces the trauma.  It happened to me too when I completely blocked out the excruciating pain of the first 2 weeks after initial surgery and even recently, my entire Milan trip.

That's why sometimes LL posts seem to be so breezy and light.  No one's fault, it's our basic survival mechanism kicking in.  I want to make sure that I preserve the integrity of recording every raw feeling before my brain takes over and starts filtering everything with a rosy tint.  But at the same time, not be a fear monger as well.  The benefits of people who successfully lengthen especially those who suffer from short stature neurosis their entire lives, are life changing of course.  And we here in this forum do want to support, share and help anyone brave enough to undergo this procedure.

[Unicorn888 by Elaine Foo]

By the way, I'll try to continue updating you with my recovery journey so that hopefully, we can cross the finishing line together.

After the 165 clicks Guichet made me do over 24 hrs, my thighs started to blotch red, hurt and heat (erythema).  Someone mentioned it might be because I stretched close to 1cm in a single day.  Doctors at the hospital were afraid of infection or manifestation of my suspected blood clot.

Does anyone recognize this?  Has it ever happened to you?  See how it went from red blotches to darkened scarring after 1 week.  It's still there and I don't know what it is.

DAY 1


DAY 7

[IwannaBeTaller]

I agree with the general assessment that cosmetic LL surgeons regardless of who they are, how credible and talented - are all doing this as a business and seek max profits.  Hence, when I cannot afford, NHS will be the best option if one of the orthos will accept my case.  I'm starting the referral process right now and do not know how long it will take.

I've also looked into ESO and other welfare subsidies.  Unfortunately, the wait time to receive anything is about 16-39 months
So that assistance is out too.

Yes, good. That's the right decision I think. I'm really rooting for you here, even though I don't know you - but you are a person who wanted to be taller very badly, and that's a very understandable desire for me. Seeing the hell you went through, I'm really hoping you will make the right decisions from now on, and will be well soon. Please keep us updated.