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[Hanna84]

I will start with some background information, why I decided to undergo this expensive, painful and risky surgery.

I did this OP for two reasons. First, I suffered from a leg length discrepancy of 1,5cm which I wanted to equate. In consequence of that I suffered from knee pain when running or cycling e.g.
So I battled with my health insurance for several years to cover the medical part but unfortunately my leg length difference was "too small" to be covered by my insurance. So I had to save a lot of money, which is quite difficult when you are studying, but I made it finally, after 8 years :-)
Besides the medical part, I also hated being that small (158cm), especially since all of my friends are quite tall, even the girls. There were so many jokes made because of my height, I can't count it... People think, being small is kind of "cute" for a girl, so they often made jokes at my expense.
But that's over now!! :-)

I had my surgery on 31st of October 2013 and lengthened at a rate of 0.7-0.8mm per day. Therefore I didn't suffer from severe stretching pain and was able to lengthen 9cm on average in 4 month (8,5cm on my right leg and 9,7cm on my once shorter left leg)
I just stopped lengthening yesterday and am consolidating now. I'm very happy with my new height and all the money and pain is absolutely worth it! The feeling of being taller is priceless! 

I will try to post some pictures, soon.

Greetings,
Hanna

[mediocre]

Were there any major issues during your lengthening?

Did you have problems with nail breaking or bending?

Would you recommend Dr Betz to future LLers? Why or why not?

Thanks for your answer in advance.

[Hanna84]

I saw in OldieButGoldie's diary that there is a download-link of his complete old forum -diary, maybe one of the admins could help me with that?
Thank you in advance!

[Hanna84]

Were there any major issues during your lengthening?

Did you have problems with nail breaking or bending?

Would you recommend Dr Betz to future LLers? Why or why not?

Thanks for your answer in advance.

Hello mediocre!

In the first weeks I had some trouble with clicking due to a very fast bone healing in my left leg. I needed anaesthetic clicking to solve this problem. After that I had a very tough and painful night in the hospital, but the next day, my muscles already relaxed and the pain was bearable.

Right now I don't have problems with nail bending or breaking and I hope that this won't occur (If anyone is interested, I have the new 11mm Betzbone) I use my crutches religiously and am very careful.

Dr. Betz is a great, careful and experienced doctor, I have waited for 8 years to do the surgery and did a lot of research and met different doctors. I had my first consultation with Dr. Betz in 2011 and met a lot of patients in different stages of lengthening. Most of them had no complications, one of them broke his nail, but he admitted that he walked without crutches too early.
I would recommend Dr. Betz to other patients because I trust him and made a very good experience. I work in the medical field, too and had also some kind of professinal discussion with him. He convinced me of his professionality and I felt that I'm in good hands.
I also plan to do my Tibias with him in a few years.(I'm not 100% sure if I will do my Tibias, but if I do, I'll do them with Dr. Betz)

[mediocre]

Thanks for your reply.

Are you now walking without aids?

Hello mediocre!

In the first weeks I had some trouble with clicking due to a very fast bone healing in my left leg. I needed anaesthetic clicking to solve this problem. After that I had a very tough and painful night in the hospital, but the next day, my muscles already relaxed and the pain was bearable.

Right now I don't have problems with nail bending or breaking and I hope that this won't occur (If anyone is interested, I have the new 11mm Betzbone) I use my crutches religiously and am very careful.

Dr. Betz is a great, careful and experienced doctor, I have waited for 8 years to do the surgery and did a lot of research and met different doctors. I had my first consultation with Dr. Betz in 2011 and met a lot of patients in different stages of lengthening. Most of them had no complications, one of them broke his nail, but he admitted that he walked without crutches too early.
I would recommend Dr. Betz to other patients because I trust him and made a very good experience. I work in the medical field, too and had also some kind of professinal discussion with him. He convinced me of his professionality and I felt that I'm in good hands.
I also plan to do my Tibias with him in a few years.(I'm not 100% sure if I will do my Tibias, but if I do, I'll do them with Dr. Betz)

[Hanna84]

No, I'm still walking with crutches till Dr. Betz allows me to walk unaided. I will have my next x-ray in 2 weeks and will talk with Dr. Betz about my recovery. ( I live in Germany, about 2 hours by car away from Dr. Betz)

[rickybobby]

Hanna is your betz bone the 11 mm one that is the new generation?

How strong do you think that is? Did betz say his new 11mm rod is as strong as the 13mm rod?

[Hanna84]

Yes, it's the new Generation with 20 clicks for 1mm. I heard from other patients that this nail is supposed to be stronger. I' m careful anyway and use my crutches religiously until I get the permission to walk unaided.

[Polycrates.]

Oooh Hanna,

We have a defector in our midst, do we? Sysop ought to have you hanged for treason. It probably strikes even closer to home, knowing you're a Betz patient to boot. Welcome to the dark side.

[Hanna84]

Hello Polycrates,

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean, completely (English is not my first language).

[Polycrates.]

Wunderschön Hanna,

If you are unaware, there is a substantial conflict between the two warring factions in their respective bids to reign supreme as the most comprehensive, just, and informative forum for LL data and knowledge. So averse is the moderator of the other LL forum to fair expression and transparent practice, and so unrelenting he becomes in his attempts at punishing those he deems to have crossed him-- you could very well be liable to have yourself strung by the neck with a rope, tied to a tree branch and cast to swing free if he ever caught wind of your betrayal. I mean this all jokingly of course. I was surprised to see your presence become apparent on this forum is all I'm getting at. If it were up to Sysop and the boys over at old forum , this site would most surely never be in existence. So what was your deciding factor in coming over to LL Forum? Was it merely for more exposure, or have you become concerned with Sysop's misbegotten ways?

Welcome to the forum. 

[OldieButGoldie]

Wunderschön Hanna,

If you are unaware, there is a substantial conflict between the two warring factions in their respective bids to reign supreme as the most comprehensive, just, and informative forum for LL data and knowledge. So averse is the moderator of the other LL forum to fair expression and transparent practice, and so unrelenting he becomes in his attempts at punishing those he deems to have crossed him-- you could very well be liable to have yourself strung by the neck with a rope, tied to a tree branch and cast to swing free if he ever caught wind of your betrayal. I mean this all jokingly of course. I was surprised to see your presence become apparent on this forum is all I'm getting at. If it were up to Sysop and the boys over at old forum , this site would most surely never be in existence. So what was your deciding factor in coming over to LL Forum? Was it merely for more exposure, or have you become concerned with Sysop's misbegotten ways?

Welcome to the forum.

Poly: when are you going to write a fantasy novel?
I'll buy it the minute it is available...

[mediocre]

Poly, he still allows you to post at the old forum despite your statement below your avatar (here)?

[Hanna84]

Wunderschön Hanna,

If you are unaware, there is a substantial conflict between the two warring factions in their respective bids to reign supreme as the most comprehensive, just, and informative forum for LL data and knowledge. So averse is the moderator of the other LL forum to fair expression and transparent practice, and so unrelenting he becomes in his attempts at punishing those he deems to have crossed him-- you could very well be liable to have yourself strung by the neck with a rope, tied to a tree branch and cast to swing free if he ever caught wind of your betrayal. I mean this all jokingly of course. I was surprised to see your presence become apparent on this forum is all I'm getting at. If it were up to Sysop and the boys over at old forum , this site would most surely never be in existence. So what was your deciding factor in coming over to LL Forum? Was it merely for more exposure, or have you become concerned with Sysop's misbegotten ways?

Welcome to the forum.

All right, now I got it. 
I just wanted to share my experience. I wasn't aware of the conlict between the two sites and I believe that it doesn't need to concern me.

[mimi]

hello HANNA thank you for sharing your experience how much it cost u the surgery because my budget in not over than USD 7000 this was my accumulation of 5 years work

[Hanna84]

Hello mimi,

the surgery costs around 48000 Euro, including 14 days of hospital stay (which includes physiotherapy, 4 meals per day and medication).
I know it's a lot of money, I also had to save for a long time.

Greetings,
Hanna

[mimi]

mi don't know I'm very interested in this surgery but is there any insurance that cover it I need at lest 15 cm or more

[Hanna84]

Where do you come from? And how tall are you? Do you have a leg length discrepancy?
In Germany, where I live, it's very difficult to get your insurance cover even a part of the costs. Even with my leg length discrepancy they refused to pay anything.
I heard from Dr. Paley's patients, that the insurance in America sometimes pays if you have a deformity or legs of different length. But I don't have any further information about that.

[Disobedient]

hello HANNA thank you for sharing your experience how much it cost u the surgery because my budget in not over than USD 7000 this was my accumulation of 5 years work

7000 USD wont do anything for you..
Forget about the internal if that's your budget.. and forget about the 15cm too
 if you're really dying to have this surgery as soon as possible then the only option for you is to do it external and in India , . .  check this
http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?board=6.0


I'm not in position to give you an advice, but maybe you should double your saving then consider  mitkovic .. this is the safest option I could think of..

[Disobedient]

Hi Hanna

congart in your achievement .. I'm happy for you..  167cm is an awesome height, I wish I was 167cm or even 166cm..
I read  that you are  considering lengthening your  tibia, is it to achieve a certain height in your mind, or seeking for proportional  look??

post  some pics if you can..

[Hanna84]

For both reasons. Being 1.70 or a little more is a dream! :-)
But right now, I'm happy with my new height and not 100% sure if I'll do Tibias later.

[rickybobby]

can we see your xrays at 9cm? I am curious how much of a boney cloud you have, please post them if you have the time or i can post them for you if you dont know how to..

thanks!

[Hanna84]

X-rays at 7,8cm

[Hanna84]

@rickybobby: I also have a close-up of the bone gap, but the file size is too large. :-/

[Hanna84]

I'll get new x-rays on 14th of March. I will post them here.

[mediocre]

Great-looking x-ray.

Is there any difference for the cost for Dr Betz between female and male?

X-rays at 7,8cm

[Hanna84]

Thank you. 
In the original x-rays and with more light, the new callus is more visible.

No, it's the same price.

[rickybobby]

hanna your xrays look great at 7cm!

are you taking silical ? doing forteo? or any electronic bone stimulators?

[KiloKAHN]

hello HANNA thank you for sharing your experience how much it cost u the surgery because my budget in not over than USD 7000 this was my accumulation of 5 years work

With that budget your only options are external only in India, and that's still stretching it since you'll need money for potential complications, airfare, and daily living necessities like food and a caretaker. Here are some options in India:

Dr Murthy: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=253.0

Indian Spinal Injuries Centre: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=305.0

There are no diaries online from either of these centers. If you're determined to go for lengthening within your current budget and won't wait to save up more, then these two places are probably worth a visit. Dr Murthy seems to have the qualifications for this surgery.

Keep in mind the Doctors Directory disclaimer, however: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=55.0

[Sweatpants]

Hey Hanna,

I was wondering how your close friends react on your new height? I guess there is no way it can be unnoticed by someone closed to you, cause 8-9 cm is a huge difference. Also, what about your family, how did they take it? Thank you.

[Hanna84]

Actually nobody made a comment, yet. Only one friend mentioned that I "had lost weight". It's interesting that people notice that something is different but don't really see, what it is.