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[ShortLivesMatter]

Hey everyone, just thought I'd start a diary regarding my LL experience. I had consulted with Dr. Paley and Dr. Rozbruch. Both Drs were great and you can't go wrong with either one but in the end I chose Dr. Rozbruch as he lets you lengthen at home so you don't have to stay in NYC for 3 months which would be ridiculously expensive. 

I had the surgery done on 8/22, arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am and went thru all the pre-op preparations.
Surgery started at 8 and before I knew it I woke up in the recovery room around 2PM.  They gave me an epidural and a catheter and there was no pain post op. They hooked my legs up to this leg bending machine to simulate movement. Service and care at the hospital was top notch, there was probably a team of 20+ people handling my case and nurses around the clock for my every need.

The following day they removed the epidural and catheter but I was still pretty much pain free unless I was moving around.  I was now given oxycodone to manage the pain. I had different people checking up on me every couple of hours. Dr. Rozbruch and his team stopped by to tell me the surgery went great and was a complete success.  Dr. Rozbruch told me all about the post care instructions in order to achieve my goals.   They used the 8.5 mm rod as I am a pretty small guy (156cm so proportions be damned I'm going to go for as much as I can). PT started as well and the team had me use the walker and walk around from the bed to the bathroom and sitting up and down. Walking was pretty easy but the getting up and sitting down was harder than I thought, pain shot up to around 4-5. 

Day 2 post op was more or less the same, very minimal pain unless I was up and moving around.  The Precise sales rep came by to give me the equipment and did a live demonstration on how to work it, pretty simple.
After 2 PT sessions, the team deemed I was fit to go home and I was discharged.  The 4hour drive home (I don't live in NYC) made my legs stiff and made getting out of the car onto the wheelchair and then from wheelchair onto my bed a real bitch, I was exhausted and collapsed on my bed. 

I am now day 4 post op and have started lengthening and following the exercises as instructed my Dr. Rozbruch. I am also using a mini stationary bike taht I can use right in my bed or from a chair.  Also walking around using teh walker trying to constantly doing something while I'm awake.  Again I'm only experiencing pain when doing physical activity and it's around a 5 with the most strenuous activity . Sleep has been easy and wonderful. I moved back in with my parents for recovery and they have taken 3 weeks off so I got around the clock care .

Anyway hope things will continue to go well and I can gain 7+ cm.  My starting height is pretty short and I am not flexible and am also kind of old (early 30s) so we will see. I definitely made the right decision choosing Dr. Rozbruch as he is really top notch and the ability to lengthen at home with my family really makes the process alot easier.  Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. 

Good luck everyone, we're all going to make it!

[Rod Thick]

Awesome to see another experience from Dr. Rozbruch! Your experience sounds great so far. He's one of the best for sure!

I'm curious what this is going to cost you...

Is insurance covering some of the expense? If insurance is covering some of the expense, what will your total out of pocket cost be? If insurance is not covering your expense, what is the total cost without insurance?

I really like how Dr. Rozbruch allows his patients to lengthen at home, not forcing them to stay in NYC. I think being surrounded by friends and family is the best way to lengthen, especially for the mentally challenging elements of the process.

Please keep a detailed experience. Some videos of your stretching, walking, how you function doing everyday activities, would be greatly appreciated. Those kind of videos really help to tell the complete story. You can very easily block out your face on youtube videos now, if you're concerned about privacy. Super simple function when you upload the video on to youtube.

Look forward to more posts from you. Keep up the good work!

[Auron]

Hey SLM, good luck on your journey  Good to see a diary from another doctor, people from this forum will appreciate it 

[alps]

Congrats ShortLivesMatter!

I'm surprised you can get around on crutches with the 8.5mm nails. Isn't that risky? What is your weight? I think the 8.5mm nails can weight bear around 15kg per leg only.

[The Dreamer]

Congratulations,man ! So brave💪
Keep us tunned with your distraction and recovery posting pics and videos☺
However I'd like to ask you what is the estimated cost for your surgery,including all parameters 😅
Best regards

[ShortLivesMatter]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys.  I will definitely let you know the total cost once the insurance claims have been processed but so far I have had to pay

$400 for initial consult with Dr. Rozbruch
$800 for psych eval
$30k deposit for surgery (out of a total of $75k that Dr. Rozbruch charges)

The rest (x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees) have been paid by my insurance. I doubt my insurance will pay for any of Dr. Rozbruch's fees but hopefully they will cover some of my hospital stay, that's why I was adamant about going home after spending two nights there, in case none of it was going to be covered. I'm not a rich New Yorker like most of the patients staying at that hospital. They treat millionaire professional athletes there.

Pain level increased abit today but a dose of oxycodone is keeping it pretty steady.  I weigh about 53kg so I try to keep as little weight as possible on my legs when using the walker as the 8.5mm rod can only support around 15kg like Dreamer said. Havn't proceeded to crutches yet.

[alps]

Do you "constantly" put some weight on the walker? I don't understand how. At least between steps, I thought you would have to stand on your feet completely.

I'm glad to know you're mobile though.

[Body Builder]

I wish you a safa fast LL journey my friend.
Keep strong!

[Cloudo]

Congrats mate wish you the best, the hard scary part is already over, now it's only a matter of time, lots of walking/stretching and some supplements

[Rod Thick]

$400 for initial consult with Dr. Rozbruch
$800 for psych eval
$30k deposit for surgery (out of a total of $75k that Dr. Rozbruch charges)

The rest (x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees) have been paid by my insurance.

If your insurance paid for the x-rays, blood tests, hospital fees, how come they didn't pay for the consult with Dr. Rozbruch or the evaluation by the psychiatrist?

[Rod Thick]

I doubt my insurance will pay for any of Dr. Rozbruch's fees but hopefully they will cover some of my hospital stay, that's why I was adamant about going home after spending two nights there, in case none of it was going to be covered.

Here is a quote from Dr. Rozbruch in the information packet he sends out to patients interested in cosmetic limb lengtheing.

"Lengthening for stature is considered aesthetic and will sometimes reimbursed by insurance carriers. This is not known until the surgery is planned and pre-authorized with your insurance carrier. If not approved by your medical insurance, all fees must be self paid in advance of the services contracted for. We will be happy to prepare a cost estimate for the evaluation, surgery, anesthesia, X-ray, hospital and physical therapy costs. This estimate must be paid in advance prior to the surgery. The approximate current medical costs for bilateral lengthening is about $100,000 which includes a discounted surgeon’s fee, hospital and equipment fees."

Dr. Rozbruch pre-authorizes your insurance coverage prior to performing the surgery. Otherwise you would have to pay the full upfront cost. Makes sense when you think about it, if you weren't pre-authorized for surgery by your insurance company he's not going to just hope you pay the remaining balance, he would ask for all the money upfront, just like every other doctor.

[ShortLivesMatter]

@Rod Thick yes you are right now that I think about it. After I scheduled the surgery date, Dr. Rozbruch submitted a claim to my insurance. I subsequently got a letter from my insurance saying that they have been notified of the planned procedure and will process the claim once the procedure is done. I don't know why they didn't pay for the initial consult and the psychologist doesn't take insurance for that evaluation. 

@alps, I use the walker by rolling it forward (it has wheels), then I either put one foot forward then the other, or lift both feet off the ground and hop forward. At no point are my legs standing just by themselves with no arm support.

Anyway lengthening is going fine, they will send a nurse and physical therapist over later this week to make sure I am doing things correctly. I will have my first post op visit with Dr. Rozbruch next week. 

[Shadow91]

Thank you for sharing your story. I wish you the best on your journey to become taller.

[Rod Thick]

@Rod Thick yes you are right now that I think about it. After I scheduled the surgery date, Dr. Rozbruch submitted a claim to my insurance. I subsequently got a letter from my insurance saying that they have been notified of the planned procedure and will process the claim once the procedure is done. I don't know why they didn't pay for the initial consult and the psychologist doesn't take insurance for that evaluation. 

If you don't already know, find out if Dr. Rozbruch and HSS are considered in network for your insurance policy? If you have a zero or low deductible policy and Dr. Rozbruch and HSS are in network, you probably wont have to pay more than what you've already paid (30K). That might qualify as the best deal in the history of cosmetic limb lengthening. Dr. Rozbruch and PRECICE at HSS for only 30K.

@alps, I use the walker by rolling it forward (it has wheels), then I either put one foot forward then the other, or lift both feet off the ground and hop forward. At no point are my legs standing just by themselves with no arm support.

Please post a video of this. It would be so helpful. You can shoot a video from the shoulders down or you can very easily block out your face on a youtube video. Youtube now has built in functions that allow you to do this right when you upload the video. Super super easy.

[ShortLivesMatter]

Hey guys, I just had my 2 week post op today. X-Rays are looking good, have lengthened 1.5cm so far and there is a little bit of callus forming at the original site.  Legs still having good range of motion, right leg is doing excellent while left leg is a little bit behind, but still good.  Pain is holding steady around 3 (only on the left leg, there really isn't any pain at all on the right). During the day it's not that bad but the nights are pretty rough where the pain intensifies and I'm having trouble sleeping but apparently that's a common thing. My next post op visit will be in 3 weeks.

My insurance policy is out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS but it still paid for pretty much everything hospital wise, still waiting to see if they will pay for any parts of the surgery. 

[alps]

Do you do you 4 hour commute for every consultation with Dr. Rozbruch?

[Rod Thick]

My insurance policy is out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS but it still paid for pretty much everything hospital wise, still waiting to see if they will pay for any parts of the surgery.

I'm really surprised your health insurance is considered out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS.

Based on this list you should be in network.  https://www.hss.edu/insurance.asp

[ShortLivesMatter]

Do you do you 4 hour commute for every consultation with Dr. Rozbruch?

Yeah, for a total of 8hrs both ways, it's a pain. I will probably just fly from now on.

[ShortLivesMatter]

I'm really surprised your health insurance is considered out of network for Dr. Rozbruch and HSS.

Based on this list you should be in network.  https://www.hss.edu/insurance.asp

Sorry, meant to say that dr. Rozbruch is out of network, while HSS accepted my insurance.

[LAGrowin]

Hi SLM, 

How are you feeling ?   How are the first couple of weeks coming along in general?  I hope you are progressing without complications whatsoever.

Curious to continue hearing about your progress.

All the best.

[ShortLivesMatter]

Hi SLM, 

How are you feeling ?   How are the first couple of weeks coming along in general?  I hope you are progressing without complications whatsoever.

Curious to continue hearing about your progress.

All the best.

I have kind of settled into a rhythm now where every day is pretty much the same. It's just stretching, using the walker to walk while partial weightbearing and watching shows/movies all day long. My folks have gone back to work so no more around teh clock care but still pretty nice to have all your meals cooked for you. 

The hospital is sending a Physiotherapist over twice a week to my house for 1hr PT sessions. No complications so far but again this is the easy stage until 4-5cm. My left leg is still in a small, constant dull pain while there is no pain in my right, oddly enough it is my left leg that is more flexible. Only bad thing is having trouble sleeping at night.  I can only get a couple of hrs in at a time before waking up to pain and then taking another hour or so to all back to sleep. 

I'm also starting to get bored out of my mind being cooped up all day in the house lol. I am an introvert so I thought I would actually relish a couple of months alone but man was I happy when a couple of my friends stopped by to visit. Overall feeling good, I just need to stop looking at the end date and just take it a day at a time. 

[drvbmc]

Do you know if Dr. R lets people lengthen from out of town and send in X-rays remotely rather than attending in person consults?

[ShortLivesMatter]

Do you know if Dr. R lets people lengthen from out of town and send in X-rays remotely rather than attending in person consults?

No, he really needs to see you during the lengthening phase to check nerve function and range of motion in addition to the x-rays. If you are out of town he will let you visit every 3 weeks instead of 2. 

[LAGrowin]

I have kind of settled into a rhythm now where every day is pretty much the same. It's just stretching, using the walker to walk while partial weightbearing and watching shows/movies all day long. My folks have gone back to work so no more around teh clock care but still pretty nice to have all your meals cooked for you. 

The hospital is sending a Physiotherapist over twice a week to my house for 1hr PT sessions. No complications so far but again this is the easy stage until 4-5cm. My left leg is still in a small, constant dull pain while there is no pain in my right, oddly enough it is my left leg that is more flexible. Only bad thing is having trouble sleeping at night.  I can only get a couple of hrs in at a time before waking up to pain and then taking another hour or so to all back to sleep. 

I'm also starting to get bored out of my mind being cooped up all day in the house lol. I am an introvert so I thought I would actually relish a couple of months alone but man was I happy when a couple of my friends stopped by to visit. Overall feeling good, I just need to stop looking at the end date and just take it a day at a time.

Glad to hear you're well SLM and there isn't anything major.  True this is the easier stage, but hopefully it continues to progress without pain or complications beyond 5 or 6CM.

It's great that family is close as it makes a tremendous difference in the recover I'm sure.

The sleeping seems to be a hit and miss with different individuals. Some sleep as normal while others have real trouble with it.  Maybe a matter of timing the pain meds before bed.

Enjoy the time off, time flies and this will be over before you know it.

Can't wait to be in your shoes soon.  Best wishes!

Keep us posted!

[ShortLivesMatter]

@LAGrowin thanks man!  Yeah sleeping hasn't been easy as I have stopped using the pain meds as it was causing me terrible constipation. Couldn't take it last night tho so had to pop an oxy to be able to sleep. 

[lon chaney]

that's a bummer, shortlives, rozbruch told me it wasn't uncommon to be completely weaned off meds like 10 days after the surgery. what do u think, was he sweet talking me a little (i really like rozbruch, not talking smack) or is your experience uncommon?

[ShortLivesMatter]

that's a bummer, shortlives, rozbruch told me it wasn't uncommon to be completely weaned off meds like 10 days after the surgery. what do u think, was he sweet talking me a little (i really like rozbruch, not talking smack) or is your experience uncommon?

haha, yeah I mean I have been off meds since about 2 weeks post op, just last night the pain flared up in my hamstring so I caved.

[lon chaney]

well, i hope the pain is under control and all goes well for u. your thread's been a great resource, keep it coming when you can and have updates

[Hudson]

Hello,

How's the lengthening going?

[ShortLivesMatter]

Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation.  I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible.  Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area .  Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.

[6FeetSoon]

Hi, I just had a checkup at Dr. Rozbruch's office today. I have lengthened 3.5cm so far. Xrays showing good callus formation.  I have started to develop a little knee bending although I can still straighten my legs if I put effort into it so I need to work on keeping them as straight as possible.  Problem is if I keep my legs straight for too long sometimes I experience a painful tingling/burning sensation in my inner lower leg area .  Dr. Rozbruch says that happens from time to time and it's due to the sciatic nerve and should go away on its own. However we decided to slow down the lengthening rate to .66mm a day for a little while to alleviate the problem. I'll keep you guys updated.

Haha i saw you in radiology. You're looking good man!