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[Tiger9898]

Thanks for updating your diary)  I talk to Dr Kulesh and Dr Solomin via mail. And it seems their both prices are the same. I want to do external femur and dr Kules said me thay it is better to do each leg separately  othetwise it will be difficult.  And  I have question to you in terms of accommodation.  What do You think should I stay in hospital during lengthening (it is very expensive)  or I can rent room? If i rent room, I don't know who will change my bandage or come for phototherapy.  I should go to hospital every time for those?

[Jim_dabarber]

Thanks for updating your diary)  I talk to Dr Kulesh and Dr Solomin via mail. And it seems their both prices are the same. I want to do external femur and dr Kules said me thay it is better to do each leg separately  othetwise it will be difficult.  And  I have question to you in terms of accommodation.  What do You think should I stay in hospital during lengthening (it is very expensive)  or I can rent room? If i rent room, I don't know who will change my bandage or come for phototherapy.  I should go to hospital every time for those?

Yes i would suggest 1 femur + LON or LATN. After distraction lock in the nail and start the process with the second femur right after. Obviously itll take longer than you want but doing 2 femurs at a time will be rather umcomfortable honestly probably not doable since the frames are rather bulky and not comfortable. May i ask how much do you plan on lengthening on femur?
If i were you i would deffinately stay in hospital. They help you with using the restroom, cleaning yourself, and provide you with food. If you rent a room you will be all by yourself and it will be really hard. Who will bring you food or cook for you? I came home for dristraction but always had either my wife or sister prepare my food for the day and i would be alone and just use my wheelchair to move around and take the food out the refrigerator and heat it up and eat. You have to think about all those things. Saving money is good but at the end of the day you have to really plan how you will go about your day to day tasks is not easy well for me atleast it wasnt. You will be doing 1 femur at a time so it might be easier for you. I would suggest try to go about your day with 1 crutch on one side to get the feeling and see if your able to care for yourself.

[Tiger9898]

Staying in hospital really going to be expensive as they advise me to rent a house.  But as u said,there should be someone to take care of me. I am thinking about 6,5 cm. I was thinking that dr Kulesh will be less  expensive than dr Solomin. But I am surprised that prices are same.  And I have one more question to you, is your ilizarov Apparatus full ring size? Or it doesn't have back side? Because Dr Kulesh told me that it is conventional

[Jim_dabarber]

Staying in hospital really going to be expensive as they advise me to rent a house.  But as u said,there should be someone to take care of me. I am thinking about 6,5 cm. I was thinking that dr Kulesh will be less  expensive than dr Solomin. But I am surprised that prices are same.  And I have one more question to you, is your ilizarov Apparatus full ring size? Or it doesn't have back side? Because Dr Kulesh told me that it is conventional

6.5 is very doable but yes staying that long will be extremely expensive! Dr solomin had gave me a price for surgery at medem and visa help around 3 years ago and when i contacted dr kulesh last year he gave me a more reasonable price but surgery would be at st elizabeth hospital which is cheaper and i found my own visa company in my hometown. My apparatus is 2 full ring size at the lower part where distraction takes place and modified pieces at the top of my femur. Your able to sit but you have to sit either on the edge of chair or on a really squishy surface. Laying down on your back will be no problem as the frame doesnt get in the way.

[Tiger9898]

Where St Elizabhet is located? I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house.  And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)

[Tiny]

Where St Elizabhet is located? I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house.  And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)

Ulitsa Vavilovykh, д. 14, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 195257
eliz.spb.ru

[Tiger9898]

Ulitsa Vavilovykh, д. 14, Sankt-Peterburg, Russia, 195257
eliz.spb.ru

Thank you, I guess it was the one for local people, medem is designed mostly for foreigners,but price is affordable in elizabeth)

[Android]

I haven't heard about that and u mean staying in hospital can be cheaper in st Elizabeth or I can bargain price a little bit? I want to stay under the control of doctor during distraction period and after that I will rent house.  And thing that makes me frustrated is not being able to seat comfortably or not being able to bend down for 9 month( if I choose external femur only)

I don't think Jim was suggesting bartering, but that staying at St. Elizabeth is cheaper compared to MEDEM.

You could stay at an apartment close to St. Elizabeth, which would be cheaper than either hospital. And if you ever have problems, just contact Dr. Kulesh as he'll be local. You'd be getting regular x-rays every week or two anyway.

[Tiger9898]

What do you think are bandage change, physiotherapy important,  I mean they can be done by doctor or someone else? Or I can do them by myself?

[Tiny]

What do you think are bandage change, physiotherapy important,  I mean they can be done by doctor or someone else? Or I can do them by myself?

You can definitely do the rebandages yourself. With physio, do a few sessions with a trainer. Once you know the routine, do them yourself. Did you email Dr. Kulesh? He can provide you a file that can answer most of your question here. When are you planning to do your LL with them? I will go there this coming summer.

[Tiger9898]

I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent.  I  am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money.  Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month.  So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives)   to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me

[Android]

I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives)   to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me

You could hire a caretaker to come once a week or as necessary, help clean and do laundry. Grocery stores deliver as well.

[Jim_dabarber]

I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent.  I  am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money.  Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month.  So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives)   to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me

Around what month in the summer? I am thinking of coming back in 3 months hopefully if my bones consolidate fast and i regain my rom and just getting the second part of my cross lengthening done. We could probably rent a house and see if dr kulesh can help us find somebody to bring us food im sure we will save alot of money that way. Changing bandages is easy. I would do them myself or my wife would do them but its nothing you cant do alone.

[Jim_dabarber]

https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.

[Tiger9898]

Around what month in the summer? I am thinking of coming back in 3 months hopefully if my bones consolidate fast and i regain my rom and just getting the second part of my cross lengthening done. We could probably rent a house and see if dr kulesh can help us find somebody to bring us food im sure we will save alot of money that way. Changing bandages is easy. I would do them myself or my wife would do them but its nothing you cant do alone.

Maybe after may, as my senmester in university will finish on that time. You are coming with yout wife or alone?  I am not thinking about cross lengthening,  I will have femur lengthening ( dr Kules said it is better to lengthen your femurs separately).  As you said, renting a room with someone is really good opinion to save money

[Tiger9898]

https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.

Good luck in your correcttion process, how long does it take?
How long correction will take

[The Dreamer]

https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm

Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?

[Tiger9898]

Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?

No,there are pictures of his legs with installed hexapods

[Jim_dabarber]

Good luck in your correcttion process, how long does it take?
How long correction will take

I will be coming alone if i find a roomate and can hire a caregiver to atleast cook for me or bring me food daily. I plan on having my wheelchair and walker so itll be easier for me to move around by myself in the apartment. Yes doing each femur separate is better!
Correction takes 5 days so 3 more days and ill be done and ready for surgery hopefully.
The only reason i plan on staying in saint petersburg for next time is because of the plane ride. 14+ hours of being on a plane is horrible and after im done with this one i will no longer have a job so i will lose my healthcare benefits and my xrays will be really expensive so i figured i would just stay here and save money.

[Jim_dabarber]

Why do I see only GTA pictures when I'm clicking on links ?
Is this a sort of joke or did you intentionally upload them ?

There should be photos of my frames with hexapods. Try opening the link in new tab.

[Tiny]

I have aready talked to him and analyzed file that he sent.  I  am also thinking in summer, therefore trying to save some money.  Only problem for me is not to afford to stay in hospital for 3-4 month.  So, I need to rent house and neesd to have someone (any relatives)   to stay with me there in order to take care of me. But unfortunately, my father and mother are working and brother is studying so they can't come with me

How about Airbnb where you live with a host (a private room)? Just ask the host to cook food for you or pay them to do that. Airbnb accommodations are pretty affordable based on my research so far. My current reservation is C$650 for 30 days. Although I will have someone with me during this time. For the next month(s), I will try to live alone and rely on online grocery/food shopping. Also, if you don't speak Russian, your stay at St. Elizabeth would suck anyway. And you gonna eat hospital food for 4 months? That's even worse than LL. Lol.

[Tiger9898]

How about Airbnb where you live with a host (a private room)? Just ask the host to cook food for you or pay them to do that. Airbnb accommodations are pretty affordable based on my research so far. My current reservation is C$650 for 30 days. Although I will have someone with me during this time. For the next month(s), I will try to live alone and rely on online grocery/food shopping. Also, if you don't speak Russian, your stay at St. Elizabeth would suck anyway. And you gonna eat hospital food for 4 months? That's even worse than LL. Lol.

I haven't heard about airbnb accommodation. I am just surprised that It costs 600$,  does meal include?  if not, are there any packages they offer for monthly meal? I can't speak Russian, just english( not very well), but my fathet can speak Russian, probably he will be with me there for 15 days

[Tiger9898]

I will be coming alone if i find a roomate and can hire a caregiver to atleast cook for me or bring me food daily. I plan on having my wheelchair and walker so itll be easier for me to move around by myself in the apartment. Yes doing each femur separate is better!
Correction takes 5 days so 3 more days and ill be done and ready for surgery hopefully.
The only reason i plan on staying in saint petersburg for next time is because of the plane ride. 14+ hours of being on a plane is horrible and after im done with this one i will no longer have a job so i will lose my healthcare benefits and my xrays will be really expensive so i figured i would just stay here and save money.

It should be really terrible to be on plane with frames for 14 hours. Do you know how much should you pay for caregiver monthly? 

[Tiny]

I haven't heard about airbnb accommodation. I am just surprised that It costs 600$,  does meal include?  if not, are there any packages they offer for monthly meal? I can't speak Russian, just english( not very well), but my fathet can speak Russian, probably he will be with me there for 15 days

It doesn't include meals. You can just hire a cook/maid to bring you food every day. Or a few days before your surgery, stockpile grocery that will last you months. Delivery is pretty cheap anyway like C$5 for grocery. KFC does delivery for the same price. I am still looking for fast foods that offer delivery service. There's this one company (ginza project) that offers food delivery but mostly caters higher end restaurants.

[Tiger9898]

It doesn't include meals. You can just hire a cook/maid to bring you food every day. Or a few days before your surgery, stockpile grocery that will last you months. Delivery is pretty cheap anyway like C$5 for grocery. KFC does delivery for the same price. I am still looking for fast foods that offer delivery service. There's this one company (ginza project) that offers food delivery but mostly caters higher end restaurants.

Also there should be link for ordering meals in the file that Dr Kules sent. However, It was in russian language. I think finding caregiver would be cheaper

[The Dreamer]

There should be photos of my frames with hexapods. Try opening the link in new tab.

I've solved the issue,it was the fault of my crappy browser
Sorry man

[doomsday]

https://imgur.com/gallery/wLrlm
Yesterday i had the hexapods installed and i started the correction process. I was only able to lengthen to 4cm as the week before leaving to Russia i got really sick and had to stop lengthening for 4 days. My body was so weak and the pain was too much. Dr kulesh says i will lose about 3mm during nailing on my tibia so he suggested lengthening at the same time as correction so i will end up with my goal of 4cm. So far correction is painless. I feel a little tugging but nothing too major. 4 more days of correction than i will have surgery to lock in the nail on my femur and instal nail on tibia and finally remove the fixators. Im really looking forward to it.

Hey man
Can you ask Dr kulesh why the reaming of you tibia is being done after lengthening instead of doing it at the first surgery?

[Jim_dabarber]

It should be really terrible to be on plane with frames for 14 hours. Do you know how much should you pay for caregiver monthly?

I read somewhere on dr solomans thread that its around $600 a month.  I will ask dr kulesh tomorrow to verify.

[Jim_dabarber]

Hey man
Can you ask Dr kulesh why the reaming of you tibia is being done after lengthening instead of doing it at the first surgery?

At first i was going to do pure externals on tibia which is why i didnt have the rods inserted initially but now i have changed my mind. I have nomore knee pain from the rod that was inserted for my femur through my knee so im confident dr soloman will do a great job on my tibia as well. I should have done LON for both from the beginning but was scared to end up with 2 bad knees. Now i have to pay more for reaming and nail of tibia but having the frames removed sooner will be worth it. And i can go ahead and start with my second part of cross lengthening sooner also.

[Jim_dabarber]

https://imgur.com/gallery/i2QOv
Most recent xrays of my correction. Tibia is as straight as its going to get. Femur still has about a couple more corrections to go. Then i will lengthen 5mm just so i can end up with exactly 4cm after nailing and nailing surgery will be next.

[doomsday]

that tibia got really good regenerate even better than femur. At least it looks like this from the xray.