For some reason I feel like a fat kid waiting outaide of the candy shop waiting for the doors to open. 
Lol.. Saw some of those at McDonalds today
* For those who don't know, Italians tend to close their restaurants around the evening.. So I couldn't find anywhere else quickly to eat. Nevertheless, I'll be off to a nice restaurant once I finish writing this. Hopefully, it won't take too long.
Okay.. Where do we begin? I woke up at 8:30 AM today, had an Italian breakfast (toasted bread, butter and jam, pastries, coffee), prepared my bag, filled it with sports clothes to be worn at the Isokinetic Center, then left. I made a mistake of not having enough Euros when I came to Italy, and had to go to Stazione Centrale (Central Station) for currency exchange. They're on the second floor. The consultation with Dr. Guichet is €300, and you have to pay in cash. The initial tests in the Isokinetic Center cost €150, but you can pay it with a MasterCard.
My appointment at the Isokinetic was at 11.30 AM, but I took the Subway station instead of taxi, and was half an hour late. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem. To avoid others facing a similar tardiness problem, here's a photo of Via Tommaso Salvini. You should enter this beautiful arch, and continue to walk to the right side. Ask for Via Vivaio to find the Isokinetic Center ("Come posso andare a .......... (insert location)).
http://cubeupload.com/im/qjSOSj.jpgTake the red metro line to Palestro. That's the closest station to the Isokinetic Center.
http://postimg.org/image/gbho5ks8h/The test at the Isokinetic Center takes about 20-30 minutes. Dr. Bonucci will take your measurements, look at your leg flexion, then basically all you do is sit on a typical leg extension machine you see at every gym, except for you only push with a single leg (then repeat for the other leg). The muscle mass, endurance, and range of motion of your legs are calculated, and sent to Dr. Guichet by email, so he will have the information before you get to his office. You also get a printout.
http://postimg.org/image/cp79f6whd/Then I did what I had to do in the beginning - I took a taxi to the Dr.'s office. I was 5 minutes late. I immediately knew it was Dr. Guichet when I saw him. Black suit, white shirt, red tie, very classy gentleman. He was speaking with the desk clerk in Italian. We shook hands. Then he asked me for the printouts of the PDF patient form that he sent. I didn't have them. He smiled, and said something like "If you don't comply now, how are you going to lengthen?" I was embarrassed. Lesson? Be a good kid and print your stuff - bring them along with you! (Even if you had sent it to Dr. Guichet by email before coming here).
Our consultation must have taken around 2 hours. No kidding. I haven't seen a professional like Dr. Guichet in any field or work before. He looks at every possible little detail. He measured my flexibility himself. I also complained about my Ballerina Foot (stiff achilles tendons). He suggested that he could do a release surgery (not the tendons, but a little above them) so that my posture would be corrected and my spine wouldn't hurt anymore. He told me I have no scoliosis. So no problem there.
I would like to bust a myth as well: Some former patients had written on old forum that Dr. Guichet didn't always appear emotionally supportive. I saw a very intelligent man with a good sense of humor, and a genuine care for the patient rather than sugarcoating the facts about LL. If you don't think Dr. Guichet was emotionally supportive, then perhaps you expected to sit on his lap and wait for him to sing you a lullaby? I mean.. Just asking. Different people, different expectations - no offense
Anyway.. He was quick to give me the bad news. He told me that...
- Considering my tendons, he wouldn't suggest lengthening the tibias. If I did lengthen them after he fixed my stiff tendons, I would get back to square one - my current condition.
- At my current physical condition, I could only lengthen 3,5 cm in femurs.
- I can raise my leg about 80 degrees, keeping the other leg on the ground and lying down on my back. That needs to go up to 120-130 degrees before surgery. This means that I have to go back home, contact a yoga/pilates/professional dance instructor immediately, have her get in contact with the good doctor, and stretch every fricking day for 3-4 months. Sounds like a plan.
- I need to add 3-4 cm to my thigh circumference. This means increasing the leg muscle mass by 30-40%. If done wrong, you can work out for 6 months and only increase it by 10%. It needs to be done like it's being done by a professional athlete. After stretching for 3-4 months, you can contact Serge Coneza, a trainer who used to work for Olympique Marseille football team, go to Marseille and work out with him for a month, or do it here in Milan. (I intend to go back to my hometown, and work with my personal fitness instructor.. Who already knows my plans about the surgery. Heck, I even told my cousins about it. Only the president of my country doesn't know about it yet.)
- I need to write a 2-3 page motivation letter on why I want to do LL. (I don't know if it will be graded.. Should use some SAT words, perhaps).
- 10 cm is crazy. Must aim 7-8. He could do 5 in femurs, and then add another 5, leaving some time for recovery in between. The cost would be the same, since the nail is the same. I told him that it would take too long. "I would be glad to do 10 cm if you were physically prepared for it", he told me.
Okay, folks. That's pretty much it. Now, if SysOP is reading here, I'd like to state that I am "upinthesky" from old forum , I'm not mad at him or anything, and I kept silent in the forum regarding recent events because I really want to stay with the community there as well. However, I believe that everyone has a right to read a patient's diary, be it folks in old forum , or folks here. I would like everyone to have access to this information. Therefore, I intend to
blog my lengthening experience, and use both websites as a Question/Answer source for helping out upcoming LL patients.
NOW, READY FOR THE SURPRISE PHOTO???http://postimg.org/image/u3rhngtm9/I saw it while I was walking in the streets of Milan.. Lost, tired and hungry.
Proof that God exists, and he's having a lot of fun with me..
Dameon, lend a hand with the photo uploads please..
Thanks for reading & Cheers
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Topic: My Consultation With Dr. Guichet (Read 18220 times)