Flight is in 11 days. Time for another update.
Medical Visa Requirements For IndiaThose thinking of going to India for CLL are recommended to obtain a Medical Treatment visa before entering the country rather than a Tourist visa and trying to extend their stay or switch to a Medical Treatment visa later. This will give you peace of mind and just make everything easier in the long run, as Medical Treatment visas (at least in the USA) are valid for an entire year from the date of issue. The easiest way to obtain a Medical Treatment visa is to send an e-mail to a hospital you are considering for surgery and tell them that you desire to have CLL and wish to have a Medical Treatment visa for entry. The hospital should have no problem writing a letter addressed to your nearest Indian Embassy/Consulate General of India Office and e-mailing it back for you to include with other documents to send in to the appropriate visa application center. I submitted my application to BLS International Services of San Francisco, which handled all applications for California and other parts of the Pacific Coast. They were a royal pain to deal with, mainly due to their haphazardly placed and contradictory information on appropriate fees to send in and what documents were really required, but fortunately they are no longer authorized to handle applications as of May 21, 2014. The Embassy of India has given the new contract for providing Visa applications to Cox & Kings Global Services, and based on their website it looks like their process is much more straightforward.
http://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/type-of-visa/medical-visa.crapmlIf you are able to have attendants with you, you can bring two people under Medical Attendant visas that have the same validity as a medical tourist visa. If you have close friends or family who you trust and can bring with you, I'd highly recommend it so you don't have to be alone.
Awkward Doctor VisitIn order to obtain a Medical Visa I not only required a letter from a hospital in India, but also needed a letter from my primary physician to accompany my other documents. I got to my doctor's office in the early morning and after a brief wait in the lobby had my height, weight, and blood pressure checked by a nurse before my doctor came in. Out stepped the nurse and now I had to try and get that letter of recommendation from my doctor that would okay me for treatment in India. The following is how I remember our conversation going down.
Doc: Hey, how's it going?
Kilokahn: Good. How about yourself?
Doc: Not bad, not bad. So what's going on today? The nurse said you're going on a trip. Where to?
Kilokahn: India.
Doc: Wow, okay. Why India? Business, vacation?
Kilokahn: Well...not exactly. It's actually for a cosmetic surgery. Can't really afford the top doctors in the States for it so I found some doctors over there within my price range that have the credentials. Reason I came today is that in order to get this done I need a recommendation letter from you giving me the green light so I can get a Medical visa.
Doc: Interesting. What kind of cosmetic surgery is this?
Kilokahn: *jokingly* An elective one.
Doc: Hah, well what's this cosmetic surgery that you're electing to have done?
I had planned on keeping the real purpose of my trip to India a secret from everyone, including my physician, but it just wasn't going to work out that way.Kilokahn: *after pausing a bit* Limb lengthening. To get taller.
Doc: I see. How does that work?
I then proceed to describe what I had learned about the process of limb lengthening, from placement of the fixators, to distraction, to consolidation and fixator removal.Doc: That sounds scary. What would make you want to do that to yourself?
Kilokahn: It's something I can't get out of my mind. After years of being the butt of jokes, getting fired from a job because my new boss thought I wasn't tall enough, and having to deal with the social stigma that made me miserable in times parents tell their kids they should be happy, like prom, college, etc, I figure that if I can change how I look at myself and how others look at me, then I might as well go for it, then put it behind me and try to enjoy my life from that point.
My doctor didn't say anything for a while and looked deep in thought. It was awkward for me, not only because I had just revealed to him that I had height neurosis, but because my doctor also wasn't much taller than me. I didn't know if he was personally insulted, was thinking that he knew what I was going through, or was thinking that I'm like one of those anorexic women who think they're too fat and would recommend me to a psychologist. He finally spoke after what seemed like minutes of silence.Doc: Well look, I understand what you're saying. Certainly there are settings where stature is advantageous, and I know there are women who can get picky about height. But I can't just write you a recommendation to go and get your legs pulled apart in a foreign country. Kaiser prefers that we don't recommend people get procedures elsewhere, especially elective ones. And with something like this, I wouldn't be comfortable giving you a recommendation in writing that you get this done to yourself.
As soon as my doctor said this I thought my goal was finished before it even started. Kilokahn: But I'm not saying for sure that I'll absolutely get it, you know? I just want to be able to talk to some of these doctors at least, see what sort of practice they have going on there, get their opinions and all that. Honestly, if I saw things there that were sketchy or alarming I'd forget about it and come right back home. But this is one of those things where if I don't at least go over and talk to them I'll be thinking about this constantly and I'll just be stressed day in, day out.
This was all true. If none of the doctors in India seem any good, I will decide to do the surgery elsewhere.Doc: Hmm... if that's what you want to do, then by all means. I still can't personally recommend they do this, though. The best I can do is write you something worded in a way that says I am not prohibiting you from seeking medical treatment over there. Will that do?
Kilokahn: Yes, that's fine. I just need something saying I saw you and you're not against it.
Doc: Okay I'll write you something up real quick. Good luck over there and remember to call our international travel clinic before you go so we can get you medication before you enter the country.
I wasn't exactly sure if that type of letter would suffice, but fortunately BLS International accepted it. The letter itself didn't mention anything about cosmetic leg lengthening and just said that I wasn't prohibited from seeking medical treatment in India. Medications for IndiaAfter my doctor visit I was prescribed three medications for use in India.
Left: Vivotif Berna Vaccine - For typhoid fever. Taken once every other day starting two weeks before departure date.
Middle: Atovaquone-Proguanil - Anti-malarial medication. Taken once daily starting one day before entering India.
Right: Ciprofloxacin - Antibiotic for bacterial infections. Taken twice a day with food for up to three days while symptoms persist.
You definitely don't want to contract any of these things while lengthening, so go to your doctor and get prescriptions necessary for international travel to India, should you decide to do your lengthening in the country.
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