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[JamesBrown]

Asking this question because I would like to save on hotel/airbnb, internet, food costs etc., which can add up over time really quickly especially because I'm not familiar with the prices in the new area.

[LLprime3]

Turkish doctors allow you to fly home after a minimum stay time of approximately half a month after the initial surgery.
Don't know if other patients in Germany or America or Greece stay there voluntarily. That's all I know.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

You can go home.

[JamesBrown]

Turkish doctors allow you to fly home after a minimum stay time of approximately half a month after the initial surgery.
Don't know if other patients in Germany or America or Greece stay there voluntarily. That's all I know.

Thanks for your response, I don't plan to go to Turkey to do the surgery but I'm glad that it is an option that is offered by the doctors.

[JamesBrown]

You can go home.

After how long if I may ask? Is there a mandatory time that I must stay — 1 month after surgery etc? (For the surgeon to watch out for any embolism that may be forming?)

[Medium Drink Of Water]

It depends on the doctor.  I don't know any specific policies.

[zaozari]

Asking this question because I would like to save on hotel/airbnb, internet, food costs etc., which can add up over time really quickly especially because I'm not familiar with the prices in the new area.

You mustn't be "clinically" unaccompanied. Ideally the surgeon should ask you to stay at least during lenghtening phase. Observation of legs, range of motion, movements, etc, are needed. Pain management, possible drug administration, sleep support, physiotherapy supervision,etc. are also part of the process. Adjustments or corrections may be necessary in frequency of lenghtening increments or in fixators themselves. RXs must be done frequently. You must also rest assured of how to operate the lenghtening device of the fixators and have support to solve any problems with that. If you can't stay, you must then send Rx monthly by mail and should be regularly directly observed by another orthopaedic surgeon. Ideally, both doctors should be in contact.
LL is not a linear, predictable, mechanical, process.
If you still haven't the money for a reasonable planning, put LL off a little.

[JamesBrown]

It depends on the doctor.  I don't know any specific policies.

Thanks for your reply anyway

[JamesBrown]

You mustn't be "clinically" unaccompanied. Ideally the surgeon should ask you to stay at least during lenghtening phase. Observation of legs, range of motion, movements, etc, are needed. Pain management, possible drug administration, sleep support, physiotherapy supervision,etc. are also part of the process. Adjustments or corrections may be necessary in frequency of lenghtening increments or in fixators themselves. RXs must be done frequently. You must also rest assured of how to operate the lenghtening device of the fixators and have support to solve any problems with that. If you can't stay, you must then send Rx monthly by mail and should be regularly directly observed by another orthopaedic surgeon. Ideally, both doctors should be in contact.
LL is not a linear, predictable, mechanical, process.
If you still haven't the money for a reasonable planning, put LL off a little.

Everything I needed, thanks for the info!

[vanguy04]

Did 7+ cm with Betz. Stayed in Germany for 3 weeks and did the rest at home. My journey has been relatively smooth so far. Implemented a number tactics that I learned from patient experiences on this forum. I'm almost 6 month since my surgery and my unassisted walking gait is getting close to normal. I'm also from Vancouver, Canada.

[JamesBrown]

Did 7+ cm with Betz. Stayed in Germany for 3 weeks and did the rest at home. My journey has been relatively smooth so far. Implemented a number tactics that I learned from patient experiences on this forum. I'm almost 6 month since my surgery and my unassisted walking gait is getting close to normal. I'm also from Vancouver, Canada.

Hello fellow Vancouverite, always nice to see someone else living in the same city. How much did all of that cost you including the Betz surgery + general living expenses? You came back to Canada to remove the internal devices? (healthcare here covers the removal, it's free for all Canadians cosmetic or not)

[Genius]

Some of the doctors that I talked recommended that I should stay in the hospital between 5-7 days so that they can follow me up after surgery to prevent risks. Then they allow me to go home and do the lengthening there. But yes I should find a good physiotherapy place I guess

After how long if I may ask? Is there a mandatory time that I must stay — 1 month after surgery etc? (For the surgeon to watch out for any embolism that may be forming?)

[zaozari]

It's perfectly normal to leave the hospital after 4-7-10-15 days, even to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections (one of the most experienced doctors, Guichet, even allows to leave the same day or the following, altough I would never do it). The patient can stay elsewhere nearby and organise the follow-up with the doctor.
But it's also totally abnormal to be alone during the entire recovery process. Beware of doctors that reduce CLL to just a surgery procedure and  (maybe commercially) say it's perfectly okay to go home in another country without even mentioning to find a colleague's local support or,  the very least, without sending them monthly Rx.
What about complications and severe nerve stretching and compartment syndrome, for example? But ultimately it's a patient choice, of course.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

You seek local emergency services in an emergency and go back for non-emergency complications.

[JamesBrown]

Thanks for the responses all, I guess I will just stay with close proximity to the doctor. Thousands of dollars extra in hotels/airbnb is worth it to me to prevent potential complications that may arise.

[vanguy04]

Hello fellow Vancouverite, always nice to see someone else living in the same city. How much did all of that cost you including the Betz surgery + general living expenses? You came back to Canada to remove the internal devices? (healthcare here covers the removal, it's free for all Canadians cosmetic or not)

Yeah nice to find someone from the same city. All costs were about 86k CDN dollars (surgery, travel, accommodation, PT/Massages and other expenses). I'm currently just 6 month post op, but yeah around the 2 year mark ill have them removed in Canada. Great how our healthcare system covers removal of cosmetic nails.

[JamesBrown]

Yeah nice to find someone from the same city. All costs were about 86k CDN dollars (surgery, travel, accommodation, PT/Massages and other expenses). I'm currently just 6 month post op, but yeah around the 2 year mark ill have them removed in Canada. Great how our healthcare system covers removal of cosmetic nails.

Thanks for your response man, appreciate the full picture of the costs on top of the surgery. Hoping the booking for nail removal goes smoothly for you with COVID and all (you know how it is in Canada). I might take a loan on my parent's house, don't want to pull out of my stocks and compound from 0 again, that'll probably be the worst mistake after not exercising/sleeping more during puberty.