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[johnnyboi]

Hi everyone,

So I'm considering getting LL done on my femurs, current height is 165cm and would ideally like to be 173cm and I've got a few questions. I've thought about going with Dr Guichet as I live in London and I understand he operates here. Although the Gnail is one of the only available weight bearing nails right now, along with the Betzbone, do you think it's wise to wait for the Stryde nail to come back in the next few years or so before doing LL? Also, having heard about the unfortunate complication of Unicorn and and the death of Yush Gupta, I'm a bit hesitant to go with Guichet. I'd love to hear anyone's experience of Guichet, those who have used the Gnail, and the general consensus on Guichet, cheers.

[Hatch]

My recommendation choose Giotkikas instead of Guichet. Guichet is quite notorious or at least I think so. Giotikas also uses same G-Nail and operates in Athen and probably also in London.

[SpeedDialer]

I think Guichet is a great option if you have the money and more people should consider going to him. I like his emphasis on training, I like how he has patients use the bicycle so early after the surgery (for my doctor who was different, I did not have any pedal machine to use in the hospital and I felt this was not good for the stiffness/weakness that followed. I felt like it was a totally missed opportunity to miss having a better recovery and just totally unnecessary, like how hard is it to put a small foot pedal machine in the hospital. I might bring my own the next time.)

However, after Guichet's supposed possible legal battles with forum user Unicorn (don't know what happened), it might be good to avoid saying anything negative about him on the forum. Lawyers are scary. But its been like 8 years or w/e since that battle with Unicorn and I feel like all doctors including Guichet and Betz probably improve over time

But I think maybe there is an argument that if someone wants a weight bearing nail and has the money and wants to stay in an English speaking country, gnail with Dimitrios Giotikas in London might be a good idea if they don't want to go to go with Giotikas in Athens or Guichet in France or Guichet in Milan (Guichet does france and milan I believe, not sure). But honestly I bet the weather in Athens and Milan are probably better than London..


Ok so I eventually got a bicycle machine when I left the hospital and went to the hotel but I wasn't able to mount it on my own for a few days, and I just wish they just gave us a small pedal machine in the hospital + hotel that can be used from the bed. My doctor was not Guichet.

I believe with Guichet they help you get onto a bigger bicycle machine in the hospital before you even leave the hospital based on his official youtube vids, which I agree with, I really disliked the stiffness in the days after the surgery and think the bike woulda helped 

[OzBoy39]

Hey Speeddialer,
Given the experience the we ALL had with the G-nail, I'm sort of skeptical of his YouTube videos... The guy doing stairs 45mins after surgery. Come on, not even Wolverine himself was that fast.

Among ALL of us in Athens and past patients there hasn't been one that was even close to that level. Plus, the doc sort of nodded along with me when I mentioned this to him too.

Anyway johnnyboy, my 2 cents on G-nail vs waiting for new Stryde. Don't wait. All these bad stories you've read on the forum, they're just that. Bad stories. It's a super small sample size of people compared to the
majority of us who can click without a hiccup.

To the point that precice patients on Athens were nagging about... I wish o had a gnail. Because they're basically stuck to this routine of 4 times a day having to be in bed with the machine to lengthen... Which takes them a considerable amount of time between preparation, leg 1...leg 2. And the uncertainty of whether they lengthen correctly without the possibility of checking that until next x-rays.

On the contrary, I (and i think nowadays the rest of the G-nail crew in Athens) can click at a cafe, restaurant... Or everywhere I want to show somebody how it works.

Plus now I sort of enjoy making people cringe over the loud clock sound when they ask me to show them (the physio guys here in Australia, the x-ray technicians...), So funny.

Last, regardless of your decision on the nail, make sure you plan the surgery and the surrounding times very well. It's always gonna be longer than you expect, always gonna be more mentally draining than you can imagine (have someone with you if you can) and tough at times. But it is all worth it the moment you look back at your old height from your new viewpoint and realise..... Damn was I short 

Just joking (took a tramadol and it made me a little high)

[SpeedDialer]

The videos I referred to are these:





Here are the things I'm just slightly slightly jealous of:

1. In the first of the videos, they help him get onto a bicycle machine in the hospital. I wish I had gotten that for the stiffness / weakness I felt first 9 or so day after the surgery ---or even better yet I probably should have planned things better so that I have a small pedal machine before the surgery even begins so I can just bring it with me to the hospital

2. James, the patient in the second video, had access to a full swimming pool

3. James had access to some kind of gym with blocks to elevate his leg -> at least for gnail, I have found more elevation to be helpful for clicking (I know ozboy does it differently) but I find myself using like 3 pillows to get alot of elevation and now even my right leg clicks are easy. Not a big deal, you can do this with pillows too, don't need a gym with blocks

I went to Athens and did not go with Guichet but if I had more money, I might have gone with guichet instead

I am not sure, but I think maybe the Hyatt hotel (expensive) in Athens might have a swimming pool? Looks like it from google

So actually maybe if someone wants to go with Giotikas (athens) instead of Guichet (france, milan) and has the money then Athens hyatt hotel for its swimming pool + bring your own small pedal machine to the hospital might be good. But I mean I'm doing neither (I started bike pedaling maybe like .. 12 ish days after the surgery because I didn't realize until too late I wanted my own small pedal machine to use on the bed) , I'm doing alright, its just icing on the cake to have early pedal machine immediately after the surgery + a swimming pool later

I think I will go to Novotel and have surgery w/ Dimitrios Giotikas in Athens next year, and I might in fact ask the hotel staff to have two strong guys to lift me up to the top floor. I mean Novotel's pool is very shallow, but it should be good. Just slightly afraid of wet surfaces/slipping

[SpeedDialer]

Hi everyone,

So I'm considering getting LL done on my femurs, current height is 165cm and would ideally like to be 173cm and I've got a few questions. I've thought about going with Dr Guichet as I live in London and I understand he operates here. Although the Gnail is one of the only available weight bearing nails right now, along with the Betzbone, do you think it's wise to wait for the Stryde nail to come back in the next few years or so before doing LL? Also, having heard about the unfortunate complication of Unicorn and and the death of Yush Gupta, I'm a bit hesitant to go with Guichet. I'd love to hear anyone's experience of Guichet, those who have used the Gnail, and the general consensus on Guichet, cheers.

I think actually both Guichet and Dimitrios Giotikas have London offices? But Idk my vote is Guichet if you have alot of money, I feel like he has been doing this longer + Guichet invented the Guichet-nail. I just think that it is good to maybe avoid posting about Guichet on the forum (except for positive things) because of his legal battle with Unicorn

I think Guichet does IT band release (not sure) but I think it might be good to pay to do it even if he doesn't usually do it. There is a guy in Athens who lengthened with another doctor who didn't do IT band release and now his legs are stuck in a V shape/can't close his legs

I don't remember what Unicorn's complications were but maybe doing a bit less length might help to prevent them, not sure

[SpeedDialer]

So actually I feel a big advantage of just doing either everything with Guichet or everything with betz is this: I think they use clicking nails for both femurs and tibias.

So if you want to use clicking nails for everything and you have the money, I feel like it is slightly easier to just stick with one doctor and use his nails and have just one doctor to communicate with

If you go with Giotikas gnail femurs, well guess what he doesn't do clicking weight bearing nails for tibias so if someone wanted to do clicking tibias later they'd need to have to go to a different doctor and have two points of communication

Its a small inconvenience, I'm sure that guichet would probably be willing to remove guichet-nails that he did not put inside, but if someone has the money to just do guichet for everything and enjoy Milan..

I mean Athens with Dimitrios Giotikas is also beautiful in terms of the actual nature (mountain view, the sea, beautiful sky, warm weather), its just that the city of Athens itself is a worn down and graffiti infested concrete sprawl in alot of areas. I don't mind it, its an interesting experience and results in lower costs, but if someone has the money for Guichet maybe they want a more luxury experience like in Milan or something. I guess if someone wants an English speaking country, they could do it in London with either Jean-Marc Guichet or Dimitrios Giotikas also but I somehow doubt that communication ease if its worth tolerating the London weather, like I'd gladly take Athens's weather over it