PYOTR'S ST. PETERSBURG JOURNAL
Anticipated Surgery Date: September 21, 2018
Long-Term Goal: 14 cm
A Little About Me:
I am 56 years old; married for 33 years. I am a doctoral level professional and own and operate my own law practice. My experience and background is full and diverse.
Why Leg Lengthening:
I did not consider leg lengthening until recently. I have always been short; however, I have never felt that my height held me back. By example, in my youth, I was a Marine infantry platoon sergeant. Leadership was essential. I had to enforce my orders irrespective of my height. As an attorney, I am engaged in adversarial interactions every day. Taller others try to intimidate and I deal with it. I guess I am used to my height, never thought it could be changed, and never gave it much thought.
About six months ago, I saw a good-looking, good-quality pair of dress shoes that provided a 3" lift. I tried them and almost instantly noticed that others challenged me less.
The notion of leg-lengthening germinated. I realized leg lengthening was doable and I could afford it. So I continued to explore the process.
Dimensions, Goals, & Concerns:
I think I may have begun to shrink. I am 164 cm tall; my "wingspan" is 166 cm. However, my chest is about 43" and I weigh about 175 and I am in good shape--I have always worked out and have good muscle tone, size, and density. This means that my upper body is the size of a taller person. In fact, I think I look better when I am wearing 3" lifts.
I would like to lengthen by 14 cm. Doing so would make me about 5' 10" tall. Ideally, something like 8 cm in the femurs and 6 cm in the tibias.
I have two principal concerns--one is physical/medical; the other is professional. I have bi-lateral hip replacements so I have permanent stems in the top of each femur. This fact limits surgical options and dramatically increases the risk from infection. On the professional side, it is necessary that I be able to do at least desk work during this process.
Potential Procedures:
For my femurs, I may be a candidate for internal lengthening using a retrograde approach. I may also be a candidate for some form of peri-prosthetic lengthening. I am also a candidate for LON and LATN as well as pure external lengthening.
For my tibias, I am a candidate for all procedures.
I anticipate two procedures. I ruled-out internals for now because of the cost. I also ruled out pure externals due to the time required in frames.
I also ruled out cross leg lengthening because that process is just not for me. Because I do not know if I will undergo a second procedure, the first procedure must be complete in and of itself. Cross lengthening would result in one knee being about five inches higher than the other which forces a second surgery to even out.
I am anticipating LON or LATN hopefully on both femurs first. If I get 8 cm, then, maybe I will call that good.
Via LON or LATN, I will stay in St. Petersburg for about 3 months; then, return to California during the consolidation phase. Because I may be able to do some weight bearing during the consolidation phase, I hope to incrementally return to a full work load yet all the while do desk work.
Ultimately, I will consult with Dr. Solomin and his team the week prior to surgery; then, jointly decide the specific procedure, if any. I will work that procedure until I reach my goal or until further lengthening is contra-indicated, whichever comes first.
Why St. Petersburg?
I am cheap but I am not crazy. Foremost, there are only a handful of good and experienced cosmetic leg lengthening surgeons. I do not believe anyone should opine that Leonid Solomin is not a member of that group. In my opinion, it is hard to beat the combination of skill, experience, and value offered by the Solomin team.
In fact, when consulting with Dr. Solomin, he offered more options, courses, and possibilities than any other cosmetic leg lengthening surgeon. (Please note: I am merely sharing my experiences, perceptions, and conclusions for the general consideration of others--I am not trying to persuade anyone else--each candidate for lengthening should perform his or her own due diligence and form his or her own conclusions.)
I overcame my initial aversion and doubts about St. Petersburg through research. Compare St. Elizabeth's municipal hospital in St. Petersburg to St. Vincent's hospital in Los Angeles and you will probably agree that the Russians have it better.
Moreover, because much work and communication is now done electronically, I hope to continue to work without interruption (except for court appearance and the like) so the fact that I will be in Russia for several months is not an insurmountable problem.
Wish me success!
NEXT TIME -- Logistics.