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[zlRadamanthys]

Hello friend, I see that your consolidation is a bit slow, what type of body do you have ectomorph ?. Until when do you think you would use the framework and what would you advise me to do purely external or LON or LATN?

I hope you do very well and my best wishes to you

[Great321]

Hello friend, I see that your consolidation is a bit slow, what type of body do you have ectomorph ?. Until when do you think you would use the framework and what would you advise me to do purely external or LON or LATN?

I hope you do very well and my best wishes to you

I had to google the body types and neither of them really fit me. So I'm not sure, sorry.

I can imagine that it will take me two more months. That's like a nightmare for me honestly because walking didn't get easier with time, rather the opposite. Mentally I'm fine though. I know for sure that without the frames I would progress a lot faster concerning walking. I'm not in a rush luckily, I have 6 more months until my studies continue.

If you can and want to spend more than 30k for one single surgery
, and if you don't have enough time (like about 9+months to recover for fully external),
 and if you are willing to take the 3% risk of getting permanent knee pain afterwards

then go for either LON or LATN (I don't know which is better, I only know since only recently that Dr. Giotikas offers LON for about 30k.

Thank you

[Great321]

My biggest concern is that if any of the pins get infected again and don't heal by themselves I need to take antibiotics.

Antibiotics are my biggest enemy though because that could mean that the clostridium germs "attack" my body again as the good bacteria which normally defends us from the bad bacteria etc. dies from the antibiotics.

So far none of my pins got infected again since I got home. Whenever a pin feels weird I use some form of PVP iodine ointment, recommended by another doctor.

[zlRadamanthys]

I hope you recover soon, remember to take calcium and a diet rich in protein and minerals. I plan on going to Russia with doctors Solomin and Kulesh of whom there are good references, and its price is more attractive than Gyotikas. The problem is that if it is from a South American country and the visa is only for 90 days, I will send an email to see. Anyway take good care of yourself and try to do PT every day, do not forget the diet

[Great321]

I hope you recover soon, remember to take calcium and a diet rich in protein and minerals. I plan on going to Russia with doctors Solomin and Kulesh of whom there are good references, and its price is more attractive than Gyotikas. The problem is that if it is from a South American country and the visa is only for 90 days, I will send an email to see. Anyway take good care of yourself and try to do PT every day, do not forget the diet

Thanks, yes I drink a lot of milk every day and extra calcium pills. Also I drink protein shakes. Vitamin C, Selen, Magnesium, Vitamin D, collagen protein...

I wish you good luck!

[Great321]

Talked with Dr. Giotikas today.

He is pleased with my X-rays and said that my bone growth is just fine and normal. He doesn't believe that my Clostridium difficile problem slowed it down. Dr. G suggested that if I want I can let the frames be removed and replace it with a nail but I declined it. I'm not in a rush, yes wearing the frames for such a long time is hell, but it's just a few more months.

I told him that I use Povidon iodine ointment on some of my pins but he told me not to continue with it, instead chlorhexidine 2% is recommended.

From tomorrow on I shall shorten my legs for 3 days for 3mm total. Wait a day. And lengthen them again, 3mm in 3 days. For 3 weeks. That might help the bone growth.

[Great321]

I have asked Dr. Giotikas if I can lengthen a few mm more. I mean I have to wear the frames maybe a couple of months more. It has to be worth it. He said that lengthening after 5 months is not common but if I want I can do it. So I will do 6mm more during the next three weeks. Then it will be 4,9cm more in total. Let's just say 5cm

[wannagrowtaller]

Dr Giotikas don't let you lengthen your tibia more than 5cm?

[Great321]

Of course he does. 5-6cm is the recommended maximum. But I initially stopped lengthening 3 months ago. To lengthen a lot more now wouldn't be very logical. And he knows that my goal was about 5cm, not more.

[wannagrowtaller]

What is the maximum he let his clients lengthen tibia? 6cm?

[Great321]

What is the maximum he let his clients lengthen tibia? 6cm?

I actually can't exactly remember. You can use the search function to find the answer though before I give you any false response or just email athensbjr

Anyways...since I take 2Paracetamol 500 in the morning,2 in the afternoon and sometimes 2 in the evening walking is a lot easier again

[wannagrowtaller]

It's a coincidence that the 3 patients of Giotikas here on forum is doing 5cm on tibia. I'll email them.

[wannagrowtaller]

They answered

Thank you for your email. Max lengthening in tibia generally is 6cm at our center.
We remain at your disposal for any further information and assistance.

[Great321]

They answered

Sounds good:)

jcayabo asked me in the past about how my PT showed me to walk straight. I unfortunately forgot to answer. In the end it was very simple. She just walked normally herself but very slowly to demonstrate each step. I just tried to do the same while balancing my body with the walker. I can imagine that walking is so natural to us that many of us aren't really aware of how we actually walk. During LL the way of walking changes and you get used to wrong habits. So I advise LLers to watch other people walking, ask them to do it very slowly or watch youtube videos on low speed.

Also the longer I stand on my feet the easier it gets to walk afterwards with less pressure from the pins.

For two days my left knee was hurting again severely and I know why. I had stretched it a lot the day before. It was the same situation when I was in Athens and the physiotherapists had stretched my feet a lot.

My right foot is now more flexible than the left one. Months ago it was the other way around.

Some pins sometimes hurt, underneath one of them there was a bubble like thing twice already. When I pressed it, reddish fluid came out. Sometimes the skin around a certain pin feels like burning when you touch it(not hot)

The symptoms of the clostridium difficile aren't completely gone.

I got used to wearing the frames. Time actually passes very fast. But I'm lucky as I rarely have to go outside and I have time until next autumn.

[Ayesha12345]

Hey! It’s good you’ve done it at a time when you don’t need to go out. Sounds like things are going  good, you’ve come a long way. Just make sure the pinsite stays dry.

I wanted to ask does Dr Goitikas accept payment in euro or $?

[Great321]

Hey! It’s good you’ve done it at a time when you don’t need to go out. Sounds like things are going  good, you’ve come a long way. Just make sure the pinsite stays dry.

I wanted to ask does Dr Goitikas accept payment in euro or $?

Yeah I'm happy about this. Today I was sitting outside in the garden when I noticed a little fruit fly on one of the pins. It was kind of stuck there. I cleaned it afterwards.

I paid in euros. So I didn't have to think about that. I don't know sorry!

[Great321]

Update

I just tried to walk with crutches for the first time. It was possible! I'm still very slow and careful but I will try to walk more and more with crutches than with the walker. But standing up from a seating position won't be possible without the walker, there's too much pressure inside the legs from the pins for that.

[Movie]

dope diary man ! looking to do surgery with Giotikas maybe this year, still considering all my options but Giotikas is definitely a strong contestant for me

[Great321]

dope diary man ! looking to do surgery with Giotikas maybe this year, still considering all my options but Giotikas is definitely a strong contestant for me

thanks!

[Hatch]

My biggest concern is that if any of the pins get infected again and don't heal by themselves I need to take antibiotics.

Antibiotics are my biggest enemy though because that could mean that the clostridium germs "attack" my body again as the good bacteria which normally defends us from the bad bacteria etc. dies from the antibiotics.

So far none of my pins got infected again since I got home. Whenever a pin feels weird I use some form of PVP iodine ointment, recommended by another doctor.

By using strong probiotics after antibiotics i believe you can minimize negative effects of it. I got some allergies because antibiotics but using about 1/2 year Dr Ohhiras probiots (which are expensive, but also seem to be best) i got rid of it.

[Great321]

By using strong probiotics after antibiotics i believe you can minimize negative effects of it. I got some allergies because antibiotics but using about 1/2 year Dr Ohhiras probiots (which are expensive, but also seem to be best) i got rid of it.

Thanks for the advice, I used to take "Probielle" and now I try "Mutaflor". It's quite expensive.

My shin was itching a bit but since both of my shin under the knee are numb it feels really unpleasant to scratch over the skin. I really hope that it will change sometime...it's not the whole shin, don't know how to explain it exactly, it's a specific big area

You normally aren't aware of the skin being numb unless it's itching. Let's see how it'll be once I wear normal pants ...

[azman]

Hey Great321
Awesome dairy and thank you.

As far as payment, you mentioned in euro.  I'm in the US, can you give me the steps on payment like do you pay Mediterraneo hospital or Dr. Giotikas's Athens Bone & Joint Reconstruction Centre (AthensBJR)?

Did you use an escrow company or direct deposit which is kinda risk with all the scam out there nowaday? 

On his website it states:
All payments should be concluded prior to your arrival to Greece.  Payments can be made by direct money transfer to bank account. An itinerary will be sent to your email address upon confirmation of payment.

Would you mind emailing me or IM your itinerary, just want to cover all the bases.  I'm planning on doing my LLS with him, but are too scar of being scammed because its a lot of money and I'll have to refinace my house to do it.

Hope you are well and recovering.

Thanks

[Great321]

Thank you, too!

At first I got an e-mail where it stated to transfer the money all to one bank account. I guess Dr. Giotikas would have transfered each amount to the right places for you. But I didn't do it and couldn't reply for a long time as I was travelling. Later then they reminded me again, this time there were three different accounts and the specific amount of money you have to transfer to each account. It's Mediplat, the hospital and Dr. Giotikas.

I did it via a transfer form of as it is too much money for online banking. Now back in Germany I asked them about all the invoices as I want to ask my health insurance for money. athensbjr sent me all the invoices where there are even detailed information about the hospital's medication each day. 

What do you mean with scam? I can assure you that you will get the surgery with all the care even after the surgery until you recover.

[Great321]

Update       4,9cm 

Today again my lengthening phase is over.
I shortened and lengthened over the last 3-4 weeks as my doctor recommended.

In 2 or 3 weeks I'll have my next X-rays done.

[wannagrowtaller]

Congratulations.

[BiggestProblem]

Thank you for posting your diary. I am inclined to go to the same Doctor (although in like 2 years, want to finish Uni).

[Great321]

Congratulations.

thank you!

Thank you for posting your diary. I am inclined to go to the same Doctor (although in like 2 years, want to finish Uni).

good luck! you'll have enough time to watch us recover and then make your decision 


For about over a week now I feel some pressure in my left fibula when I walk much and put my whole weight on my left leg. Soon I'll have my next X-Rays. I really hope that I won't need another surgery.

For some days I felt an uncomfortable tingling around my upper shins where the cut was made. Like needles. It usually occured when I used the cycling machine for too long. It had stopped when I rested again. This time it even bothered me during lying in bed. Now that sensation is mostly gone again.

For another three days my right knee was hurting due to one of the pins and walking was really difficult. I couldn't fully weight bear on my right leg. But on the fourth day the problem vanished again. Sometimes when that happens in the morning I just have to stand a longer time. And put more and more weight on the hurting knee. Sometime the knee feels normal again afterwards.

For the last few days my legs became very itchy for the whole day. Just like in the very beginning after the surgery. Maybe that's a good sign. As it usually means that sth is healing.

There are two pins that are irritated from time to time causing some pain and oozing but after some time it gets better. So luckily no infection so far.

[Kenda]

Hi , So when exactly will you star Stryde on your femurs ??
& did you see any patients with giotikas doing stryde ??

[Great321]

My X-rays from the 3rd of May. Today I'll talk to Dr. Giotikas about them. I have lengthend 6mm the past month, so for sure there is not as much development than it hopefully would have been without the lengthening.

RIGHT FRONT TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/FHB2C9S

RIGHT SIDE TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/BL48I5r

LEFT FRONT TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/GHFvUF3

LEFT SIDE TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/IkAdFL3

Hi , So when exactly will you star Stryde on your femurs ??
& did you see any patients with giotikas doing stryde ??

I don't know yet. No by the time I was there, Stryde wasn't available yet.

[james2334]

My X-rays from the 3rd of May. Today I'll talk to Dr. Giotikas about them. I have lengthend 6mm the past month, so for sure there is not as much development than it hopefully would have been without the lengthening.

RIGHT FRONT TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/FHB2C9S

RIGHT SIDE TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/BL48I5r

LEFT FRONT TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/GHFvUF3

LEFT SIDE TIBIA & FIBULA: https://imgur.com/IkAdFL3





I don't know yet. No by the time I was there, Stryde wasn't available yet.

How was the quality of physical therapy in Greece?  I would like to stay in the apartment as well as you.  However, the level of physical therapy will be lower compared to rehabilitation centers.  What caused you to stop extending?  Is that even a little related to giotikas or the lack of physical therapy?

[Great321]

How was the quality of physical therapy in Greece?  I would like to stay in the apartment as well as you.  However, the level of physical therapy will be lower compared to rehabilitation centers.  What caused you to stop extending?  Is that even a little related to giotikas or the lack of physical therapy?

There are different PTs. You might have 2-3 differents ones. In my case one of them did a lot of strengthening of the muscles, the other one did more of stretching. I'm not a professional so I can't say anything about the quality. I guess that those PTs who take care of us already had some experience with other patients. So you won't be their first case. I think the only difference between apartment and rehab centre is the amount of PT per week you get and the cost but no difference in quality per session.

I stopped lengthening in Athens because I had those bad muscle problems (caused by the bed mattress) and my right heel was more away from the ground than the left one. And I didn't want to worsen it. But now the muscle pain is long gone and my right achilles tendon got better with stretching.

For the future I try to be in the sun for a longer time. Maybe the natural Vitamin D source will help better with the regeneration. So far there wasn't much sunshine out there and until April the sun's angle in the sky wasn't right anyway to get enough sun for Vitamin D (I read somewhere)