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[Singapore]

Hello all,

First of all, English is not my native language, so I am sorry in advance if you have trouble while reading my story.

I had my operation on the 31st January with Doctor Sarbjit Singh in Singapore. I will try to tell my story as detailed as possible for those of you interested. I think its about time that I make contribution to our community, also its a good place to learn more about LL from other veterans.

A little bit about myself:
Original height: 1m70.5 (5'7) ( not too short, but not tall enough...)
Age: in my 20s
My goal: 6.5-7cm (somewhere between 2.5-3 inches) depends on how my body takes it
Wingspan: 1m84 (6')

Its funny how my mind has changed. I used to want to get to 1m85 cm with 2 operations since my wingspan allows for that height. I used to think that a man below 1m8 is considered to be short.... Through time, I realize that your appearance just plays a small part in your life. And there are other aspects that you should care about more than your height. So I finally decided to settle for 1m77-1m78 cm which is close to 5'10 and I think it is a fine average height for men. The reason I chose Singapore is because:
1. Its near my home country
2. Its a first world country with top medical service
3. Doctor Singh seems to have a good reputation in his field.

Being said, it takes me no time to contact the doctor and set up the appointment for consultation. 2 weeks after the consultation, I had my operation. I came a day before to do some blood test and made payment to the hospital. Everything went well. Surgery was set for 11am on the following day. The night before the surgery, I went around the city with my Mom to relax and find something to eat. I really like Singapore in general. Good tropical weather, trees are everywhere, birds are everywhere and the people are friendly and helpful. We ate some foods and went back to the hotel at around 10pm. I did not have any trouble sleeping that night even though I was a bit nervous like we all should be unless you are a psychopath 

[cool]

Wow yours is a diary in Singapore after a very long time! Congrats on starting your journey. Please post some pictures of the hospital, your legs and x-rays if you have them.

[raku]

Very happy to see internal Doctor in Asia except Dr. Li.
Keep strong friend.
Could I ask you 3 question? Why you choose Singapore rather than South Korea?
Could you tell me the total price(surgery plus accommodation?)
Do you know when Stryde come to Singapore?

[Roh20]

oomggg finally another diary with Dr.Sarbjit... Imy from southeast asia too, planning to have CLL surgery with Dr.Sarbjit too in 1 or 2 years... GL on your journey

[Singapore]

The operation
I woke up at around 6am in the morning of the surgery. I only drank some tea. I did not eat anything as guided by Doctor Singh. I had one last bowel movement as I know it would be tough to do it in the following days 
9:00: I headed to the hospital.
9:15: I was admitted to my room. I decided to stay 4 nights in this room. Its a bit expensive since its a single bedded room, but for my privacy, its worth the price.
9h30: nurses came asking questions about my health history and had me signed some forms. They told me to wait in the room until someone come and get me to the Operating Theatre.
10h45: A nurse came with the rolling bed. I kissed my Mom goodbye, and hopped on the bed.
11h: I was put in a waiting room. Some nurses came, asking the same questions an hr ago, put the tags with my name and info on my wrist. Not too long after, the anaesthetist came. He asked me why did I chose to do femurs because he saw many people chose to go with Tibias. I just said I want a faster recovery. He asked me if I wanted epidural anesthesia or general anaesthesia. No way in hell I want to be awake during this surgery so I simply told him to give me general anesthesia. He also said its better since the operation will take around 4hrs.
11h10: I was rolled into the operating room, it was cold. I saw doctor Singh. He told me everything will be fine, I could trust in him. I smiled and gave him my thump. I was nervous, and the thing I hate the most while being in the operating room is the fear of being exposed to many people while I am unconscious. Then came the IV, and the gas mask. I dont know if you have watched this movie "Awake" casted Hayden Christensen . In the movie, the guy was awake during his heart transplant surgery. I watched this movie many years ago, but when the gas masked was put on my face, this movie was replayed in my head." I cannot be that unlucky".  I thought to myself....
17:00 When I opened my eyes, nurses told me the surgery was successful and I will be rolled back to my room. Time traveling is the exact experience you have after this surgery. I had no sense of being put to sleep for 4hrs...Even after reading about it in some of your diaries, I still felt weird as hell when it happened to myself....
From then one, I just felt dizzy and sleepy. I skipped my dinner. I just wanted some more sleep. I woke up again at around 9pm and talked to my parents. Nurses came and gave me antibiotic through the IV. I took some pain killers. Pain was non existent to me at this time.
And even though I was dizzy as hell, I cant help but feel so excited thinking that I have finally made it. The first step of a long journey, but yes its finally done, I had waited for this moment 10 years now....

[Singapore]

@cool: pictures are coming 
@raku: I believe Singapore is as advanced as S.Korea as a country and doctor Singh is an experienced and respectable doctor in orthopaedic field. English is the official language in Singapore so no communication barrier for foreigners like me, cannot say the same thing about S.Korea. I am not sure when Stryde is coming but I can ask the Doctor and get back to you or you can email him yourself. Here is his email: sarbjit1@singnet.com.sg
@Roh20: thank you my friend!!

[Kenda]

Please tell us price $
& what does it feel like to have a nail inside rather than outside

[Singapore]

virtual dice 10 sided



I love this machine!!!


Way to the operating room!

[Singapore]

These are the pictures taken from my room during the nights I stayed there. Unfortunately, I forgot to take picture of the hospital food 

[Singapore]

Day 1

I woke up pretty early in the morning after the surgery. No pain whatsoever. But I couldn't move my legs either. They dont use the catheter here, and I am glad that they do not after reading some of your diaries. However, since my legs are totally useless at the moment, I had to pee into the urinal vase that the nurses gave me. That was the first battle.... It took me a good 15 minutes looking at the bottle while my mom holding my legs up straight. It was probably the most awkward 15 minutes in my life I gave up..... A few hrs later, I tried again but this time closing my eyes and imagine there is nobody in the room. I did it  Got to say, I have never feel such a relief for being able to pee in my life. Nurses came in checking my vitals and giving me antibiotic and pain killer every 2 hrs or so. Doctor Singh came in at around 10am. He told me everything went well and no complications happened during the surgery. An occupational therapist would come by and show me how to use the wheelchair the next day. I did not eat much in the first day post op for 2 reasons:
1. I did not feel hungry at all...
2. I was scared of going into the washroom for number 2 

This is the picture of the urinal vase given to me, I took it with me after being discharged from the hospital.

[Singapore]

@Kenda: Total price is about $68000 included 3 nights stay in the hospital ( single bed room)
If you could afford it, internal method is much more convenient in my experience so far. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to move around with the frame, not to mention to keep your opened wounds clean everyday. And more importantly, how could you sleep well at night!?

I give a huge respect to those have done external though. They truly have a strong will to overcome those problems I mentioned above.

[Jubartt169]

I guess this is gonna be a great story/diary

Good luck for you!

[Singapore]

I guess this is gonna be a great story/diary

Good luck for you!

Thank you my friend! I am not too good with words, so I hope that I could make my diary as liveable as possible with pictures

[Singapore]

Day 2

Same routine as day 1.

1.Nurses came in checking my vital, giving me necessary drugs, and cleaning my body 

2.Doctor Singh passed by at around 10am asking how I am doing. He said we will start the lengthening process on the next day. He has already put the machine used for Precise implants in my room, and that got me very excited  But that is tomorrow. Today's biggest task is learning how to put myself in the wheelchair and the commode chair from the hospital bed. This will be my way to get to the restroom during my process as Doctor Singh does not allow me to walk. he told me that standing is ok, but walking will be too risky.

3.The therapist came to my room around noon time. She was very funny and full of positive energy. She introduced me to this thing that help me to move from my bed to the commode chair/wheelchair.







It was super tough at first, since you will need to use your upper body to carry your weight little by little. Thats why I think being in good shape is an advantage in this surgery. The therapist told me about a patient that weighted 200lbs+ and every time he got to move from the bed, it was super intense. Anyway, that was the highlight of my 2nd day post op 

[raku]

Nice picture. Thanks for your detailed friend. Where would you stay for the several months later?

[Jubartt169]

I think 5'10''(1,78) is a good height actually, if you have a good posture, good fashion, etc, people will usually think you are 5'11(1,80), or even 6'0(1,83) if you wearing a good and comfortable shoes (not lifts, i really mean shoes.. those which increases 2cm, you know). People estimate height wrongly, I'm pretty sure you had noticed this... have you ever seen a friend/guy/anyone who is...like 1,82, but people think he's 1,85 (6'1), or whatever height, number. As you live in a Asian Country, i can claim you will be fine, you won't need to worry about height.

[Singapore]

Nice picture. Thanks for your detailed friend. Where would you stay for the several months later?

Hey Raku,
I am currently staying at a 4 stars hotel near the hospital for the month of February. Cost is a bit expensive for now, but my comfort level is at maximum which really put my mentality on the positive side. For the next months, I am  still looking for an apartment/condo.

[Singapore]

I think 5'10''(1,78) is a good height actually, if you have a good posture, good fashion, etc, people will usually think you are 5'11(1,80), or even 6'0(1,83) if you wearing a good and comfortable shoes (not lifts, i really mean shoes.. those which increases 2cm, you know). People estimate height wrongly, I'm pretty sure you had noticed this... have you ever seen a friend/guy/anyone who is...like 1,82, but people think he's 1,85 (6'1), or whatever height, number. As you live in a Asian Country, i can claim you will be fine, you won't need to worry about height.

Absolutely my friend. With this height, even going to most part of Europe or North America is not short either. You just dont stand out as tall, but in no way you are considered short. Cheers!

[Singapore]

Day 3

1. Same routine as day 1 and 2

2. Pain level is still at 0 which is a plus

3. Peeing is now a bit easier.

4. Doctor Singh came in at around 11am to show me the lengthening part. This is no doubt the most excited moment so far for me 
I have watched the youtube video of someone using the lengthening device before but I still listened carefully to doctor Singh's instruction. The most important thing is to put the device on the right mark where the doctor has put on your thigh. So he gave me a medical marker and asking me to never let the mark to fade away. He set up the device and put the lengthening amount for 0.33 mm. I would be lengthening twice a day for the first 3 days. After that, he said I could do 3 times a day  And he said that I already seem to recover well and having no problems, so he would discharge me a day earlier.

5. A physical therapist came at around 2pm and showed me 3 exercises for getting my ROM back. It felt great!!

Some pictures of the lengthening device from Exactech. I am responsible keeping this device until I finish the process. Doctor Singh said that he trust me, hence allowing me to bring it back to my home country if I wanted to, but it has to be returned when the process is done otherwise I will get charged by $5000.

[Singapore]

day 4

1. I was discharged. Took my last antibiotics shots. Got the pain killers from doctor Singh. Gave some fruits to the nurses that took care of me to show my appreciation 
It felt great to be outdoor again    My parents rolled me back to the hotel room where they were staying.

2. Its the first day I tried to go into the washroom and tried number 2. It was hard, and I could not do it. Better luck next time...

3. Now that my mobility has improved a bit, getting from the bed to the wheelchair took less time, and I did not feel as tired as when I tried it the first time around. Your mobility does improve day by day if you work hard on the exercises I believe 

View from my room. I have never spent so much time looking at the sky like I am doing now. And it does improve my mood a lot 





Finally I get to eat some tasty local food. This is a dish of grilled chickens, spring roll, rice noodle and some pickles and salad. I havent got my appetite back, but it was still pretty good. Everything still seems to be ok 4 days post op

[Singapore]

day 5

1. I was able to do number 2 today  Feel really happy about it, because I can now do all these basic activities of a normal human being.

2. I still take the pain killer as instructed by Doctor Singh. He gave me 3 different kinds and I am told to take 2 of them on schedule regardless of the level of pain. Here are some pics. I put doses of each day into this cup so I do not forget how many times I have already taken during the day.




3. Today, I started to do 0.99 mm of lengthening instead of 0.66 mm like the previous days. And I am not sure if its because of this change, but I got this pain out of nowhere just right before I go to bed. The pain level is about 5/10    To make it easier to imagine, it feel just like if you lying on your bed with your knees at the edge of the bed and both your shins perpendicular to the floor while wearing some weight on it  It was hard to sleep, so I had to take the strongest pain killer ( Arcoxia/Etoricoxib) for the first time as doctor Singh asked me to only take it if the pain is unbearable. Fortunately, it worked well and I managed to fall to sleep. It was the hardest night so far. I slept like a baby in the previous nights...


Eating some chicken soup today    I am trying to avoid seafood and beef for now until my scars are healed so most of my dishes are either chicken or pork.

[Elevy]

It's really nice to see you like this.I have sent an e-mail to the doctor for three days. Unfortunately, he did not reply to me. Can I have a chat with you? Thank you very much.

[Hatch]

First of all, great diary and definitely going to follow your whole journey! Hope everything goes so well as possible! 

2. Its the first day I tried to go into the washroom and tried number 2. It was hard, and I could not do it. Better luck next time...

Was it because you couldn't get to the toilet or you couldn't get it out while you were at toilet?

To me, and im serious, one of the main concern is how can i handle number 2 after surgery. Because i have very rapid intestinal and usually i have to visit 2-3 times/day at toilet. If i try to hold, i causes great pain just in minutes or at least at hours.

[raku]

Dear friend. Many veteran suffer a lot in the first 3 week but you are very lucky and have a painless experience and share so many picture. We are grateful and hope you keep stronge and kind to share.

What I notice is that Doctor allow you go back home during lengthening phrase.
I shock because Doctors around the world seldom let patients go home finishing lengthening. Only Doctor K in Munich allow European patients to go back home with Stryde nail and Doctor M in Los Angeles allow patients to leave America with Stryde nail. But in this situation, Std nail would be less likely to be broken for the ability of weight baring.
And Dr. M in Spain's patients with fitbone nail could go home during lenthening.

We all know how important the PT is during lengthening. It is part of the surgery.

Although the Precice 2nail breaking seldom happen.  But the Doctor should always control something uncertain risk. Am I right? I would not recommend you coming home personally.

Would you go back home when being allowed?

[7231]

Hey Raku,
I am currently staying at a 4 stars hotel near the hospital for the month of February. Cost is a bit expensive for now, but my comfort level is at maximum which really put my mentality on the positive side. For the next months, I am  still looking for an apartment/condo.

Hei Singapore, congrats, can you plz provide the cost details? thanks

[Singapore]

It's really nice to see you like this.I have sent an e-mail to the doctor for three days. Unfortunately, he did not reply to me. Can I have a chat with you? Thank you very much.

Hi Elevy,
Last time I saw him, he said he was on a business trip. So you might have to wait for a few days. Shoot me a pm anytime you need

[Singapore]

Dear friend. Many veteran suffer a lot in the first 3 week but you are very lucky and have a painless experience and share so many picture. We are grateful and hope you keep stronge and kind to share.

What I notice is that Doctor allow you go back home during lengthening phrase.
I shock because Doctors around the world seldom let patients go home finishing lengthening. Only Doctor K in Munich allow European patients to go back home with Stryde nail and Doctor M in Los Angeles allow patients to leave America with Stryde nail. But in this situation, Std nail would be less likely to be broken for the ability of weight baring.
And Dr. M in Spain's patients with fitbone nail could go home during lengthening.

We all know how important the PT is during lengthening. It is part of the surgery.

Although the Precice 2 nail breaking seldom happen.  But the Doctor should always control something uncertain risk. Am I right? I would not recommend you coming home personally.

Would you go back home when being allowed?

Hey Raku, I was also worry, but doctor Singh told me many of his patients are from foreign countries, and they all go back home after a few days without problem. In term of risk, we all have to be careful for our own safety no matter where we do it, right? We are all adults now  I decided to stay in Singapore to stay close to the doctor. I might gonna stay here for 3-4 months. Thats the plan for now

[catcat]

may I ask how the scars look so far? thanks.

[Singapore]

First of all, great diary and definitely going to follow your whole journey! Hope everything goes so well as possible! 

Was it because you couldn't get to the toilet or you couldn't get it out while you were at toilet?

To me, and im serious, one of the main concern is how can i handle number 2 after surgery. Because i have very rapid intestinal and usually i have to visit 2-3 times/day at toilet. If i try to hold, i causes great pain just in minutes or at least at hours.

Hi Hatch
For 2 reasons that it was hard.
1. The wounds were still fresh, so when I tried to squeeze myself into the commode chair it was uncomfortable.
2. The ROM was still pretty bad, my legs could not spread as wide as it should when I go for no2 before the surgery. After sitting for 10-15 mins, my legs started to be numb and I think its not good to cut the blood flow of my legs at all so I decided not to try anymore.

[Singapore]

may I ask how the scars look so far? thanks.

scars are pretty good. I am happy with the scars so far. Unfortunately, I dont want to post my body part on here. But I guarantee you, the cut made by doctor Singh were really clean. I am gonna search for some sort of cream to reduce it even further from existence 

[Elevy]

Thank you for sharing. How are you doing in Singapore? Do you live alone? Do you have anyone to take care of you