Limb Lengthening Forum
Limb Lengthening Surgery => Limb Lengthening Patients Experiences => Topic started by: verticalpush on May 27, 2019, 07:30:50 PM
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Hello everyone - let me start off by saying what a wonderful forum this and the old forum were over the years. I have been serious about getting this surgery for the past 10 years but the idea of being bedridden for 3 months was enough to put me off from the surgery.
First, a little about me. I'm in my mid-30s. I have a decent paying job which allowed me far more and better options for financing than I would've had 10 years ago. Sure it would've been nice to get this done earlier and enjoy more years with my new height, but having much less stress about paying off my loan combined with the much better technology in the Stryde nail versus previous iterations make me glad that I waited. I'm almost 5'9, which I realize is considered average in the United States, but I travel a lot and especially in Europe (and even many American cities), 5'9 is most certainly not average IMHO. Doing this had nothing to do with with improving my chances with women - I've met and dated many fantastic women in my life but things didn't work out for various reasons. Having said that, I have some anecdotes with pushed me towards surgery. I dated a woman for almost 4 years and she mentioned many times during our relationship how she wished I was taller (again, I consider myself average). While I would like to consider her the exception (especially among 5'6 girls), it sort of planted the seed in my mind for how important society deems height. For the past 4 years coinciding with a new job in a new city, I've worn 2.5 inch lifts in boots, and primarily only wear boots. I've noticed better respect from colleagues, dating has been easier (until I take my boots off!), and overall I feel much more confidence and greater mental health. But, I feel every day I play russian roulette -- the embarrassment of being with friends and taking off my boots at an airport security screener, the time I had been randomly selected to be screened at an airport gate in France and the security screener loudly called over her supervisor when she noticed I had lifts in my shoes, and being absolutely mortified to go over to friends house if there's a chance I need to take my boots off when I enter their house, etc. I do not want to live the rest of my life living in fear of being exposed. Plus, boots with 2.5 inch heels hurt after a while! The other issue is that I have a 5 mm limb length discrepancy between my legs. I read some peer reviewed journal articles and there does seem to be a link between having that much discrepancy and future hip issues. Before anyone asks - no that did not at all help to get insurance to pay for any part of the surgery.
I had some free time from my work coming up this summer and figured it would be perfect to get the surgery done. I did so much research and contacted 3 doctors - Dr. M of Los Angeles, Dr. Paley, and Dr. D. I could not find a single diary of Dr. D., and so to my knowledge this is the first. I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly along the way. I'll also dispel some myths that I've found and share some tips. But most importantly to me, I'll hopefully get some good advice from the awesome veterans of the surgery that can make a big difference in the recovery. I had an excellent vibe from Dr. D. but was dismayed as many of you were that there was not a single diary. I took a considerable risk. I was lined up to get the surgery after my video consult and originally wasn't going to meet him in person until a couple days before the surgery. I had many sleepless nights fearing this could be a giant scam, so I planned a quick trip to Vegas to meet him and see his practice in person before handing over final payment. Dr. D. spent 3 hours talking to me that day. He brought in a former patient who was very open about the process. You get the sense from talking to Dr. D. that he is passionate about the work he does. His face lights up when he talks about surgery. Go to the local bar and ask the most passionate fan what he thinks about his favorite football team. That's how I'd compare it. He isn't fixing someone's broken bone and getting them back to the lifestyle they had - his work is physically transforming someone into image they have in their minds.
I flew to the area a few days before surgery. I couldn't enjoy the strip - I was a nervous wreck prior to surgery. I could barely sleep. This was one of the most difficult parts of the process. I spent some time hiking some of the beautiful mountains nearby knowing this is something I won't be able to do for a while.
Day 1
I had a Lyft take me to the hospital. They wanted me there at 6am. The hospital was very thorough. They called me several times the day prior asking what medication I was on and told me what I needed to do before surgery. Upon arriving at the hospital (Sunrise), they have a temporary check in set up in the womens/childrens hospital. They're doing some construction in the main check in area. The hospital itself is on par with any other hospital in a major American city. It's an HCA Health owned location. Rooms are up to date. TVs have more channels than I've ever seen in a hospital, and the technology they use means constantly scanning a barcode you wear on your arm before administering any medicine. They keep track of literally everything.
It took a while between checking in and the nurse calling me back in the pre-surgery staging area. I met the anesthesiologist (very funny Eastern European guy who cracked many jokes while we were there). They inventory everything you bring, so when you have multiple suitcases it's going to take a while. Of course when I mentioned to the security guard I had my medicine for post-surgery in my bag the nurse overheard that and flipped out - she took the medicine right away and called a second nurse over to count every single pill. I understand that, of course. Dr. D. came out, talked very briefly (one thing I notice is that Dr. D. is laser focused - he doesn't engage in a lot of small talk outside of limb lengthening in general. That's okay with me. His focus is probably much better than my focus is on most matters!
Okay, surgery time. I'm transferred to the bed. I feel like it took a decent amount of time for the anesthesia to kick in. They put a catheter in you after you're knocked out, as well as shaving the parts of your legs where the surgery takes place. Next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room. Normally immediately after surgery I feel very loopy - possibly due to too much anesthesia. Not this time. I wasn't nauseous at all (at least not yet). In recovery there is one nurse assigned to you 100% of the time. She was very nice, told me lots of stories. She was working the night of the fatal shooting from Mandalay Bay and told me about that. Every person in that hospital the night of the shooting is an absolute hero. I suggested to Dr. D.'s staff that they request her specifically for future CLL patients. I was able to get a urinal to take with me for later use in the hotel. Dr. D. checked in with me briefly post-surgery. I think it says on his web site surgery is 1 hour -- well, that was certainly not the case. Apparently it was about 3 hours.
Next I was transferred to my private room in the hospital. The room, like I said earlier, was very modern. But boy was it small. The move up to my room made me feel very nauseous. I told the first nurse I was probably going to throw up but she did not come back quickly and I couldn't hold it any longer. One of the things I learned is that there is a wide difference in the responsiveness of the nurses. A lot of that, I'm sure, depends on how busy they are at the moment.
I'm currently on day 4. Since this post is getting so long I'll put up another post below a little later with days 2-4. Because I know how important pictures are, I'm attaching my initial picture standing next to Dr. D. and x-rays someone took from a monitor right after the surgery. By the way, it was the 11.5 gauge nail.
Images from pre-surgery and xrays post-surgery (https://imgur.com/a/cf2zGPB)
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Good start.
What is your pain level now? Can you walk with the walker?
I wish you all the best. Good luck to you.
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Good start.
What is your pain level now? Can you walk with the walker?
I wish you all the best. Good luck to you.
Thank you wannagrowtaller! Pain is very manageable. I think knowing your limit regarding movement each time you get up and also doing good stretches every hour or so helps tremendously.
I'd put my pain between about a 2 or 3 here on day 4. The doctor prescribed me a long term pain medicine (morphine) and a short term pain medicine (oxy). I've mostly made it with just the morphine and no oxy, except that I'll take half of an oxy an hour before PT. My goal will be to taper off these pain meds as soon as possible and only use OTC pain meds. I was expecting pain to be much worse!
I purchased a walker from Walmart the day before surgery. The PT at the hospital used that walker to train me. I'm very happy to say that I can use the walker comfortably on my own. I'm able to easily get from the bed to the bathroom with the walker. The hardest part is getting up from the bed and sitting back down on the bed.
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Which nail diameter they used in you?
What is your initial height?
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Which nail diameter they used in you?
What is your initial height?
They used the 11.5 nail. My initial height was just about 5'9".
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You are not short. What is your goal?
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Hi werticalpush
Wow, you made it! Congrats to you on starting your journey! The hardest is the start and now you started! Things will move everyday.
The pain will come to you soon after you are discharged. You will have some surgery pain for 3 weeks and it will get better and better about 2-3 weeks postop. Stay strong and focused!
Good luck!
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OK, so here starts day 2. Before I start I wanted to mention some pre-surgery stuff starting with the Limbplastx staff. Teresa is their point person who coordinates scheduling. She seems very motherly when you meet her in person. Ronnie is the X-ray guy / physician assistant. He's a very humble, down to earth guy. When they asked me how I was going to get from the hospital to the hotel and I said I had no idea (I didn't bring any family and I didn't have a caretaker lined up at the time), Ronnie graciously offered to come pick me up from the hospital and get me to the hotel. Both Teresa and Ronnie gave me their cell numbers and told me to contact them any time of the day if I needed to reach the Doctor. When I was having trouble lining up a caretaker (the center's designated caretaker never called me to schedule the caretaker), Teresa encouraged me to see how I was feeling on Sunday, the day I'd be discharged from the hospital. Obviously not using a caretaker would save me a lot of money, so I was determined to make as much progress as I could in the hospital. Both Ronnie and Teresa have been checking in on me. Speaking of pre-surgery stuff, I posted another album on IMGUR of some pre-surgery stuff, including pics of the Limbplastx office and also Red Rock Canyon, which is a BEAUTIFUL hike I recommend everyone does just prior to their surgery! (https://imgur.com/a/A3MESzE) Ok, back to the report
Day 2 (Saturday)
When I woke up, I felt very little pain. One thing that surprised me is that you can NOT depend on the nurses to remember to bring your pain medicine around. As I learned, if you don't say anything you can easily find yourself going 10 hours without pain medicine, which is what happened Day 1 into the morning of Day 2. The hospital bed is comfortable. They put a device on your knees that massages you / prevents clots. There's a constant cycle of nurses coming in to check your vitals. They were good enough to pretty much always keep the door closed so I had privacy, but you should prepare yourself to be woken up from a deep slumber several times.
Some nurses are great to talk to. Others will forget requests and will need to be reminded. Sometimes it can take an hour to get pain medicine after you request it. The normal day nurse, Maureen, and the normal night nurse, Doug, were both fantastic. I really enjoyed talking to each of them. They were very open minded about the procedure and were very encouraging. Doug, the overnight nurse, is a total bro, it was like having one of my best friends there with me. He was very curious about the surgery. From talking with a few of the nurses, I definitely got the sense there have NOT been that many Stryde cases at the hospital, but they all spoke highly of Dr. D. Apparently he held a couple of seminars with the hospital staff to explain what the procedure was and exactly what to do. But many of staff were confused about the procedure and were genuinely curious about it.
So I still have the catheter in me the morning of day 2. Since Doug was still working till 7am I figured I would rather have him pull it out than one of the female nurses (especially after I mistakenly guessed the day nurse (Maureen's) age to be 4 years older than she is!). Yes, it sucked when he pulled it out. But then it got worse - he told me I needed to pee within 5 hours or they'd need to stick another temporary catheter in me (while conscious) to extract pee. I had anxiety about that the entire morning.
PT came for the first time in day 2. Mandy was the PT I used at the hospital. She was fantastic and I hope Dr. D.'s PT is as good as she was. She was very encouraging, and she knows all about what stretches need to be done, etc. The first time she came I got up, practiced using the walker, and moved to the other side of the room. It was very painful. Using the walker was difficult. But most importantly, I just wanted to pee. I was very discouraged at this point. My gait was absolutely awful. She helped me use the walker to get to the toilet to try to pee but no luck. After I sat back down on the bed I took some more pain medicine and started to feel better. Unfortunately I was running close to the time limit of showing that I could urinate on my own. My bladder felt like it could burst. I was questioning my decision to do this. It was a very dark moment of this journey.
Dr. D. came in to see me a little later. He told the nurse not to give me the catheter -- he said to give me some more time. I'll be honest I don't remember saying very much to the Doctor at this time. I was loopy and discouraged. He told me that Dan, the rep from Nuvasive (he was also present during the surgery) would be around after him to explain how to use the device. I was really hoping for some time alone after he left to process and hopefully mentally recover. Almost as soon as he left the room the Nuvasive rep showed up. I don't think I heard a word the guy said. I apologized to him and explained my situation. Dan was good enough to give me his cell number to contact him with questions about operating the device, and after about 10 minutes or so he left.
Almost right after he left I was finally able to pee! I felt like a million bucks. It was all I needed for things to turn around. I stayed on the low side of pain meds the rest of the day. A little later Mandy the PT came back and it was time for round 2. Round 2 was SO MUCH BETTER!! Being able to pee changed my mindset entirely. Walking was so much easier. This time, she was barely helping me. I got up to the walker on my own and walked out of my room. I took a few more steps into the hallway before returning back. Like I said, I felt like I had a boulder lifted off my back and that there was light at the end of the tunnel. She gave me some stretching exercise homework for the night -- mainly bending my knees and also pressing down my kneecaps into the pillow. Prior to this there was very little flexibility in my knees, so hopefully we would see some good progress on day 3.
Pain levels -- 5/6 in the morning, down to a 3/4 in the evening.
Up next, day 3!
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Hi werticalpush
Wow, you made it! Congrats to you on starting your journey! The hardest is the start and now you started! Things will move everyday.
The pain will come to you soon after you are discharged. You will have some surgery pain for 3 weeks and it will get better and better about 2-3 weeks postop. Stay strong and focused!
Good luck!
Thanks Ghostfish! I'm on day 4, one day after discharge right now. My diary is lagged by a few days. I should be posting day 3 shortly, possibly tomorrow. Fortunately the pain here on day 4 is so low I'd almost say I forget about it until I move my legs. My biggest issue on day 4 is that I haven't been able to poop since surgery. I'm taking stool softeners and plan to take Dulcolax tonight to hopefully get me going tomorrow.
You are not short. What is your goal?
Thanks Wannagrowtaller. You're right, 5'9 may be a great height for many people but I am not satisfied with my present height and never have been. If you're interested, I discussed my reasons for wanting to do this in my original post in this thread. 5'9 is still on the shorter side within certain countries, ethnicities, and environments. My goal is to extend 3 inches.
I appreciate everyone's questions!
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Well my diary doesn't seem to be getting very much activity so far, so I'll make this update on day 5 very quick. I finally pooped! It's amazing how finally being able to pee and then finally being able to poop can feel like such awesome accomplishments, but here we are. I'm in a very positive frame of mind!
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Well my diary doesn't seem to be getting very much activity so far, so I'll make this update on day 5 very quick. I finally pooped! It's amazing how finally being able to pee and then finally being able to poop can feel like such awesome accomplishments, but here we are. I'm in a very positive frame of mind!
Congrats on making poop! I got a couple of bad constipation at that time. One time was like a week or so. I tried for an hour on the toilet every day and failed. haha Later I found the stool softener. That was really helpful!
Keep the good work!!
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Congrats on making poop! I got a couple of bad constipation at that time. One time was like a week or so. I tried for an hour on the toilet every day and failed. haha Later I found the stool softener. That was really helpful!
Keep the good work!!
Haha Ghostfish -- we probably both filed that under "things nobody told us prior to surgery"! I did ask for stool softener every day at the hospital but that had no effect. The last day the nurses gave me 2 cans of prune juice and milk of magnesia but still no dice. I was feeling bloated and constipated. I was going to ask them for an enema because I knew it would be easier to go at the hospital than at the hotel.
Once I got to the hotel I put together a grocery delivery order that included stool softener and dulcolax. I must've taken about 4 stool softener pills and 3 dulcolax pills. It finally did the trick! I finally feel like a normal human being again.
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Yeah, you need to take max dose of softener multiple times to make poops. lol When I finally pooped, wow it was a huge relief! Seating on the toilet with broken and swollen legs for a long time was so uncomfortable. I sweat like I was in sauna on the toilet.
Take care!
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How much have you paid? Hope you will get well soon!
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How much have you paid? Hope you will get well soon!
Thank you for the nice words, Canon!! I believe it was $73,000 all in. I got a discount for doing PT at home after my 3 weeks in Vegas which I'll run through insurance. Fortunately no complications (knock on wood) and I felt comfortable enough in my (VERY) limited mobility to not use a caretaker. I cashed out credit card rewards to pay for the hotels in Vegas. I have some extra money on reserve but haven't needed to dip into that yet.
The way I look at it, it amounts to a nice sports car (except it entails far more pain!).
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Okay, sorry I was slacking. I'll give a quick Day 3 and then updates on days 4-6. Today is day 6.
Day 3- discharge day
Felt so much positivity today after successfully peeing yesterday. Pain was up a little bit more because I pushed myself a good bit in the second PT session yesterday. Today involved two more PT sessions - both very productive and I walked much farther. I had less of a "shuffle" with my feet. The PT encouraged me to lift my knees up. So, my gait still sucks but at least it sucks a bit less lol. Wish I could say the transition from bed to walker gets any easier the first few days but it doesn't really. The trick that works best for me is to treat it like a squat. Sit down on the bed and lean forward. Use your hands on the bed or the surface you're getting off from to help push you up. Keep going until your head is almost over the walker. I don't even put my hands on the walker until I'm about 75% vertical. So, I'm not really using the bars on the walker to pull myself up. One last shout out to Mandy the hospital PT. She knows what she's doing and it felt like she was the perfect combination of cheerleader / drill sergeant.
I wanted to poop before leaving the hospital. They gave me prune juice and milk of magnesia but nothing worked. Dr. Debiparshad came back again today to talk. We probably talked for an hour - he could definitely tell I was in better spirits. We talked more about why he decided to do CLL surgery, what his future plans were, what he's learned about other patients, patients that have approached him who he's rejected, things he learned from Paley, etc. It's interesting he doesn't make nearly as much money off this as you'd think he would. I learned I'm his tallest patient so far. I encouraged him not to set a maximum limit because this is more about what's in someone's mind and how they see themself. Having said that, I would never recommend someone taller than 5'11 or 6' go forward with this - it is NOT a walk in the park. And of course you are risking health issues down the road.
The food did not get much better the whole time I was there. There was rubber chicken, bland meatloaf, some sort of omelette, and some combination beef/spiral pasta that tasted almost exactly like you'd expect it to taste. The desserts were pretty decent. My favorite was the snickerdoodle cookie. I didn't eat more than half of each meal. It was getting close to discharge. I had to remind the nurses several times about it. One thing I give to their credit - they called security ahead of time and had my prescription drugs I brought with me sent to the room so I wouldn't have to wait hours for them to bring it up.
Ronnie from LPX came up and it was time to go. Without him I have no idea how I'd make it back. Ronnie's great. I wanted to pay him but he refused - he said his reward is knowing how he can help good people out in a pinch. Whatever, I found him on Venmo and gave him money anyway. He drives a sedan so the transfer from wheelchair to the car was NOT fun. It was about a 25 minute drive to the hotel (Hampton Inn South Henderson). Check in was smooth. Got free beef jerky (take that, my ex-girlfriend who said my obsession over loyalty programs was stupid). Placed an order for a grocery delivery for the next day.
That was it, I enjoyed being on a real bed and not having people checking in on me every 2 hours. Took my meds and fell asleep. I am NOT using a caretaker in the hotel. I know the risk that involves but I'm keeping my phone nearby in case anything goes wrong.
Days 4, 5, and 6.
Day 4 involved receiving my grocery order. I got protein bars, water bottles, gatorade, bananas, stuff to make PB&J sandwiches, stool softeners, and laxatives. Hotel overall is good. There's no room service but they will open the door to delivery services if you give them advance notice (but they make a bit of a fuss over this - the one guy said they can't really do that everyday).
Day 4 was Memorial Day so no PT. PT was to start on Day 5. However, it never happened. Teresa tried to get in contact with the PT but I guess they got their wires crossed. It's a bit frustrating because I want to push myself as hard as I can, but I made a few walks around the perimeter of my room. Standing seems to make a big difference on my muscles.
The biggest positive to come from day 5, as I noted above, was finally being able to poop. The combination of stool softeners and laxative pills did the trick. I started developing a sharp pain on the upper left side of my left leg. Overall the left leg is lagging behind my right leg in recovery. It doesn't move as well and there's a few cases of sharp pains when I bend my left leg a certain way. I HOPE this stops soon! Frustrated I had no PT but my body was pretty worn out today so I don't know how well I'd have been able to do anyway.
Day 6 is today. PT will be coming to the hotel in about a half hour. One minor annoyance is that after this session you have to figure out a way to get to the PT clinic. It's not as easy as hopping in an Uber, of course, so I'll need to call wheelchair transport companies which I'm sure will cost an arm and a leg. From what they told me, if you choose Homewood Suites in town (this and that hotel are on their preferred hotel page), they have a shuttle van that's wheelchair accessible and it will take you anywhere within a certain mile range for free. Anyway, I pooped again and this time it was much easier to sit and stand from the toilet. I still don't have very much of an appetite. I started lengthening today for the first time! I had two sessions already. The third lengthening session will happen tonight after PT. It's awesome to finally be doing the one thing I suffered through surgery to do. I read elsewhere on this forum that laying on the bed while using the machine helps - I can concur. I feel almost no pain at all when doing the lengthening. I texted Dan from Nuvasive to make sure I'm doing it right. You want to see the "X" on your leg in the crosshair of the machine. It's interesting the machine doesn't tell you if it's not aligned right though. That would be a good improvement in later iterations of the machine.
Here are a couple of pictures of the Nuvasive machine. One is the markings on my leg. I am to line up the crosshairs of the nuvasive machine with the "X" on my leg. The second is the screen of the machine. (https://imgur.com/a/E4oxFiC)
Pain levels - left leg during movement = 6. Right leg during movement = 3. Both legs while resting = 2.
OK - we're up to date on my diary! I'll update as important things come up.
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Quick update on day 6:
Guys, the medicine makes me EXHAUSTED. Dr. D has me on:
| xarelto | blood thinner | one per day |
| morphine | long term pain | 12 hours |
| diazepam | muscle relaxer | 8 hours as needed |
| oxycodone | short term pain | 4 hours as needed |
And a vitamin D supplement I take once a week.
For the past few days, I've been trying to go longer between morphine doses. After talking to Ronnie and consulting the nurses at the hospital, I did a few things to reduce pain meds. First, I started splitting the oxycodone pill in half and taking half doses every 4 hours. As of today, I've cut the morphine out entirely. So, I'm taking only 1/2 the oxycodone pill and no morphine, but taking everything else.
Pain seems to be manageable. HOWEVER, after completing the third lengthening session, it's way easier for me to feel sharp pains (like an 8/10 for a few seconds) in my legs. Wondering if it's better to go back to regular dose of oxy for just before leg lengthening, or going back on morphine. Anyone who's had any experience I'd love to hear it! I know the first week or so of lengthening is difficult and it gets easy over time.
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Great diary! Dr. D is my main CLL option in The States so I really appreciate all your writing. That being said, did Dr. D say why he rejected some of these people who approached him for CLL surgery?
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verticalpush-
Thanks for writing such a detailed account of your experience. You'll be feeling a lot better and more like a normal human being again very soon. Keep up the detailed posting.
You mentioned that you are concerned about the cost of a wheelchair accessible van for transportation, considering getting in and out of a sedan can be a real struggle right now. Just want to give you a quick tip in case you weren't aware. Uber has the option of Uber-WAV on their App. Stands for wheelchair accessible van. Just order an Uber as usual, but scroll through the options of Uberx, Pool, etc... look for WAV and you're set, usually same price as Uberx, so very cost effective.
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Hey Vertical Push:
Congrats on a successful start to your journey!
Thanks for your detailed, informative write up of your experience so far. As a prospective CLLer (scheduled later this summer) this is very helpful. I instantly connected with many parts of your story, I'm also about 5'9 and I totally get you, yes we're considered average, but folks like us can still struggle with severe height dysphoria on a daily basis.
I know the struggles with addiction to using shoe lifts and the roller coaster that comes with it: the instant high and gratification of putting shoe lifts on, having success with women and ignorantly attributing the success solely to the shoe lift height, the anxiety of masking them and constantly thinking about getting exposed (e.g. in a situation that requires removing your shoes like taking a girl home or visiting a friends house) and the lows of going home, taking your shoes off and feeling like a fraud. I totally get you man and I'm seeking this procedure out for many of the same reasons, you are not alone! I'll be reading through your diary and rooting for you!
A couple of questions (more on the personal side):
1) How did you manage your career / job through this experience? I, like you, am financing this myself after having saved up through my 20's. I'm passionate about my career and have a job I love but am struggling with approaching my employer with a leave of absence request, or just accepting that I will have to quit this job I commit to dedicating myself 100% to this procedure and move forward afterwards.
2) Are you keeping the procedure private from friends and family? If so, how have you managed comms and what story are you telling them? Right now, I'm keeping it private. I love my family and friends, but, I'm a) fairly independent from an emotional perspective so I think I'll be ok without their emotional support and b) I don't want to burden them with having to worry about me. I'm trying to keep up with a story as to why I'll be away from home for the next 3 to 4 months.
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Hi, Verticalpush, how it's going? Are u was 174 at your lowest before surgery?
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Thank you so much VerticalPush for your very detailed review of the process,
1)Okay this Cather thing seems so deadly tbh !! is it a must to use this thing! cant they just proceed with the surgery without it!
2) How did you feel regarding :
*knees, Hip bones, femur bones themselves .....Can you describe the pain in these areas?
3)Does it seem that the hospital staff and nurses who work at Limpstax are a bit immature and unexperienced much or do you feel like they know what they are doing....because from what you wrote it seems like the whole process depends on the people around you from PT Guy, nurses, Dr assistant and ofcourse Dr himself, so did you feel like he talked with excitment in your consult just to sell you the procedure & then things changed....what about PT guy does he work for limbplastx or the hospital..?
4)technology & machine wise, you mentioned that there was some sort of *machine* for your knee can you describe more, and do you feel like the center provided you with modern devices that would make the process of lengthening and PT easier or just the regular things (in other things : is there something special about them as a center , like special techniques, modern equipment,...etc) ?
Wish you the best ,
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If you are a girl, maybe the catheter is less problematic to you. In America, you need to use it.
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Oh so this is related to the US? Why? Thats wierd that they have to use it like i don’t understand what’s the purpose of this thing plus it seems like invasion of privacy to me lol !
The surgery is like 5 hours i think and the nail is weight bearing so whats the problem with going to the restroom or using this bucket thing that they give u
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I think the anesthesia makes impossible for you to pee by yourself, so you need the catheter. I may be wrong.
I think in Europe they also use the catheter.
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Hi friends! Glad to have a few posts to respond to! Trust me, when you're laying in bed almost the whole day you look forward to moments you can feel useful.
Great diary! Dr. D is my main CLL option in The States so I really appreciate all your writing. That being said, did Dr. D say why he rejected some of these people who approached him for CLL surgery?
It mostly came down to unrealistic expectations about recovery and/or pain, ActionSpeaks. Some of this patients expected to jump right back into their day jobs 2 weeks post-surgery or return to their countries 2 weeks post-surgery with little realistic chance of follow visits. He also mentioned he learns a lot about someone based on the video consult. If he suspects other psychological issues beyond height dysmorphia in a patient, that gives him pause. A prospective patient must be 100% committed to what this very difficult process involves.
verticalpush-
Thanks for writing such a detailed account of your experience. You'll be feeling a lot better and more like a normal human being again very soon. Keep up the detailed posting.
You mentioned that you are concerned about the cost of a wheelchair accessible van for transportation, considering getting in and out of a sedan can be a real struggle right now. Just want to give you a quick tip in case you weren't aware. Uber has the option of Uber-WAV on their App. Stands for wheelchair accessible van. Just order an Uber as usual, but scroll through the options of Uberx, Pool, etc... look for WAV and you're set, usually same price as Uberx, so very cost effective.
Thanks Leggs! Truth be told I feel so much better already. Everytime I use the Nuvasive ERC machine I feel so much better because I'm one step closer to my goal. EXCELLENT tip on the Uber-WAV idea. Sadly it looks like it's not in Las Vegas yet BUT it got me to look into other options and I found one called Kabit. It's actually run by the different taxi companies here in Vegas but it works just like Uber and there IS a wheelchair option!! Hopefully I won't need to worry about a wheelchair at all in a week or so but it's great to have this option.
Hey Vertical Push:
Congrats on a successful start to your journey!
Thanks for your detailed, informative write up of your experience so far. As a prospective CLLer (scheduled later this summer) this is very helpful. I instantly connected with many parts of your story, I'm also about 5'9 and I totally get you, yes we're considered average, but folks like us can still struggle with severe height dysphoria on a daily basis.
I know the struggles with addiction to using shoe lifts and the roller coaster that comes with it: the instant high and gratification of putting shoe lifts on, having success with women and ignorantly attributing the success solely to the shoe lift height, the anxiety of masking them and constantly thinking about getting exposed (e.g. in a situation that requires removing your shoes like taking a girl home or visiting a friends house) and the lows of going home, taking your shoes off and feeling like a fraud. I totally get you man and I'm seeking this procedure out for many of the same reasons, you are not alone! I'll be reading through your diary and rooting for you!
A couple of questions (more on the personal side):
1) How did you manage your career / job through this experience? I, like you, am financing this myself after having saved up through my 20's. I'm passionate about my career and have a job I love but am struggling with approaching my employer with a leave of absence request, or just accepting that I will have to quit this job I commit to dedicating myself 100% to this procedure and move forward afterwards.
2) Are you keeping the procedure private from friends and family? If so, how have you managed comms and what story are you telling them? Right now, I'm keeping it private. I love my family and friends, but, I'm a) fairly independent from an emotional perspective so I think I'll be ok without their emotional support and b) I don't want to burden them with having to worry about me. I'm trying to keep up with a story as to why I'll be away from home for the next 3 to 4 months.
I really appreciate the awesome encouraging words, The Alchemist! You nailed the pin on the head - wearing shoe lifts is an emotional roller coaster. As you get more and more comfortable wearing them you pick what things you do based around whether you can wear the lifts or not. I would almost never go to a pool party, which is a shame.
Your first question asks how I managed time off. I'm comfortable enough sharing that I work in the education industry where summers are normally off. Normally I pick up extra paid tasks in the summer for extra money but I didn't this summer. I was originally planning to do some sightseeing across Europe and South America with my ex-girlfriend with this time. While it didn't work out with her, it gave me the time and also gave me a head start on saving money for the surgery.
My story to family is that I am in fact traveling albeit solo. I told them I'm traveling across the southwest and stopping with some friends along the way. The friends I told family I'm staying with happen to be my closest friends and I did tell them about the surgery as a heads up. So far no one has asked me for pictures along the way, fortunately!
Hi, Verticalpush, how it's going? Are u was 174 at your lowest before surgery?
Hi, YungGud! I was 175 CM at the lowest before surgery.
Thank you so much VerticalPush for your very detailed review of the process,
1)Okay this Cather thing seems so deadly tbh !! is it a must to use this thing! cant they just proceed with the surgery without it!
2) How did you feel regarding :
*knees, Hip bones, femur bones themselves .....Can you describe the pain in these areas?
3)Does it seem that the hospital staff and nurses who work at Limpstax are a bit immature and unexperienced much or do you feel like they know what they are doing....because from what you wrote it seems like the whole process depends on the people around you from PT Guy, nurses, Dr assistant and ofcourse Dr himself, so did you feel like he talked with excitment in your consult just to sell you the procedure & then things changed....what about PT guy does he work for limbplastx or the hospital..?
4)technology & machine wise, you mentioned that there was some sort of *machine* for your knee can you describe more, and do you feel like the center provided you with modern devices that would make the process of lengthening and PT easier or just the regular things (in other things : is there something special about them as a center , like special techniques, modern equipment,...etc) ?
Wish you the best ,
Hello Kenda! I have no idea why they can't just put a bed pan under you in surgery instead of the catheter. Nobody could give me a straight answer when I asked them why it's absolutely necessary. Wannagrowtaller mentioned it's because you can't pee while you're under anesthesia, which makes sense. Maybe this is a good opportunity for an entrepreneur to think of something else.
The pain occurs in a few areas. Mostly it is on the outside of the femur bones. There are two areas where sharp pains might occur when I move around. I feel nothing in my hip bone. My knees don't ever cause pain per se, more like the kind of soreness you'd feel if you really pushed yourself hard during "leg day" at the gym. That soreness might be in the back of the knee like it was for me the first few days post-op.
The nurses/staff at the hospital had not seen many of Dr. D.'s Stryde patients (to be clear though, they all know who he is but they've mainly treated other types of his patients, whether it's Precice or it's something unrelated like back surgeries). It could mean a few things. One, Dr. D. has not had as many Stryde patients as a few of us had assumed he had and I'm still part of the first group of patients. It could also mean that the turnover at the hospital is so high that the first group of nurses he trained about Stryde have since moved on to other positions. Ronnie does work for Dr. D. but none of the PT folks I mentioned including Mandy at the hospital work for him. I start working with his PT on Friday so everyone I've had for therapy so far is familiar with the surgery in only the most general sense. I don't feel he was unrealistic with the expectations he set in the video consult but, and I'll tell him this directly, there are some things I wish he would have warned me about (nothing that would have changed my mind about surgery with him though)
As far as the machine that went on my leg and other things like that - that's all from the hospital. After the surgery you're never at the LimbplastX center unless you're getting x-rays done. You do PT at an outpatient facility. Optimal Physical Therapy is the center they use -- again it's not at the LimbplastX center. The staff from LimbplastX do check in on you (mainly Ronnie and Teresa) and they will offer to help you out in a pinch like transport you to get prescription refills.
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Hi Vertical Push ~ thanks so much for your response to my question. That is great! I don't have any issues or bad health but am sure that I will feel very nervous overall during consult. I tend to get quiet/introverted when I'm nervous so I'll be sure to have information like plans during recovery etc handy so I can talk about that. Great information also on meds! Oh and thank you for saying that the actual LL surgery is longer than one hour. I saw this on the LimbplastX website and that gave me pause as other doctors (Paley, Mahboubian etc) take at least 4 hours. I was initially debating between Dr. D and Dr. M (LA) so am following your diary closely because, as you say, there is not much patient information or diaries to date on Dr. D. Congratulations on being so brave on not only having this surgery and whole LL process but on doing so with Dr. D who doesn't have much of a history yet on this forum! You mentioned $73k as the amount you paid, which is really great. I am undecided whether to have the consult (also going for Stryde/femurs) now or wait longer and save more in case I need any of the additional surgeries like iliotibial band release etc. I was rereading your diary again tonight to see how long you were in wheelchair before moving onto walker, but it seems you were on walker almost immediately and just used wheelchair for transit/trips? Anyway, your diary is great and really you are so brave. You are well on your way to your goal and hope you are feeling better and better each day.
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Thanks for the reply vertical push!
Another question, can you describe time management and mood management approach? I'm conditioned to being fairly active throughout the day (working, meetings, gym, hobbies, etc.) and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for losing mobility and sitting/laying in one position for the majority of the day with nothing urgent to do......
Instead of fearing it I'm trying to plan how to use the time effectively.....how are you spending your time these days? I have a growing list of things to do (books to read, musical instruments to learn, online courses/credits I can apply to my career, etc.) What has worked for you? Is there even an opportunity to do this in between the pain, lack of sleep, and PT?
Thanks
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Great detailed diary, Vertical Push!
I look forward to reading more. Wishing you the best on your journey.
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Thank you for the reply Vertical,
But did you do a Consultation with Dr Paley or Dr Rozbruch before choosing this Dr ? & did u ever think of saving a bit more & going to paley or paley isnt that special anymore...
Also, whats your goal for femurs ....the full 8 cm or what?
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Hi everyone, we've made it to day 8. This is also day #3 of lengthening. There's been some good progress but what frustrates me is that I am entirely dependent on my walker. I've seen videos of people walking completely unassisted and it feels that's still a ways away for me. I guess you could say my walk on the walker is improving by a bit, but it still takes a while to transition from the bed to the walker, and from the wheelchair to the walker. I really didn't see myself using a wheelchair at all past the 3 week mark, so I have a long way to go with physical therapy this week if I want to reach that objective. Pain wise things are okay. I cut out the long term pain medicine, the morphine, and I'm only taking half of a dose of the Oxycodone. Even a short walk around my hotel with the walker has me absolutely worn out by the time I return to the bed. I'm still very tired particularly in the morning. I have to remember that only 1 week ago I had both of my legs broken in half.
[...] I will feel very nervous overall during consult. I tend to get quiet/introverted when I'm nervous so I'll be sure to have information like plans during recovery etc handy so I can talk about that. Great information also on meds!
[...]Oh and thank you for saying that the actual LL surgery is longer than one hour. I saw this on the LimbplastX website and that gave me pause as other doctors (Paley, Mahboubian etc) take at least 4 hours.
[...]You mentioned $73k as the amount you paid, which is really great. I am undecided whether to have the consult (also going for Stryde/femurs) now or wait longer and save more in case I need any of the additional surgeries like iliotibial band release etc.
[...]I was rereading your diary again tonight to see how long you were in wheelchair before moving onto walker, but it seems you were on walker almost immediately and just used wheelchair for transit/trips? Anyway, your diary is great and really you are so brave. You are well on your way to your goal and hope you are feeling better and better each day.
Hello again ActionSpeaks! I hope you don't mind that I snipped parts of your comment to be sure I responded to each part.
Be yourself during the video consult! Good questions are great, it shows you've done your research. Dr. D. loves to go on about the process itself and loves to share his philosophy. Here's something I did to prove this was something I was serious about. I told him I was wearing lifts as we talked and I pulled the lift out and showed him while we were on video chat.
I don't know where they got that 1 hour surgery number from but that is just plain wrong. I figured there's no possible way, and this surgery proved it. Parts of their web site are a little bit optimistic (especially in areas like how many weeks it will be til you're walking unassisted, etc.). I will be sure to share my thoughts with them and hopefully encourage them to change that stuff. I don't think they're intentionally misleading anyone, I just don't think they've had enough Stryde patients to realistically know certain things.
The $73,000 figure includes the IT Band release. They gave me a good discount on PT because I'm going to do most of that at home. You do need to factor in transportation costs between PT sessions, which as I learned today, isn't exactly cheap (~$27 each way on a wheelchair accessible taxi).
Thank you so much for the nice words! I used a walker immediately in the hospital. Wheelchair is only for transport by car or going long distances. I do NOT want to get comfortable using the wheelchair.
Great detailed diary, Vertical Push!
I look forward to reading more. Wishing you the best on your journey.
Very encouraging words, BeYourBest! I truly appreciate it and will keep this diary updated.
Thanks for the reply vertical push!
Another question, can you describe time management and mood management approach? I'm conditioned to being fairly active throughout the day (working, meetings, gym, hobbies, etc.) and I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for losing mobility and sitting/laying in one position for the majority of the day with nothing urgent to do......
Instead of fearing it I'm trying to plan how to use the time effectively.....how are you spending your time these days? I have a growing list of things to do (books to read, musical instruments to learn, online courses/credits I can apply to my career, etc.) What has worked for you? Is there even an opportunity to do this in between the pain, lack of sleep, and PT?
Thanks
Hi again, TheAlchemist! I was fairly active prior to surgery, going to the gym 4 days a week or so. There is none of that after surgery, at least not the first few weeks. PT is your "activity" for the day and it takes everything out of you. I can't even force myself to wake up early enough to attend the hotel's continental breakfast (although I will try harder tomorrow). I find more alert time towards the end of the day which is usually when I update my diary and reach out to friends. I think this will improve in future weeks though. I'd love to use this time to learn to play the guitar. The pain isn't the biggest negative factor. It's the boredom of laying in one spot. The medicine does hurt your attention span so it's hard to stay focused on one thing for very long. I downloaded some video games to my computer (I'm not a big video game player) but haven't even started playing them yet. I keep telling myself this is the end of week 1, so it'll get easier from here. I sure hope that's right! To give you an example, I got some of the best work news today I could've possibly received and I've been waiting at least 6 months for this. Soon as I got that news I took an hour nap. I'm happy about it, but there is no celebration right now haha. Your mind is focused on the recovery process.
Thank you for the reply Vertical,
But did you do a Consultation with Dr Paley or Dr Rozbruch before choosing this Dr ? & did u ever think of saving a bit more & going to paley or paley isnt that special anymore...
Also, whats your goal for femurs ....the full 8 cm or what?
Hi Kenda, I reached out to Paley and Dr. M in LA. I have no regrets going with Dr. D., but I should've also reached out to Dr. Rozbruch because I believe I read somewhere that someone was able to successfully use insurance to cover part of the surgery. Paley is just too expensive and when I contacted Dr. M it was before he lowered his prices. Dr. D. was the cheapest by about $20,000 or so. No brainer decision for me.
Do your due diligence - if Dr. D. and Dr. M. are closer in price it would make the decision a little more close. I hope this first Dr. D. diary gives people some datapoints to use when weighing the options. I went into this almost completely blind -- but can confirm I still have two legs attached! :)
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Hi veriicalpush
I am so glad that you are doing fine. Yes, you are doing just fine! haha Don't expect too much at this moment. As far as I know, none was able to walk without walker around a week. That is simply impossible and not even recommended. Videos you have seen are not probably walking after 1-2 weeks of surgery. The early time you can expect to walk without an aid is probably 3 weeks which is already great. You may start to walk with crutches by now or a few days later and continue to practice walking with crutches 1-2 weeks before walking with a cane. By 3-4 weeks, you may expect to walk with a cane. Once you walk like that, you can continue to walk like that for a while until the last moment which is generally somewhere 5-6 cm. This is a general progress so some people do a little better and others do worse. But in the end, they all do similar. I think stretching is more important than walking although both are very important.
For Alchemist, I was also thinking to use my time during lengthening. But it didn't happen and perhaps can't happen. It is just so hard to do anything meaningful during lengthening, especially if you are alone. All things like eating, washing, getting/preparing food, or even pooping become much tougher. You also need to spend quite some time for PT. In my case, I had overall quite some pain during the whole process so I couldn't sleep very well and was so exhausted for a whole day. So I recommend you not to expect too much during this time and just focus on lengthening and going home.
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Hi veriicalpush
I am so glad that you are doing fine. Yes, you are doing just fine! haha Don't expect too much at this moment. As far as I know, none was able to walk without walker around a week. That is simply impossible and not even recommended. Videos you have seen are not probably walking after 1-2 weeks of surgery. The early time you can expect to walk without an aid is probably 3 weeks which is already great. You may start to walk with crutches by now or a few days later and continue to practice walking with crutches 1-2 weeks before walking with a cane. By 3-4 weeks, you may expect to walk with a cane. Once you walk like that, you can continue to walk like that for a while until the last moment which is generally somewhere 5-6 cm. This is a general progress so some people do a little better and others do worse. But in the end, they all do similar. I think stretching is more important than walking although both are very important.
For Alchemist, I was also thinking to use my time during lengthening. But it didn't happen and perhaps can't happen. It is just so hard to do anything meaningful during lengthening, especially if you are alone. All things like eating, washing, getting/preparing food, or even pooping become much tougher. You also need to spend quite some time for PT. In my case, I had overall quite some pain during the whole process so I couldn't sleep very well and was so exhausted for a whole day. So I recommend you not to expect too much during this time and just focus on lengthening and going home.
Ghostfish, thank you for the amazing words of encouragement my friend. You are, of course, 100% correct in everything you wrote. In fact, after writing my last message I feel myself walking a little easier in the walker and getting up/down is getting much faster. I think things will continue to get better and I can't wait for that to happen! Part of the reason it has been so difficult is because I'm not using any aid/caretaker. That means I do need to push myself quite a bit. There are many times I feel I've already pushed my body to its limit yet I need to get up for some reason. As soon as I get to the point where I feel I can walk without a walker I'd be happy to post a video showing my gait - but like I said I feel there's some time to go before we get to that point.
I have seen several posts discussing things getting more difficult around the 6cm point. I'm curious if that means people are regressing back to walkers/wheelchairs around that point or if it simply means they're feeling tighter. I really don't want to regress and I also don't want to give up! Going the full 8cm is pretty important to me since I won't do this surgery ever again and I don't want to have regrets years later about giving up too early.
In 10 days from today I'll be heading home to continue lengthening! I cannot wait. I'll get another round of x-rays on June 12 and I will post those as soon as I get them in my hands.
What an experience this has been so far - it truly feels like a battle in every sense. If I were to say which parts have been the most difficult then it's clearly days 2-3 (especially transport) - every day afterwards has GRADUALLY become easier.
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Vertical, may i ask where are you staying in Las Vegas?
Is it the Hotels listed on Limbplastx website or an Airbnb or what exactly because honestly it’s impossible to find a airbnb thats not above 3k per month in this area!
2) Do the hospital staff that do the PT everyday offer transportation to and from the hospital or how does this work? Do you take Uber?
3) How long are you staying in Las vegas ? Or are you going home to lengthen by yourself?
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I have seen several posts discussing things getting more difficult around the 6cm point. I'm curious if that means people are regressing back to walkers/wheelchairs around that point or if it simply means they're feeling tighter. I really don't want to regress and I also don't want to give up! Going the full 8cm is pretty important to me since I won't do this surgery ever again and I don't want to have regrets years later about giving up too early.
Hi verticialpush
Actually you are amazing that you have been doing this all by yourself. My wife stayed with me for the first 2 weeks and left for her job. It was so hard for me to handle everything by myself. Dr. Paley probably doesn't even allow you to be alone for the first 2 weeks so if you come alone, you need to hire a caregiver for the first 2 weeks. but I may be wrong about it.
Everyday life is not easy with two painful broken legs. Eating, washing, cleaning dishes or whatever is so hard. As time goes by, you will be quite exhausted mentally and physically. Also you will miss your family and friends a lot and may become to regret to fall into CLL journey. Around 2 months, many people feel that way and tightness gets worse and worse too. Some patients didn't do any PT and couldn't stretch legs so they had to stop lengthening at 5 cm or less. So you need to stay focused and determined. And be positive and optimistic.
After 6 cm or so (It is different for every patient.), most of people feel quite tightness. It gives you quite some discomfort and some pain too. But it is not like unbearable. Most of people I know went through this moment and were able to push a little further. As for regressing, you probably do not need to go back to walker or wheelchair. However, I also want to tell you that regressing is not that important actually. It doesn't mean you can't lengthen or you have to give up on this. I used wheelchair almost until the end. But it was just fine and I was able to lengthen as I planned. Of course, I walked a lot too as much as I could. So I think you don't really need to give any symbolic meaning to walker/wheelchair. They are just tools for your need. You just need them for a short period of time during lengthening. With that said, you probably can walk until the end of lengthening. It should be doable with a cane. I strongly recommend you to use a cane. It is because of the safety. You don't really need to rely on the cane but better to bring it to walk until you feel really confident to walk.
Take care!
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Vertical, may i ask where are you staying in Las Vegas?
Is it the Hotels listed on Limbplastx website or an Airbnb or what exactly because honestly it’s impossible to find a airbnb thats not above 3k per month in this area!
2) Do the hospital staff that do the PT everyday offer transportation to and from the hospital or how does this work? Do you take Uber?
3) How long are you staying in Las vegas ? Or are you going home to lengthen by yourself?
(1) Absolutely, Kenda! I'm staying at the Hampton Inn on (3245?) St Rose Parkway. That is one of the hotels listed on their web site. Overall I would say this hotel is meh. One morning I was hungry and asked if anyone would mind putting together a box of breakfast for me, and while they obliged to do that, they made it clear it was a one time deal. They also said they wouldn't mind delivering ONE order from Amazon or Walmart if I wanted things shipped to my room. I made friends with some of the folks working the night shift -- I split half of a pizza I ordered with Adrian the night clerk and he is very generous about opening the door for food delivery now! :) But as they mentioned a few times "this is not a full service hotel".
I'm switching to the Homewood Suites (South Henderson) on Thursday (10450 South Eastern Avenue Henderson Nevada 89052). According to Dr. D., this hotel has some special deal with Limbplastx and they'll do grocery runs with their hotel staff and will only charge you the actual cost. I'll note this hotel is also NOT full service, but it sounds like it'll be a step up. It also has a shuttle van but the shuttle is not wheelchair accessible. I'm hoping that by Thursday I won't need to be using the wheelchair to go to PT, however.
I'll be honest - I see very little advantage going with one of the three recommended hotels. You are only going back to LimbplastX one time after surgery - and that's to get a fresh set of x-rays before going home (if you plan to lengthen at home). I could've stayed at Sunset Station Casino, paid 1/3 of what I'm paying here, been physically closer to physical therapy where you go 3 times a week (Optimal Physical Therapy @ Paseo Verde Parkway #200, Henderson, NV) and would've had the ability to order room service and not mess around with uber eats / door dash, etc. If you plan to stay in Vegas for lengthening then the proximity to LimbplastX or the PT place matters even less. You can score some great hotel deals in Vegas.
(2) You're on your own for transportation and some days that can be quite a process getting from the hotel to PT. Uber and Lyft don't have wheelchair options turned on in Las Vegas yet so your only option is an app by the local cab companies called "Kabit". You can select a wheelchair accessible cab through that option. But it's not nearly as good as Uber. More than half of my pick up requests are cancelled until one finally isn't. It works in a pinch but I'm going to try to forego the wheelchair tomorrow or Wednesday and use a regular Lyft/Uber.
(3) I'm leaving Las Vegas in 10 days. I do feel myself getting quite a bit stronger the past couple of days so if everything continues at this rate that will be the perfect amount of time to have spent here. I'm dreading the logistics of how many bags I'll have to pack on the airline and then getting across the airport, but they have wheelchair service which I'll likely end up using.
Hi verticialpush
Actually you are amazing that you have been doing this all by yourself. My wife stayed with me for the first 2 weeks and left for her job. It was so hard for me to handle everything by myself. Dr. Paley probably doesn't even allow you to be alone for the first 2 weeks so if you come alone, you need to hire a caregiver for the first 2 weeks. but I may be wrong about it.
Everyday life is not easy with two painful broken legs. Eating, washing, cleaning dishes or whatever is so hard. As time goes by, you will be quite exhausted mentally and physically. Also you will miss your family and friends a lot and may become to regret to fall into CLL journey. Around 2 months, many people feel that way and tightness gets worse and worse too. Some patients didn't do any PT and couldn't stretch legs so they had to stop lengthening at 5 cm or less. So you need to stay focused and determined. And be positive and optimistic.
After 6 cm or so (It is different for every patient.), most of people feel quite tightness. It gives you quite some discomfort and some pain too. But it is not like unbearable. Most of people I know went through this moment and were able to push a little further. As for regressing, you probably do not need to go back to walker or wheelchair. However, I also want to tell you that regressing is not that important actually. It doesn't mean you can't lengthen or you have to give up on this. I used wheelchair almost until the end. But it was just fine and I was able to lengthen as I planned. Of course, I walked a lot too as much as I could. So I think you don't really need to give any symbolic meaning to walker/wheelchair. They are just tools for your need. You just need them for a short period of time during lengthening. With that said, you probably can walk until the end of lengthening. It should be doable with a cane. I strongly recommend you to use a cane. It is because of the safety. You don't really need to rely on the cane but better to bring it to walk until you feel really confident to walk.
Take care!
Thank you Ghostfish! Doing this by myself seemed like an INSANE idea. I had a few options on Sunday I was going to consider if I wasn't feeling 100%, but this ended up working out. Not having someone here with me forced me to use my walker when I know I wouldn't have used it. By now, more than a week post-surgery, I feel a caretaker would be a luxury item for almost Stryde patient. I have no problem getting around my hotel with the walker and transferring between wheelchair/bed/couch/walker doesn't take nearly as much time as it used to. Practice makes perfect! Something else you wrote couldn't be more true - be positive and optimistic! I find my mental attitude has so much to do with my progress.
Thank you so much for the preview of what to expect when I return home and continue lengthening! I'll make certain to continue to use PT when I get back. I've come this far - I have no intention to quit early if I can help it! I will need to buy a pair of crutches and a cane to complement my walker, but I hope I won't need a wheelchair once I return home. I'm so glad to hear that many of the people you knew did not need to go back to a walker or wheelchair as they pushed past 6cm! I'm hoping to get to the 8cm mark but I would be alright if I needed to stop a little shy of that.
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Wait so Did Dr D tell you how to lengthen and by how much , will he monitor your progress?
& if you are leaving vegas, i dont know where are you going but how will you do PT ? Will you pick any center in your home state ?
3 times a week , oh i thought PT was everyday.
The thing is i am not a US resident and its a must that i stay in the city i do the surgery in, because what if the ERC broke, what if complications happen, what if i need It band release, what if and what if,...... so everything count on the Dr, thats why i dont want no money hungry careless Dr, i want someone that checks up and monitors the lengthening process consistently in order for me to reach full 8cm gain in femurs, i dont know if Dr D is careless or what......but your diary is so useful and it will show if he is worth it or not...
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Friends --
Getting to and from PT with a wheelchair using the only wheelchair-friendly app I'm familiar with (Kabit) is almost impossible.
I will not attempt to go to PT with a wheelchair again. Sadly, wheelchair transportation in Las Vegas leaves much to be desired. If you rely on it to get to/from your PT, prepare to wait a while if it does end up working. But more often than not it won't work. I present for your viewing pleasure my entire riding history with the Kabit app. (https://imgur.com/a/fl9GVTn) None of the cancellations were from me, it was because they couldn't find a ride within 10 minutes. The only success I've had with Kabit has been calling the number (702-551-5151), but even that failed me today. Today I was fortunate to get a Kabit wheelchair accessible ride there but waited about an hour while the cab company was "searching" for a wheelchair compatible taxi. I had enough and called a Lyft. The Lyft driver was nice enough to fold my wheelchair which barely fit in her trunk and I got in the car.
If you're planning to do this on your own, do factor this in. There are specialized medical transport companies that will gladly transport you for a cool $100 unless you plan to use insurance, but file all of this under things to consider before surgery. You don't want to be worrying about this stuff when you're in pain! If you have a caretaker that drives then this doesn't apply.
Okay, soapbox off. Onto happier news. As of right I am 6.66 mm taller than I was before coming to Vegas! Walking with the walker is getting easier. I don't use the urinal anymore except if I have to pee in the middle of the night (I'll have to admit this is going to be a tough habit to break even when I can easily walk after I get back home! :D ).
Teresa/Ronnie check on me every day. Ronnie was going to drive me to Costco to get the next round of pills (fortunately I won't be out for another few days because I've been taking half doses). Apparently he was bit by a dog this weekend so I told him not to worry. I change hotels on Thursday to their main recommended hotel. Next Wednesday I see Dr. D. for a follow up and x-rays.
Time at the hotel is passing by just fine. I've become closer with some older friends of mine.
Wait so Did Dr D tell you how to lengthen and by how much , will he monitor your progress?
& if you are leaving vegas, i dont know where are you going but how will you do PT ? Will you pick any center in your home state ?
3 times a week , oh i thought PT was everyday.
The thing is i am not a US resident and its a must that i stay in the city i do the surgery in, because what if the ERC broke, what if complications happen, what if i need It band release, what if and what if,...... so everything count on the Dr, thats why i dont want no money hungry careless Dr, i want someone that checks up and monitors the lengthening process consistently in order for me to reach full 8cm gain in femurs, i dont know if Dr D is careless or what......but your diary is so useful and it will show if he is worth it or not...
Dr. D. does not directly monitor my progress between scheduled appointments with him. The Nuvasive ERC machine keeps track of that stuff and won't let you lengthen more than .33mm in a session, and no more than 1mm in a day. It resets the counter at midnight, so if you miss that last session then you have to wait till the next day. The machine has no WiFi built in it so as far as I know Dr. D. can't communicate with the machine, but him wanting to see you every 2-3 weeks for x-rays will tell him if there's a problem with the machine (or with the user!).
Dr. D. is going to call some PT providers in my city when I leave. He's done that for past patients who left. For example, they have a really good PT they worked with in the Austin Texas area. He will speak directly to the PT and tell him or her what exercises he wants them to do with you.
If you are coming from out of the country I assure you that you'll be alright! Las Vegas is one of the top international destinations. But to repeat my advice earlier in the thread - there's almost no need to stay in one of the pre-recommended hotels. You might stay closer to downtown Las Vegas and find that the service industry employees cater more to international visitors closer to the strip/downtown than they do here in Henderson. They will certainly speak more languages than they speak here at the recommended hotels! If you stay in Vegas I'm sure Dr. D. will check on you every 2 weeks for x-rays. He also calls the PT clinic to make sure everything is going well with that. Yes, you only go to PT 3 times a week.
So far I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Dr. D. or the surgery. But I DO have some minor complaints about the hotel arrangements and transportation between PT sessions.
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Hi Vertical Push, it sounds like you are doing amazingly well considering things like transportation or lack of, hotels, food deliveries, and on your own too! You definitely have a strong and brave character. And Dr. D does sound very thorough, caring and professional, and his staff sound great too. Thank you for answering my previous questions, that is really helpful. Also for the location of PT clinic in Henderson in one of your posts~ I have checked out some vacation rentals/rooms nearby, like within a mile or less, and hope to circumvent those transport issues as much as possible. There are also some more affordable hotels near PT vs hotels listed on LimbplastX site. Now that I know the latter don't really have wheelchair accessible transport they are off my list. I hope each day is still gradually getting easier for you, and good luck with the 6cm 'hump', and I have no doubt that one day very soon you will reach your goal.
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Well everyone we've reached day 12! So far the pain remains the soreness type you'd experience after really pushing yourself at the gym. It occurs in one of two spots - (1) about a 6 inch path behind my kneecap up to behind my leg, or (2) on the sides of my femurs. The very sharp pain I felt on the top ends of my femurs when I moved my legs is completely gone. I haven't felt that in at least 4 days. Pushing myself seems to be doing the trick. It is NOT easy but there's no doubt it's helping me to recover faster than I imagined I would.
Quick *TMI* story time. Many people stress the importance of stool softeners. You absolutely do need to take those. Every other day or so I also take a dulcolax. I took 2 last night, didn't get much action from it today so figured I'd take a third. I'll spare you the details but it was not one of my smarter decisions.
Sleeping is difficult. I'm a side sleeper and while I'm getting closer to the point where I can comfortably rest on my side for a while, eventually it becomes too uncomfortable. I've tried looking through other diaries to see when they could sleep on their sides - looks like I have a little ways to go.
The next set of x-rays come on the 12th. I'll ask Dr. D. to also get a video of me walking for me to post here.
Hi Vertical Push, it sounds like you are doing amazingly well considering things like transportation or lack of, hotels, food deliveries, and on your own too! You definitely have a strong and brave character. And Dr. D does sound very thorough, caring and professional, and his staff sound great too. Thank you for answering my previous questions, that is really helpful. Also for the location of PT clinic in Henderson in one of your posts~ I have checked out some vacation rentals/rooms nearby, like within a mile or less, and hope to circumvent those transport issues as much as possible. There are also some more affordable hotels near PT vs hotels listed on LimbplastX site. Now that I know the latter don't really have wheelchair accessible transport they are off my list. I hope each day is still gradually getting easier for you, and good luck with the 6cm 'hump', and I have no doubt that one day very soon you will reach your goal.
ActionSpeaks, thank you for such a positive message! One of the best features of keeping a diary is that we can encourage each other to keep pushing. I'm sure many of us don't tell too many family members or friends so in some ways we're the best support group we have!
Dr. D. has the deal with Optimal Physical Therapy but I specifically remember him saying you can choose any of their locations. The one here in Henderson is closest to the recommended hotels, but if you stayed closer to the strip you could use their central Las Vegas location (1341 S Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146). If you've found some good affordable hotels close to the "main" Optimal Physical Therapy location in Henderson that offers wheelchair transportation go for it! Truth be told, it's frustrating not having a good option for wheelchair accessible transportation but it is something else FORCING me to push harder than I would've. Tomorrow I'll go to PT using just my walker, which is going to be a major challenge. I might use my wheelchair to wheel down the hallway to the hotel reception desk and ask them if I can leave it there until I come back - that would cut off a good bit of using the walker.
I really wish there was an "all inclusive" package where all of these details such as transportation, a caretaker, and groceries are worked out for you. AFAIK no U.S. doctors offer this but I think I've seen this from some international doctors.
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Vertical,
Do you think that you would need to add more Pt than the 55 times Dr D offers in the package? Because honestly most other Drs offer At Least 70 Times PT and i believe its everyday, so Can you ask him why only 55 times?
2) when you go to Optimal PT center do they have like a pool or special equipment or the PT is all about stretching ? Do you have to go to the gym and work on treadmill ?
3) Airbnb vs Hotel, for me personally i will be going with my mother to this surgery so she will accompany me and we Have to stay the whole 3.5 months there so if my budget is like 1600$ rent per month either its a hotel or airbnb , but unfortunately all the Airbnb in vegas are so so expensive! So can you give me an estimate of how much does a hotel extended stay cost for a month ?
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Vertical,
Do you think that you would need to add more Pt than the 55 times Dr D offers in the package? Because honestly most other Drs offer At Least 70 Times PT and i believe its everyday, so Can you ask him why only 55 times?
2) when you go to Optimal PT center do they have like a pool or special equipment or the PT is all about stretching ? Do you have to go to the gym and work on treadmill ?
3) Airbnb vs Hotel, for me personally i will be going with my mother to this surgery so she will accompany me and we Have to stay the whole 3.5 months there so if my budget is like 1600$ rent per month either its a hotel or airbnb , but unfortunately all the Airbnb in vegas are so so expensive! So can you give me an estimate of how much does a hotel extended stay cost for a month ?
Hi again Kenda! I'm so glad my diary seems to be helping to give you an idea of what to expect. One thing I've noted on other diaries with other doctors is that (surprisingly) a lot of them only schedule you for 3 PT sessions a week. You can easily do most of the stretches you learn in PT on your days off, and in fact they encourage you to do that. Lifting your legs up and also sliding your feet back as far as they will go are two things I do every few hours. In my opinion, there's no substitute for actually walking on your walker. That's the best PT you can do. If your mother will be there (you have an awesome mother by the way!) then you can practice walking around with her. I'm not so sure extra PT sessions at the clinic would help you much more than doing these exercises at home.
If you still want more PT sessions, I'm sure you could pay extra. Kenda - you mentioned you are not a U.S. patient so if you DID want extra PT sessions you wouldn't be able to run those through insurance. One thing you might want to ask Dr. D. is if he would negotiate on your behalf for a 4th PT session each week. It never hurts to ask.
As for what to expect, I've only used the stationary bike and then a few stretching techniques in a doctor's office-style room. I can take some pictures of the place today if that would be helpful. The PT staff are very friendly. They have treadmills and other equipment there but I doubt that you'd use that -- at last not for the first month or so. There is no pool, but Dr. D. said he will allow you to use the hotel pool after a few weeks once your surgery wounds have fully healed. I can't wait till he lets me use the shower. I feel like I'm starting to cause the hotel's breakfast area to clear out when I roll in with my wheelchair.
Airbnb can be expensive depending on the time of year and you can easily find cheaper hotels than an airbnb. You can stay at a renovated casino hotel like The D (https://www.thed.com/) for about $40 USD/night, which would work out to be $1200/month. Also don't forget that with an AirBNB you have cleaning costs, etc. A hotel gives you daily housecleaning service and stuff to do in the hotel. You also have a gym, which can help you if you want to do some extra PT on days off. All of those things you miss out on with an AirBNB. Will your mom be able to drive you? If so I would DEFINITELY not confine your search to the Henderson area. You can get between downtown Las Vegas and the PT clinic in a little over 20 minutes (maybe 30 minutes in traffic). Normally when I do long hotel stays I check the "express deals" section of Priceline and also Hotwire. You will find MUCH cheaper hotels. I'd advise you select 3 star hotels or higher though - you don't want to be stuck somewhere you don't like.
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Honestly your Diary & the way you explain everything in Detail is the most helpful thing ive come across this forum, Thank you truly!
Yeah you are so right that the hotel seems way better than airbnb......& i will search in the areas you told me about.
Keep going & keep updating us!
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Hi verticalpush, hope you are recovering well! I was wondering what the smallest stryde size that they have? And if Dr. D has used stryde on the tibias yet ? I am doing femurs first and I know that stryde works most for femur bones but what about tibias ?
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Honestly your Diary & the way you explain everything in Detail is the most helpful thing ive come across this forum, Thank you truly!
Yeah you are so right that the hotel seems way better than airbnb......& i will search in the areas you told me about.
Keep going & keep updating us!
Thank you for the great words, Kenda! I switched hotels today from the Hampton Inn on his list of recommendations to the Homewood Suites. This hotel is much newer and far more up to date but would you believe the handicapped accessible suite is the FARTHEST room from the elevator?! I would not be surprised if that is intentional to force me to have more practice with the walker!
Absolutely, check hotels in the downtown Las Vegas area and also the strip. You will easily find good options for $50/night or less.
I can't wait to share with you guys my next set of x-rays once they're taken on Wednesday. I can take baby steps waddling like a penguin without a walker right now.
Hi verticalpush, hope you are recovering well! I was wondering what the smallest stryde size that they have? And if Dr. D has used stryde on the tibias yet ? I am doing femurs first and I know that stryde works most for femur bones but what about tibias ?
Hi Cas! I thought I had fairly wide thighs but I'm using an 11.5mm inch Stryde nail. The nail they used with me is the medium option. I believe (don't quote me on this) that there is also a 10mm nail and a 13 mm nail.
I'm sorry I don't know about tibias. By far, most of the patients I've heard about did femurs.
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Ok everyone, I posted a very short video of me walking unassisted at the PT clinic. This is 14 days post-surgery, and I've lengthened 1cm. I still have a LONG way to go, and I have the classic penguin walk. My gait is awful and will need a lot of work in the coming months. But to me, this is huge progress. Before today I took at most 2 steps unassisted. If this is the baseline after 14 days, I'll take it!
Short clip of me walking like a penguin (https://imgur.com/xylxyNi)
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Ok everyone, I posted a very short video of me walking unassisted at the PT clinic. This is 14 days post-surgery, and I've lengthened 1cm. I still have a LONG way to go, and I have the classic penguin walk. My gait is awful and will need a lot of work in the coming months. But to me, this is huge progress. Before today I took at most 2 steps unassisted. If this is the baseline after 14 days, I'll take it!
Short clip of me walking like a penguin (https://imgur.com/xylxyNi)
Wow! That is really awesome, man! It is really a good walking just after 14 days. It will be better and better.
Keep up the good work!
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Wow! That is really awesome, man! It is really a good walking just after 14 days. It will be better and better.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for the encouragement and the awesome words, ghostfish! That’s very true, my walking will continue to improve. This stryde nail is just amazing — walking after just two weeks!
I'm excited to keep everyone posted. Let’s hope the xrays on Wednesday look good! All the positivity on this thread has encouraged me to push myself even when my body wants to stop. Friends - those of you who will start your CLL journeys soon I will be on your threads encouraging you just as you're all encouraging me!
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Great video man!
I got a feeling you’ll recover relatively quick.
Keep going and always listen to your body.
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Haha it is game changer, 2 weeks bro and you can do that ... awesome bro, rooting for you !
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Hi Vertical Push, WOW walking like that and only 14 days after surgery! You look great. Thank you for sharing this video. Amazing progress after only 14 days with Stryde. Congratulations, your progress is truly amazing! It is so encouraging and motivating to read all your updates. I was in a 'take shoes off' situation last week and kept thinking of all your posts and how things like this would change too for me in the near future. All the best.
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Ok everyone, I posted a very short video of me walking unassisted at the PT clinic. This is 14 days post-surgery, and I've lengthened 1cm. I still have a LONG way to go, and I have the classic penguin walk. My gait is awful and will need a lot of work in the coming months. But to me, this is huge progress. Before today I took at most 2 steps unassisted. If this is the baseline after 14 days, I'll take it!
Short clip of me walking like a penguin (https://imgur.com/xylxyNi)
Amazing. Just 2 weeks after surgery and already walking. Stryde is a game changer.This is very motivating. Awesome progress. Keep pushing verticalpush!
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Thank you so much for the encouragement and the awesome words, ghostfish! That’s very true, my walking will continue to improve. This stryde nail is just amazing — walking after just two weeks!
I'm excited to keep everyone posted. Let’s hope the xrays on Wednesday look good! All the positivity on this thread has encouraged me to push myself even when my body wants to stop. Friends - those of you who will start your CLL journeys soon I will be on your threads encouraging you just as you're all encouraging me!
Great job bro - keep going!
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Short clip of me walking like a penguin (https://imgur.com/xylxyNi)
verticalpush-
I've asked everyone who undergo's STRYDE lengthening to post videos throughout their process. This is exactly why, words can't accurately describe what a simple video reveals in a matter of seconds. Keep up with the excellent documentation you are providing about your experience.
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BeYourBest, Movie, ActionSpeaks, TheAlchemist, MichaelJose, and Leggs --
Your words mean so much to me, thank you!!! This feels like a team effort and that we're all in this together. You guys (and really everyone on this thread) have encouraged me to go beyond where my mind wants me to stop. Your mind matters so much. Just as it can be your biggest ally, it can also be your biggest hurdle.
Realizing I could walk unassisted literally flipped a switch. Yesterday (Saturday) I walked around my hotel room as much as I could unassisted. I know the risk in doing this without a cane, which is why I will get one ASAP,.
I'm so excited to see what the x-rays show. I'm now at the 1.1 cm mark. I will say that when I do my third lengthening of the day in bed (I learned from other diaries that laying flat in bed while lengthening is the best) I'm starting to get a bit of pain during that last lengthening session. I'm sure that's normal, and it's nothing I can't handle.
For anyone else who's about to do this - don't see the wheelchair as your friend. See it as something you want to get out of ASAP. I borrowed one from Dr. D. -- I'm not going to have one with me when I return home on Wednesday. The transition from wheelchair to walker was far more difficult than going from walker to no walker.
Thanks EVERYONE on this thread for your support - I'll keep pushing and will keep posting x-rays and updated walking videos.
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verticalpush-
If I remember correctly you are now back home or are in the process of traveling back home from Vegas. Hope all goes well for you during your travels. Probably won't be easy, but well worth it once you're back in the familiar and comfortable surroundings of your own home.
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verticalpush-
If I remember correctly you are now back home or are in the process of traveling back home from Vegas. Hope all goes well for you during your travels. Probably won't be easy, but well worth it once you're back in the familiar and comfortable surroundings of your own home.
Thanks for remembering, Leggs! I actually started writing a diary post last night but fell asleep before posting.
As I write this, I am just over 1/2 an inch taller than I was when I started my journey. I'm also very comfortably writing this update from home. I'd be lying if I said the airport and flying experience was easy, but I'll get into that later.
On Wednesday June 12th, I had my follow up with Dr. D. Since I had borrowed the wheelchair, I left that back in Nevada but still had to manage lugging around 1 large checked bag for clothes, 1 surprisingly heavy checked bag for the ERC device, plus my backpack and walker. I managed to bring that all down to leave at the front desk while I took a Lyft to LimbplastX for my x-rays and follow up.
The big update is that I had my 2.5 weeks post-surgery x-rays done. Here are my x-rays -- it looks like I apparently have a zipper embedded near my pelvis ;) (https://imgur.com/a/BCYMszR). I'm having problems pulling up the other 4 x-ray pictures right now but I'll update once I get that resolved. (Update: resolved! All x-rays are posted.) Dr. D. is happy with my progress so far, he says everything looks good and that new bone is starting to grow. I'll admit I haven't been taking many calcium pills - from reading a few other diaries I was afraid of pre-consolidation. I'll be sure to take my pills now! I expected to be in the office longer than I was - but it was just a little over an hour for x-rays and the consult. My next appointment is July 9, but he wants me to get x-rays done locally about midway between now and then. I was then off to the Costco pharmacy (I don't think I could've picked a pharmacy with a longer walk between the entrance and the pharmacy counter! Ouch!) to fill my scripts before returning to the hotel to collect my bags.
The Homewood suites offers a free van to the airport, which came in handy as the driver actually stepped out of the van to try to help me find a cart to put all my baggage on. I would've been overwhelmed if the driver left me there standing on the curb with an impossible amount of bags to navigate to the counter. With the baggage cart, I headed over to the airline counter and the associate was extremely friendly. She did not charge for the ERC (medical) device but I did pay for my one checked bag. The airport offers a free (plus tip) wheelchair service that takes you to the gate and she encouraged me to use it. Feeling overconfident at this point, I decided I'd just use my walker. You'd be amazed how many random strangers come up to you to give you an unexpected compliment "keep it up, young man! You're doing great!" but walking through a large airport the size of Las Vegas-McCarran with a walker is NOT something I'd do again a little after 2 weeks post surgery. I stopped at the Centurion lounge which was a few gates away from my flight and unfortunately they did not offer me any assistance, making it very difficult to actually relax. I had to waddle to get a tiny amount of food and it was very hard to find any space to sit. At this point my legs were beat and I'd say my pain level was around a 5-6.
The flight itself was pretty uneventful. After you're used to having your feet elevated, sitting in a normal airplane seat for over 2 hours isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. Once the plane landed I learned from my experience collecting bags from the Las Vegas airport and found one of the luggage carts. All of my bags arrived!
I caught another Lyft to get back home and pretty much avoided much walking the next day. I have PT lined up for Monday but I'm doing the exercises I learned back from the Las Vegas PT clinic.
I find being home puts me in such a better mood - I'm far more comfortable in my own bed and having my friends who can step in and help if I need it. Finally, being cleared to drive is going to be a game changer. I'm (so far) very pleased with my decision to lengthen at home, but boy let me tell you the airport experience was NOT pleasant. Note to others - use the wheelchair service!!
Remember that I did this entirely by myself. I want to be careful not to make it seem like that is something potential LLers should consider doing UNLESS they have no other choice. I had no caretaker to help me, no family member in town who could step in if there was an emergency, etc. The risk I took with those decisions is pretty insane now that I look back at it. I was LUCKY. But things that would've been relatively easy were exceedingly difficult. I'll close by saying it is POSSIBLE to do this by yourself but you need to be aware of what you're getting yourself into.
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Congrats on that first 0.5 inch! Seems like time is flying by and great progress is being made. Glad you are home, nothing like settling in your own bed.
I am impressed with your determination and will to do all of this by yourself. Personally I'm hiring a caretaker for the first 7 days after leaving the hospital.
Looking back, if you had the option, ideally how long would you have a caretaker and for how long each day? The caretaker fees are huge, so trying to optimize risk and costs, I was thinking the first 3 days after the hospital, 24 hrs a day, and then the next 4 days 12 hours a day. Do you think that is enough or too much?
Couple of other questions:
1) How is pain management now?
2) How has sleep been? Any tips?
Thanks!
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Looking back, if you had the option, ideally how long would you have a caretaker and for how long each day? The caretaker fees are huge, so trying to optimize risk and costs, I was thinking the first 3 days after the hospital, 24 hrs a day, and then the next 4 days 12 hours a day. Do you think that is enough or too much?
Couple of other questions:
1) How is pain management now?
2) How has sleep been? Any tips?
Thanks!
Thanks, TheAlchemist! I agree, time is moving so much faster now post-surgery.
I do think having a caretaker for the first week is beneficial. For me, it would have meant not needing to risk falling every time I needed to empty my urinal. I felt like I was taking my life in my hands every time I did that! Also, it's going to be a million times easier to get food. You won't have to plead with hotel staff to escort your delivery person into the room. The caretaker can also keep track of your medicine intake, which is certainly advantageous. Plus, if you can get a caretaker that has transportation, he/she can take you to/from PT which will certainly save you a bit of money.
Having said that, I don't know that having a caretaker is going to make a major difference for the 8 hours or so that you're sleeping. As long as you have your medicine within arm's reach, it would be hard for me to justify that cost especially after the first 24 hours.
I would probably advise 16 hours the first 2-3 days, followed by 10-12 hours days 4-7. After a week, you probably won't need a caretaker unless you are experiencing complications and can't bear weight. I will say this - you'll know just before you leave the hospital what degree of function you'll have the first few days. Many caretaker agencies, unfortunately, want you to commit upfront to "X" amount of hours per week, and it's very difficult to know how much you'll need to depend on the caretaker until you're out of the hospital.
Pain has honestly never been worse than a 5 or a 6 at tops. Of course, the more you use your legs, the more short term pain you'll have, but the faster recovery will be. So, you face a trade off with almost everything you do recover-wise. I was prescribed long term and short term pain medicine. I stopped taking the long term pain medicine after a day and only take half a dose of the short term pain medicine. With today being the end of week 3, I will start my transition into OTC Tylenol.
Sleep has sadly been a problem for me even before the surgery. I find that taking the short term pain medicine and the muscle relaxer makes me sleepy, but only for the short term. I take a benadryl tablet plus a time-release melatonin tablet and that seems to do the trick. The first couple of weeks you'll wake up a couple times each night not necessarily in pain but in discomfort from the current position you're in. I'm *almost* to the point where I can sleep on my side and I can tell that is going to be a major game-changer.
The important part about all of this is that every single day is better than the last day. You are literally always improving in every facet. Hope this helps!
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Thanks vertical push! Super helpful, going to take your advice and book my care taker hours accordingly. Sorry I forgot to ask, with regards to flexibility, how important do you think building up flexibility is pre op? I can’t touch my toes and my op is 2 months away. How flexible were you before the op? Paley told me pre op flexibility is not a huge factor in putting the odds in my favor.
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Thanks vertical push! Super helpful, going to take your advice and book my care taker hours accordingly. Sorry I forgot to ask, with regards to flexibility, how important do you think building up flexibility is pre op? I can’t touch my toes and my op is 2 months away. How flexible were you before the op? Paley told me pre op flexibility is not a huge factor in putting the odds in my favor.
I'll be honest - Dr. D. got on me about flexibility pre-op, encouraging me to do yoga, but I didn't take it that seriously. I think I read the same thing you read about Paley's advice re: flexibility not being as much of a factor (especially if you do cardio at the gym pretty regularly). During my in person consultation before surgery, Dr. D. takes measurements of how flexible you are. Needless to say, I was NOT that flexible.
Having said all that, it's possible this would be a bit easier if I was more flexible. But, given that my experience so far has been about as smooth as I could hope for, I'm really not that upset. Build up your stamina. Build up your tolerance by pushing yourself beyond your limit in the gym. I think those two things make an even bigger impact in PT, which ultimately makes the biggest impact in your recovery.
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I'll be honest - Dr. D. got on me about flexibility pre-op, encouraging me to do yoga, but I didn't take it that seriously. I think I read the same thing you read about Paley's advice re: flexibility not being as much of a factor (especially if you do cardio at the gym pretty regularly). During my in person consultation before surgery, Dr. D. takes measurements of how flexible you are. Needless to say, I was NOT that flexible.
Having said all that, it's possible this would be a bit easier if I was more flexible. But, given that my experience so far has been about as smooth as I could hope for, I'm really not that upset. Build up your stamina. Build up your tolerance by pushing yourself beyond your limit in the gym. I think those two things make an even bigger impact in PT, which ultimately makes the biggest impact in your recovery.
Congrats so far Vertical. Best wishes onward man!
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Congrats so far Vertical. Best wishes onward man!
Thank you OGfivesevener! Still have a long way to go, but approaching 20 mm or 1/4 of the distraction is very exciting!
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Thank you OGfivesevener! Still have a long way to go, but approaching 20 mm or 1/4 of the distraction is very exciting!
Great to hear you are doing so well!
Have you had moments when you were scared on the days leading up to the op? Also have you had any moments of 'wtf have I done?!' since the op?
I'm very active and play a lot of sport and go to the gym- would you recommend I mentally prepare myself for not being able to use my legs and drive etc. it must be frustrating at first.
Thanks!
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Great to hear you are doing so well!
Have you had moments when you were scared on the days leading up to the op? Also have you had any moments of 'wtf have I done?!' since the op?
I'm very active and play a lot of sport and go to the gym- would you recommend I mentally prepare myself for not being able to use my legs and drive etc. it must be frustrating at first.
Thanks!
First off, thank you MichaelJose! I consider myself VERY lucky because I took many chances along the way. I still have a LONG way to go before I can walk with a decent gait BUT every day I get closer to my goal!
I was PETRIFIED on the days leading up to the surgery. I booked a hotel on the strip (the Tropicana) and don't think I had a single alcoholic drink before surgery. I spent most of my time in the hotel room second guessing the whole thing and I couldn't sleep at all the 2 nights before surgery. I think if I was to do it over again, I'd either cut down the amount of time I spent in Las Vegas pre-surgery, or I'd convince a friend to go with me and force myself to go out and have fun.
As far as "WTF have I done" moments, the first day post-surgery in the hospital working with the hospital PT was the worst and I broke down a few times. I couldn't walk -- or at least I was convinced I couldn't walk. Here I was, having hiked the beautiful Red Rock canyon 2 days ago and now I couldn't get out of bed. The PT (and if you've followed my diary you know I thought she was wonderful) had no idea what to tell me that first day. I was angry at myself, I had regrets -- basically, I had the entire wrong attitude.
The GOOD NEWS is that those feelings largely went away the second day post-surgery as soon as I told myself that I *COULD* walk (with the walker), and I could successfully push myself. There were tears of joy on my face when I was able to walk out of my hospital room into the hallway. So, since that first day post-surgery, there have been zero times where I thought WTF have I done. It is NORMAL to feel that way before surgery, and it is NORMAL to feel that way until you can walk. But you WILL prevail and you WILL reach your goal. It isn't easy though!
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First off, thank you MichaelJose! I consider myself VERY lucky because I took many chances along the way. I still have a LONG way to go before I can walk with a decent gait BUT every day I get closer to my goal!
I was PETRIFIED on the days leading up to the surgery. I booked a hotel on the strip (the Tropicana) and don't think I had a single alcoholic drink before surgery. I spent most of my time in the hotel room second guessing the whole thing and I couldn't sleep at all the 2 nights before surgery. I think if I was to do it over again, I'd either cut down the amount of time I spent in Las Vegas pre-surgery, or I'd convince a friend to go with me and force myself to go out and have fun.
As far as "WTF have I done" moments, the first day post-surgery in the hospital working with the hospital PT was the worst and I broke down a few times. I couldn't walk -- or at least I was convinced I couldn't walk. Here I was, having hiked the beautiful Red Rock canyon 2 days ago and now I couldn't get out of bed. The PT (and if you've followed my diary you know I thought she was wonderful) had no idea what to tell me that first day. I was angry at myself, I had regrets -- basically, I had the entire wrong attitude.
The GOOD NEWS is that those feelings largely went away the second day post-surgery as soon as I told myself that I *COULD* walk (with the walker), and I could successfully push myself. There were tears of joy on my face when I was able to walk out of my hospital room into the hallway. So, since that first day post-surgery, there have been zero times where I thought WTF have I done. It is NORMAL to feel that way before surgery, and it is NORMAL to feel that way until you can walk. But you WILL prevail and you WILL reach your goal. It isn't easy though!
That's so interesting to hear. I complete agree with you in terms of the feelings you felt being normal. I think this process must be so special. Ultimately your life will not end badly at your current height - but this is your pursuit to see if your pre-conceptions of how your life will improve at your new height are actually real. I personally believe they will.
For me - what you have said above has me thinking that the joy is really in the process. Good luck and I hope to see another video soon!
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Hi everyone! Here with a quick update on day 24 post lengthening. I'm now *officially* 2cm taller than I was when I started this journey! My closest friends who I did tell the truth about the surgery asked me if I notice a difference in my height yet. The truth is, sort of. I feel a *little* bit taller, but since I used to wear 2 inch lifts in my shoes it will probably be another month before I really notice a difference.
Like I mentioned in previous updates, I'm back at home now where I feel so much more comfortable. Just doing simple tasks like taking the trash down the hallway to the trash chute makes me feel like a normal person. Every day, however, people stop and ask me about my injury. It's especially difficult with neighbors who know me. When I say "leg surgery", many times people are concerned and want more details. Keep this in mind if you do lengthening at "home", where neighbors are going to see you and will be interested in what happened. One of my neighbors clearly knew a LOT more about leg surgery than I do and I felt like I was being interrogated! :o
I met with the new PT today, and she seems great. She has experience working with limb-lengthening cases - but none of those cases were cosmetic. She was fascinated by the Stryde nail - I'm her first case. Right now I am praying that insurance will work as I expect it to, and it will help cover PT sessions. I will know in a day or two and then it will be onwards to scheduling. The goal of the meeting however was assessment. Guys - I have a LONG way to go. It's very clear I have much work to do to regain my flexibility. For example, I'm relying on upper body strength to lift myself up from a chair into the standing position. We set benchmarks today that I hope I will quickly beat. However, I worry that in the immediate future my flexibility may not improve (and it may actually get worse) as distraction continues. I'd love to hear from some veterans if their flexibility improved before they completed distraction.
The important thing is I've walked a LOT every single day, including down three flights of stairs yesterday. I'm also continuing the exercises I did every day with the PT in Las Vegas. Also, today I drove for the first time and it was so much easier than I expected it to be. I promptly used my newly regained driving abilities to pull into a drive thru for one of the easiest meals I've had in weeks.
Everything is improving by the day, and I'm excited to celebrate the 25% point!
That's so interesting to hear. I complete agree with you in terms of the feelings you felt being normal. I think this process must be so special. Ultimately your life will not end badly at your current height - but this is your pursuit to see if your pre-conceptions of how your life will improve at your new height are actually real. I personally believe they will.
For me - what you have said above has me thinking that the joy is really in the process. Good luck and I hope to see another video soon!
Thank you for the encouraging words, MichaelJose! I'd be happy to post another video of me walking soon. Truth be told my gait has not improved much from the first video (but at least it's not worse -- I think). But, now that I'm at the 2cm mark I'd be happy to post another video to give folks some idea of what to expect when they're at the 25% distraction point.
I'll give another update in a few days. Hope everyone is having a fantastic start to the week.
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Hi everyone! Here with a quick update on day 24 post lengthening. I'm now *officially* 2cm taller than I was when I started this journey! My closest friends who I did tell the truth about the surgery asked me if I notice a difference in my height yet. The truth is, sort of. I feel a *little* bit taller, but since I used to wear 2 inch lifts in my shoes it will probably be another month before I really notice a difference.
Like I mentioned in previous updates, I'm back at home now where I feel so much more comfortable. Just doing simple tasks like taking the trash down the hallway to the trash chute makes me feel like a normal person. Every day, however, people stop and ask me about my injury. It's especially difficult with neighbors who know me. When I say "leg surgery", many times people are concerned and want more details. Keep this in mind if you do lengthening at "home", where neighbors are going to see you and will be interested in what happened. One of my neighbors clearly knew a LOT more about leg surgery than I do and I felt like I was being interrogated! :o
I met with the new PT today, and she seems great. She has experience working with limb-lengthening cases - but none of those cases were cosmetic. She was fascinated by the Stryde nail - I'm her first case. Right now I am praying that insurance will work as I expect it to, and it will help cover PT sessions. I will know in a day or two and then it will be onwards to scheduling. The goal of the meeting however was assessment. Guys - I have a LONG way to go. It's very clear I have much work to do to regain my flexibility. For example, I'm relying on upper body strength to lift myself up from a chair into the standing position. We set benchmarks today that I hope I will quickly beat. However, I worry that in the immediate future my flexibility may not improve (and it may actually get worse) as distraction continues. I'd love to hear from some veterans if their flexibility improved before they completed distraction.
The important thing is I've walked a LOT every single day, including down three flights of stairs yesterday. I'm also continuing the exercises I did every day with the PT in Las Vegas. Also, today I drove for the first time and it was so much easier than I expected it to be. I promptly used my newly regained driving abilities to pull into a drive thru for one of the easiest meals I've had in weeks.
Everything is improving by the day, and I'm excited to celebrate the 25% point!
Thank you for the encouraging words, MichaelJose! I'd be happy to post another video of me walking soon. Truth be told my gait has not improved much from the first video (but at least it's not worse -- I think). But, now that I'm at the 2cm mark I'd be happy to post another video to give folks some idea of what to expect when they're at the 25% distraction point.
I'll give another update in a few days. Hope everyone is having a fantastic start to the week.
Great update and thanks for keeping us all posted on your journey. When you say you have a LONG way to go - I wouldn't put that pressure on yourself - just take it day by day - I have a feeling that you will fly through this (esp considering your video after only 2 weeks). And how have you been able to drive already! that's so good.
To be honest - it is really difficult to gauge what are appropriate goals during this process - could you share what yours are please - for example do you aim to walk with no cane by X day or did you aim to drive by X day.
It is really hard to understand exactly how mobile you are! All the best and good luck bud.
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The important thing is I've walked a LOT every single day, including down three flights of stairs yesterday. I'm also continuing the exercises I did every day with the PT in Las Vegas. Also, today I drove for the first time and it was so much easier than I expected it to be. I promptly used my newly regained driving abilities to pull into a drive thru for one of the easiest meals I've had in weeks.
Everything is improving by the day, and I'm excited to celebrate the 25% point!
This is very encouraging that you're driving and going down flights of stairs on day 24! Keep up with the great posts VP.
P.S. I sent you a message(s).
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Thank you for the nice comments, SimonFuller and Artificial Stature! I responded to your direct message, Artificial Stature.
I especially appreciate your advice to take it easy on myself, SimonFuller! I'm happy to talk about goals. Now that I'm about 3 days away from my first inch, and 5 days since my initial surgery, my main goal is to develop a better way of walking with my cane. I can walk without the cane, but without the cane it's far less natural and I feel like it is beginning to hurt my hips. You also take a significant risk of falling when you don't use the cane. Basically, from reading other Stryde diaries, it sounds doubtful my gait will improve very much until distraction is complete, and it also sounds like it's doubtful I'll give up the cane until distraction is complete. I'd love to be wrong about that though.
Here are two quick updates. First, insurance has been an absolute disaster with arranging physical therapy. I went to one PT who's practice was listed as covered under my PT. There were two issues leading to a denial - Dr. D., who I listed on the form instead of my (local) primary physician, is out of network. That's a big no no. Also, the specific therapist apparently isn't affiliated with my insurance. So, I had a second assessment with a different PT at a different clinic earlier today which went fine, but she has no experience working with limb lengthening patients. She's a younger PT, but she seemed very curious and told me she did all sorts of research on this when I was assigned to her. Maybe she'll run across this forum 8)! I'll find out for certain tomorrow if insurance will finally work as it should.
The second update is a bit jarring to me. My left leg is overall more stiff than my right leg, and I'd say I notice a dull pain in my left hip. But here is the issue -- as of yesterday, while lengthening with the external remote controller (ERC), I now feel my bone distracting on my left femur in the form of short "pulses" or micro spasms, particularly after the first 30 seconds or so of using the machine. I still don't feel anything while lengthening the right femur, but before yesterday I didn't feel a thing during the distraction process on either leg.
It's not painful, and it's a little hard to describe the sensation. Every few seconds or so while lengthening I feel a pulse coming from inside my leg. I'm sure it's what you'd feel if you had an external device and had to "click" to lengthen. I always have my legs straight on the bed while distracting, and moving or stretching my leg seems to have no effect on this pulse sensation. The pulses each last for a split second, then it's another few seconds or so until I feel another pulse. Because it isn't painful I'll keep trucking, but I intend to contact Dr. D. and the Nuvasive rep tomorrow to let them know about this and to confirm that is normal. I'd rather not "feel" my femur stretching even though there is no pain, but sadly that might not be an option. I haven't seen this mentioned on anyone else's diary, so maybe this is just a special case. I'm curious what changed to cause me to feel the lengthening process on my left femur.
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Hiii Vertical, how r u?
How is the communication with Dr D going ?
Is he responsible and helpful or is there any mistakes he have done so far?
Also what about the Scars ? Is the stitching bad ( you can attach pic if u dont mind)
Also hows sleeping, is it hard sleeping on the side, does the nail feel stiff when you do ?
Wishing u the best
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Hiii Vertical, how r u?
How is the communication with Dr D going ?
Is he responsible and helpful or is there any mistakes he have done so far?
Also what about the Scars ? Is the stitching bad ( you can attach pic if u dont mind)
Also hows sleeping, is it hard sleeping on the side, does the nail feel stiff when you do ?
Wishing u the best
Hi Kenda, thank you for asking! Overall I'm doing very well and can't complain.
I apologize for not following up on my last post. Dr. D. (via the Nuvasive rep) messaged me back within a few minutes the next day about the weird sensation I felt. He said that is normal and can happen as muscles are pulled/stretched. He told me to try to "force" my muscles to relax and to lay flat on a bed, that DID help quite a bit. I still feel the weird pulse during the lengthening session, but it's down to only once or twice that I feel it per session instead of every few seconds.
I'm very pleased to say there hasn't been anything I'd call a mistake so far. However, right now I'm feeling pain/soreness in my knee caps, but that is due to my new PT who is pushing me very hard, and my stubbornness when it comes to NOT avoiding things like stairs. I'm going to try to take it easy with the PT today because that pain was disruptive with my sleep. My gait was improving very slightly until this knee cap issue. But even then, you need to be honest with yourself that you will NOT have a normal gait until after consolidation.
Sleep is OK - maybe a SLIGHT improvement over the weeks but it is a far cry from normal. It takes many hours to eventually fall asleep. I still can't sleep on my side for very long before the stiffness of the nail outweighs the comfort. I'm hoping that changes in the near future.
Finally, I'm attaching pictures of the incision sites on my right leg (https://imgur.com/a/CyhBW2S). You'll see healing is going quite well. I'll ask Dr. D. if I can start using the pool.
Other than that there isn't much else to report. I'm almost to the 3 cm mark. My follow-up with Dr. D. is July 9 and I'll share x-rays with the community at that point. Ideally I would get x-rays this week as well, but my insurance has been a real pain in the femur.
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Yeah incisions look awesome!
What!!! Pain in knee? Im literally doing femurs just to avoid knee pain and to start with My knee already have a history of hurting and so....
So like your PT is stupid? Which state are you at right now?
Do you take antibiotics or that was only after surgery?
Like how many pills 💊 do u take daily?
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Yeah incisions look awesome!
What!!! Pain in knee? Im literally doing femurs just to avoid knee pain and to start with My knee already have a history of hurting and so....
So like your PT is stupid? Which state are you at right now?
Do you take antibiotics or that was only after surgery?
Like how many pills 💊 do u take daily?
Thank you! :) I wouldn't say PT is stupid (lol) I'm just her first limb lengthening case and I was only 2 sessions in (with her) at that point. At first I had a therapist lined up that worked on limb lengthening cases but insurance ended up sabotaging that plan. I had a HUGE headache getting insurance to cover PT at all, and eventually got to the point where I just said I'll see anyone who has availability now and will be approved by insurance.
Since the day where I had the knee pain she dialed it back and responded to what I told her. I haven't had that pain again since. I'm impressed that she's communicating with Dr. D. about my progress (she even told me today that she watched some of his youtube clips) and she's made modifications to our routine since we started. Things are much better on that front. I'd still highly suggest you talk to your PT about knee pain before they develop your program because it sounds like you'd want to cut out certain movements. Even though I don't have pain like I had the other day, I still do get sore in my knee after my PT sessions.
Dr. D. has me on 4 hours as needed Oxycodone/Acetaminophen, 8 hours as needed muscle relaxers, daily blood thinners (xarelto), weekly Vitamin D pills, calcium pills, and the Synergy bone regeneration supplement. I almost never take the muscle relaxers, and on days I don't do PT I substitute regular tylenol for the Oxy. I definitely need it on days I'm doing PT. I don't think I ever took an antibiotic pill, but maybe that was something they put in my IV at the hospital. On top of what Dr. D. wants me to take, I'm also taking High-T natural testosterone builder for my muscles, a daily multivitamin, and L-theanine. I'm really not taking that many pills a day.
I'm in Texas, and I don't know how laws are in other states but almost anything Dr. D. prescribed isn't accepted in this state for either insurance reasons or weird Texas rules. As an example, Dr. D. wanted me to get x-rays this week to show my interim progress (I next see him in person July 9). Turns out, even if I pay with cash, the hospitals around here won't accept out of state doctor orders for x-rays. I'd have to get my primary physician here to duplicate Dr. D.'s orders, but I would rather save that request for mid-August after distraction is complete and consolidation has begun.
If anyone out there intends to lengthen at home with insurance, and home is in a different state from your surgeon of choice, I have many tips for you!
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verticalpush-
Just a quick bit of advice, become a fish my friend. Spend as much time as you possibly can in the water. Exercise in the pool, stretch in the pool, eat sleep & sh*t in the pool...
All joking aside, your muscles will thank you everyday. You will notice a relaxation in your muscles that only comes from spending a large amount of time in the water. Combine tons of pool time with tons of full weight bearing walking & formal physical therapy becomes much less needed, potentially completely eliminated.
https://imgur.com/a/CyhBW2S
P.S. Your incisions look phenomenal. Clearly Dr. Debiparshad paid very close attention to Dr. Paley's surgical technique during his fellowship at the Paley Institute.
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verticalpush-
Just a quick bit of advice, become a fish my friend. Spend as much time as you possibly can in the water. Exercise in the pool, stretch in the pool, eat sleep & sh*t in the pool...
All joking aside, your muscles will thank you everyday. You will notice a relaxation in your muscles that only comes from spending a large amount of time in the water. Combine tons of pool time with tons of full weight bearing walking & formal physical therapy becomes much less needed, potentially completely eliminated.
https://imgur.com/a/CyhBW2S
P.S. Your incisions look phenomenal. Clearly Dr. Debiparshad paid very close attention to Dr. Paley's surgical technique during his fellowship at the Paley Institute.
Yes, become a fish! ;) That is good for you. Take it easy! Don't burn yourself too much! Do a good not extreme exercise more often.
You already have gone half way through! Keep up the good work!
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Hey everyone, real quick update on day 38:
First off, it's getting a lot harder to keep track of what # day it is! That's a wonderful thing. I'm officially at the 3.3 CM mark, which means I'm very close to the half way point. One thing that concerned me before starting this process was a few diaries that mentioned some increased muscle tightness at about the 3CM point. Well, like clockwork, that started hitting me a few days ago. For the past couple of days, I've started the day with stiffness in my knee caps, butt, and upper knee. Fortunately there isn't much pain associated with it. It's interesting to me that the areas that are stiff (i.e., knee caps, butt, and upper knee) aren't necessarily areas you'd expect to be stiff, but my muscles are being stretched a lot and everything is connected.
The good news is that the stiffness decreases a LOT after I start moving around. For anyone who hasn't started the process yet, if you don't move around a lot you're not going to have a good time. But really, there isn't anything to complain about nor is there any reason to decrease lengthening from 3 sessions (1mm) /day.
I've started taking a muscle relaxer before I go to sleep. This helps me limit how much moving around I do while sleeping and it also makes me somewhat drowsy. Sadly I'm still not doing great in the sleep department. It takes me a while to fall asleep, even with benadryl and melatonin, and I wake up a few times. I know that's pretty common in the diaries. One thing I thought of is that the reason could just be that I don't have a regular schedule for the summer and don't have a job waking me up at a certain time. That's definitely part of the issue alongside the fact that I still can't comfortably sleep on my side.
Aside from the sleep issues and the minor stiffness in the morning, I'm comfortable and still don't have a single regret about doing this. Pain is temporary and I'll keep pushing myself!
verticalpush-
Just a quick bit of advice, become a fish my friend. Spend as much time as you possibly can in the water. Exercise in the pool, stretch in the pool, eat sleep & sh*t in the pool...
All joking aside, your muscles will thank you everyday. You will notice a relaxation in your muscles that only comes from spending a large amount of time in the water. Combine tons of pool time with tons of full weight bearing walking & formal physical therapy becomes much less needed, potentially completely eliminated.
P.S. Your incisions look phenomenal. Clearly Dr. Debiparshad paid very close attention to Dr. Paley's surgical technique during his fellowship at the Paley Institute.
Good to hear from you Leggs my friend! Thanks for the awesome advice about the pool and I completely agree. Sounds like my days of pasty white skin may be happily numbered! I'll contact Dr. D. tomorrow to get clearance for the pool and baths. I can't begin to tell you how excited I'll be to work that into my routine.
I feel so fortunate about the incisions. To be honest, I expected scarring and wouldn't have complained if it was a bit worse. I figured that's a price to pay. However, it's amazing how small these incisions are. I'm quite happy. I hope they stay that way after I eventually get the nail removed!
Yes, become a fish! ;) That is good for you. Take it easy! Don't burn yourself too much! Do a good not extreme exercise more often.
You already have gone half way through! Keep up the good work!
Thank you Ghostfish! Yes, it's amazing to almost be to the half way point!
It's easier said than done to not push yourself too much -- I've TRIED not to let the nail impact much of what I'd normally be doing in the summer but obviously it does impact you. Despite the fact that you are walking, you're walking much slower and people will notice the difference. You'll get tired of walking when you go further than a couple of blocks.
I'm completely in agreement with everything you said and you're right that you want to avoid pushing yourself too hard. Whenever I do that my muscles promptly throw a fit as soon as I get home.
Hope everyone has a great start to the week. I'll check back in with another update in the next few days.
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missed the pics in first post,
Thank you!
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Hey VerticalPush, sounds like you are making awesome progress! Rooting for you man. I'm hoping my experience (September) goes as well as yours!
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Update on Day 45
Hi everyone. Tomorrow I will be traveling all day to/from Las Vegas for a follow up meeting with Dr. D. I'll post updated x-rays as soon as I can.
There isn't too much to report except to say that I am definitely in the thick of a pain point. The stiffness and sensitivity lower leg issues persist, but starting about 4 days ago I started feeling a shooting nerve pain near my ankle that feels almost like an electric shock. I feel the shock several times a day but it only lasts a few seconds. The pain happens more often in my left leg, mostly when I dangle my left leg. For example, if I'm getting into bed, the minute I lift my feet off the ground I feel that sharp pain until my legs make it to the bed. I'm not going to lie, this is some of the worst pain I've felt since starting this process. The good news is that it is SLOWLY improving. Since the issue started 4 days ago, it doesn't happen as often, and the nerve shock doesn't feel quite as intense. I contacted Dr. D. and he said I can slow lengthening down to once a day for now, but given the fact that it is slowly improving, there was only one day where I slowed lengthening down (to twice a day).
I'll be certain to keep my attention on this issue and I'll discuss it with Dr. D. in person tomorrow. Almost all the issues I've noticed so far (i.e., "feeling" pulses when lengthening and this new shooting nerve pain) have been in the left leg. My right leg has had zero issues at all.
I'm officially at the 4cm point and am now more than half way through, but I'm worried that I may need to slow lengthening down to twice a day in the future if the nerve issue persists, which would extend the process. I really don't want to do that, but I can't risk long term nerve damage. I want to finish lengthening ASAP and begin consolidation.
Hey VerticalPush, sounds like you are making awesome progress! Rooting for you man. I'm hoping my experience (September) goes as well as yours!
Thanks TheAlchemist! Despite the pain issues I discussed earlier I am indeed making progress every day and I'm getting closer to the finish line!
missed the pics in first post,
Thank you!
Hi MirinHeight! I'll continue to post pics in the future and will get the newest x-rays posted as soon as I can.
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Vertical, congrats on your journey, I PMed you, would be thankful if you PM back, thanks a lot
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At which point did you start to feel the gain in your stature?
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At which point did you start to feel the gain in your stature?
Hi otavio, Last week was when I really started to feel different. I've been tracking my height on the door frame. After about an inch you'll start to notice the difference, but now that I'm a bit over 1.5 inches I *really* notice it. I used to wear lifts in my shoes and I'm now approaching the height I would be with the lifts still in my shoes. It's a very surreal/awesome feeling to feel just as tall (as I was with lifts and boots) wearing sneakers with no lifts.
Vertical, congrats on your journey, I PMed you, would be thankful if you PM back, thanks a lot
Thanks Lalbadshah, I just responded.
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Hi otavio, Last week was when I really started to feel different. I've been tracking my height on the door frame. After about an inch you'll start to notice the difference, but now that I'm a bit over 1.5 inches I *really* notice it. I used to wear lifts in my shoes and I'm now approaching the height I would be with the lifts still in my shoes. It's a very surreal/awesome feeling to feel just as tall (as I was with lifts and boots) wearing sneakers with no lifts.
Thanks Lalbadshah, I just responded.
hey man, I am looking to get my surgery with Dr. Debiparshad or Mahboubian in ~2 years.
Would you mind meeting up with me once you are fully recovered? If not, I totally understand, no worries!
Thank you
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Hi otavio, Last week was when I really started to feel different. I've been tracking my height on the door frame. After about an inch you'll start to notice the difference, but now that I'm a bit over 1.5 inches I *really* notice it. I used to wear lifts in my shoes and I'm now approaching the height I would be with the lifts still in my shoes. It's a very surreal/awesome feeling to feel just as tall (as I was with lifts and boots) wearing sneakers with no lifts.
Thanks Lalbadshah, I just responded.
Wow thats crazy - how is the daily routine now bro - will we get another video?
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Vertical, I sent you another PM, plz check when you can, thanks.
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verticalpush-
Have you grown gills yet :)
Roundtrip travel from Austin to Vegas with two broken legs in the middle of summer is no picnic. Hope all went well with your check up. Rest easy my friend, when you feel up to it another video would be great to see your progress. You should be around halftime in the LL game. Keep up the great work, it will be over soon and the new height will be so worth the time, money and effort.
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Update on Day 51, 43mm!
Strap in, I have a big update for everyone today! First off, my apologies for not getting this post up sooner. As Leggs guessed above the roundtrip travel to Vegas this past Tuesday (July 9, it's currently July 14) for my follow-up with Dr. D. took absolutely everything out of me. Let me tell you about it!
The day started at 4:30am with a 7:30am flight to Vegas. The nerve problem was still an issue. Sitting on the plane to Vegas (almost 3 hours from gate to gate) was torture. My ankles were on fire and I was constantly readjusting my legs. I ended up taking a full dosage of oxycodin mid-flight and rubbed Icy Hot with lidocaine on my legs. That helped quite a bit but I was still very uncomfortable. Part of the issue is that I've been so used to having my legs elevated. I haven't been in regular "sitting" position longer than an hour or so a day. Towards the end of the flight I was scrambling to think of places I could go to stretch out with my legs up before my noon appointment with Dr. D. I was scheduled to pick up my rental car shortly after arrival.
I remembered that I have Priority Pass with my credit card. That allows you to access certain airport lounges. The lounge at the Las Vegas airport is quite good - The Club at LAS. They have a quiet room with recliners and foot rests, and 2 chaise lounge chairs. I spent about 2 hours there with my legs elevated the entire time. It felt AMAZING!
I picked up the rental car and texted Dr. D.'s tech that I wanted to pick up my prescription script to drop off before my appointment. No problem there, but I could tell they were busy. Turns out I scheduled my follow-up on one of their "clinic days" - which meant LOTS of people in the waiting room. While I was at Costco, their x-ray tech asked me how long I would be in town for. Turns out to my heart's dismay that their x-ray machine was broken. I was devastated because that was the main reason I came there! He said they would work hard to get it repaired.
I had my face to face with Dr. D. He was happy with the healing of the scars and cleared me officially to use the pool. I discussed the nerve issue with him again and I got a bit of a lecture from him. Apparently something got lost in translation when their tech texted me last week to say I could lengthen once a day. Dr. D. meant that I *only* should lengthen once a day for a couple days, followed by only twice a day for at least a couple of weeks. He made me promise to only lengthen twice a day. I will say this - that was on Tuesday and the nerve pain has dropped IMMENSELY! It's practically non-existent. There is no question that lengthening twice a day is the right decision. While I want to finish ASAP, it's NOT worth dealing with the shooting nerve pain.
Their optimism that the x-ray machine would be fixed faded quickly. Originally they wanted me to go to another clinic to get x-rays, but I would have had to pay for them myself. It's a minor issue, but I feel that with all the money I paid for this that I shouldn't have to pay for x-rays because their machine was broken. So, I asked if he would check to see if Dr. D. would pay for the x-ray. The tech came back and said they called the clinic to let them know the arrangement but there was a 4 hour wait for x-rays. There was no time to get that done if I was to make my flight. The tech offered a reasonable compromise -- he would personally reach out to my primary care physician back home and ask him to write a referral for x-rays, which would mean insurance would cover the x-rays. I agreed to that and was soon on my way back to the airport. I had some time to kill and considered seeing the Hoover Dam, but I was in pain and physically exhausted. That chaise lounge chair at the airport lounge was calling my name!
I dropped off the rental car (note to others who may use Budget rental car at the airport -- they are the cheapest but they are by far the most picky about any scuffs/dents on the car. Make sure to mark ANY and ALL damage on your form upon car pickup, and take pictures of every angle of the car!) and took a nap at the lounge. There's also a centurion lounge but it will only let you in 3 hours before your flight's scheduled departure time. While I actually thought the Lounge at LAS was a bit more comfortable and less crowded, there's no question that the food and drinks are way better in the centurion lounge!
The flight home was MUCH better. The pain level was about half what it was on the flight TO Las Vegas. It was quite a hike to get from the terminal to my car. I didn't actually get home until 1:30am.
So, I've only been lengthening twice a day since Tuesday. Like I said, the nerve pain has dropped so much it's essentially gone and pain has definitely decreased. Yesterday I was able to get x-rays. I bought an external cd reader so I could read the x-rays and share it with you fine people. Here are the x-rays as well as the newest picture of me standing next to Dr. D (https://imgur.com/a/kRQ63RE). I haven't heard anything from Dr. D. about these x-rays because he hasn't seen them yet, but I *think* they look okay!
verticalpush-
Have you grown gills yet :)
Roundtrip travel from Austin to Vegas with two broken legs in the middle of summer is no picnic. Hope all went well with your check up. Rest easy my friend, when you feel up to it another video would be great to see your progress. You should be around halftime in the LL game. Keep up the great work, it will be over soon and the new height will be so worth the time, money and effort.
Thanks for the encouragement Leggs!! Now that I'm cleared for the pool I will DEFINITELY make use of that this week! I can't wait. Feels great to be past the halftime point
Vertical, I sent you another PM, plz check when you can, thanks.
Thanks Lalbadshah - I will check it now!
Wow thats crazy - how is the daily routine now bro - will we get another video?
Hi SimonFuller! My gait has been very similar to the old video but I will try to remember to get a new walking video shot this week! It may actually have improved a bit thanks to only lengthening twice a day.
hey man, I am looking to get my surgery with Dr. Debiparshad or Mahboubian in ~2 years.
Would you mind meeting up with me once you are fully recovered? If not, I totally understand, no worries!
Thank you
Hi MirinHeight - happy to chat with you once I'm recovered. I'm in the Texas area. I won't be back to Las Vegas very much - especially after my last adventure!
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Hi verticalpush
What a journey! You look amazing! You are almost as tall as 5'11". Wow!
By the way, why do you prefer or have to stay in Texas? seems like it is hard and long to travel to Vegas everytime, no to mention the cost of travel. If you don't have to work, why not stay in Vegas until you finish lengthening so that you can see or talk to Dr. D anytime you need to. When I was lengthening, I had stayed in hotel nearby Paley Institute. One day, X-ray was broken, but I was rescheduled next day. So it was not a big deal.
Regarding lengthening rate, I think you can tell him that you are doing great and don't have nerve pain anymore so you can ask Dr. D to increase the lengthening rate.
You are almost there! Keep up the good work!
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Great to hear you are doing so well. I forgot you started at a good height already! - what is your exact measurement now?
Can you describe your current views on whether this was the right decision? Has this experience so far changed your perception of height at all?
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Congrats on 43mm and crossing the halfway point- that milestone must feel amazing!
Your journey through the airport and x ray issues reminds me to always expect the unexpected and to take into account how everything challenging becomes amplified when lengthening. Sometimes I seem to think all this is equates to is 1) X amount of $'s, and 2) X amount of time, and boom, we're taller. Diaries like this give us insight into how you have to be agile and positive through the unknown and unexpected. Thanks for keeping it so detailed and informative man, your raw honesty + positive attitude is inspiring, rooting for you!
How is your sleep going now with the recent fluctuations in tightness and discomfort?
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Hi verticalpush
What a journey! You look amazing! You are almost as tall as 5'11". Wow!
By the way, why do you prefer or have to stay in Texas? seems like it is hard and long to travel to Vegas everytime, no to mention the cost of travel. If you don't have to work, why not stay in Vegas until you finish lengthening so that you can see or talk to Dr. D anytime you need to. When I was lengthening, I had stayed in hotel nearby Paley Institute. One day, X-ray was broken, but I was rescheduled next day. So it was not a big deal.
Regarding lengthening rate, I think you can tell him that you are doing great and don't have nerve pain anymore so you can ask Dr. D to increase the lengthening rate.
You are almost there! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the awesome words Ghostfish my friend! You're right, I'm just a few hairs shy of 5'11 right now (I think my official read at Dr. D.'s was 5'10.75) and should be approaching that within a few days. Yup, it was definitely a learning experience that when you lengthen from home you need to allow for uncertainties like a broken x-ray machine. My advice at a minimum to anyone lengthening at home is to at least plan to stay overnight when you fly in for check ups! If I had the second day I would've been able to get the x-rays there (assuming they fixed the machine by then) plus I wouldn't have been as tired. My rental car would've been the same price, so the extra cost would just be the hotel room (which can be as cheap as $35 at some of the casinos). Next time I go to Vegas I'm definitely spending the night.
For me, it definitely makes sense to lengthen from home. I'm far more comfortable here, plus it reduces costs significantly (the costs to travel to Vegas even every 3 weeks still pale in comparison to a month at a hotel). I also think that being able to see my friends helps tremendously with my mental health. For others, especially those coming from out of country, it makes more sense to stay closer to the CLL surgeon. You make a good point that if there are any complications it definitely would be tricky.
I'll definitely let him know thing have improved with the nerve pain, and hopefully I can get back to 3x/day by next week.
Great to hear you are doing so well. I forgot you started at a good height already! - what is your exact measurement now?
Can you describe your current views on whether this was the right decision? Has this experience so far changed your perception of height at all?
Hi SimonFuller! Thank you! I started a little over 5'9. I'm at 5'10.75 now. The 6' mark is my goal.
I definitely think this was the right decision. Even in moments of pain I was confident that I did the right thing. It hasn't compromised my life as much as I expected it to. Although I'm not globe-trotting or spending nights out, I'm still able to see people, date, etc. Before I always saw my height as average, but now when I look in the mirror I notice a major difference. Although I have a little ways to go, when I talk to my neighbors in the hallway that saw me before surgery I already feel a bit more confidence.
My height dysmorphia issues run deep and have been there for many, many years. Even on days when I was in pain, I knew that I was moving in the direction of a permanent change that will allow me to toss out my lifts and truly be myself.
Congrats on 43mm and crossing the halfway point- that milestone must feel amazing!
Your journey through the airport and x ray issues reminds me to always expect the unexpected and to take into account how everything challenging becomes amplified when lengthening. Sometimes I seem to think all this is equates to is 1) X amount of $'s, and 2) X amount of time, and boom, we're taller. Diaries like this give us insight into how you have to be agile and positive through the unknown and unexpected. Thanks for keeping it so detailed and informative man, your raw honesty + positive attitude is inspiring, rooting for you!
How is your sleep going now with the recent fluctuations in tightness and discomfort?
I really appreciate it, TheAlchemist! I fully agree, it has been a major learning experience for me. You're spot on. This isn't something you can throw money at and make it any easier. CLL is an intense physical battle and you get out directly what you put in. The harder you push yourself, the better the recovery will go.
Sleep is slowly improving given the reduction in pain. I still wake up 2-3 times a night and I still can't comfortably sleep on my side longer than 30 minutes or so. I try my best not to nap during the day. The less discomfort/tightness you feel, the better your sleep will be.
All in all, everything is improving!
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Bro that is so good to hear - congratulations.
It's great how you say it hasn't impacted your life - my feeling is that everyday it literally gets easier and easier.
Are you into sports at all? When do you think you'll get back into that based on your current progress?
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Hi VerticalPush!
Great to read about your progress, looks like things are coming along fine which is awesome. I know you're still working on lengthening and it's probably too early to ask this, but I figured I should try since you posted a video a short while back of yourself walking.
So, with the added length, how does it feel when walking? I know it's awkward now and probably also painful, but in terms of balance and such - does it feel like you're walking on stilts? How does the added height make you feel when moving about, as opposed to before? One of my concerns (in addition to of course getting back to 100% normal "looking" gait) is that I should also "feel" completely normal, and not like I'm on permanent stilts or something. Can you speak to that, perhaps? Much appreciated!
I hope I worded the above adequately well to convey my concern!
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Bro that is so good to hear - congratulations.
It's great how you say it hasn't impacted your life - my feeling is that everyday it literally gets easier and easier.
Are you into sports at all? When do you think you'll get back into that based on your current progress?
SimonFuller my man, thank you. YES - everyday truly does get easier and easier. Let me say, dropping down to 2 sessions/day was an absolute game change. I have ZERO nerve pain anymore and I'm regaining sensitivity in my shins. For certain you need to push yourself, but listen to the doctor! In the long run, spending an extra couple of weeks lengthening makes very little difference.
Great question about sports. You know, I always used my height as a crutch to shy away from sports. I was interested in basketball but 5'9 doesn't cut it. I did long distance running back in high school but I developed some nerve problems (unrelated to the recent batch) that went away as soon as I stopped running competitively. So, I was extremely active in the gym with mostly a mostly upper-body routine and would hike a moderate trail occasionally. Really, the only thing I wouldn't be permitted to do right now would be hiking. There really isn't a good excuse for me not going to the gym to work upper body aside from being worn out on PT days, but I will try slowly easing my way back to the gym next week.
If someone was more active in sports I'd advise them to carefully weigh the fact that anything involving lower body is pretty much out for a year or so.
Hi VerticalPush!
Great to read about your progress, looks like things are coming along fine which is awesome. I know you're still working on lengthening and it's probably too early to ask this, but I figured I should try since you posted a video a short while back of yourself walking.
So, with the added length, how does it feel when walking? I know it's awkward now and probably also painful, but in terms of balance and such - does it feel like you're walking on stilts? How does the added height make you feel when moving about, as opposed to before? One of my concerns (in addition to of course getting back to 100% normal "looking" gait) is that I should also "feel" completely normal, and not like I'm on permanent stilts or something. Can you speak to that, perhaps? Much appreciated!
I hope I worded the above adequately well to convey my concern!
Hey JsElysianEagle -- you know, that's a very good question and one that's very difficult to describe. The added height alone doesn't make walking any more awkward -- it's the other stuff. I wore 2.5" lifts in my shoes pre-surgery, so I've already been used to walking in the 5'11" range. I don't at all feel like I'm walking on stilts - the section of missing bone doesn't feel any different from the rest of my body. Also, you lengthen relatively slowly - it's not like you just wake up one day and you're 3 inches taller. What's different is that your legs don't bend/rotate the same. One of the things my physical therapist pointed out is that normally when you walk your leg extends behind you. That doesn't happen when you recover from a leg injury / CLL, so your glutes aren't working nearly as hard.
The short of it is that it's not so much painful as it is awkward. Walking isn't comfortable or natural like it was pre-surgery, but it gets closer to that as time goes on. I've found walking to be far easier since reducing lengthening to twice per day.
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Twice a day = how many millimeters?
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Twice a day = how many millimeters?
Hi cena, it's .33mm per session so I'm now lengthening .66mm / day.
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Hi cena, it's .33mm per session so I'm now lengthening .66mm / day.
Great Job, VP! You're on your way, man!
Yes, if it wasn't for rate limiting myself; I would have never made it to 3 inches. It took me an extra 2, 2.5 weeks to reach 3 inches, but wow what a difference. The tightness and numbness was rough; but rate limiting to 2 a day and even skipping a day here and there; really helped me get through this process.
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@VerticalPush - thanks for responding above!
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Great Job, VP! You're on your way, man!
Yes, if it wasn't for rate limiting myself; I would have never made it to 3 inches. It took me an extra 2, 2.5 weeks to reach 3 inches, but wow what a difference. The tightness and numbness was rough; but rate limiting to 2 a day and even skipping a day here and there; really helped me get through this process.
Thanks InFullStryde! You my friend are a pioneer -- I've been referring back to your diary so many times to get an idea of what to expect! I do remember reading how slowing down towards the end helped, so I definitely was more open to it.
It's like night and day how much better I feel. When I say the pain is gone I mean it's 100% gone! I also feel I walk better. I, too, went from thinking "there's no way I'm going to make it to 3 inches" to "I can do this!" simply by dialing it back to 2 sessions/day.
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Update on Day 61, 5 CM taller!
Hi everyone, truthfully there hasn't been that much to report in the past week. The nerve issues haven't returned, fortunately, although my shins remain somewhat less sensitive. Still, that problem is NOTHING compared to the shooting electric shock feeling I'd get in my nerves when I was doing 3 lengthening sessions per day.
Dr. D. had a chance to review the same X-rays I posted here in my last big update. He said he's very happy with the bone growth but he wants to keep me at 2 sessions/day. I want to be finished ASAP but after hearing all the great advice from everyone, it's clear the extra couple weeks I'll be lengthening is a small price to pay to avoid pain and possible long term issues. Aside from that, sleeping still isn't easy. I still can't stay on either side very long without starting to feel discomfort in my hips. It seems other veterans were able to sleep on their sides by now so I'm hoping this changes soon.
I had a bit of a scare when my insurance company sent me a letter asking why I needed to do PT. I was afraid that doing this surgery might disqualify me. Turns out they were only interested in seeing if I had a car accident, an slip/fall on someone else's property, or a workplace injury. The reason they were asking was because if any of those cases were true, they'd try to bill from a third party insurance. For anyone else who lengthens at home using their own insurance, be aware you might get a letter like this. If you don't return the letter they will deny any future claim related to PT.
On a lighter note, this picture (https://imgur.com/0zAEec1) shows that there will be many pairs of pants I'll have to donate pretty soon. However, because I tailored my suit pants using 3 inch lifts in my boots, I'm hoping I won't have the same issue with my formal pants!
At this point, I'm considering stopping at the 7.5 CM point. I want to be finished lengthening as soon as I can be, and I'm not sure the extra 5mm is worth the risk. In three weeks I have a physical with my primary doctor scheduled and I'd expect to get another round of x-rays at that point. I'll keep everyone updated. Hope everyone is doing well!
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Great update bro! you're doing great
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Great update bro! you're doing great
Thanks my man! It feels awesome to be just over 2/3rds of the way to the finish line.
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Hi Vertical Push!
It took me about 3 months before I could officially sleep on my side; so you're good! I also had the numbness going and it took me an additional 15-20 days to conclude my lengthening due to nerve discomfort and tightness. 7.5cm is a rounded 3 inches of height and a great goal. You're already killing it at 2 inches increase which is a giant height difference already.
Looking forward to seeing how everything wraps up; and you've already accomplished a lot! Will stand by to learn more.
All the best,
IFS
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Awesome progress man! The pants pic really puts things in perspective. Time flies, feels like you just started and you’re already 2/3 towards your goal.
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Hi Vertical Push!
It took me about 3 months before I could officially sleep on my side; so you're good! I also had the numbness going and it took me an additional 15-20 days to conclude my lengthening due to nerve discomfort and tightness. 7.5cm is a rounded 3 inches of height and a great goal. You're already killing it at 2 inches increase which is a giant height difference already.
Looking forward to seeing how everything wraps up; and you've already accomplished a lot! Will stand by to learn more.
All the best,
IFS
InFullStryde -- thank you so much for weighing in on that decision, it means a lot coming from you since we had so many similar experiences in the lengthening process! Your decision to stop at 7.5cm was critical to me deciding that was the right place to stop. I know you were able to make a fantastic recovery by stopping at that point. I don't want to risk any permanent side effects for a measly 5mm / .20"!
You're spot on, the 2 inch increase is absolutely incredible and I already feel that the hard work has been worth it. I feel like these 2 inches have changed my life. An extra inch beyond that will be icing on the cake. That's good to know that I'm not an outlier with the side sleeping issues. If my schedule works out like yours then I'll be able to sleep on my side again in less than a month, which will make sleeping so much easier! I feel almost reliant on sleeping medicine to fall asleep at this point.
Awesome progress man! The pants pic really puts things in perspective. Time flies, feels like you just started and you’re already 2/3 towards your goal.
Thanks TheAlchemist! You're right - once you notice concrete evidence of your new height like the way pants fit you differently then it really hits you! Just looking in the mirror everyday you don't really notice your new height because the change is so gradual. I also don't really notice differences with my neighbors because they're used to only seeing me with lifts in my shoes. One of the most satisfying things for me will be throwing those lifts out once I hit that final goal. The time sure did fly by, and I can't wait to finish lengthening!
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InFullStryde -- thank you so much for weighing in on that decision, it means a lot coming from you since we had so many similar experiences in the lengthening process! Your decision to stop at 7.5cm was critical to me deciding that was the right place to stop. I know you were able to make a fantastic recovery by stopping at that point. I don't want to risk any permanent side effects for a measly 5mm / .20"!
You're spot on, the 2 inch increase is absolutely incredible and I already feel that the hard work has been worth it. I feel like these 2 inches have changed my life. An extra inch beyond that will be icing on the cake. That's good to know that I'm not an outlier with the side sleeping issues. If my schedule works out like yours then I'll be able to sleep on my side again in less than a month, which will make sleeping so much easier! I feel almost reliant on sleeping medicine to fall asleep at this point.
Thanks TheAlchemist! You're right - once you notice concrete evidence of your new height like the way pants fit you differently then it really hits you! Just looking in the mirror everyday you don't really notice your new height because the change is so gradual. I also don't really notice differences with my neighbors because they're used to only seeing me with lifts in my shoes. One of the most satisfying things for me will be throwing those lifts out once I hit that final goal. The time sure did fly by, and I can't wait to finish lengthening!
Hey man how’s your walk now?
Would love to see a video of you walking !
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Hii Vertical,
How much cm did you reach uptill now?
& what would you say about the overall experience?
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Was just thinking about you today Vertical- Hope all is well on your journey!
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Update on Day 79, 6.3 CM taller!
Hey everyone! Thanks for the nice replies my friends, TheAlchemist, Kenda, and MirniHeight! I'm sorry for the time since my last update. Fortunately everything is going extremely well and I'm quickly reaching the end of the distraction process. I can't wait! I'm able to live much of my life like I had before starting this journey. I can now go out with friends knowing I'll be doing a good amount of walking. I've started dating again (I'll talk about that in a bit). But most importantly, I'm at the lowest pain level since starting the process. I don't need to rely on medicine nearly as much as I used to. I'm also not using my cane at all. My walking has improved a bit, but it still has a long way to go before I can pass as normal. At some point in the next couple of weeks I'll post another walking video. PT (twice a week) is going extremely well.
I'm now very close to my goal height of 6' (183cm). One of the most amazing moments of my life was finally being at a point where I felt comfortable ripping out all the lifts I had in my shoes. There will never again be anxiety about taking off my shoes. That alone has done wonders for my self-confidence. I had a date with a girl who was 5'6 (168 cm) - the same height as an ex of mine who called me short so many years ago. This girl told me after her date, as we went to hug each other, that she's not used to hugging a guy that's "so tall" (her words, not mind). I have *never* thought of myself that way (and still don't agree with "so" tall!). By the way, none of the two girls I've been on dates with had issues with the way I was walking. One said she wouldn't have even known if I didn't tell her beforehand. I also went out with a group of neighbors I've known for at least 3 years. When one of them saw me, he said "you look so much taller." Guys - moments like this were what I was hoping and praying to happen before signing up to do this. This entire process has been so worth it to me and if I went back in time I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I'll be getting x-rays locally on Wednesday. I'll post those here of course. I'm not sure when I'll get back to Las Vegas. I'm still a bit disappointed in how the last trip out there went (when the x-ray machine was down), so that's why I'm doing the x-rays here. On a similar note, in my last update I mentioned that I was getting (small) bills mailed to me from the surgery. Sadly the two bills still went on unpaid by LPX. I finally told the folks at LPX that I'd pay them myself (since altogether they were less than $100) and I'd expect to be reimbursed. It's just not worth risking having the bills sent to collections. I remain extremely impressed in Dr. D.'s work - there have been very few issues and the scars are almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for them. But it's clear they are still tweaking minor things on the back end like billing and scheduling. I say that because I swore in the beginning I'd be upfront about everything.
So I will be posting another update this week with x-rays, and I anticipate finishing the distraction phase in two weeks. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!
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Update on Day 79, 6.3 CM taller!
Hey everyone! Thanks for the nice replies my friends, TheAlchemist, Kenda, and MirniHeight! I'm sorry for the time since my last update. Fortunately everything is going extremely well and I'm quickly reaching the end of the distraction process. I can't wait! I'm able to live much of my life like I had before starting this journey. I can now go out with friends knowing I'll be doing a good amount of walking. I've started dating again (I'll talk about that in a bit). But most importantly, I'm at the lowest pain level since starting the process. I don't need to rely on medicine nearly as much as I used to. I'm also not using my cane at all. My walking has improved a bit, but it still has a long way to go before I can pass as normal. At some point in the next couple of weeks I'll post another walking video. PT (twice a week) is going extremely well.
I'm now very close to my goal height of 6' (183cm). One of the most amazing moments of my life was finally being at a point where I felt comfortable ripping out all the lifts I had in my shoes. There will never again be anxiety about taking off my shoes. That alone has done wonders for my self-confidence. I had a date with a girl who was 5'6 (168 cm) - the same height as an ex of mine who called me short so many years ago. This girl told me after her date, as we went to hug each other, that she's not used to hugging a guy that's "so tall" (her words, not mind). I have *never* thought of myself that way (and still don't agree with "so" tall!). By the way, none of the two girls I've been on dates with had issues with the way I was walking. One said she wouldn't have even known if I didn't tell her beforehand. I also went out with a group of neighbors I've known for at least 3 years. When one of them saw me, he said "you look so much taller." Guys - moments like this were what I was hoping and praying to happen before signing up to do this. This entire process has been so worth it to me and if I went back in time I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I'll be getting x-rays locally on Wednesday. I'll post those here of course. I'm not sure when I'll get back to Las Vegas. I'm still a bit disappointed in how the last trip out there went (when the x-ray machine was down), so that's why I'm doing the x-rays here. On a similar note, in my last update I mentioned that I was getting (small) bills mailed to me from the surgery. Sadly the two bills still went on unpaid by LPX. I finally told the folks at LPX that I'd pay them myself (since altogether they were less than $100) and I'd expect to be reimbursed. It's just not worth risking having the bills sent to collections. I remain extremely impressed in Dr. D.'s work - there have been very few issues and the scars are almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for them. But it's clear they are still tweaking minor things on the back end like billing and scheduling. I say that because I swore in the beginning I'd be upfront about everything.
So I will be posting another update this week with x-rays, and I anticipate finishing the distraction phase in two weeks. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!
Amazing update verticalpush! 6.3 cm is incredible and time has flown by, very happy to see you in positive spirits and already experiencing the benefits of this journey. Rooting for you all the way man!
Question - how did you respond to your neighbor's comments about looking taller? Did you explain LL? I'm guessing since they noticed you look taller than you did when you wore 2.5 inch lifts?
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Amazing update verticalpush! 6.3 cm is incredible and time has flown by, very happy to see you in positive spirits and already experiencing the benefits of this journey. Rooting for you all the way man!
Question - how did you respond to your neighbor's comments about looking taller? Did you explain LL? I'm guessing since they noticed you look taller than you did when you wore 2.5 inch lifts?
I laughed it off and said "are you sure you're not shrinking?" :D I've also lost about 22 pounds since before the surgery, so people comment on that a lot too. I'm definitely surprised people who saw me before with lifts on are saying I look taller. That tells me either (1) my posture is better now (I don't slouch as much since I'm always aware of my body), or (2) I wasn't fooling nearly as many people by always wearing boots and lifts as I thought! I have no idea, but I always figured there was a chance people who knew me saw through the lifts. I used to never wear flip flops or sneakers despite having many pairs in my closet. They're all in rotation now.
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I laughed it off and said "are you sure you're not shrinking?" :D I've also lost about 22 pounds since before the surgery, so people comment on that a lot too. I'm definitely surprised people who saw me before with lifts on are saying I look taller. That tells me either (1) my posture is better now (I don't slouch as much since I'm always aware of my body), or (2) I wasn't fooling nearly as many people by always wearing boots and lifts as I thought! I have no idea, but I always figured there was a chance people who knew me saw through the lifts. I used to never wear flip flops or sneakers despite having many pairs in my closet. They're all in rotation now.
Amazing news Vertical Push - it's great to hear you are doing so well.
It's crazy how many of the Stryde patients (and Precise tbf) are saying they don't regret this for a moment - it's pretty crazy - in a good way!
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So even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats :)
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So even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats :)
Yes, very true. Even, Dr. Paley is quoted to say that he has not encountered one of his patients that regret the procedure once they are completed. It's hard; but it's worth it. The inches make life easier. Great job, Vertical! Keep pushing vertically! ha.
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Everyone, I uploaded my x-rays here (https://imgur.com/a/bvbhw5G). The first 3 are my left femur, and the last 3 are my right femur. I'm waiting to hear from Dr. D. tomorrow to give me the official thumbs up on these x-rays.
Amazing news Vertical Push - it's great to hear you are doing so well.
It's crazy how many of the Stryde patients (and Precise tbf) are saying they don't regret this for a moment - it's pretty crazy - in a good way!
Thank you my man SimonFuller! You're absolutely right - it seems everyone who's done Stryde so far has had an overall positive experience, and I have yet to see anyone who's regretted doing it.
Having said that, I think we all (myself included) gloss over how difficult it is mentally to go at least 2 months without having much freedom to walk that far before getting tired. Even though you *can* walk short distances, you don't always want to. As a result, you have a lot of time on your hands and you won't socialize as much in person. If you have any demons in your closet or if you got out of a relationship recently like I did, you're going to be thinking about that a lot. We focus so much on the physical aspect of the journey that we don't think that much about the mental part, which I consider to be equally difficult.
So even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats :)
Thank you gustavklimt! That is an excellent I didn't consider. I never got the full 2.5 inches from my lifts. I think when I measured myself I was 1.75-2 inches taller, so I'm well past that point. Within the last week I've had lunch with 3 folks from work who I haven't seen since before the surgery. The one guy was definitely taller than me even with my lifts, and now I'm clearly taller than him (I was a bit embarrassed, so I tried to make myself look a bit shorter when we were standing!). The real test would be if I were to date someone I dated before who *did* see me without lifts.
Yes, very true. Even, Dr. Paley is quoted to say that he has not encountered one of his patients that regret the procedure once they are completed. It's hard; but it's worth it. The inches make life easier. Great job, Vertical! Keep pushing vertically! ha.
Haha much appreciated as always, InFullStryde! The inches have absolutely made life easier. The boost in confidence alone is worth the procedure, but of course there are many other benefits that go alone with confidence. I've spent a lot of time thinking how much easier or better life would've been the past 5 years if I had it done sooner, but in reality I don't know if I would've appreciated that as much at the time.
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Update on Day 86, 7 CM Taller!
Hey everyone - very quick update for today. I've pretty much lengthened 3 times every day since my last update without any of the problems I had before. Someone (it might have been your diary, InFullStryde) posted that there are different "pain points" - where you're more likely to feel pain. For me, from about 3cm to 5.5cm were the most difficult parts of the journey, where I would get nerve pain in my left shin if I lengthened 3 times a day. Decreasing lengthening sessions to twice a day fixed the worst of the problem - the sharp nerve pain, but I still had major sensitivity issues in each shin. I have only very mild sensitivity issues now, and I expect to have no issues once I stop lengthening. Sadly, however, my gait has declined since stepping it up to 3 sessions a day.
In case anyone is curious about dating life, I want to give you the brutal reality of dating life while you're still in distraction mode. Until you stop walking like Frankenstein, you're going to have problems getting second or third dates. Most girls are completely fine having the first date even after I tell them I had leg surgery, but when they see me limping it seems to give most girls some pause. If you find a girl who doesn't care, she's a keeper. Only one of the 4 girls I've had first dates seemed to not be bothered (she's the one who said she barely notices it, which is probably her being generous! But she's the front runner by leaps and bounds.). The two girls I was talking to prior to the surgery mysteriously disappeared after they had dates with me post-surgery and saw my walking. There is nothing attractive about struggling to go up stairs, or waddling like a penguin. It's been worth it to me to get back into dating because it forces me outside and it gets me to socialize, but it's frustrating to clearly have more problems getting second and third dates than I had before surgery (when I wore lifts in my shoes). Hopefully that improves as my walking starts returning to normal.
I should be done lengthening in less than 7 days. I can't be more excited. I *wish* I had an official read on how long each leg is, so I'd know if I needed to continue to lengthen one side a bit longer. They seem to my untrained eye to be about even, but you never know for certain unless you get it measured at the Doctor's office.
One of the things I'm looking forward to after lengthening is working out my upper body again. I've held off on that because I figured my body was so busy creating new muscles in my legs. On a lighter note, I bought this "butt cushion" off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9T5GGG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1): I'm hoping this will make it easier to sit on hard surfaces like wooden chairs. A lot of the newer crop of LL soldiers complain about discomfort when they sit down - I think the common denominator is that it hurts a lot more when there isn't padding on the chair because you lose most of your glutes.
That's it for today. I'll update if Dr. D. says anything noteworthy about the x-rays I posted in my last update.
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Update on Day 86, 7 CM Taller!
Hey everyone - very quick update for today. I've pretty much lengthened 3 times every day since my last update without any of the problems I had before. Someone (it might have been your diary, InFullStryde) posted that there are different "pain points" - where you're more likely to feel pain. For me, from about 3cm to 5.5cm were the most difficult parts of the journey, where I would get nerve pain in my left shin if I lengthened 3 times a day. Decreasing lengthening sessions to twice a day fixed the worst of the problem - the sharp nerve pain, but I still had major sensitivity issues in each shin. I have only very mild sensitivity issues now, and I expect to have no issues once I stop lengthening. Sadly, however, my gait has declined since stepping it up to 3 sessions a day.
In case anyone is curious about dating life, I want to give you the brutal reality of dating life while you're still in distraction mode. Until you stop walking like Frankenstein, you're going to have problems getting second or third dates. Most girls are completely fine having the first date even after I tell them I had leg surgery, but when they see me limping it seems to give most girls some pause. If you find a girl who doesn't care, she's a keeper. Only one of the 4 girls I've had first dates seemed to not be bothered (she's the one who said she barely notices it, which is probably her being generous! But she's the front runner by leaps and bounds.). The two girls I was talking to prior to the surgery mysteriously disappeared after they had dates with me post-surgery and saw my walking. There is nothing attractive about struggling to go up stairs, or waddling like a penguin. It's been worth it to me to get back into dating because it forces me outside and it gets me to socialize, but it's frustrating to clearly have more problems getting second and third dates than I had before surgery (when I wore lifts in my shoes). Hopefully that improves as my walking starts returning to normal.
I should be done lengthening in less than 7 days. I can't be more excited. I *wish* I had an official read on how long each leg is, so I'd know if I needed to continue to lengthen one side a bit longer. They seem to my untrained eye to be about even, but you never know for certain unless you get it measured at the Doctor's office.
One of the things I'm looking forward to after lengthening is working out my upper body again. I've held off on that because I figured my body was so busy creating new muscles in my legs. On a lighter note, I bought this "butt cushion" off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9T5GGG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1): I'm hoping this will make it easier to sit on hard surfaces like wooden chairs. A lot of the newer crop of LL soldiers complain about discomfort when they sit down - I think the common denominator is that it hurts a lot more when there isn't padding on the chair because you lose most of your glutes.
That's it for today. I'll update if Dr. D. says anything noteworthy about the x-rays I posted in my last update.
I think the dating thing is to be expected. I wouldn't come to any dating conclusions until after you are walking like normal. Just because one girl is more accepting of limp than another doesn't give me enough to go by to say she is a guaranteed nicer person.
7cm and still going - good on you! I hope you get through this week with no problems - will we get another video?
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suuper awesome bro! congrats you're nearing the last stretch, you got this! as far as dating best wishes bro It's hard while on CLL I bet
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Valiant effort on dating! Haha. When I read you had been on dates I saluted you! Understandable that some pause is had by the lady; however super cool that the one lady didn't make it a deal-breaker. Once distraction is done; you'll be walking smoother each day.
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All, thanks for your great responses and the encouraging words of wisdom about dating! Just wanted to quickly point out that Dr. D. had a chance to review the x-rays and says things look good. He noted I'm not producing "a ton of new bone", but he's not worried. As long as that's not doctor talk for "you're really screwed!" then I feel good.
I think the dating thing is to be expected. I wouldn't come to any dating conclusions until after you are walking like normal. Just because one girl is more accepting of limp than another doesn't give me enough to go by to say she is a guaranteed nicer person.
7cm and still going - good on you! I hope you get through this week with no problems - will we get another video?
Great point SimonFuller! You're right that everything will change once I'm walking like normal. For now, girls might think I'll permanently walk like this (and I can't blame them for thinking that), especially after I tell them I had leg surgery a few months ago. Probably best to not treat dating very seriously until I'm walking normal, but easier said than done!
Right now my walking is nothing I'm proud of. However, if there is demand for a new walking video I'll ask for my PT to take a video of me on Monday. I certainly intend to post some walking videos after distraction ends and my walking really does begin to improve!
suuper awesome bro! congrats you're nearing the last stretch, you got this! as far as dating best wishes bro It's hard while on CLL I bet
Thank you my man Movie! I'm keeping up with your diary -- you are doing AWESOME! You must feel great at this point - you've made it far past the most difficult phases of the journey.
Valiant effort on dating! Haha. When I read you had been on dates I saluted you! Understandable that some pause is had by the lady; however super cool that the one lady didn't make it a deal-breaker. Once distraction is done; you'll be walking smoother each day.
Thank you brother, InFullStryde! It's a nice litmus test to see how genuine a girl is! If she'll stick with you during this (like Movie has in his girlfriend), then they are for certain a keeper. I said it before but I can't wait to be at your point, and reading how much better things got for you after distraction was over is the best motivation I could possibly have!!
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Everyone, very quick update. I officially stopped lengthening this past Monday at 7.5 cm's on each side -- but don't get excited for me yet.
I'm flying back to Vegas one week from Monday. I was fearing there is a discrepancy between my left and right femur. When I started, my right leg was slightly shorter than my left leg. Now, it seems pretty obvious to me my right leg is longer than my left leg. I asked my PT to measure both femurs, and she found the left femur was about 1cm shorter than my right femur. I contacted Dr. D.'s people and they scheduled me right away for another round of x-rays to precisely determine the measurements of each femur. According to his people, if they do find the left femur is 1cm shorter, they'll reset the machine and I'll start lengthening again to catch up to the right femur.
There's a bit of pain in my left femur but I think that's because I've walked so much more this past week than I have since the surgery. Walking is getting a *bit* closer to normal, but my gait is still far from normal. I'll keep everyone updated, especially after I meet with Dr. D. I will say I'm enjoying this window where I'm not lengthening!
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congrats bro! other than the minor inconvenience it's so cool you're pretty much wrapped up with lengthening! can't wait till I'm there
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What was your daily rate of distraction? Do you have a lot of callus?
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congrats bro! other than the minor inconvenience it's so cool you're pretty much wrapped up with lengthening! can't wait till I'm there
Thanks Movie! It does feel incredible to be finished (for now at least) with lengthening. You forget how nice it is to go about your day without needing to remember to lengthen. Even if I do resume lengthening on my left femur, we're talking about 10 days maximum, and my other femur will continue to heal.
What was your daily rate of distraction? Do you have a lot of callus?
Hey wannagrowtaller! Yes, there is a good amount of callus. The x-ray techs commented on that the last two times I had x-rays done locally. I'm hoping that's all normal and a good sign that my bone is growing.
I distracted 3x for the first 4 cms (so 1 mm/day). After that, I distracted 2x/day (so .66mm per day). The last two weeks of lengthening I went back to 3x/day with none of the side effects I had before. I stopped lengthening entirely after this past Monday morning, so if I resume lengthening my left femur after seeing Dr. D. there will have been exactly 2 weeks of not lengthening.
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Hello from Las Vegas everyone! I have quite an update today.
It's officially been two weeks since I stopped distraction. In that time, I grew increasingly concerned that my right femur was longer than my left femur. My physical therapist estimated it was about 1 CM longer. Today I had follow up with Dr. D. and we now officially know that my right femur is indeed 1cm longer than my left femur. He instructed me to resume lengthening my left femur almost 1cm.
Another unexpected twist is that my bones have consolidated very quickly since the last x-ray, and Dr. D. is a bit concerned that there might be pre-consolidation in my left femur, which is the one I'll need to start lengthening again. In his office, we ran a quick test. He had me lengthen the femur 2mm in one session (that's not a typo!) while I was there in his office, which felt like it took forever since I'm used to lengthening only .33mm per session. He then had Ronnie run another series of x-rays and fortunately the nail expanded as designed (if the bone was preconsolidated, then the nail would not be able to expand, as he explained). But that isn't a 100% guarantee that it won't preconsolidate.
I am to lengthen 3x/day for the next 7 days. The nuvasive rep will call me tomorrow to reprogram my ERC machine to allow that (remember, the ERC thinks I've already lengthened 7.5 cm on my left feur). Dr. D. wants me back in Las Vegas for another (hopefully final) set of measurements two weeks from now. At that time, if my left femur did not lengthen as it should have, he will perform an outpatient surgery the same day to re-break the left femur. If that's needed, he said he will run it through my insurance, and he will charge me his exact cost. Although that is reassuring to hear, I really hope it lengthens as designs and it doesn't come to that!
The news was a little bittersweet. He confirmed what I thought, but it's a tough pill to swallow to resume lengthening the one (left) femur. He said the other option is to reverse the longer (right) femur, but I really don't want to do that on principle alone. I'm very much ready to be finished with this. I started the process in May, and I wasn't anticipating that I'd still be lengthening in September. My advice for everyone out there is to know things frequently don't go according to the plan. Having said that, we're talking about 7 days which in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of a deal.
Dr. D. and his staff is great. By the way, as far as I could tell I was his only patient this afternoon. I was literally in his office for over 3 hours! You definitely get the feeling that he cares. I'll keep everyone updated.
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Hello from Las Vegas everyone! I have quite an update today.
It's officially been two weeks since I stopped distraction. In that time, I grew increasingly concerned that my right femur was longer than my left femur. My physical therapist estimated it was about 1 CM longer. Today I had follow up with Dr. D. and we now officially know that my right femur is indeed 1cm longer than my left femur. He instructed me to resume lengthening my left femur almost 1cm.
Another unexpected twist is that my bones have consolidated very quickly since the last x-ray, and Dr. D. is a bit concerned that there might be pre-consolidation in my left femur, which is the one I'll need to start lengthening again. In his office, we ran a quick test. He had me lengthen the femur 2mm in one session (that's not a typo!) while I was there in his office, which felt like it took forever since I'm used to lengthening only .33mm per session. He then had Ronnie run another series of x-rays and fortunately the nail expanded as designed (if the bone was preconsolidated, then the nail would not be able to expand, as he explained). But that isn't a 100% guarantee that it won't preconsolidate.
I am to lengthen 3x/day for the next 7 days. The nuvasive rep will call me tomorrow to reprogram my ERC machine to allow that (remember, the ERC thinks I've already lengthened 7.5 cm on my left feur). Dr. D. wants me back in Las Vegas for another (hopefully final) set of measurements two weeks from now. At that time, if my left femur did not lengthen as it should have, he will perform an outpatient surgery the same day to re-break the left femur. If that's needed, he said he will run it through my insurance, and he will charge me his exact cost. Although that is reassuring to hear, I really hope it lengthens as designs and it doesn't come to that!
The news was a little bittersweet. He confirmed what I thought, but it's a tough pill to swallow to resume lengthening the one (left) femur. He said the other option is to reverse the longer (right) femur, but I really don't want to do that on principle alone. I'm very much ready to be finished with this. I started the process in May, and I wasn't anticipating that I'd still be lengthening in September. My advice for everyone out there is to know things frequently don't go according to the plan. Having said that, we're talking about 7 days which in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of a deal.
Dr. D. and his staff is great. By the way, as far as I could tell I was his only patient this afternoon. I was literally in his office for over 3 hours! You definitely get the feeling that he cares. I'll keep everyone updated.
Good luck bud - I really understand your frustration - keep us posted.
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Hello from Las Vegas everyone! I have quite an update today.
It's officially been two weeks since I stopped distraction. In that time, I grew increasingly concerned that my right femur was longer than my left femur. My physical therapist estimated it was about 1 CM longer. Today I had follow up with Dr. D. and we now officially know that my right femur is indeed 1cm longer than my left femur. He instructed me to resume lengthening my left femur almost 1cm.
Another unexpected twist is that my bones have consolidated very quickly since the last x-ray, and Dr. D. is a bit concerned that there might be pre-consolidation in my left femur, which is the one I'll need to start lengthening again. In his office, we ran a quick test. He had me lengthen the femur 2mm in one session (that's not a typo!) while I was there in his office, which felt like it took forever since I'm used to lengthening only .33mm per session. He then had Ronnie run another series of x-rays and fortunately the nail expanded as designed (if the bone was preconsolidated, then the nail would not be able to expand, as he explained). But that isn't a 100% guarantee that it won't preconsolidate.
I am to lengthen 3x/day for the next 7 days. The nuvasive rep will call me tomorrow to reprogram my ERC machine to allow that (remember, the ERC thinks I've already lengthened 7.5 cm on my left feur). Dr. D. wants me back in Las Vegas for another (hopefully final) set of measurements two weeks from now. At that time, if my left femur did not lengthen as it should have, he will perform an outpatient surgery the same day to re-break the left femur. If that's needed, he said he will run it through my insurance, and he will charge me his exact cost. Although that is reassuring to hear, I really hope it lengthens as designs and it doesn't come to that!
The news was a little bittersweet. He confirmed what I thought, but it's a tough pill to swallow to resume lengthening the one (left) femur. He said the other option is to reverse the longer (right) femur, but I really don't want to do that on principle alone. I'm very much ready to be finished with this. I started the process in May, and I wasn't anticipating that I'd still be lengthening in September. My advice for everyone out there is to know things frequently don't go according to the plan. Having said that, we're talking about 7 days which in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of a deal.
Dr. D. and his staff is great. By the way, as far as I could tell I was his only patient this afternoon. I was literally in his office for over 3 hours! You definitely get the feeling that he cares. I'll keep everyone updated.
Wishing you all the best Verticalpush! 7 days is nothing in the grand scheme of things, excited to see you almost there at the finish line of distraction!
My surgery is booked in exactly 1 week, so as you finish I'll be starting haha. Your diary has been super helpful leading up to my big date, thank you for everything!
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Verticalpush thanks for your call and helping words sometime back man. I need to talk to you about something important. Please give me a call when you can or let me know when I can call you, my number is in your pm. thanks
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Hey VerticalPush! How are things comin along? Any updates?
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Hi everyone! I'm long overdue for an update. I visited Dr. D. for my final follow up just over a week ago. There was a chance my bones had pre-consolidated and Dr. D. would need to perform surgery. I found out prior to that day that my health insurance would NOT cover that procedure. Fortunately, the procedure was unnecessary as the nail was still able to lengthen. He had me lengthen my left femur another 2mm, and now my legs are equal in length.
I started at about 5'9 and ended just over 6'. I've been checking my height obsessively throughout the day. I'm convinced I squeezed everything I could out of the nail. Had I not had the last few follow-ups, and trusted the readings on the ERC machine, I would have only lengthened by about 6cm on my left femur. At that point, the machine "read" 7.5cm on my left femur. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed that I reached the limit of the nail. Obviously that number was incorrect - my nail did not lengthen as much as it should have. Dr. D. had me reset the machine and we lengthened almost 2cm additionally on the left femur. While I was at it, I lengthened another 5mm on the right femur, so I did reach (close to) the full 8cm on both left and right femurs.
I'll post updated pics and x-rays from my visit soon, but wanted to give everyone an update that everything is going great!
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That's interesting to know .. that the machine was reset and lengthening process started again...
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Verticalpush ... was the ERC machine not accurate in lengthening?
Also ... glad to see you completed your journey.... I congratulate you ... my friend... 8)
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Hi everyone! I'm long overdue for an update. I visited Dr. D. for my final follow up just over a week ago. There was a chance my bones had pre-consolidated and Dr. D. would need to perform surgery. I found out prior to that day that my health insurance would NOT cover that procedure. Fortunately, the procedure was unnecessary as the nail was still able to lengthen. He had me lengthen my left femur another 2mm, and now my legs are equal in length.
I started at about 5'9 and ended just over 6'. I've been checking my height obsessively throughout the day. I'm convinced I squeezed everything I could out of the nail. Had I not had the last few follow-ups, and trusted the readings on the ERC machine, I would have only lengthened by about 6cm on my left femur. At that point, the machine "read" 7.5cm on my left femur. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed that I reached the limit of the nail. Obviously that number was incorrect - my nail did not lengthen as much as it should have. Dr. D. had me reset the machine and we lengthened almost 2cm additionally on the left femur. While I was at it, I lengthened another 5mm on the right femur, so I did reach (close to) the full 8cm on both left and right femurs.
I'll post updated pics and x-rays from my visit soon, but wanted to give everyone an update that everything is going great!
Amazing news - congrats!
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@VerticalPush - glad you checked back in, I was wondering what had happened! Looks like you're well on your way to achieving your goal!!
Keep us updated on how consolidation progresses!
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That's interesting to know .. that the machine was reset and lengthening process started again...
Verticalpush ... was the ERC machine not accurate in lengthening?
Also ... glad to see you completed your journey.... I congratulate you ... my friend... 8)
Hi Panda. Yes! It was a very unexpected result. I don't think I read that anyone else experienced this issue and I don't really have a theory why it was the case for me. The ERC machine reading was WAY off. If the ERC machine was to be believed, I lengthened the left femur by 7.5 CM + another 1.9 CM after resetting the machine roughly 2 weeks after stopping at what I thought was 7.5 CM. That would total 9.4 CM. Of course, the nail limit is 8 CM so there's no way that is even close to correct. There is a setting you can choose where the machine will shut off if it isn't close enough to the magnet in the nail. We had that setting off, so one possibility is that I wasn't holding the machine close enough on the left femur. The other theory is that as you might recall I had lots of small muscle spasms on the left femur when I was lengthening - I didn't feel that on the right femur. Maybe my muscles were so tense that they only allowed a small amount of growth each day? Again, no medical basis for these theories, but I'd love to know what happened. The lesson in this is to make sure if you lengthen at home that you get your measurements taken (via x-rays at your surgeon's office) when you think you've reached your goal height. You might be surprised like I was!
Amazing news - congrats!
Thanks SimonFuller! It feels WONDERFUL to reach the goal!
@VerticalPush - glad you checked back in, I was wondering what had happened! Looks like you're well on your way to achieving your goal!!
Keep us updated on how consolidation progresses!
Thank you JsElysianEagle! I will keep everyone updated from time to time on how the consolidation process is going. As of today, I'm walking MUCH better. It still takes a few steps if I've been sitting for a while before my gait is somewhat normal, but if I walk slow enough you wouldn't really detect there I had surgery. This should improve every week.
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Hi VerticalPush
Hope all is well.
Can you post a picture of the Synergy bone regeneration supplement or PM the picture. I tried google it but it came up as Pure Synergy.
Thanks
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Hello from Las Vegas everyone! I have quite an update today.
It's officially been two weeks since I stopped distraction. In that time, I grew increasingly concerned that my right femur was longer than my left femur. My physical therapist estimated it was about 1 CM longer. Today I had follow up with Dr. D. and we now officially know that my right femur is indeed 1cm longer than my left femur. He instructed me to resume lengthening my left femur almost 1cm.
Another unexpected twist is that my bones have consolidated very quickly since the last x-ray, and Dr. D. is a bit concerned that there might be pre-consolidation in my left femur, which is the one I'll need to start lengthening again. In his office, we ran a quick test. He had me lengthen the femur 2mm in one session (that's not a typo!) while I was there in his office, which felt like it took forever since I'm used to lengthening only .33mm per session. He then had Ronnie run another series of x-rays and fortunately the nail expanded as designed (if the bone was preconsolidated, then the nail would not be able to expand, as he explained). But that isn't a 100% guarantee that it won't preconsolidate.
I am to lengthen 3x/day for the next 7 days. The nuvasive rep will call me tomorrow to reprogram my ERC machine to allow that (remember, the ERC thinks I've already lengthened 7.5 cm on my left feur). Dr. D. wants me back in Las Vegas for another (hopefully final) set of measurements two weeks from now. At that time, if my left femur did not lengthen as it should have, he will perform an outpatient surgery the same day to re-break the left femur. If that's needed, he said he will run it through my insurance, and he will charge me his exact cost. Although that is reassuring to hear, I really hope it lengthens as designs and it doesn't come to that!
The news was a little bittersweet. He confirmed what I thought, but it's a tough pill to swallow to resume lengthening the one (left) femur. He said the other option is to reverse the longer (right) femur, but I really don't want to do that on principle alone. I'm very much ready to be finished with this. I started the process in May, and I wasn't anticipating that I'd still be lengthening in September. My advice for everyone out there is to know things frequently don't go according to the plan. Having said that, we're talking about 7 days which in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of a deal.
Dr. D. and his staff is great. By the way, as far as I could tell I was his only patient this afternoon. I was literally in his office for over 3 hours! You definitely get the feeling that he cares. I'll keep everyone updated.
Hey VerticalPush! Thanks for making this diary.
1. For people who don't live near Las Vegas, is there any cost advantage to going with Dr. Debiparshad instead of Mahoubian?
2. What apartment / caretaker service did you end up going with and why?
3. What are some costs you didn't expect?
4. How much total money would you budget for Stryde internal femurs with Dr. Debiparshad?
Thanks!!
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Hey everyone! It's been almost a month since my last update, and almost 5 months to the day since the surgery. I'll say that it feels like FAR more time has passed than that, but things have really been picking up. The past month has been crazy for me as I went from trying to slowly transition back to work to now working double time to make up for time lost while I was lengthening.
In this case, no news is good news. I'm happy to report that my walking is improving gradually. If someone reminds me I will shoot a walking video to give you some sense about how walking looks 5 months to the day post-surgery. I just recently completed my last physical therapy session (which was a combination of my insurance finally putting the breaks on PT plus my physical therapist saying she thought I'm now at a place where she's comfortable with my progress). To be clear, I'm not 100%. It's still a little hard to get up from low seats. I'll use one hand to give myself a slight push from the seat. Also, my gait is much better but it takes a few steps before it looks normal. I can walk much further now - I was at an amusement park and my phone shows I walked 5.8 miles in a day! I was a bit premature in thinking I could handle a roller coaster. I haven't felt pain in my legs for a while -- but I sure experienced that pain while I was on the roller coaster! I think I'll wait a while longer before attempting that again.
I'm not sure exactly when I'll get my next round of x-rays, but I'll update when I do. With no pain and gradual improvement everyday, I have no reason to believe there are any issues with healing.
I never posted this in my last update - but here is a composite image showing the 3 times I was measured standing next to Dr. D (https://imgur.com/a/aWStE1L). Do note two things. One, that Dr. D. is wearing shoes in the first 2 of 3 pictures -- he does not in the last image which is why he looks shorter. I am not wearing shoes in any of the pictures. Two, and I just noticed this, his scale only has 10 ticks between each foot, not 12. So, it's a bit over an inch between each tick, which is a bit /r/mildlyinfuriating (http://reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating) :) Anyway, the first picture is 2 days before surgery, the second picture was about 2 months after surgery, and the last picture was about 4 months after surgery. I lengthened about half a centimeter after that picture was taken.
Hey CodyTheDog,
Hey VerticalPush! Thanks for making this diary.
1. For people who don't live near Las Vegas, is there any cost advantage to going with Dr. Debiparshad instead of Mahoubian?
When I first was quoting prices, I got quotes from Dr. D., Dr. M., and Paley. At the time, Dr. M was $10,000 more expensive than Dr. D. I also liked my interaction with Dr. D. much better. Dr. M. reduced his price after I paid my deposit, but from what I gather he charges extra "if you need" to cut your IT band. But if you're lengthening past 1 inch, that is a requirement. Keep in mind I'm working on months old datapoints here - I have no idea what his total cost is now. Dr. M seems like a very good option, especially when you read the great diaries on here, but I have no regrets in my decision. Factor in cost, how you feel about the doc, location/cost of living, etc., and go with your gut. The odds are strongly in your favor that you will achieve your goal with any of the American doctors.
2. What apartment / caretaker service did you end up going with and why?
I did not use any caretaker. I think I'm one of the very few that didn't. This worked out because their recommended caretaker never got back to me. I got some quotes from some online services, who were very quick to respond, but I decided that I would wait and see how I felt the last day I was in the hospital. You'll want to go back through my earlier posts in my diary to see some of the tradeoffs that involved and the major risks you'll need to consider. Looking back at it, I was probably a little crazy. But the way I figure is that if you're the kind of person who pays good money to have someone saw into your legs to get an extra 3 inches, you're already half way there. :)
3. What are some costs you didn't expect?
I was very fortunate - I had no costs I didn't expect. I did have some money on reserve but that margin was very low. I was prepared to have to spend up to $5,000 for Dr. D. to re-break my bone in my most recent visit, but it was ultimately not needed. I guess the closest to unexpected costs were the flights to Vegas after I was able to return home. I had no idea how many times I'd need to go back there. I was averaging a flight every 3 weeks up till a month ago. In the grand scheme, that expense was peanuts.
4. How much total money would you budget for Stryde internal femurs with Dr. Debiparshad?
Thanks!!
Assuming surgery costs of about $75,000 (I have no idea what he charges now but I'm assuming a slight bump over what I paid nearly half a year ago) and after factoring in hotel costs, I think it's very doable for $80,000 "all in" if there are no complications. We're making several assumptions - one, you're doing PT at home so you get a break on how much you owe Dr. D. Two, insurance is covering most of your medications. Three, you're able to find better deals on hotels than the "sticker cost" of one of the 3 hotels they recommend. Four, no caretaker (again - that is risky). Five, you don't need to go back to Vegas more than every 3 weeks. And finally - I'll repeat the biggest assumption of "no complications" -- which isn't really a fair assumption to make. You should be able to "generate" another $5,000 or so - at a minimum - if there are complications and your insurance wouldn't step up. It's not cheap. In my case, by the way, I just recently got another ~ $1,000 bill to my PT back at home - apparently the $20 they were charging as my copay the entire time wasn't enough to make up for the gap between the cost of therapy and what the insurance company paid. Expect something similar if you do PT at home.
Hope this is helpful! It is a life changing decision. Let me tell you how exciting it is to wear normal shoes and not boots all the time -- and how amazing it feels to not have to stick lifts in my shoes. There's no question I made the right decision.
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Hope this is helpful! It is a life changing decision. Let me tell you how exciting it is to wear normal shoes and not boots all the time -- and how amazing it feels to not have to stick lifts in my shoes. There's no question I made the right decision.
Amazing outcome verticalpush! Happy for you bro.
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Amazing outcome verticalpush! Happy for you bro.
Thanks my man! I'm keeping up with your diary. You're doing amazing yourself! Almost to the half way point -- keep it up, you're past the hardest part BY FAR!
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I just read through this diary. Very well written by verticlepush! Can you give an update now mate?
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I just read through this diary. Very well written by verticlepush! Can you give an update now mate?
Thank you so much limewalk! I admit I don't check this very often at all these days. I just had a routine follow up less than 3 weeks ago. Bones are consolidating and I've been cleared to begin light jogging. Since I lengthened a bit after my last visit, I wanted some reassurance that my legs were even. I'm very glad to report that they are in fact even! He told me I don't need to see him again until it's time to remove the rods, but I'll probably look into seeing if I can get that done in Texas with a local doctor since I would be able to use insurance that way.
I did get the full 3 inches and I'm extremely happy with my decision. It has made such a positive impact in my life - and it's not limited to dating like I feared it might be when I first considered the surgery. I took out all the lifts in my shoes. You wouldn't believe how many I had - here is an image of all of them (https://imgur.com/a/Qgm216z). I suppose if someone wants these you can PM me - as long as you pay shipping I'm glad to send as many over as you'd like. Most of them are 2"/2.5" but there are also several 1" lifts. Otherwise, I'll just toss them out in a week or so. I'm so glad to be rid of these and to just be myself. Before surgery, I only wore boots with lifts. In the past two months, I purchased well over 20 pairs of "normal" shoes (mostly sneakers) and 0 boots. That might seem excessive, but it's such an amazing feeling to wear "normal shoes".
I'm back to a normal life. I've had a few long walks (6 miles+) in the past few weeks. I definitely feel sore afterwards, but I think that's to be expected. I wouldn't say I'm quite 100% yet - when I wake up in the morning the first couple of steps are still a little awkward, and while I now can get up out of a seat without pushing myself up with my hands, it isn't quite as easy as it was before surgery. However, these are such minor issues and I know that I'm very close to the point of where I was before surgery.
The key, I think, is to stay as active as possible during and after the process. The more you push yourself, the easier recovery would be. I was told that my experience was better than some other patients, but I think that's the main reason.
It might be a while before I check this again, but I will log in a few days from now to see if anyone wants those lifts haha
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Thank you so much limewalk! I admit I don't check this very often at all these days. I just had a routine follow up less than 3 weeks ago. Bones are consolidating and I've been cleared to begin light jogging. Since I lengthened a bit after my last visit, I wanted some reassurance that my legs were even. I'm very glad to report that they are in fact even! He told me I don't need to see him again until it's time to remove the rods, but I'll probably look into seeing if I can get that done in Texas with a local doctor since I would be able to use insurance that way.
I did get the full 3 inches and I'm extremely happy with my decision. It has made such a positive impact in my life - and it's not limited to dating like I feared it might be when I first considered the surgery. I took out all the lifts in my shoes. You wouldn't believe how many I had - here is an image of all of them (https://imgur.com/a/Qgm216z). I suppose if someone wants these you can PM me - as long as you pay shipping I'm glad to send as many over as you'd like. Most of them are 2"/2.5" but there are also several 1" lifts. Otherwise, I'll just toss them out in a week or so. I'm so glad to be rid of these and to just be myself. Before surgery, I only wore boots with lifts. In the past two months, I purchased well over 20 pairs of "normal" shoes (mostly sneakers) and 0 boots. That might seem excessive, but it's such an amazing feeling to wear "normal shoes".
I'm back to a normal life. I've had a few long walks (6 miles+) in the past few weeks. I definitely feel sore afterwards, but I think that's to be expected. I wouldn't say I'm quite 100% yet - when I wake up in the morning the first couple of steps are still a little awkward, and while I now can get up out of a seat without pushing myself up with my hands, it isn't quite as easy as it was before surgery. However, these are such minor issues and I know that I'm very close to the point of where I was before surgery.
The key, I think, is to stay as active as possible during and after the process. The more you push yourself, the easier recovery would be. I was told that my experience was better than some other patients, but I think that's the main reason.
It might be a while before I check this again, but I will log in a few days from now to see if anyone wants those lifts haha
I'm so happy for you!
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I'm so happy for you!
Thank you IFS! Same to you brother. Your detailed diary helped me WAY more times than I can count! Can't thank you enough for your awesome advice!
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Thanks for the update man!
Pic of those lifts was funny ;D
It was eye opening for me that height neurosis can happen at a 'good' height like 5'9 also. I am shorter than that, and LL scares the cr-*-p out of me. You really went ahead and did it. Happy it turned out well for you.
Some questions about Dr D if you don't mind:
* If Paley was also 75k would you have chosen Paley instead?
* How many cases of CLL and LL has Dr D done (the latest you know)?
* Dr D team seems to do a bit of excessive advertising sometimes in poor taste. They are not shy in branding themselves as a cosmetic surgery center. Did that bother you while making a decision?
* What are the some things you wish could have been better with Dr D? From your diary, it seems like some of the arrangements were slightly messed up - hotel, PT, getting x-rays, but that was partially due to you lengthening away from Nevada. Also Dr D seems to not be personally reachable other than through physically meeting him. Even Dr Paley personally responds to emails (of even non patients) but you can reach Dr D only through Teresa apparently. Would it have been a concern in the event of emergencies?
* Were there non CLL patients at Dr D clinic?
* In the event of non-LL related medical emergencies, did it seem easy enough to get medical care (through Dr D or otherwise). Like if you were severely constipated and wanted an enema as an example scenario.
Cheers mate!
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Congrats verticalpush! Glad that this has had such positive, life changing impact on your life. I was able to hit 8 CM as well and am so happy with the outcome.
Quite the shoe lift collection you have there haha. I'm going to have a ceremonious burning of my lifts soon - those things amplified my height neurosis. You're right, getting rid of the lifts opens up so many options for footwear, low tops with thin soles, slippers, etc. it's a great feeling.
Couple of questions:
1) As you have met with family, old friends, and co workers after LL, what % of them would you say noticed the height increase? Would love to hear from you because your situation was very much similar to mine in the context of wearing 2 inch lifts pre LL and taking them out post LL and I'm hoping I can go by unnoticed. If they did notice how did you respond?
2) At what point in consolidation (# of days post distraction) would you say your walk was normal enough to get by without any comments from outsiders? I'm shooting for 2.5 months post distraction to get back to work with the goal of looking normal enough.
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Thanks for the update man!
Pic of those lifts was funny ;D
It was eye opening for me that height neurosis can happen at a 'good' height like 5'9 also. I am shorter than that, and LL scares the cr-*-p out of me. You really went ahead and did it. Happy it turned out well for you.
Some questions about Dr D if you don't mind:
Hey limewalk! Absolutely, height neurosis can happen at any height. I vaguely recall reading diaries from a few people who started at 5'11+. I think it also makes a difference how high the relative average height of your environment is. I lived much of my life in the northeast and it seemed the average height was shorter than it is in Texas. But yes, getting rid of those lifts was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had.
Let me hit your questions:
* If Paley was also 75k would you have chosen Paley instead?
Well I have the gift of answering this with 20/20 hindsight, so I'd now say definitely NO. At the time of surgery, however, based on how many datapoints there were for Paley versus Dr. D., the answer probably would have been yes. I have no regrets going with Dr. D., and I'm glad to be one of the few datapoints for him so others can look at my experience and weigh that in their decision of who to go with. At the end of the day, it's like choosing your favorite sibling. Dr. D. trained under Dr. Paley. They still communicate with each other.
* How many cases of CLL and LL has Dr D done (the latest you know)?
I'd be taking a shot in the dark. His marketing is fairly aggressive so I'm not sure he did quite the number of procedures that I assumed based on the initial advertising I read. I think his team claimed he had 1 procedure/week, but maybe it's more like 1 every other week? I do not communicate with many of his patients, but there are at least 3 I've advised / spoken with and know for a fact they went through with the procedure since my own. Don't forget that he doesn't only do CLL - he also does many other procedures like spine work, so maybe that's where the "at least 1 procedure/week" figure comes from.
* Dr D team seems to do a bit of excessive advertising sometimes in poor taste. They are not shy in branding themselves as a cosmetic surgery center. Did that bother you while making a decision?
* Were there non CLL patients at Dr D clinic?
I'm grouping these two questions together.
Yeah, that's fairly spot on. I spoke a bit about that in my last response. I get the reason for him doing it - he doesn't have the reputation that Paley has yet so he has to be very direct in what he offers. He has two challenges - one, convincing people to consider having the procedure done. Two, convincing people to go with him for the procedure. From a marketing standpoint, that's very difficult. I went to his office quite a bit over the last 6 months, and each time I was there the "LimbplastX" side of the business was more prominent as part of the brand (the stuff he does with spines and other procedures is under the "Synergy Spine" brand, but he runs both clinics in the same office). It's pretty easy to figure who's in the waiting room to get their spines worked on and who's there to get CLL -- the group there for spine work were MUCH older.
* What are the some things you wish could have been better with Dr D? From your diary, it seems like some of the arrangements were slightly messed up - hotel, PT, getting x-rays, but that was partially due to you lengthening away from Nevada. Also Dr D seems to not be personally reachable other than through physically meeting him. Even Dr Paley personally responds to emails (of even non patients) but you can reach Dr D only through Teresa apparently. Would it have been a concern in the event of emergencies?
Bingo. There were some minor headaches and some things that weren't altogether clear. Transportation from the hospital and to/from the PT clinic were two of those issues. As others have mentioned, Ronnie is absolutely terrific and goes above the call of duty to help you straighten those issues out. I also had a big issue getting a caretaker to call me back - but it turned out I didn't need their services anyway so I guess that worked out for the best (it certainly saved me a lot of money). You can reach him through 3 individuals - Ronnie (probably the best contact - will respond 24/7), Teresa (often unavailable on the weekends), and Dan from Nuvasive (best contact for machine-related issues). I don't think I ever had his direct email address so you are quite correct my only direct contact I had was through personal face to face appointments. Without Ronnie being so responsive, this would be a major drawback.
* In the event of non-LL related medical emergencies, did it seem easy enough to get medical care (through Dr D or otherwise). Like if you were severely constipated and wanted an enema as an example scenario.
Cheers mate!
I felt the lack of a caretaker (my decision) made this a very risky situation. I always could call 911 or the hotel front desk for non-major emergencies. I was indeed constipated and I took care of that on my own by having Walmart deliver stool softener to my room. Outside of that, I probably would have relied on communicating the issue to Ronnie and getting his advice.
Great questions - like I said, go with whomever you feel is the best fit. I'd rather convince someone to get the procedure done than convince them to go with any one doctor, but my experience with Dr. D. was very good in spite of a couple minor logistical things. Hopefully this diary would help smooth those out for whomever goes with him in the future!
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Congrats verticalpush! Glad that this has had such positive, life changing impact on your life. I was able to hit 8 CM as well and am so happy with the outcome.
Quite the shoe lift collection you have there haha. I'm going to have a ceremonious burning of my lifts soon - those things amplified my height neurosis. You're right, getting rid of the lifts opens up so many options for footwear, low tops with thin soles, slippers, etc. it's a great feeling.
Whats up TheAlchemist! Congrats on completing the journey brother. I'm so glad you got the full 8 CM!! I DEFINITELY would have regretted stopping early (in fact, I briefly stopped at 7.5 CM before deciding to push through the final 5 MM.
Couple of questions:
1) As you have met with family, old friends, and co workers after LL, what % of them would you say noticed the height increase? Would love to hear from you because your situation was very much similar to mine in the context of wearing 2 inch lifts pre LL and taking them out post LL and I'm hoping I can go by unnoticed. If they did notice how did you respond?
Well, wearing the lifts before surgery definitely helped. However, almost half the people I'm close with (work friends, friends from middle school back at home, neighbors) have all made SOME sort of comment about my height. USUALLY they will back down once I say something like "Oh, well doing PT must have improved my posture", but there are at least 2 people (including one of my work colleagues) who manage to bring up my height difference in almost every conversation. I guess it just depends. Even if you have a few people like that, it's only temporary that they'll do that. I think my friend who keeps bringing up the height thing actually KNOWS I went through with the procedure because he's one of my good friends and he's close to two other good friends who I outright told the truth to.
Be selective in who you tell. If you tell a good friend, you can't really expect them to keep their mouth shut to other close friends you share, especially if they think they're doing you a favor by talking to other friends and deciding whether to stage an "intervention" or something (I have no idea if that's true, but I wouldn't put it past my friend to consider doing that since I know he thought I was crazy when I told him the plan). In retrospect, I probably would not have told that one friend, but I felt it was good that a few people knew what was going on in case something went wrong.
2) At what point in consolidation (# of days post distraction) would you say your walk was normal enough to get by without any comments from outsiders? I'm shooting for 2.5 months post distraction to get back to work with the goal of looking normal enough.
So my surgery was May 24 I believe (I'd have to look back through my posts). I was doing PT quite often in June and July. My walk was terrible during those months. By late August/early September I'd say I was at the 50% mark - people might notice your walk is off. It wasn't until October that my walk was normal enough to where casual passerbyers aren't going to notice anything, but if anyone spends a good amount of time with you they are going to notice you're not 100%. By mid-Late November (that's the 6 month mark), it was really only getting out of a chair or getting out of bed where something looked "off". By mid-Late December, I found I didn't even need to mention getting any sort of surgery done to new people I met, because I was close enough to 100%. So, by 4 months it's possible outsiders won't notice anything, and by 5 months they definitely shouldn't notice anything. Your results may vary a bit but you seem to be very good about PT and moving around, so you might even do a little better than that!
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Awesome thanks for the detailed breakdown VP!
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Great sharing! Great journey, VerticalPush.
Any chance you will post a walking video?
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Hey verticalpush,
I have sent you a PM please check asap
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What's up verticalpush, haven't heard from you in a little while bro, how's everything? any updates?
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What's up verticalpush, haven't heard from you in a little while bro, how's everything? any updates?
What's up Movie! Staying alive in a crazy world. I feel for anyone right now who's doing this in the Coronavirus scare. Grocery stores are absolutely empty right now. I imagine if anyone has surgery planned the next 2-3 weeks they will be cancelled. One thing this surgery did for the better is to prepare me to function in what is, essentially, social isolation.
Quick update on progress - things continue to go very well. I can walk quite fast now and can do some light jogging. I still cannot comfortably sprint but using the elliptical machine with quite a bit of resistance for 30 minutes or so is no problem. I have had several days of walking 6-7 miles on relatively flat trails. I do feel sore by the end of walking, and the soreness will persist for a few hours after I get back home. I think that is normal and should decrease over time. There isn't much pain associated with the soreness.
All in all, life continues to play out as it did before the surgery. I'm way more confident. People don't bring up my height difference at all anymore - which to me is such a wonderful sign that I've reached the point I wanted to get to.
Hope everyone is doing well. Stay safe out there!
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One of the best diaries I've read yet, amazing recovery. Good job vertical push.
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Great sharing! Great journey, VerticalPush.
Any chance you will post a walking video?
I hope to see more pics from Verticalpush post OP too
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This is a great diary verticalpush! I was wondering if everything turned out okay for you? Could you provide us with an update?