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Author Topic: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)  (Read 21334 times)

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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #62 on: June 16, 2019, 05:53:58 PM »

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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MichaelJose

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #63 on: June 16, 2019, 05:58:40 PM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #64 on: June 16, 2019, 09:49:04 PM »

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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MichaelJose

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #65 on: June 17, 2019, 06:23:31 PM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #66 on: June 18, 2019, 05:05:07 AM »

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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SimonFuller

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #67 on: June 18, 2019, 08:58:25 AM »

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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Artificial Stature

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #68 on: June 18, 2019, 07:11:14 PM »

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).
« Last Edit: June 18, 2019, 07:45:44 PM by Artificial Stature »
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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #69 on: June 20, 2019, 04:41:55 AM »

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.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2019, 05:07:15 AM by verticalpush »
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Kenda

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #70 on: June 26, 2019, 03:19:52 PM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #71 on: June 26, 2019, 06:41:53 PM »

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. 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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Kenda

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #72 on: June 27, 2019, 08:00:44 PM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #73 on: June 28, 2019, 12:22:08 AM »

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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Leggs

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #74 on: June 29, 2019, 01:35:00 PM »

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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Ghostfish

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #75 on: June 30, 2019, 07:04:11 AM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #76 on: July 01, 2019, 04:21:46 AM »

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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MirinHeight

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #77 on: July 02, 2019, 05:46:25 AM »

missed the pics in first post,
Thank you!
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currently 179 cm with a 6'2 wingspan
Goal: 182-183
top 5 LL surgeons: Paley, Rozbruch, Mahboubian,  Donghoon Lee, Giotikas

- planning to have LON tibias with dr donghoon lee in summer 2021

TheAlchemist

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #78 on: July 08, 2019, 03:14:17 AM »

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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Dr. Paley Patient: Femurs (Stryde) / 8 CM gained
Surgery: 9/17/19 / Distraction completed: 12/14/19
Start height: 5'9 or 175cm / Endi Height: 6'0 ft or 183 cm
Rod Removal: Dr. Debiparshad 6/16/21
Diary: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=64373.0

verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #79 on: July 08, 2019, 08:20:52 PM »

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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Lalbadshah

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #80 on: July 08, 2019, 08:50:59 PM »

Vertical, congrats on your journey, I PMed you, would be thankful if you PM back, thanks a lot
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otavio

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #81 on: July 08, 2019, 08:56:37 PM »

At which point did you start to  feel the gain in your stature?
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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #82 on: July 08, 2019, 11:30:56 PM »

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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MirinHeight

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #83 on: July 09, 2019, 10:32:22 AM »

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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currently 179 cm with a 6'2 wingspan
Goal: 182-183
top 5 LL surgeons: Paley, Rozbruch, Mahboubian,  Donghoon Lee, Giotikas

- planning to have LON tibias with dr donghoon lee in summer 2021

SimonFuller

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #84 on: July 09, 2019, 03:25:16 PM »

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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Lalbadshah

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #85 on: July 09, 2019, 05:12:39 PM »

Vertical, I sent you another PM, plz check when you can, thanks.
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Leggs

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #86 on: July 09, 2019, 11:36:12 PM »

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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verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #87 on: July 14, 2019, 06:13:51 AM »

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. 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!
« Last Edit: July 14, 2019, 06:34:17 AM by verticalpush »
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Ghostfish

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #88 on: July 14, 2019, 06:32:34 AM »

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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SimonFuller

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #89 on: July 14, 2019, 12:55:21 PM »

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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TheAlchemist

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #90 on: July 14, 2019, 03:23:53 PM »

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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Dr. Paley Patient: Femurs (Stryde) / 8 CM gained
Surgery: 9/17/19 / Distraction completed: 12/14/19
Start height: 5'9 or 175cm / Endi Height: 6'0 ft or 183 cm
Rod Removal: Dr. Debiparshad 6/16/21
Diary: http://www.limblengtheningforum.com/index.php?topic=64373.0

verticalpush

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #91 on: July 14, 2019, 03:34:06 PM »

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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SimonFuller

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Re: My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
« Reply #92 on: July 15, 2019, 07:27:27 AM »

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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