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[Thatdude950]

I personally would take the money for surgery and invest it in stocks. My stocks have been doubling in value every 5 years or so. If I put $100k into stocks today, it'd be $200k in 5 years, $400k in 10 years, and about $1 million in less than 25 years. And you said it's impossible to be a millionaire? And that's assuming that you only have 100k and never make anymore money. Realistically, you should keep contributing a portion of your salary to your investments and you could easily become a millionaire by the time you retire.
I know you don't see it that way, but I think you're just meeting a different type of girl than I am, that's all.

And this is how the average person in a western country can be still become relatively wealthy (i.e $1 million+). Get a job & start investing. This is a great thread! Lots of really good info in here over the last few pages.

[yyes]

I may be going against the grain with my way of thinking but if youre young and make decent salary why wouldnt you want to have this surgery if it will make you feel better about yourself?

I dont make that much myself. I make roughly 70k a year and I will be 30 in a few years but you can bet your ass that I am thinking long and hard about this surgery.

Will it take from my retirement? Yeah maybe. But I am very frugal myself. I drive a decent car, dont spend too much on other things and at the end of the month I have roughly 2k left over. This is after contributing to my IRA account and my 401k.

All in all, we all have our wants. We dont really need anything besides food and shelter in life so anything after that, I can argue that its just a want.

Are you saying that at 70k, I shouldnt do this surgery because its going to set me back for years even though I am contributing roughly 20% of my salary to retirement?

[Thatdude950]

Only you can decide that, but I'm not really talking about retirement.

Think of it this way-- for most people, saving 100k is hard. Let's say a person that's 23 understands the basic principles of making money (saving, investing, compound interest, diversification etc) & manages to put together 100k in savings, & 100k in their retirement fund by their late 20's.

They're in a decent situation. They have no debt, & they have 200k sitting there which is making them money while they sit on their ass. A 7% return is giving them 14k a year for nothing. If they want to spend $10,000 on a couple of holidays throughout the year, it's not a big deal. They're only spending 5% of their total worth to do it, & they will make it back quickly. The same logic goes for buying nice clothing, going out to nice restaurants, & having nice experiences in general. Obviously this person will not overspend because they are sensible, but they can easily afford to do these kinds of things (within reason), while continuing to build even more wealth from their investments, & having the peace of mind that money brings.

Lets say that 23 year old does LL instead. The debt they've taken out is accruing interest, they're missing out on work ... if all goes reasonably well, by their late 20's I think a decent result would just be not having debt. So, they're close to 30 and have nothing. Let's say after getting rid of that debt, they save pretty hard, & manage to put together 50k in a few years.

So this person is already older than our first example, they're 32. A 7% return is making them just 3500 a year. If they want to spend 10,000 on a holiday, it's a *big* chunk of their net worth at 20%. They have far less freedom, and I imagine for more stress. And this is a *good* result. I'm assuming they have been employed and able to pay off the debt, that they haven't had any extra medical expenses, that they use their money wisely etc etc.

So it's less about retirement and more about what kind of lifestyle you're able to realistically afford both right now and in the near future (5-10 years)

[yyes]

Only you can decide that, but I'm not really talking about retirement.

Think of it this way-- for most people, saving 100k is hard. Let's say a person that's 23 understands the basic principles of making money (saving, investing, compound interest, diversification etc) & manages to put together 100k in savings, & 100k in their retirement fund by their late 20's.

They're in a decent situation. They have no debt, & they have 200k sitting there which is making them money while they sit on their ass. A 7% return is giving them 14k a year for nothing. If they want to spend $10,000 on a couple of holidays throughout the year, it's not a big deal. They're only spending 5% of their total worth to do it, & they will make it back quickly. The same logic goes for buying nice clothing, going out to nice restaurants, & having nice experiences in general. Obviously this person will not overspend because they are sensible, but they can easily afford to do these kinds of things (within reason), while continuing to build even more wealth from their investments, & having the peace of mind that money brings.

Lets say that 23 year old does LL instead. The debt they've taken out is accruing interest, they're missing out on work ... if all goes reasonably well, by their late 20's I think a decent result would just be not having debt. So, they're close to 30 and have nothing. Let's say after getting rid of that debt, they save pretty hard, & manage to put together 50k in a few years.

So this person is already older than our first example, they're 32. A 7% return is making them just 3500 a year. If they want to spend 10,000 on a holiday, it's a *big* chunk of their net worth at 20%. They have far less freedom, and I imagine for more stress. And this is a *good* result. I'm assuming they have been employed and able to pay off the debt, that they haven't had any extra medical expenses, that they use their money wisely etc etc.

So it's less about retirement and more about what kind of lifestyle you're able to realistically afford both right now and in the near future (5-10 years)

I agree with you to a certain extent. I think its all about balance and it also depends on the person. If someone that is naturally frugal doesnt care about living an extravagant lifestyle then they can live well in the future. Once again, saving 20% of your income from a young age (mid 20's) should be more than enough for the future.

What good is having all that money in the bank account at 70 or 80 when the best years of your life are in your 20s and 30s? Im not saying dont save, but if you can afford to do something with your play money, why not do this surgery?

Going back to my example, unless im wrong, making 70k is decent and I can afford to have this surgery while still saving 20% for retirement. But to me becoming wealthy is not at the top of my list as far as priorities go. 

[Thatdude950]

I agree with you to a certain extent. I think its all about balance and it also depends on the person. If someone that is naturally frugal doesnt care about living an extravagant lifestyle then they can live well in the future. Once again, saving 20% of your income from a young age (mid 20's) should be more than enough for the future.

What good is having all that money in the bank account at 70 or 80 when the best years of your life are in your 20s and 30s? Im not saying dont save, but if you can afford to do something with your play money, why not do this surgery?

Going back to my example, unless im wrong, making 70k is decent and I can afford to have this surgery while still saving 20% for retirement. But to me becoming wealthy is not at the top of my list as far as priorities go.

The point is that it gives you freedom (most importantly!) & peace of mind right now. In the future, it's something to leave for your children & pay for their expenses (study, unforeseen medical bills) & to alleviate your own suffering from which age brings. Where you decide to draw the line re: balance is up to you. But I don't think LL is a balanced decision at all.

[google42]

Thatdude how tall are you? If your average height or above then you probably won't understand why people do ll.

[Thatdude950]

I can appreciate why guys that are shorter/the same height as the average woman do it, but not those who are taller. I think those that are taller & still have trouble with women have other things which hold them back but they refuse to look at themselves & their other flaws objectively, or perhaps have a black/white, limited understanding of what women find attractive.

[U only live once]

All the comments stated above are very valid finance principles and of course LL is a no-no from a investment perspective. 100 k is a considerable amount of money and the ROI would be probably zero financially speaking. Not too mention the cost of opportunity for the time taken off work due to LL. however, this is all about living the live you want and be yourself! This surgery could be worth millions in happiness. Money can't buy happiness, not directly, but if you can afford this ludicrous surgery, Just do it. Think carefully and analize whether it's your hight that is holding back personally or professionally and if that is th case just do it.

[DoingItForMe]

Hey its been a while,how are you man??

I'm doing very well. I still haven't gotten an x-ray since last October, because I'm afraid to know the truth - that my bones still haven't connected on the side of my bone gap. Other than that, it's been almost two years since I started this LL journey, so let's have an update:

1) My legs still hurt if I use them too much. It hurts where my screws are connected to the femur - top and bottom of femur. Sometimes my friends notice that I'm like limping when I walk 5 miles straight. And I'm limping because it hurts - presumably because the screws are taking repeated blows from the impact of the concrete sidewalk. The same applies if I put too much weight on one leg. I'm hoping that this will go away when I remove the rods so that the pressure is more evenly distributed throughout my bones.

2) Most of the time it doesn't hurt anymore - for example, if I'm just sitting around doing nothing or walking lightly. This was a big concern of mine because for about a year it did hurt, but it seems like it's all gone now. Now my only concern is what will happen if my bones don't ever regrow, and I end up having to get a bone graft surgery.

3) I can finally put on socks/shoes while standing on one leg. I used to do this with ease prior to LL, but it was almost impossible for 1-2 years until I finally got my balance/flexibility/leg muscles back.

4) My calves are getting an amazing workout from the longer femurs. Since it takes more muscles now to lift up my body from a squatting position, my calves are getting an amazing workout from just everyday routines like getting up from a chair/toilet. I've noticed that they're much more cut than prior to LL. Girls have complimented me on my calves, even though I don't even work out my calf muscles much.

5) My butt is still smaller than before LL. I don't think I'll ever get it back without rigorous exercise, because the growth has stopped. My thigh muscles have returned, though. They're hard and thick again.

[MarioQ]

Hi DM. How you been doing?,  Got your X-ray results yet?

[DoingItForMe]

Yes, a while ago. And the news isn't great. My right leg is healed up and Paley said it was ready to remove the rod. But my left leg still hasn't healed fully and it's been two years since the surgery. Paley told me that I should do another surgery to remove the rods and insert fixed stainless steel rods instead. He said that I could keep the stainless steel rods in forever or remove them later on. He said that I shouldn't keep the precice nails in for more than 2-3 years because it is made of titanium and that the metal might flake off and enter my blood stream over time as it keeps rubbing against each other. And that if that happens, it might cause tumors.

The gap in my left leg has decreased from 2-3 inches to about 1-2 inches after one year. At this rate, I don't think it will fully heal until the second half of 2018. He also offered a second option, which is to remove a set of screws to make my leg not rely on the rods. He said that adding pressure to my bones will cause it to want to grow faster.

[LLSouthAmerica]

Hi DoingItForMe. I think 2 years is too long for total consolidation. I haven't read your diary completely but do you still have a limp? Maybe you can show us the x-rays? I think the steel rods are a good option but do know that doctors make them "stick out" of the bone a little and this can disturb/irritate soft tissues, so you might end up with minor pain around the hips if you do not remove it.

How old are you? Do you smoke? Are you being active/going to the gym? Have you tried medication (risidronate, vitamin D+ calcium, HGH, etc)? Have you tried bone stimulators?

Hopefully, these questions don't bother you but I think they are important.

[DoingItForMe]

Hi DoingItForMe. I think 2 years is too long for total consolidation. I haven't read your diary completely but do you still have a limp? Maybe you can show us the x-rays? I think the steel rods are a good option but do know that doctors make them "stick out" of the bone a little and this can disturb/irritate soft tissues, so you might end up with minor pain around the hips if you do not remove it.

How old are you? Do you smoke? Are you being active/going to the gym? Have you tried medication (risidronate, vitamin D+ calcium, HGH, etc)? Have you tried bone stimulators?

Hopefully, these questions don't bother you but I think they are important.

I still have a limp, but I think the screws of the precice nails are sticking out of the femur head and causing me to me limp, because it is irritating my soft tissues when I walk. But the limp is less noticeable now I think. I'm starting to run more normally as well. Before my run is kind of weird. What helped was that I started running again at the gym a few miles a day. Ultimately I do want to remove the rods so that I can walk normally again hopefully. I'm still not comfortable posting my x-rays. I can describe them if you want, but I don't think it's necessary to post them.

Yes, my case doesn't seem normal. The gap should have been smaller faster. Noticed that the other Paley patients I was with had faster consolidation. They lengthened less (7 cm), but I doubt that had an effect, since even if the gap was 7 cm instead of 8 cm, it still wouldn't have connected by now.

I'm in my late 20s/early 30s. I don't smoke. Never have. I wasn't active in the gym during consolidation phase (i.e. still in crutches), and yet that was around the time I had the most growth. Problem was that all that growth on my femur was on the inner side of my leg. There was barely any growth on the outer side of my legs. I was active in the gym after I was able to walk again, though. I swam a lot throughout.

I'm only taking Vitamin D and Calcium right now. Before that I was taking the bone supplements that Paley recommended. It was basically Calcium, Magnesium, Silicone and some other stuff. I didn't take any HGH or anything else.

I have been using bone simulators. Been using Exogen 4000+. I stopped when I realized that the growth doesn't seem affected by it at all. Confirmed this after I stopped using it for half a year, and the growth was the same rate. Might start using it just for the hell of it, since I paid hundreds of dollars for the two units. The first unit ran out of batteries after 200 uses, so did the second one, but I replaced it with a new $40 battery bought online and now it's at 400 uses and still running.

Maybe some of each of those things had a small effect on bone growth, but I think Paley is right when he says that putting pressure on the bones will stimulate bone growth faster. I suspect this because all the growth is on one side of my femur. And it happens to be on the same inner thigh area of both femurs. So I suspect that the weight of my body is relying more on the inner side of my femur than the outer side for both my legs and that's why all the growth is there. And my right leg, which is the more dominant leg, consolidated faster, too. So that further proves my theory.

So my advice for those doing LL is to try to put more weight onto your bones as early as possible - meaning that even during lengthening and consolidation, you should be standing often.

[MarioQ]

HI DFM, do you think or there is any evidence that if you would stopped at 5cm or less you should not have any of this problem?.  There are little info about that but from what I read from different patients all talk about the threshold of 5cm for safe and little complications or no complications.

I would appreciate your thoughs

[DoingItForMe]

My bone growth is just slow. 5 cm would mean that my gap would be connected by now. But only because the gap is smaller and easier to reach. But the speed of growth would probably be the same.

[LLSouthAmerica]

I still have a limp, but I think the screws of the precice nails are sticking out of the femur head and causing me to me limp, because it is irritating my soft tissues when I walk. But the limp is less noticeable now I think. I'm starting to run more normally as well. Before my run is kind of weird. What helped was that I started running again at the gym a few miles a day. Ultimately I do want to remove the rods so that I can walk normally again hopefully. I'm still not comfortable posting my x-rays. I can describe them if you want, but I don't think it's necessary to post them.

Yes, my case doesn't seem normal. The gap should have been smaller faster. Noticed that the other Paley patients I was with had faster consolidation. They lengthened less (7 cm), but I doubt that had an effect, since even if the gap was 7 cm instead of 8 cm, it still wouldn't have connected by now.

I'm in my late 20s/early 30s. I don't smoke. Never have. I wasn't active in the gym during consolidation phase (i.e. still in crutches), and yet that was around the time I had the most growth. Problem was that all that growth on my femur was on the inner side of my leg. There was barely any growth on the outer side of my legs. I was active in the gym after I was able to walk again, though. I swam a lot throughout.

I'm only taking Vitamin D and Calcium right now. Before that I was taking the bone supplements that Paley recommended. It was basically Calcium, Magnesium, Silicone and some other stuff. I didn't take any HGH or anything else.

I have been using bone simulators. Been using Exogen 4000+. I stopped when I realized that the growth doesn't seem affected by it at all. Confirmed this after I stopped using it for half a year, and the growth was the same rate. Might start using it just for the hell of it, since I paid hundreds of dollars for the two units. The first unit ran out of batteries after 200 uses, so did the second one, but I replaced it with a new $40 battery bought online and now it's at 400 uses and still running.

Maybe some of each of those things had a small effect on bone growth, but I think Paley is right when he says that putting pressure on the bones will stimulate bone growth faster. I suspect this because all the growth is on one side of my femur. And it happens to be on the same inner thigh area of both femurs. So I suspect that the weight of my body is relying more on the inner side of my femur than the outer side for both my legs and that's why all the growth is there. And my right leg, which is the more dominant leg, consolidated faster, too. So that further proves my theory.

So my advice for those doing LL is to try to put more weight onto your bones as early as possible - meaning that even during lengthening and consolidation, you should be standing often.

Don't worry if you don't feel comfortable posting them; describing them would be of no help. It's interesting because a lot of people have different types of callus formation. I've read plenty of evidence that says that biphosphonates are of help in the development of callus and can make it bigger. Although besides Dr. Guichet, I don't know of any doctor who prescribes biphosphonates. On the other hand, no other doctor but Paley recommends bone stimulators like exogen which in their web page its company claims that it can help in 80% of non-unions.

Also Precise is partial weight bearing, so unlike the albizzia nail I used, you should rely more on your bone than in the nail. You don't have any other risks factors. Sometimes I guess it's just luck. I'm sorry that after all this time you are still having some trouble. I wish you the best. You still have plenty of options you haven't go through with yet!

[DoingItForMe]

Paley did recommend a biphosphonate for my situation. We knew early on that my bone growth was slow. I believe it was $1000 to get one. Paley said that it would probably reduce my consolidation time by about a month. I opted out, though, because I became weight bearing sooner than expected. I wrote about this earlier in this thread sometime during my consolidation phase in late 2015.

[YellowSpike]

DIFM, you're not alone. I had a limp for a while too, definitely due to femur screw near the hip. It was only on my left side, so I had the screw removed, but left the rod in as that leg wasn't entirely healed yet (should be now). My right the bone is 100% healed, and since that's the side where I have the recurring knee pain (although my better and more rare these days, thankfully)...I think this winter I'm going to take out the right rod and see how I do. Maybe I'll do both, I don't know, I have to see.

What you're experiencing is certain muscles (glute medius) not activating properly because your body tries to avoid the pain caused by the screw near the hip area. Once you get that taken out and get back to squatting/deadlifting like I have, your walking will normalize and you'll get your ass back (my ass has actually never looked better lol, I can deadlift around 400 lbs now).

[deniscef]

someone knows why Dr paley does not respond emails?

[LLSouthAmerica]

someone knows why Dr paley does not respond emails?

Most likely he receives hundreds of LL questions and has no time to reply them, as most of them will never do the surgery with him and are only "researching"

[DoingItForMe]

What you're experiencing is certain muscles (glute medius) not activating properly because your body tries to avoid the pain caused by the screw near the hip area. Once you get that taken out and get back to squatting/deadlifting like I have, your walking will normalize and you'll get your ass back (my ass has actually never looked better lol, I can deadlift around 400 lbs now).

I'm almost certain that this is the reason as well. Right now, I walk kind of like a cowboy unless I purposefully close my legs while walking. But if I do, the screws at the head of my femur hurt me, so my "natural" gait now is to try to not walk with my thighs close together. It looks weird, and people have commented on it. But when I walk with my legs closed, they say it looks normal again. Paley also suggested removing the screws. I am contemplating doing it.

someone knows why Dr paley does not respond emails?

Paley replies to my emails the same day, but he only does it during a certain time of his day when he's not doing surgery or with patients. I wouldn't suggest emailing him if you aren't a patient of his already or already paid for a deposit or asking to do consultation. He's a very very busy guy. Even with his own patients, it can take a whole day before he replies to you.

[OverrideYourGenetics]

Planned height: 173 cm (5'8") - 8 cm (3") increase

How I'm paying for it: I'm self-made. I started coding apps after I read some poor person's autobiography about how he made millions from coding apps.

DIFM, if you don't mind, if money wasn't a concern, why did you choose 8cm in the femurs ($90k), which is much more difficult to recover from than 6cm, instead of doing Simultaneous Lengthening of tibias+femurs (staggered 3 weeks apart) for $180k?

[blacksheepwall]

DIFM. I read your diary, congratz on everything, Im glad you found the key to your happiness. Very happy for you.

I just want to say that, as a 5'9 guy who isn't ugly. I cant date girls for  . I'm not a millionare but I am not poor either. You described your dating life in your mid 20s at 5'6, it was wayyyy better than my dating life lol. =/. My love life is practically non existent.

Do you recommend Paley? You mentioned you did not like his medical ethics, can you elaborate on this? If a patient paid 100k for this invasive procedure, how can the doctor be unethical about it?

Also, did your parents know about the procedure? Were they supportive? Did you hire someone to help you during your 2 month lengthening and 2 month consolidation after you went home? Or did you go through this all by yourself?

I think if I were to go through this, I might have to do it alone. I cant bear having my parents know I am doing this, it would hurt them...

Thanks

[InferiorityComplex]

Being taller in regards of "dating life" helps more than what you can describe, but that is ONLY if height is the missing piece and the one thing you reckon they complain about. I did it all alone, trying to walk perfectly before the end of the month where i'll end up meeting relatives again...Down the stairs is still a problem and a possible "tell"..rest I think I can complain on an injury (not waddling like I did before but still takes time after you stand up from a chair a couple of seconds to walk 60-70 %) On the 6 months mark btw. As long as you're into video games - social video games / netflix I think you will be fine, It definitely helps having other LL partners as well to push yourself etc. Hope this helps blacksheepwall.

[InferiorityComplex]

Tremendous diary, I like how everyone is getting surprised by how big of a factor money is. Extremely important to mention AGAIN that only do this surgery if you have everything else checked. I also regret lengthening around 6 cm...should of gone with 4+4 for mechanical and proportions. I don't want to get taller than I already have become...luckily my upper body supports another 4cm tibia, but probably not wingspan. If I do tibia then maybe it's possible to take away 2 cm from femurs at the same time?
I wonder who is richer lol, you sublimely mention that you have a Bugatti then you definitely beat me. I like that you're also humble and only paying 10k for a trip, first class ticket alone sometimes cost that much I'll definitely keep my eye out for an Asian with long femurs + Model looking babe when I go to the caribbean,  unless you fly Private of course.

[Body Builder]

Tremendous diary, I like how everyone is getting surprised by how big of a factor money is. Extremely important to mention AGAIN that only do this surgery if you have everything else checked. I also regret lengthening around 6 cm...should of gone with 4+4 for mechanical and proportions. I don't want to get taller than I already have become...luckily my upper body supports another 4cm tibia, but probably not wingspan. If I do tibia then maybe it's possible to take away 2 cm from femurs at the same time?
I wonder who is richer lol, you sublimely mention that you have a Bugatti then you definitely beat me. I like that you're also humble and only paying 10k for a trip, first class ticket alone sometimes cost that much I'll definitely keep my eye out for an Asian with long femurs + Model looking babe when I go to the caribbean,  unless you fly Private of course.

Take away 2 cm? There is absolutely no reason to do that, it will cause for sure problems with the soft tissues as they'll become overlengthened if the bone is shortened and no respectable doctor will do something like that.

Also it is stupid to want another LL and at the same time to want to reduce one segment by 2cm.
LL is not a game and you can't add or lessen a few cm just for fun.
I can't understand how you are rich withoun having common sense in something like LL.
Maybe you heired the money. 

[TIBIKE200]

Being taller in regards of "dating life" helps more than what you can describe, but that is ONLY if height is the missing piece and the one thing you reckon they complain about. I did it all alone, trying to walk perfectly before the end of the month where i'll end up meeting relatives again...Down the stairs is still a problem and a possible "tell"..rest I think I can complain on an injury (not waddling like I did before but still takes time after you stand up from a chair a couple of seconds to walk 60-70 %) On the 6 months mark btw. As long as you're into video games - social video games / netflix I think you will be fine, It definitely helps having other LL partners as well to push yourself etc. Hope this helps blacksheepwall.

"Being taller in regards of "dating life" helps more than what you can describe". How do you know that? You still haven't recovered.

[InferiorityComplex]

Good reply BodyBuilder, hope I can manage 3-4 on my tibs then. Would be cool to see how you are in regards of proportions as you've been talking about a second LL for a long time, what is stopping you?

[InferiorityComplex]

"Being taller in regards of "dating life" helps more than what you can describe". How do you know that? You still haven't recovered.

I haven't recovered? Been having sex with multiple different people and literally gone dating/clubbing almost daily since around Christmas time...I am by no means back to 100% but biking and walking somewhat normal now? Only thing that is really bad is walking DOWN the stairs.

[Body Builder]

Good reply BodyBuilder, hope I can manage 3-4 on my tibs then. Would be cool to see how you are in regards of proportions as you've been talking about a second LL for a long time, what is stopping you?

My proportions are relatively good but to be even better I need femur LL because now my tibias look likg while my femurs not.
So with another LL both my segments will look proportionate compare to each other and although my torso will look short for my feet, my shoulder width will help to look ok.
I know that nked I'd look a little weird but nothing too much. With clothes on I'd look perfect, much better that with my initial height.

The only reason I still don't do femur LL is money.
I believe that in about 2 years I'll have all the money I need (40-50k euros) but unfortunately now I don't have even the half.
If I had the money I'd do LL next week. I am very determined but unfortunately not rich enough.

[OverrideYourGenetics]

DIFM, if you don't mind, if money wasn't a concern, why did you choose 8cm in the femurs ($90k), which is much more difficult to recover from than 6cm, instead of doing Simultaneous Lengthening of tibias+femurs (staggered 3 weeks apart) for $180k?

Looks like DIFM hasn't been around in ~3 weeks, and in the meantime I've read more of his diary, in particular this:

even if the tibia surgery was free, I wouldn't do it. I have the money to do tibia LL right now, but I rather burn the money than go through LL surgery again. It is just not worth it to do LL if you're going to end up in debt or if you're already average height. And I'm writing this because not only am I still in pain, but I just wasted a year of my life for this surgery, and I missed out on a lot of things because of it. If I could go back in time, I'd have told myself to not do it. I wish I had a great recovery like some of the other LL veterans. But I guess I drew the short straw. Too late now for me to undo my mistake. But it's not too late for some of you to reconsider forgetting LL and moving on with your life.

That doesn't address my question - why didn't DIFM do the two surgeries simultaneously, and lengthen only 6cm in the femurs and 5 in the tibias? That's more than the 8cm he got in the femurs, and the recovery would've been much better if he stopped at 6 in the femurs. Pain wouldn't be double - most of it would overlap. Less time would've been lost as well. He'd look more proportional. I still don't understand why he chose to do femurs only. Maybe he didn't know/think of the femurs+tibias option?