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[Stripes]

Hello friends,

I apologize for my very long absence, a lot has been happening since I had my nail surgery. Not to worry, though, all good things - for the most part.

Let’s begin with the nail surgery. It was successful and quick, I was awake for this one and got to see the doctors at work. It was a weird experience seeing my own blood on the scrubs of the surgeons and being able to see the back and forth movement as they hammered in the nail.

The doctors warned me before the surgery that because I still did have some muscles contractors (ballerina) that there was a possibility that inserting the nail could result in losing some height. I went through with the surgery anyways, and thank whoever needs to be thanked that I didn’t lose any height but it seems I may have gained half a cm or more.

For a several days after the surgery, I felt some pain in my right leg - and wasn’t able to fully extend it. What was strange about this, is that my right leg had been my good leg and didn’t have any ballerina. The doctors later explained that the bone canal in my right leg was narrower than in my left, and so it took longer for them to insert the nail in that leg and some of the surrounding tissue was bruised in the process. They assured me that it was nothing to worry about and that I would be fine in a few more days, and I was.

I had to stay in the hospital for ten days, they would inject antibiotics (to prevent any internal infection or the body rejecting the nail) through an IV, twice. Once in the morning and once at night. I ended up feeling really ill from all the anti-biotics and developed really painful mouth sores. It sucked, but two weeks after getting the nail I was ready to leave Russia and FINALLY go home.

My walking after the nail was much worse than it was before I got the nail. Before I had gotten the nail, I was walking really fast and could walk without crutches - but for a few weeks afterward, I was walking really slow and couldn’t walk very far without support. The nails are not meant to carry more than 50% of your body weight, and I had to be very careful about this because having the nails break or the screws come lose could be big trouble. Luckily, at that point, it had been months since I had last lengthened and my bones were in pretty good shape so I didn’t need to worry about it too much. An update before we go further, I’m walking fantastic now and can walk and stand quite a bit without crutches as long as I have shoes on and don’t need to go far or fast.

Okay, so now let’s talking about what happened when I got home - saw my family and friends and settled into life in my own country.

Seeing my family was, of course, wonderful and I was just so happy to be home. It amazed me how fast I adjusted back to life in a matter of days. It felt as if I had never left, and that my time in Russia was a million years away.

It was interesting to compare myself to my dad who was once my height, every time I see him it reminds me of why I needed to do this. When I stand beside him, I definitely feel much taller. Everyone seems much smaller to me now, and people that I once considered tall are completely average.

As for my friends.. the ones who knew me the best and saw me often without lifts were amazed. They all agree that I look much better and that I made the right decision in going. Seeing my ex-girlfriend who used to be the same height as me, was probably the most rewarding feeling.. having her look up at me and say wow as she hugged me made all of this so worth it.

I have to tell you guys that I honestly feel so much happier now… all my interactions with people are so much better and the attention I'm getting from girls is just unreal. I don’t feel uncomfortable around anyone or anywhere I go and that includes bars and clubs which I used to avoid with a burning passion.

For the first time in possibly.. ever in my life, I genuinely feel real comfort with myself. It’s such a beautiful feeling not to hate yourself for something you can’t control. I can finally focus on being who I want to be and doing what I want to do, without thinking about my height and how it gets in the way of who I want to be.

There are still a ton of people who haven’t noticed anything, actually most people that I have seen haven’t said anything - but I have a few theories. 1. I used to wear very heavy lifts, and most people never saw me without them. 2. People don’t notice height as much as we all think they do, and when they do, they forget about it pretty quickly after they get to know you for your other qualities. 3. If people have noticed, they haven’t said anything because I’m still on crutches and they’re often more focused on that.

The other day a girl who was 5’5 called me tall.. and it was such a good feeling. My best friend who I'm the same height as now and who I was MUCH smaller than before, couldn’t stop telling me how crazy it was to see me at this height. So for me, I would 100% say this entire experience with all of its crappy downs and hard times, was so worth it in the end.

As for what’s going on with me now physically. I still have some ballerina, and I went to see a physiotherapist that told me that my muscles were way too tight now for them to be able to do anything to help me and that I was likely going to have to do a surgery on my muscles to get it fixed.. that’s probably the only way I'll walk normally again, because right now I’m still using crutches to walk long distances and I need to have shoes on to be able to walk without crutches. I don’t feel any pain, but of course, it gets tiring to walk for very long distances or to stand for too long.

As for what I tell people about my crutches, I told them I got into a car accident while I was away.

For those that have been messaging me on here, I’m sorry for not responding. I really never go on this forum anymore as I never think about height anymore. I have spent a lot of time on this forum, before and during my procedure.. and I just don’t feel like I'm in the same place anymore to frequent it…

but bring on the questions while I'm here. and for those who haven’t been reading but are wondering, it’s been 1 year and two weeks since I did my first surgery and almost 2 months since I got the nail.

[fujitora]

Congrats man! I'm glad you're enjoying the new height.

[Whereintheworld?]

You mentioned that your doctor advised you against further lengthening at around 7 months since your bones had already consolidated too much. With that said, at the 10 month mark I imagine they were nearly consolidated to the point where you may have only needed another month or two before frame removal. What was the point of having the nail inserted then? Were you just eager to get back home? Doctor's advice?
One of the major reasons I chose externals was the prospect of not having an additional surgery down the road (nail/rod removal).

-I'm glad things are going well for you.

[Bigpoppapump]

Congratulations

What was your length gained and your final height?

[Peaceout]

Congratz man.How tall are you now?

[ibuse]

Hi Stripes, I'm compiling a list of things to buy now. Do you still think the Kneehab device was useful after having gone through all of this? Also, I think you've mentioned this to me before, but are the soft splints more for during lengthening? I'm assuming no since they would never reach past the pins. I haven't really noticed anything with them, even with additional padding. But I think you and some others said that would be the case if the flexibility is already good (though I am double-jointed, so that could be why). I did buy a pro-stretch though and love it. I have the adjustable one and use it everyday. I do feel a stretching sensation when I use it, but only for the first two 30 second reps. I'm hoping I can bring it with me if I go to Russia.

[Basil Halkias]

Hi. how are you now? write please. i want to know

[Stripes]

You mentioned that your doctor advised you against further lengthening at around 7 months since your bones had already consolidated too much. With that said, at the 10 month mark I imagine they were nearly consolidated to the point where you may have only needed another month or two before frame removal. What was the point of having the nail inserted then? Were you just eager to get back home? Doctor's advice?
One of the major reasons I chose externals was the prospect of not having an additional surgery down the road (nail/rod removal).

-I'm glad things are going well for you.

Good question... the thing with regeneration is that it's completely different for everyone. I didn't want to wait any longer.. being there for nearly 11 months had nearly driven me crazy by that point. Another 2 months was not guaranteed, it easily could have been another 3 or 4 months if my regeneration slowed down. Also, the nail offers much more stability and for me it just made more sense to get the nail, that way I could go home quicker and also start walking on my own without worrying.

There is a guy that is still at the clinic who has been there for 1 year and 6 months and is still trying to regenerate. He's around 48 now, so that has a lot to do with it. He walks every day for hours and has a strict stretching regime and takes lots of supplements and vitamins.. but he is also a pescetarian which I suspect is part of the reason. I hope he'll be regenerate fully soon because he deserves to get back to his life. This is a pattern with older patients doing illizarov, it takes a very long time to regenerate in comparison to younger guys. Younger guys up until 30 are able to regenerate much quicker..

My advice is to go with the nail if you can. Many people want to avoid it because they think it's risky and want to avoid a second surgery, but in my experience, it was well worth the decision. I think the risk of complications is much larger when you don't get the nail because of how easily the bone can get bowed without the support. You will lose a lot of weight during this process and when you go back home, you will gain a lot of it back.. in addition to all the walking you'll be doing and how anxious you'll be to get back to normal life, it's all too easy to put additional stress and weight on your legs.. just look at RGKEY. I believe it might be happening to another patient that I'm speaking to, that wasn't willing to wait another 2-3 months after he had already been there for 13 months. He didn't get the nail and thinks he might be developing X legs.. it's been 4 months since he removed the frames and he's gained some weight and has been walking like any other normal person.. thinks he's lost some height because of it as well..

Anyways, having done the nail surgery.. my life has gone back to pretty much normal. I still have some aches and pains here and there, and sometimes I don't walk as well.. but I'm no longer using crutches... Still have some trouble getting up and down stairs without using the railing, but otherwise, everything is good. Am I back to 100%? Not even close. 100% means I'm running and jumping around.. that's not the case. My friends still walk much faster than me while walking a regular pace... it's still obvious some morning that "I was injured" and walking without shoes is still a little uncomfortable. I think with time i'll get much better, but I also have had no time to exercise or stretch which really is a big mistake on my part.

Congratz man.How tall are you now?

174-175 without shoes. With shoes around 177-178

Congratulations

What was your length gained and your final height?

Gained about 8 CM

Hi Stripes, I'm compiling a list of things to buy now. Do you still think the Kneehab device was useful after having gone through all of this? Also, I think you've mentioned this to me before, but are the soft splints more for during lengthening? I'm assuming no since they would never reach past the pins. I haven't really noticed anything with them, even with additional padding. But I think you and some others said that would be the case if the flexibility is already good (though I am double-jointed, so that could be why). I did buy a pro-stretch though and love it. I have the adjustable one and use it everyday. I do feel a stretching sensation when I use it, but only for the first two 30 second reps. I'm hoping I can bring it with me if I go to Russia.

The kneehab device is something that is a luxury device, if you can afford it and know you will commit to using it, then yes it's very useful and will get you up and walking much faster.. It's not a necessity though. Walking is the main key.

The soft spints are to be used before the surgery... if you can't feel them, you need to tighten them more.. I would try putting them on, and then trying to touch your toes.. believe me you'll feel them. If you can't feel a stretch, you need to stretch harder. I would HIGHLY recommend doing yoga during the months leading up to surgery, if you can get a membership at a studio then do it!!!!!! The Pro-Stretch is a great tool, keep using it as much as you can.. but try to do as many stretches as you can find on the internet..

--

Now that it's been 1 year 4 months since my first surgery.. and 4-5 months since I returned back home.. I can honestly say that this was 100% worth it for me. I very rarely think about height anymore and have been able to return to a normal life. Futher, I feel like I've been able to work on a lot of personal issues that I never realized stemmed from my height insecurity even from an early age.. although I'm not a completely different person now, I am much more motivated and confident. My life is in a much better place than it was before.. and it's only been a few months now. I think a lot of it also had to do with my time away from home and the experiences I had in Russia.. it was a tough year for me, but it made me much stronger and I learned a lot about myself. I had a lot of time to think about life and that to me was just as valuable in a sense. As for others, some people notice and others don't. For sure I get more attention from girls now.. but I'm also more confident and am taking better care of myself.. the way I think about height is different now too.. when I see shorter guys, I don't really feel bad for them or see them as less the way I did when I was short as well.. I really think a lot of that is in our own heads because it's our biggest insecurity and we think other people care about it as much as we do. I think people see height the same way they see any other feature, the acknowledge it - and they move on to who you are as a person.

I get a lot of messages asking if this was worth it.. and my opinion is that it depends on who you are and what you're willing to give up. If you want to remain an athlete or love hiking and see those activities as a priority over height, then no. This is not the surgery for you, at least not the illizarov method. If you're willing to understand that you're taking some risks here and that it will take a long time to recover.. then it is absolutely worth it, if height means that much to you. You'll see a lot of stuff on here about completing the surgery within 9 months.. it is possible but i've only seen two people do it. Those two people both got the nail. Those two people also were very athletic and very committed to walking and stretching and eating right. They were also fairly young. 

Good luck.

[egocentrical]

Do you think you could of been done sooner or do you feel that you did everything you could to optimize getting better?

[Stripes]

Do you think you could of been done sooner or do you feel that you did everything you could to optimize getting better?

Yes, many things.

1. I got lazy very early on.
2. I got caught up in girls and the social life at the clinic.
3. I got distracted by personal problems at home.

4. I did not stretch everyday.
5. I did not walk everyday.
6. I got lazy with my supplements.

Had I had a planned and strict stretching routine everyday, that I timed and tracked.. I would have avoided the complications I faced and left much earlier. Also if I had walked at least two hours a day, I would have left earlier and been walking faster and better earlier.

What I HIGHLY recommend you bring with you is:

1. A stop watch. Anything you can click quickly to start and stop. Also anything that you can to countdown from a certain time.. obviously your phone will have these features but I recommend buying a separate tool that is dedicated only to timing. Believe me.
 
2. A paper journal - so that you can track how much time you've spent stretching and walking and see how much progress you've made. This is also very useful for writing down how much you've turned in a day and other notes you will want to keep track of about your lengthening and routine. I would recommend buying more than one to have better organization, but everyone will have their own method. Write these things down, do not use your phone!

I didn't use these above tools but I really wish I did. Others at the clinic used these types of systems and their recovery was miles ahead of mine. It kept them motivated and it kept them on top of their routines.

And my biggest recommendation of all especially if you go to barinovs clinic: USE THE FOOT HOLDERS THEY GIVE YOU EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY THAT YOU POSSIBLY CAN. WHENEVER YOU ARE IN BED OR ARE IN THE GYM, USE THE FOOTHOLDERS!

No matter how flimsy and annoying they are, USE THEM. They will come off a million times and it will take a million tries to put them back on, and you'll prick your fingers during the process but believe me those stupid white footholders will save you so much time, money and stress. By that I mean they'll prevent ballerina which means you can achieve more height, avoid complications, leave quicker and heal better. Do not fool yourself into thinking you are the exception and that your legs are pretty flexible or that because you are athletic that you will not get ballerina. Everyone gets ballerina. You want to do EVERYTHING you can to prevent it from happening early and from getting worse once you see signs of it. Ballerina is the fastest way to cut your lengthening journey short. 

REMEMBER THIS: BEFORE YOU DO THE SURGERY: ASK THE OTHER LIMB LENGTHENING PATIENTS TO HELP YOU BUY THE VELCRO STRAPS FOR THE FOOTHOLDERS.

This will replace the strings that are attached with the foot holders which are VERY poorly made and made putting the foot holder on very difficult. They also can not be tightened too much and once you lengthen past a certain amount, they are useless because the strings get too short. BUY THE VELCRO STRAPS BEFORE YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!!! write this down somewhere so that you do not forget.

[Stripes]

I also want to note for those who are reading my last couple of updates but are unfamiliar with this thread and don't want to read my entire journal...

it is a long journal, but I have made the effort to document my journey in detail from before, during and after so that anyone planning on doing externals.. knows exactly what to expect and learns from my many mistakes. I also made the effort to make the moderators delete comments and questions from other members  for most of my journal so that it's an easy reading experience for you guys.

I really wish I had read a journal like this before I went on my journey so that I didn't make so many of the mistakes I made and so that I was better prepared for the harsh reality of this procedure. In addition to journal entries about my experiences as they were happening, I also posted a few REFLECTION posts during my time, where I reflected on height, insecurities, ideas about proportions and other things that were going through my mind throughout my journey.

I hope that this journal, as up and down as it was - serves to be a valuable resource to anyone that hopes to lengthen. I encourage you to read it again while you are going through the process or are in the hospital as there will be many things that you will have forgotten or overlooked. I went back to many of the journals I had read before my journey and realized how much I could have learned from them if I had read them over again while I was actually lengthening rather than just before.

Cheers and keep the questions coming while I'm still here if you have any.

[Sibirsky]

Hey Stripes! I'd just like to say that your diary was one of the most entertaining diary I read during and before my journey. Your journal was one of the main reasons I decided to contribute back to the community so that we can continue the chain of good deeds on the forum.

I couldn't help but to draw parallels between your journey and mine; we both lengthened with externals and had LATN later, we both added 8 cm. Except my entire lengthening process was about 2-3 process total. Because of my high rate of lengthening I developed some tingling and slight numbness in my feet. So I just wanted to ask whether you have and/or still have such symptoms? From what I've read from journals, parasthesia is a temporary minor complication of lengthening, but I just wanted to hear your thoughts on this

Cheers to you, Stripes!

[Stripes]

Hey Stripes! I'd just like to say that your diary was one of the most entertaining diary I read during and before my journey. Your journal was one of the main reasons I decided to contribute back to the community so that we can continue the chain of good deeds on the forum.

I couldn't help but to draw parallels between your journey and mine; we both lengthened with externals and had LATN later, we both added 8 cm. Except my entire lengthening process was about 2-3 process total. Because of my high rate of lengthening I developed some tingling and slight numbness in my feet. So I just wanted to ask whether you have and/or still have such symptoms? From what I've read from journals, parasthesia is a temporary minor complication of lengthening, but I just wanted to hear your thoughts on this

Cheers to you, Stripes!

Hello Sibirsky!

Thanks for the kind words

Do you mean to say you lengthened 8 cm in 2-3 weeks?! That's crazy but awesome if you don't have any complications!

I know the sensation you're talking about, it's very normal. It's because of the nerves lengthening, you deal with it more as you lengthen in the higher numbers.. it'll go away eventually, although it's very uncomfortable. It's nothing to worry about though, I had it for a couple of months and you will too before it goes away.

I'm really impressed that you achieved what you achieved in the time frame that you did.. I'm going to go read your journal, I'm super curious about how things went for you!

[crusader1980]

Hi Stripes, thanks for the journal man definitley read a thing or two in here that I plan to use during my recovery.  I had a couple questions, first being what exactly is a footholder, and how would it compare to the soft splint?  Also how early post op can you begin using it? 

Cheers

[Stripes]

Hi Stripes, thanks for the journal man definitley read a thing or two in here that I plan to use during my recovery.  I had a couple questions, first being what exactly is a footholder, and how would it compare to the soft splint?  Also how early post op can you begin using it? 

Cheers

Hello Crusader,

A foot holder is very similar to the soft splint expect it uses the frames as support to pull on the foot. At Barinov's clinic it's a rectangular piece of wood that's a little bigger than your foot, covered in a plastic material and has two ropes that loop around on both ends. The ropes or "strings" are used to hook on the top of the frames, and when tightened raise the foot and in turn stretch the calf muscles.

I've attached a photo here that shows the velcro straps that I was referring to earlier (these replace the weaker ropes). You can see that they wrap around the foot (under the foot is the wooden foot holder, its not visible here) and come up and wrap around the top front of the frame. When you tighten the velcro strap, it pulls on the foot holder - very similar to how the soft splint works - but much stronger.

You can and should use the foot holder immediately after you wake up from surgery and are able to. It should be used from day 1 until the day you remove the frames. At Barinov's clinic they will provide this to you before you go in for surgery and will show you how to use it.. if they forget to do this, remind them. DO NOT FORGET TO BUY THE VELCRO STRAPS BEFORE YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL. This is not provided by the clinic, the patients at the clinic buy these straps from a tailor who custom makes them. They are cheap, just ask one of the limb lengthening patients to call the tailor for you.

If you are not at Barinov's clinic and are doing externals, ask your doctor if they have any devices like the foot holder that you can use.. if they don't have one, I would strongly suggest making one.


A photo showing the velcro straps attached to the frames and foot holder.

[Bander72]

I'm going to barinov if I do external. How long do you think it would take me for 4 cm if I am dedicated and do latn.

[Stripes]

I'm going to barinov if I do external. How long do you think it would take me for 4 cm if I am dedicated and do latn.

For 4 CM, you'll only need to lengthen for 1 month & 1 week. I would say for you to get the initial surgery, lengthen and then get the nail you would spend about 3 months.

You will have to wait 10 days after the first surgery to start turning. If you turn 1MM a day, it will take you 40 days to lengthen. That's about 1 month and 20 days from initial surgery. That's if you don't have to stop turning for any reason - but you might take a few days off because of pain or just to let your legs rest. I would assume that Barinov would make you wait at least one month after you're done lengthening to do the nail surgery. Then you will need to stay in the hospital for 10 days. In the best case scenario that's 90 days. He might let you do the surgery in two weeks instead of a month, but it all depends. I would go for 5CM if your goal is to get to 180. That's 10 extra days of lengthening. 5 is in the safe area, it'll still be easy for you to do as long as you keep up with your stretches and walking. After that is where you run into limitations. For the amount you want to do, I would definitely go with external LATN.

[Bander72]

Ah man 3 months seem to long for 4 cm. I wonder if he would let me do the nail surgery in two weeks.

[Stripes]

Ah man 3 months seem to long for 4 cm. I wonder if he would let me do the nail surgery in two weeks.

Well, you want to be healthy and back to normal don't you? LL is one of if not the most dangerous cosmetic surgeries being practiced. You want to grow two inches.. the fact that you can even do that in three months is incredible. I have to remind you, this isn't like trying to lose weight before prom or get a six pack before summer. You're breaking your bones in four places, drilling pins through them and then pulling the bones away from one another while pulling on the muscles, tendons and nerves.

Then you're cutting below your knees, cutting to reveal the bone and then drilling through the top of your tibia and having a long titanium rod literally hammered through until it reaches the bottom. That is A LOT of trauma to your body, believe me 3 months is not too long if you want to be safe. Either way, two weeks is very possible but I'll remind you that an extra two weeks means absolutely nothing when you consider everything else.

[cole slaws]

Hi stripes, how much did you lengthen daily and do you have any other side effects of lengthening? Also, are there ways to avoid needle painkillers/epidural?

[Bron]

Stripes,

I have messages to you, hopefully you're doing well and will have time to reply bro

[Stripes]

Update:

Got curious to see what’s up here while sitting at the gym. Got reminded of it because I saw my scars in the mirror and realized I haven’t really thought about the surgery or my year away for almost a month or more. It’s crazy how something that was once the only thing I could think about is just a distant memory.

I’m doing well, really well. Sometimes I will feel a little pain here and there but it’s very rarely. I’m sorry to read about RGKEY, for those that have messaged me asking about my opinion about Barinov now - I don’t know. The only thing I can really say is, if you do this surgery - get the nail. Everyone that went to Barinov who got the nail is completely fine and happy with their life.. the guys that went without the nail, they all have regrets. If I could do it again, I would still go with Barinov. That’s just my experience though.

I’m really happy I did the surgery, it was easily the best decision I ever made.

Cheers everyone, best of luck.

[Android]

Update:

Got curious to see what’s up here while sitting at the gym. Got reminded of it because I saw my scars in the mirror and realized I haven’t really thought about the surgery or my year away for almost a month or more. It’s crazy how something that was once the only thing I could think about is just a distant memory.

I’m doing well, really well. Sometimes I will feel a little pain here and there but it’s very rarely. I’m sorry to read about RGKEY, for those that have messaged me asking about my opinion about Barinov now - I don’t know. The only thing I can really say is, if you do this surgery - get the nail. Everyone that went to Barinov who got the nail is completely fine and happy with their life.. the guys that went without the nail, they all have regrets. If I could do it again, I would still go with Barinov. That’s just my experience though.

I’m really happy I did the surgery, it was easily the best decision I ever made.

Cheers everyone, best of luck.

Thanks for the update Stripes, it's great to hear that you're doing well. It's nice to hear that you just don't think about height or the surgeries anymore -- must be freeing.

[ibuse]

That is reassuring. Because I'm here now and am days away from being finished with lengthening, haha (at 7.4 cm now). It seems like just yesterday when I first spoke to you about the surgery. Hopefully I'll be able to get the nail soon and join your ranks of recovering at home. Thanks again for all of your advice. This is one of the most accurate Barinov journals out there. Every pain you described was spot on. Some of these journals tend to make things seem easy and predictable. After everything I've seen, it seems like most things boil down to genetics and luck. But one thing I've noticed is every champion here uses the foot-holders like you said.

[Stripes]

That is reassuring. Because I'm here now and am days away from being finished with lengthening, haha (at 7.4 cm now). It seems like just yesterday when I first spoke to you about the surgery. Hopefully I'll be able to get the nail soon and join your ranks of recovering at home. Thanks again for all of your advice. This is one of the most accurate Barinov journals out there. Every pain you described was spot on. Some of these journals tend to make things seem easy and predictable. After everything I've seen, it seems like most things boil down to genetics and luck. But one thing I've noticed is every champion here uses the foot-holders like you said.

Hey Ibuse!

Wow man, really happy to hear all this! Glad you went through with it and that things are going well. Haha, it was painful for sure but nothing unbearable - once you're done lengthening dude, it's all smooth sailing... the worst pain is the stage you're at right now, the 7cm mark. Make sure by the way, that you actually lengthened 7.4.. the X-Rays there are scaled and the prints come out zoomed 10%. Measuring the print with a ruler might not actually be accurate and it's possible that it's showing you an extra 1 CM.. Find out from the X-ray clinic how much they're zooming in..

You're right about what you said about some of the other journals, a lot of what's on this forum is exaggerated or played down. What you experience when you actually go through the process is so different than what you read about. Hope you're enjoying Russia, miss that place.

[Thatdude950]

Gratz on the positive outcome, every other diary seems to be a disaster.

Can we see some vids showing your mobility and athleticism?

[Stripes]

Gratz on the positive outcome, every other diary seems to be a disaster.

Can we see some vids showing your mobility and athleticism?

Yes, that's a good idea. I'll try to record something soon.

[ibuse]

Yes, the measuring has me on edge. I've been tracking myself on the stadiometer and comparing it to barinov's tape measure reading from a while back. I'm hoping to get above 7 cm at least (though 7.5+ would be better). In turns, I've done 9.7 cm! It's crazy how much I had to make up for thanks to pin bending. But yeah, I don't trust the x-rays at all when it comes to measurements.

[th]

stripes - 'to say those who went without the nail, they all have regrets...' is absolute nonsense - not everyone who went to volgograd writes a diary - i had external and absolutely no regrets whatsoever - i had safe lengthening and a great time - you should not make blanket statements like this...external is the safest way...(though not the quickest)

[Stripes]

stripes - 'to say those who went without the nail, they all have regrets...' is absolute nonsense - not everyone who went to volgograd writes a diary - i had external and absolutely no regrets whatsoever - i had safe lengthening and a great time - you should not make blanket statements like this...external is the safest way...(though not the quickest)

You’re right, I should clarify that I meant the patients that I met and spoke to that have completed the process. I’m not speaking for everyone - some patients who are still in the recovery period now are happy with their results without the nail. Of course I’m very aware that very few people that went to Volgograd actually write journals, in fact the vast majority of people that do this surgery never write a thing about it anywhere. What I was trying to say is that the patients that I was with that didn’t get the nail have mentioned either regrets because of how much longer the recovery was or because of complications they had afterwards because of the bone still being soft. Everyone’s experience is different, for me pure externals aren’t necessarily safer as of all the people I know that got the  nail - only one person had 1 small complication that was fixed shortly after - with pure externals I know of 3 issues related to soft bone movement.

[Bron]

hi stripes!

I'm happy to know that you're doing well, it's very assuring to hear from you that you don't have any regrets with doing LL and it's the best decision you made in your life, I'm planning to go to barinov this coming January and hopefully catch ibuse and other LLers who's in there now as we're in constant comminication. I have some few questions tho:

1. I assume that you still have the nails in your legs, is it weight bearing? I mean let's say you want to lift some weights in the gym specially that you want to gain the mass that you lose in the process, would it be possible?
2. If I can remember it correctly you lengthen 8cm and some of the LLers with Barinov lengthen more than that, you think it's safe? I also want to lengthen atleast 8cm but most of the people in this forum are quite against it.
3. What do you think of your proportion?
4. How's your scars?
5. Are you walking normally now? how many weeks/months can you walk normally after inserting the nail?

again I'm very happy to know that you're doing well, your diary and prince's are two of my favorites, hope you can keep updating it once in awhile, hope you can send a photo and video of you walking! haha, cheers stripes and enjoy your new height!