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[Madmax_01]

As I have mentioned in one of my posts before, I am considering LL for femurs (now measuring: 1,62; about +- 8 cm). I am a full time student, so I would a lot of peers around me post-OP and post-LL, and I am wondering what to tell them after LL. I am now wearing elevators (2 cm) and after the surgery I would take them out. Do you think a height difference would be noticeable after that?
I was thinking to tell them something about, that I found out that my growth plates were still open, so my endocrinologist tried to give me some hormones and voila it kind of worked. But then again, after summer break If I come with a weird walking style, that story does not sounds very plausible. So, i thought I should tell something about repairing bow legs, and that the doctors said I should do it. I ABSOLUTELY know, that this should be my last worry of all the other things to worry about (healing, walking, recovery, pain etc.) but it is still a big deal I guess. Because we dont want anybody to find out.

Another topic is the height elevator thing. Cause after LL you should be over this height neurosis thing, I kind of considered to not wear those height elevators again. But on the other hand, it would still boost my height a little more. What do you guys think on that?

[Deads]

As I have mentioned in one of my posts before, I am considering LL for femurs (now measuring: 1,62; about +- 8 cm). I am a full time student, so I would a lot of peers around me post-OP and post-LL, and I am wondering what to tell them after LL. I am now wearing elevators (2 cm) and after the surgery I would take them out. Do you think a height difference would be noticeable after that?
I was thinking to tell them something about, that I found out that my growth plates were still open, so my endocrinologist tried to give me some hormones and voila it kind of worked. But then again, after summer break If I come with a weird walking style, that story does not sounds very plausible. So, i thought I should tell something about repairing bow legs, and that the doctors said I should do it. I ABSOLUTELY know, that this should be my last worry of all the other things to worry about (healing, walking, recovery, pain etc.) but it is still a big deal I guess. Because we dont want anybody to find out.

Another topic is the height elevator thing. Cause after LL you should be over this height neurosis thing, I kind of considered to not wear those height elevators again. But on the other hand, it would still boost my height a little more. What do you guys think on that?

You're already 6"7... No one will notice that you're taller.

Growth plates... No haha. That will just be insulting people's intelligence. Their next question will be, "why in the hell did you get hormone therapy at 6"7". Defeats the whole purpose of lying about it in the first place.. Just say you had corrective surgery. That's at least a half truth.

[Madmax_01]

If you mean 6'7'' -> I am 1,62 cm, so 5'3'' I guess. So just to correct that  And I am in my early-20's.

Yeah right, but I have heard of some cases, that there are men who are growing in their late 20's.

[Uppland]

Are you 2m or 1.62m?

[Deads]

If you mean 6'7'' -> I am 1,62 cm, so 5'3'' I guess. So just to correct that  And I am in my early-20's.

Yeah right, but I have heard of some cases, that there are men who are growing in their late 20's.

Sorry dude. I got you mixed up with another member on here who is 6"7 haha.

[Deads]

So to re-answer your questions.. Yes 8cm will be noticeable (for anyone who isn't a giant haha) and if you don't want people to know about the procedure, just come up with something simple.

[DoingItForMe]

You're most likely going to be gone for 6 months doing this surgery. Nobody will remember your height after 6 months. Wear some higher shoe lifts prior to the surgery to ease them into it further if you care that much about what your peers think. But keep in mind that a lot of times, you will lose touch with your school friends except for the occasional online chat or random hangout. This means that it doesn't matter what they think of your height. Soon you'll be at work and only care about what coworkers think about you or whatever so-and-so new person you meet.

[Madmax_01]

I am 1,62. 

So to re-answer your questions.. Yes 8cm will be noticeable (for anyone who isn't a giant haha) and if you don't want people to know about the procedure, just come up with something simple.

What do you mean by something simple?

You're most likely going to be gone for 6 months doing this surgery. Nobody will remember your height after 6 months. Wear some higher shoe lifts prior to the surgery to ease them into it further if you care that much about what your peers think. But keep in mind that a lot of times, you will lose touch with your school friends except for the occasional online chat or random hangout. This means that it doesn't matter what they think of your height. Soon you'll be at work and only care about what coworkers think about you or whatever so-and-so new person you meet.

That is some good advice. Yes, you are right, but I am in grad school, so it is very likely that I will be together with my peers approximately 4 1/2 more years, and I definetly do not want them to know.

My summer break is about 3-4 months, so I want to fit in my schedule there.

[Alu]

3-4 Months is only good enough to lengthen. Not enough to consolidate and recover your gait. If I were you and had to chose between Grad school and LL I have 2 choices:

1) Forget LL for now and simply finish grad school then do LL.
2)Take a year off or a semester to do LL.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I would advise you not to do LL unless you're starting a whole new life afterwards.  That was the case for me.  I have none of the same friends, co-workers, or anyone else that I did previously.  People will notice that you're 3 inches taller and will wonder why.

[DoingItForMe]

I had the impression that you were about to graduate. I normally advise people to get LL when they're younger because they heal faster and possibly better. But keep in mind that after 3 months of lengthening, you will be in crutches or a wheelchair for 3 more months. You can tell people that it's for some other reason. But the 3 inch increase is noticeable and not believable if it happens within 3-4 months. All signs will point to LL. You will get caught by at least one person. Whether that's a big deal or not to you is up to you to decide. But those are the facts. 3 inches is a significant increase even if it doesn't sound like it. I've stood next to people at my old height before and now they're below eye level. That's almost impossible to cover up unless you plan on hunching over to talk to shorter people.

Almost no explanation, bowlegs or whatever would explain a 3 inch increase. Perhaps if your bowlegs were major, then it would make sense. But I think people would know if you had major bowlegs before.

[Madmax_01]

I had the impression that you were about to graduate. I normally advise people to get LL when they're younger because they heal faster and possibly better. But keep in mind that after 3 months of lengthening, you will be in crutches or a wheelchair for 3 more months.

I plan to do my operation with Dr. Guichet, and the most diaries I have read with him, is that his patients walk without crutches a few weeks Post-OP. So, if he tells me I have to be in a wheelchair for about 3 months, that would not be an option for me. With neither doctor.

That is a very important issue you are pointing out here. But for me, I do not think I would start a complete new social life after LL.

All signs will point to LL. You will get caught by at least one person. Whether that's a big deal or not to you is up to you to decide. But those are the facts. 3 inches is a significant increase even if it doesn't sound like it. I've stood next to people at my old height before and now they're below eye level. That's almost impossible to cover up unless you plan on hunching over to talk to shorter people.
Almost no explanation, bowlegs or whatever would explain a 3 inch increase. Perhaps if your bowlegs were major, then it would make sense. But I think people would know if you had major bowlegs before.

Thanks for the reality check, but I do have to tell that now I wear height lifting shoes. So my 3 inch gain, would be more like a 2-inchish gain. Still noticeable right? Does it make a difference that most of my peers (even girls) are taller than me. So looking down on shorter people would not be that of an issue.

Mhm, do you think so many people know about LL?

And what about my idea with the open growth plates and the hormones -- but that would not explain my altered gait.
Damn, I am really frustrated now.

[Deads]

I plan to do my operation with Dr. Guichet, and the most diaries I have read with him, is that his patients walk without crutches a few weeks Post-OP. So, if he tells me I have to be in a wheelchair for about 3 months, that would not be an option for me. With neither doctor.

That is a very important issue you are pointing out here. But for me, I do not think I would start a complete new social life after LL.

Thanks for the reality check, but I do have to tell that now I wear height lifting shoes. So my 3 inch gain, would be more like a 2-inchish gain. Still noticeable right? Does it make a difference that most of my peers (even girls) are taller than me. So looking down on shorter people would not be that of an issue.

Mhm, do you think so many people know about LL?

And what about my idea with the open growth plates and the hormones -- but that would not explain my altered gait.
Damn, I am really frustrated now.

If you're comfortable with the hormone story, go with it.. Though, I don't see the point in lying about gaining height with the procedure if you're just going to tell them that you gained height with hormones anyway.

[Madmax_01]

So you think I have to decide first if I want to cover it up completely or just be open about the height gain (just not telling them LL) ?
I see your point. I havent figured out yet, which strategy I would pursue, but telling them LL would be something which directly leads to my neurosis. I mean lets be honest, LL is a cosmetic procedure, which is not fully accepted in society (nose jobs, breast augmentations etc.). These are things also people wish To have them as they want by nature, but getting your legs broken - that is another level, which 99% would not understand.

The hormone thing has a more "medical touch" than a cosmetic. Could I explain myself?

[KiloKAHN]

It might not be as bad as you might think. I have a cousin who gave me a lot of crap for doing this procedure, but I showed him a video of my surgeon performing an HTO and told him the process was similar to it. After seeing how bloody and painful it looked, he said "Damn dude, you've got balls" and I've yet to get any flak from him once more. Being at a lower starting height, you may even get more sympathetic comments of "it's understandable why you'd do it" rather than the more negative comments.

I'm of the opinion that the lower the starting height, the more any height increase is going to stand out to other people. Three inches will absolutely be noticeable and it's something that you'll have to explain at some point if people who knew you before surgery ask you about it.

[programdude]

8 CM height is a lot.

My basic observations is:

Everyone notices I'm taller.

No one notices how.

[goldenegg]

I plan to do my operation with Dr. Guichet, and the most diaries I have read with him, is that his patients walk without crutches a few weeks Post-OP. So, if he tells me I have to be in a wheelchair for about 3 months, that would not be an option for me. With neither doctor.

That's not true anymore.  I think Dr. Guichet has gotten more conservative on this aspect.  Every patient I lengthened with this past summer was on crutches at least until the end of lengthening.  I was on crutches much longer than others after finishing lengthening due to my slow bone consolidation.

[Madmax_01]

How long were you on crutches if I may ask? If I plan to stop lenghtening in the begin/-mid of August, is it realistic that I could resume my studies in the beginning of october 16'? I would be standing a few hours (3-4 hours) in October due to my lab classes.

[goldenegg]

How long were you on crutches if I may ask? If I plan to stop lenghtening in the begin/-mid of August, is it realistic that I could resume my studies in the beginning of october 16'? I would be standing a few hours (3-4 hours) in October due to my lab classes.

including lengthening, I was on crutches for almost 6 months, but I also had the slowest consolidation by far compared to other patients.  unless you run into complications or your consolidation is like mine, it's possible you can get back to school in that time frame.  standing should be ok, though your legs may be still weak.  your walking may still still be weird too.  In general though, I think it's good to be extra conservative when it comes to LL timelines because they usually run longer than planned for one reason or another. 

[Madmax_01]

including lengthening, I was on crutches for almost 6 months, but I also had the slowest consolidation by far compared to other patients.  unless you run into complications or your consolidation is like mine, it's possible you can get back to school in that time frame.  standing should be ok, though your legs may be still weak.  your walking may still still be weird too.  In general though, I think it's good to be extra conservative when it comes to LL timelines because they usually run longer than planned for one reason or another.

Thank you for your detailed answer! May I ask you if you could determine the factor, why it took so long - was it an age factor f.e. ?

[Sweden]

I would advise you not to do LL unless you're starting a whole new life afterwards.  That was the case for me.  I have none of the same friends, co-workers, or anyone else that I did previously.  People will notice that you're 3 inches taller and will wonder why.

Eactly this.

Everyone will notice.

[Alittletooshort]

I would advise you not to do LL unless you're starting a whole new life afterwards.  That was the case for me.  I have none of the same friends, co-workers, or anyone else that I did previously.  People will notice that you're 3 inches taller and will wonder why.

Do you think this is the case for someone who only lengrhens 4-5cm's? Starting a whole new life sounds a little too extreme imo.There is no way that I would exchange my current life and friends for a couple of cm's.
What about wearing 2cm lifts (before the surgery) and saying that saying I gained 1-2 cm'at a bow leg correction? This obviously only works if you stick to smaller amounts.
I am happy with my life but being 6ft would just make it better, but no for the costs of loosing all of my friends and my lifestyle.

[PatientZero]

I am saddened to hear that many lengtheners here feel so compelled to 'start a new life' after this surgery. Is it the shame from having done this to yourself? Would it be different if you did internals like the G-nail?

For those who are post-college, your network of friends have already dwindled down to a few including acquaintances from work. These few remaining friends are the ones that survived the college to working life transition, and I plan to keep them around for the rest of my life.

If you wear lifts in the past few years, you can get away with it at work by wearing low heeled shoes, or in my type of workplace, in your flip flops. I am from one of the larger more progressive cities in the world, so friends are accepting even if they disapprove of the surgery, and I have told many. Family--this doesn't change unless you plan to disown them.

I'm still lengthening as of today, so I haven't been reintroduced to society, but I disagree with having to make a new set set of friends or finding a new job.

[Medium Drink Of Water]

I don't think it's shame exactly... well, maybe it is.  The whole point of this surgery is to be considered average (or tall) by others, not to be some desperate, insecure short guy who broke and stretched out his legs.  The truth is kind of shameful.  If people know you did it, it's like you might as well not have done it.  To the people who knew you before, you'll always be a short guy on stilts.

These people you've told may behave in an understanding way toward you, but I think it's the same kind of acceptance that a person having a sex change gets: to each their own, it's your body do what you want with it, it doesn't affect me anyway... but it's still weird.

And if you're doing so little that you're not noticeably taller, what's the point of the surgery?

[goldenegg]

Thank you for your detailed answer! May I ask you if you could determine the factor, why it took so long - was it an age factor f.e. ?

I don't think my age was an issue since I'm only in my late 20s.  I felt like I did everything I could right- eating, exercising, supplements, etc.  just unfortunate genetics I guess 

[Madmax_01]

I don't think my age was an issue since I'm only in my late 20s.  I felt like I did everything I could right- eating, exercising, supplements, etc.  just unfortunate genetics I guess

Then there is a risk for everybody here.
I suppose you did stick to your goal height then, or did you alter your target height and stopped before that?

[aspirant185]

What I would tell people if I were you - I had an accident, broke seriously my 2 legs, doctors had to do some radical treatment and side effect is that I am taller...

[goldenegg]

Then there is a risk for everybody here.
I suppose you did stick to your goal height then, or did you alter your target height and stopped before that?

yeah but I felt like the exception.  everyone who had their surgeries after me seemed to have great consolidation rates.

I kept to my goal and made it, but it took me longer to get there.  Rightfully so Dr. G had me click at a slow rate, but it was frustrating at the time.

[Madmax_01]

What I would tell people if I were you - I had an accident, broke seriously my 2 legs, doctors had to do some radical treatment and side effect is that I am taller...

Sounds like an interesting story. Thanks for the input, mate! I should write down 3-4 background stories and let them poll on the forum. Then chose the one with the most votes 

[Deads]

Sounds like an interesting story. Thanks for the input, mate! I should write down 3-4 background stories and let them poll on the forum. Then chose the one with the most votes 

Just play dumb

Person 1; are you taller???
You; I dunno am I.

You'll look taller, but you'll make people doubt themselves/question their judgement.. Some people will flat out know that you're taller, but that's a good thing. Just keep playing dumb. No one can prove s**t.. I honestly don't see the negative aspect in this, but people seem VERY concerned about what others think in this regard. I don't condone lying though. It shows a weak character.

[Alittletooshort]

Just play dumb

Person 1; are you taller???
You; I dunno am I.

You'll look taller, but you'll make people doubt themselves/question their judgement.. Some people will flat out know that you're taller, but that's a good thing. Just keep playing dumb. No one can prove s**t.. I honestly don't see the negative aspect in this, but people seem VERY concerned about what others think in this regard. I don't condone lying though. It shows a weak character.

I'm sure that a lot of people won't really think about it if you tell them you've always been that tall. It gets problematic however, when the other person was your height or slightly taller. So for me every guy who is 180, was taller before the surgery and will be shorter afterwards.
I'll probably tell them that I had a serious accident an that they strechted the bones a little (2cm's) to get them back into a straight position. For the first months I'll wear flat shoes and in addition to this I say that I have to wear lifts because of that accident. So in the end a 5cm gain could hopefully be covered by using this method.