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[OldieButGoldie]

OBG do you think a person can pull off 7.5cm and recover in 6 months time back to normal? Why did you suggest for a person not to do LL if they are content with all aspects in their life except height? Didn't you say initially that it brought you happiness, I.e. Fun with lady who was 5'9" and 20 years your junior?

Are you hiding any facts from us about you recovery? Are you really back to 90% or is it less?

I am not hiding anything. I have always stated all my complications.  Still having trouble with my right IT-band, I have mentioned that a hundred times.

I never stated that I am back to 90%, don´t know where you got this number from. Please don´t post in a way as if you were citing/quoting me if it is not correct (no offense ).

Also, if you like numbers, you must make a difference between recovery in terms of walking, running, athletic sports etc. etc. etc.
The percentage of recovery will be different for each discipline.

Walking is 100% normal, running/speed might be 80% but I can´t say for sure. My level in tennis might be 70% of before.
Skiing and snowboarding is back to 100%, LL does not affect these sports.
Jumping is no problem, either. Even jumping down from a wall.
Cheers
OBG

[Uppland]

Walking is 100% normal, running/speed might be 80% but I can´t say for sure. My level in tennis might be 70% of before.
Skiing and snowboarding is back to 100%, LL does not affect these sports.
Jumping is no problem, either. Even jumping down from a wall.
Cheers
OBG

Sucks about the tennis but good think about the skiing. I love skiing, couldn't live without it.

OBG, if you don't mind me asking, is it strange having longer legs?
Like what's the difference, what does it feel like?

[YellowSpike]

I love skiing too. I hope to God I can get back to doing black diamonds Another reason OBG was one of my biggest inspirations.

[Ava]

Anyone here knows anyone who has done 2LL?

[ReadRothbard]

Plenty have--Greekster, Apotheosis/SysOp, Crazy +6, and Morpheus are a few. Sweden is also looking into doing another round.

[Ava]

Plenty have--Greekster, Apotheosis/SysOp, Crazy +6, and Morpheus are a few. Sweden is also looking into doing another round.

Thank you:)

[goodlucktomylegs]

any updates

[OldieButGoldie]

Update:
It´s been 3 years since my op. I am doing fine.
Athletic recovery is around 99%, but I only lengthened very little (something around 5,7 to 5,9cm, i don´t know exactly) so i don´t know if athletic recovery is possible -in terms of 99%- if you lengthen 8cm.
It all depends on many different factors. Age, dedication, genes, body type, etc etc etc.

One guy -here or in the old forum- made some kind of LL compendium , trying to establish some kind of statistics about good and bad outcome of LL patients. He put me in the "bad outcome" department. This is ridiculous. My outcome is good, if you look at it from a medical standpoint. I was lucky. My complications were minor, compared to what happened to others and compared to what can happen in general.
My pre-LL-problems were mostly in my head, and LL cannot solve this (in most cases). So, maybe this guy who did the statistics chose to put too much emphasis on negative posts of mine that don´t have anything to do with the medical/physical outcome.

I generally advise against LL.
If you think this is your very last option and you are about to kill yourself, ok, do it.
But don´t expect to be happy after LL. This is rarely likely if you have been unhappy pre-LL (exceptions always exist, of course).
If you are an unhappy person, you are an unhappy person, a few centimeters more won´t fix that.
I am glad that I did the op, but I am still an unhappy person. This is my nature and the circumstances of my life.
But maybe my case is different. I did LL at 45 and I was pretty ok until then. Well: I must correct, I was pretty ok until 41 or 42. It was then when I realized that you cannot easily start all over again at that age, e.g. realizing you should have been an artist and ended up as a lawyer. Or the other way round.
So maybe, if you are young and do LL and you are unhappy, maybe LL can actually help you to become a happy person. I don´t know. Each person is unique , each case is different, each one has his/her own complications.
But, LL should be the very last remedy. Before, try everything else. You have got to realize that -doing LL- you finally and unchangeably decide to not accept the body that was given to you. This can be a huge burden for the rest of your life.
It all comes down to a very simple logic:
1. If you are happy, don´t do LL. You risk many things and you lose important things. What for? You are already happy, so stay happy and make the best out of your life.
2. If you are unhappy, chances are that you will stay unhappy after LL, just being a few centimeters taller. But maybe you are an exception and LL will actually affect your happiness. Nobody knows...

To all those who think they will have better chances with women: Your personality weighs way more than just a few centimeters. So, if you do it, do it for yourself and not for women.
Peace
OBG

[PatientZero]

Thanks for the update OBG.

I share many of your sentiments regarding life post LL. I did 7cm on my femurs to become 170cm+ and the only difference between who I was as a person 6 months ago vs now is that I no longer think about height.

Many of the guys here are delusional about the effects of LL, that they'll get the women of their dreams, solve all their social issues, make a higher salary, etc. Sorry to say that nothing really changes except your mental condition. LL is like having a lot of money, it will make you less sad but will not make you happy.

I don't regret doing LL and giving up half a year of my life because I cured my height neurosis. However, that's about the only thing that has changed.

[axelf]

You say now recovery is 99%.

1 year ago you said:

"Walking is 100% normal, running/speed might be 80% but I can´t say for sure. My level in tennis might be 70% of before.
Skiing and snowboarding is back to 100%, LL does not affect these sports.
Jumping is no problem, either. Even jumping down from a wall.
Cheers
OBG"

So I assume that has improved in the meantime?


Did you have other problems like temporary hair loss because of medication and post-surgery trauma?

[Cheez]

I don't regret doing LL and giving up half a year of my life because I cured my height neurosis. However, that's about the only thing that has changed.

Well, that's not too bad, I think. I don't know what people here expect from this operation, but I certainly know, that I won't be happier afterwards.

I simply don't want to think about being too small compared to the average guy in this country where I live anymore.

That's all.

(btw, when I lived in Japan for a year, I never even thought about being to small. And that felt good to me. So I guess, doing LL will "cure that" problem for me.)

[OldieButGoldie]

You say now recovery is 99%.

1 year ago you said:

"Walking is 100% normal, running/speed might be 80% but I can´t say for sure. My level in tennis might be 70% of before.
Skiing and snowboarding is back to 100%, LL does not affect these sports.
Jumping is no problem, either. Even jumping down from a wall.
Cheers
OBG"

So I assume that has improved in the meantime?


Did you have other problems like temporary hair loss because of medication and post-surgery trauma?

1. Yes, i has improved.
2. No.

[stillyoung]

Oldie, we should play tennis sometime. Hope you're well friend!

[dream_catcher]

You say now recovery is 99%.

1 year ago you said:

"Walking is 100% normal, running/speed might be 80% but I can´t say for sure. My level in tennis might be 70% of before.
Skiing and snowboarding is back to 100%, LL does not affect these sports.
Jumping is no problem, either. Even jumping down from a wall.
Cheers
OBG"

So I assume that has improved in the meantime?


Did you have other problems like temporary hair loss because of medication and post-surgery trauma?

Axelf, I have hair loss during LL, which I don't know yet if it's temporary (hopefully) or permanent, probably mostly due to lack of sleep and anxiety.

[dream_catcher]

Hello OBG, I think your recovery is great and I agree with you that nobody should do LL, unless as a very last resort. I'm in my early 40s and just finished LL with Dr.G with a gain of 5.1cm. I'm learning to restore my ability to walk now and I'm wondering how can you walk without crutches after stop clicking within just five days? What did you do everyday after stop clicking? I've stopped clicking for almost a week, but I can only walk very slowly with crutches. I do exercises everyday but knees are still stiff and I have pain here and there on my legs and hips.

[axelf]

Axelf, I have hair loss during LL, which I don't know yet if it's temporary (hopefully) or permanent, probably mostly due to lack of sleep and anxiety.

how much loss are we talking about? and did it happen right after surgery or did it take some time?

[dream_catcher]

how much loss are we talking about? and did it happen right after surgery or did it take some time?

I think I lost about 5% of my hair. It's quite noticable in the mirror. It took a while after the surgery and I don't think it's the direct effect of the surgery. Rather it's more with the stress and ther deprivation of sleeping during LL. My level of stress has reduced greatly and my sleeping has been gradually getting better after LL. And it seems my hair loss slows down.

[The View]

Update:
It´s been 3 years since my op. I am doing fine.
Athletic recovery is around 99%, but I only lengthened very little (something around 5,7 to 5,9cm, i don´t know exactly) so i don´t know if athletic recovery is possible -in terms of 99%- if you lengthen 8cm.
It all depends on many different factors. Age, dedication, genes, body type, etc etc etc.

One guy -here or in the old forum- made some kind of LL compendium , trying to establish some kind of statistics about good and bad outcome of LL patients. He put me in the "bad outcome" department. This is ridiculous. My outcome is good, if you look at it from a medical standpoint. I was lucky. My complications were minor, compared to what happened to others and compared to what can happen in general.
My pre-LL-problems were mostly in my head, and LL cannot solve this (in most cases). So, maybe this guy who did the statistics chose to put too much emphasis on negative posts of mine that don´t have anything to do with the medical/physical outcome.

I generally advise against LL.
If you think this is your very last option and you are about to kill yourself, ok, do it.
But don´t expect to be happy after LL. This is rarely likely if you have been unhappy pre-LL (exceptions always exist, of course).
If you are an unhappy person, you are an unhappy person, a few centimeters more won´t fix that.
I am glad that I did the op, but I am still an unhappy person. This is my nature and the circumstances of my life.
But maybe my case is different. I did LL at 45 and I was pretty ok until then. Well: I must correct, I was pretty ok until 41 or 42. It was then when I realized that you cannot easily start all over again at that age, e.g. realizing you should have been an artist and ended up as a lawyer. Or the other way round.
So maybe, if you are young and do LL and you are unhappy, maybe LL can actually help you to become a happy person. I don´t know. Each person is unique , each case is different, each one has his/her own complications.
But, LL should be the very last remedy. Before, try everything else. You have got to realize that -doing LL- you finally and unchangeably decide to not accept the body that was given to you. This can be a huge burden for the rest of your life.
It all comes down to a very simple logic:
1. If you are happy, don´t do LL. You risk many things and you lose important things. What for? You are already happy, so stay happy and make the best out of your life.
2. If you are unhappy, chances are that you will stay unhappy after LL, just being a few centimeters taller. But maybe you are an exception and LL will actually affect your happiness. Nobody knows...

To all those who think they will have better chances with women: Your personality weighs way more than just a few centimeters. So, if you do it, do it for yourself and not for women.
Peace
OBG

Is the 99% including explosiveness? because you mentioned earlier that explosiveness is significantly decreased following limb lengthening.

[OldieButGoldie]

Hello OBG, I think your recovery is great and I agree with you that nobody should do LL, unless as a very last resort. I'm in my early 40s and just finished LL with Dr.G with a gain of 5.1cm. I'm learning to restore my ability to walk now and I'm wondering how can you walk without crutches after stop clicking within just five days? What did you do everyday after stop clicking? I've stopped clicking for almost a week, but I can only walk very slowly with crutches. I do exercises everyday but knees are still stiff and I have pain here and there on my legs and hips.

I don´t remember that time very well, it´s more than 3 years ago. But I know I didn´t do anything special, no special exercise etc.
 I do remember, though, that I already did a little bit of walking during my last weeks of lengthening. Not very wise though, it puts a lot of stress and pressure on the nails.
Of course, my walking was very ugly. And very painful. I just tried to walk as much as I could even if it was just a few meters in the beginning.
Please don´t think I had a miraculous recovery. I did not. Also, I lengthened way less than others.

[OldieButGoldie]

Is the 99% including explosiveness? because you mentioned earlier that explosiveness is significantly decreased following limb lengthening.

No, explosiveness is less. Hard to say, percentage-wise.
Also, in my case it´s getting extremely difficult to say whether my power and explosiveness is still decreased by LL or because I am getting old
(turning 50 in two years). There comes a point in every sportman´s life where you have to accept that things are slowly going downhill. In your late 40ies you can only stop that by working out and training every day like a madman, sleeping good and eating only the best stuff you can get.
I prefer to enjoy life, so, of course, I am not as fast and explosive any more. That´s life...

[OldieButGoldie]

Oldie, we should play tennis sometime. Hope you're well friend!

Sure, come to Berlin!

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

Why you actually went to Betz for LL?

[TIBIKE200]

Why you actually went to Betz for LL?

 Because he is not a bad doctor. He had complications but that's mainly because he did alot and I mean A LOT of cosmetic LL so he had bad cases as well.

[YourSpaceBoyfriend]

Because he is not a bad doctor. He had complications but that's mainly because he did alot and I mean A LOT of cosmetic LL so he had bad cases as well.

Imho his convincing to do ridicilous amounts of lengthening are bigger red flag for me.

But i'm asking only from pure curiosity.

[Alex von Buetow]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and uploading these videos. 
They give me so much hope for my own way.

Greets
Alex

[LLuser1]

Because he is not a bad doctor. He had complications but that's mainly because he did alot and I mean A LOT of cosmetic LL so he had bad cases as well.

Problem isn't about number of bad cases but dishonest behavior. Many red flags to be ignored...

[Peaceout]

You live in germany right?(atleast thats what i remember)How do you feel as a 179 guy in a tall country like germany?

[OldieButGoldie]

Hey guys,
somebody sent me personal message and I thought I might as well answer in the forum so everyone can read question and answer.

Here comes the question:
"Sorry to bother you. I know LL must feel like a long time ago and this is probably the last thing you want to think about right now. But if you do see this email, I really need to get your opinion on something.
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to keep a journal and posting your experiences on the forums. I know it can be frustrating to have to defend yourself against people who are extremely biased/don't know what they are talking about. Nevertheless, you have helped many of us (including myself) by giving us an inside look on the whole LL process and giving us the knowledge to make better decisions.
I am seriously contemplating on the femur surgery with Dr. Betz for the femur surgery and one of my biggest concerns with internal LL or any type of LL is the long-term complications. I am not talking about things like infections, broken nails & screws, non-union, nerve & blood vessel damage, pre-mature consolidation. I understand there is a risk with any type of procedure, but with an experienced surgeon like Dr. Betz, these risks can be minimized. What I am concerned is about are long term effects on your body once you are fully recovered. I am referring to things like tightness in your muscles (flexion contracture), back pains, arthritis and etc. I would think that because you are stretching your nerves, blood vessels, and muscles/tendons by such a large extent, you would run into these problems.

Have you had any problems since consolidation & recovery? It would be great if you could share your knowledge and thoughts on this. I know this is something I should discuss with the doctor, but it would be great to get a third-person’s (past patient’s) thoughts on this matter."


Here comes my answer: The only minor problems that I am having are minor pains in both of my knees but there is no way of knowing whether this pain has anything to do with LL or not. You must all keep in mind that I`m almost 50 years old and I have doing sports on a highly competetive level for around 30 years, among these sports being football (soccer), tennis, skiing , snowboarding and many others. Anybody who has been doing this for 30 years or more can be sure that he  or she has fked his body more or less. Additionally I have had severe accidents in the past where my knees got damaged as well. These pains are not really bothering me very much.
Right now I do any sport I like and my endurance is more or less like it was before LL. I can ski all day, snowboard all day , hike up the mountain all day, dance through the whole night until dawn etc.etc.
So far my answer.

But apart from the -relatively- positive outcome I have had  I advise against LL.
I know it is hard,  but just try to accept your body as it is.
Don´t choose tall guys as your role-model. Choose short or super-short guys which walk happily through life with lots of charisma. Talk to them, even tell them honestly about your problem and ask them how they handle it. Remember: it´s all in your head.
There are ways to treat this problem and if you can overcome it you will be strong for the rest or your life.
Also remember that you are irreversibly changing the physiognomy of your body. If you are already thin and lean, your legs are gonna be even thinner and leaner and it will be difficult to add a lot of muscle because the muscles are so stretched. It is at least possible that you will not like this aspect of LL.

If LL is your very last resort, ok. But everything else is better.

Peace
OBG

[mediocre]

Can you elaborate further why?

Thanks. I always like your posts.

  I advise against LL.
I know it is hard,  but just try to accept your body as it is.

[OldieButGoldie]

short update: no pain, no problem, no nothing.
I just won a regional senior tennis tournament last weekend. First prize-money of my life! I did not win because my tennis is so great, I won because I outrun my opponents. Cheers!

[axelf]

How awesome is that. Congratulations! BUTut spend the prize money more.cleverly than Boris Becker, hahA So do you feel 100% comfortable with your biomechanics now, with the longer femurs?
Are there any exwrcises that you cannot do due to the longer femurs?

short update: no pain, no problem, no nothing.
I just won a regional senior tennis tournament last weekend. First prize-money of my life! I did not win because my tennis is so great, I won because I outrun my opponents. Cheers!