Topic: Femoral Lengthening with Dr. Paley (Read 128313 times)

myloginacct · « **Reply #62 on:** December 08, 2017, 10:16:10 PM »

When should you start taking the calcium supplements?

Purushrottam · « **Reply #63 on:** December 09, 2017, 01:21:29 AM »

Quote from: myloginacct on December 08, 2017, 10:16:10 PM

When should you start taking the calcium supplements?

I started taking them the day after I was discharged from the hospital.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #64 on:** January 10, 2018, 03:17:21 AM »

Update:

I stopped lengthening on December 1st. My last doctor visit was December 4th.

It has now been over a month and a week since I stopped lengthening. I am visiting the X Ray technician tomorrow to get an X-Ray.

I will find out if I can fully weight bear then. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, I'm pretty mobile with crutches. I can do almost everything with them (including drive, etc) except for carrying things around (both hands occupied).

My flexibility has gotten a lot better. When I stopped lengthening, my knees could barely bend 90 degrees even with the therapists pushing me. Now I can bend them past that by myself (and even more if someone is pushing my legs).

I actually went to the gym today for the first time since the surgery. It felt really good. I wish I had gone earlier but was a bit scared. I mostly rode the bike for 20 minutes and then did 20 minutes of chest exercises (I tried doing the lat pulldowns but I had trouble getting my legs around on that machine. Maybe I'll wait until I can fully weight bear before doing that) and then a few minutes of stretching. My stretch after doing the bike for 20 minutes was phenomenal. I realize that I should have been cyclying a lot earlier. Oh well.. never too late to learn.

----
Since then, I met a lot of people from before. Thankfully, no one commented about looking taller. I really wanted to keep this secret and was worried that it would be obvious. The people I met were people I meet very infrequently (as I live in a different state). However, the questions about why I got "injured" got annoying eventually (especially when I was at a party). On the other hand, people, especially little kids are really sweet to you (because you are crippled).

I feel the effects of my new height almost instantly. Even though 2.7 inches doesn't sound like much, it feels crazy. Whenever I went to a party, restaurant, shopping, or to the gym, I was taller than almost every girl (I'm a hair below 5'9" now). A sizeable number of guys were shorter than me as well. Mentally, I assumed that they were teenagers or kids and then suddenly I remembered... no they are adult.. you aren't the same height as before. People who were several inches shorter than me at my old height (5'6") were usually teenagers or kids. Its a really weird adjustment.

My life is slowly getting back to normal. I quit my job and got into heavy debt for this surgery. Now my schedule is booked with job interviews (yay). So far its looking really good. If everything goes right, I will start working in March (and hopefully making way more than what I was making before).

Overall, everything looks good.

myloginacct · « **Reply #65 on:** January 10, 2018, 08:27:59 AM »

Quote from: Purushrottam on January 10, 2018, 03:17:21 AM

Update:

I stopped lengthening on December 1st. My last doctor visit was December 4th.

It has now been over a month and a week since I stopped lengthening. I am visiting the X Ray technician tomorrow to get an X-Ray.

I will find out if I can fully weight bear then. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, I'm pretty mobile with crutches. I can do almost everything with them (including drive, etc) except for carrying things around (both hands occupied).

My flexibility has gotten a lot better. When I stopped lengthening, my knees could barely bend 90 degrees even with the therapists pushing me. Now I can bend them past that by myself (and even more if someone is pushing my legs).

I actually went to the gym today for the first time since the surgery. It felt really good. I wish I had gone earlier but was a bit scared. I mostly rode the bike for 20 minutes and then did 20 minutes of chest exercises (I tried doing the lat pulldowns but I had trouble getting my legs around on that machine. Maybe I'll wait until I can fully weight bear before doing that) and then a few minutes of stretching. My stretch after doing the bike for 20 minutes was phenomenal. I realize that I should have been cyclying a lot earlier. Oh well.. never too late to learn.

----
Since then, I met a lot of people from before. Thankfully, no one commented about looking taller. I really wanted to keep this secret and was worried that it would be obvious. The people I met were people I meet very infrequently (as I live in a different state). However, the questions about why I got "injured" got annoying eventually (especially when I was at a party). On the other hand, people, especially little kids are really sweet to you (because you are crippled).

I feel the effects of my new height almost instantly. Even though 2.7 inches doesn't sound like much, it feels crazy. Whenever I went to a party, restaurant, shopping, or to the gym, I was taller than almost every girl (I'm a hair below 5'9" now). A sizeable number of guys were shorter than me as well. Mentally, I assumed that they were teenagers or kids and then suddenly I remembered... no they are adult.. you aren't the same height as before. People who were several inches shorter than me at my old height (5'6") were usually teenagers or kids. Its a really weird adjustment.

My life is slowly getting back to normal. I quit my job and got into heavy debt for this surgery. Now my schedule is booked with job interviews (yay). So far its looking really good. If everything goes right, I will start working in March (and hopefully making way more than what I was making before).

Overall, everything looks good.

Hey, man, awesome news.

Glad to hear your perspective in life (both literally and figuratively) already seems to be changing so much. You'll surely have some fun years ahead of you.

I hope everything continues on what looks like the track to a very smooth recovery.

LAGrowin · « **Reply #66 on:** January 10, 2018, 03:38:51 PM »

Hi Puru,

Thank you for the update. Glad to hear that you are happy and recovering well. All the best with your interviews, hopefully you'll be back to work soon in a better place.

Can you share with us what you feel the hardest portion of your journey has been so far? What would you change? Do you feel that being at 5'9" is enough for you?

Thank you again. Wishing you all the best.

LAGrowin

Purushrottam · « **Reply #67 on:** January 10, 2018, 09:37:45 PM »

Quote from: LAGrowin on January 10, 2018, 03:38:51 PM

Hi Puru,

Thank you for the update. Glad to hear that you are happy and recovering well. All the best with your interviews, hopefully you'll be back to work soon in a better place.

Can you share with us what you feel the hardest portion of your journey has been so far? What would you change? Do you feel that being at 5'9" is enough for you?

Thank you again. Wishing you all the best.

LAGrowin

No problem! Thanks for the wishes. My interviews are going better than expected. I think I may end up with a job that pays much more than what I was making before the surgery. I'll know for sure in a month..

Its hard to say what the "hardest" part of the journey was. Here are some of the "difficulties" I had:

1. Boredom from not being able to do too much
2. Constant level of dull pain
3. Lack of independence
4. Lack of sleep in the first few weeks was hard
5. Therapy started getting painful after 5 cm.
6. Being jobless while still making loan payments absolutely drains your finances. I'll sum up the full cost when I get a job so I can measure the amount accurately.

I wouldn't really change anything. Initially I thought that quitting my job for this was a bad idea because I wasn't sure how good of a job I'd get after. However now I'm getting so many interviews that I have trouble keeping track of them and literally have to turn people down. So thats not a concern anymore.

I was happy even at 5'8". 5'9" is definitely more than enough.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #68 on:** January 10, 2018, 09:42:05 PM »

Update:

I just had my X-Ray taken (this would be almost 5.5 weeks post lengthening). The bone looks pretty connected. I will upload it later when I'm emailing it to Dr. Paley.

Hopefully its consolidated and weight bearing. This would make my life a lot easier.

Android · « **Reply #69 on:** January 10, 2018, 10:52:46 PM »

Great to hear that your recovery is going well, and glad to hear that your job prospects are good. I guess it really is true that taller people make more money!

Purushrottam · « **Reply #70 on:** January 11, 2018, 05:16:48 AM »

Quote from: Android on January 10, 2018, 10:52:46 PM

Great to hear that your recovery is going well, and glad to hear that your job prospects are good. I guess it really is true that taller people make more money!

Thanks for your wishes, Android!

I know you are joking about the height and money thing, but I want to call that study into question. If they did that survey again in the USA the results may be different due to confounding variables (ie. some ethnic groups have above average incomes but below average heights .. Asians and Indians).

I should mention that its not unusual to have a big salary jump every few years in my industry. So far I only interviewed via Skype.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #71 on:** January 11, 2018, 05:22:25 AM »

Update:

I sent my X-Rays to Dr. Paley today. Dr. Paley replied in less than an hour. He says that my bone growth is great. I am fully weight bearing on my legs. I can walk around with 2 crutches (for minimal support) right away. In 2 weeks I can get rid of the crutches.

After getting that email, I walked around the house. It felt great. It was small baby steps. I was walking like a duck. My legs felt really heavy (because of weak muscles).

Yay!!!

Slowly and surely I will get my gait back.

I also went to the gym today (before I sent the pics to Paley). Mostly biked for 40 minutes and did some arm workouts. Nothing unusual. Bicycling is slowly getting easier.

Android · « **Reply #72 on:** January 11, 2018, 06:50:37 AM »

Quote from: Purushrottam on January 11, 2018, 05:16:48 AM

If they did that survey again in the USA the results may be different due to confounding variables (ie. some ethnic groups have above average incomes but below average heights .. Asians and Indians).

And now I wonder, are the taller Asians and Indians getting paid more than their shorter Asian and Indian peers? As mentioned in the article, taller people tend to be more confident, which leads to more fruitful negotiations.

Excellent news about getting rid of those crutches soon. And good on you for visiting the gym, I've been going every other day for over three years so it'll be tough to slow down once I take the CLL plunge.

Body Builder · « **Reply #73 on:** January 11, 2018, 01:21:08 PM »

Quote from: Android on January 11, 2018, 06:50:37 AM

And now I wonder, are the taller Asians and Indians getting paid more than their shorter Asian and Indian peers? As mentioned in the article, taller people tend to be more confident, which leads to more fruitful negotiations.

Excellent news about getting rid of those crutches soon. And good on you for visiting the gym, I've been going every other day for over three years so it'll be tough to slow down once I take the CLL plunge.

Height is Asia is considered a very strong benefit.
I truly believe that a tall Indian or Chinese has way more chances compared toa short one because there being tall is much more rare than in the west.

c · « **Reply #74 on:** January 11, 2018, 01:52:00 PM »

I agree, especially in performing arts

Purushrottam · « **Reply #75 on:** January 12, 2018, 04:15:34 AM »

Today is the first full day where I could walk around. It felt awesome. I tried walking without crutches as well. My crutchless gait is better than before but there is still some swaying.

When I use crutches for balance, I can walk like normal. I made every excuse to walk around. At the end of the day my legs are really tired. Progress is really fast.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #76 on:** January 12, 2018, 03:14:03 PM »

Quote from: Android on January 11, 2018, 06:50:37 AM

And now I wonder, are the taller Asians and Indians getting paid more than their shorter Asian and Indian peers? As mentioned in the article, taller people tend to be more confident, which leads to more fruitful negotiations.

Excellent news about getting rid of those crutches soon. And good on you for visiting the gym, I've been going every other day for over three years so it'll be tough to slow down once I take the CLL plunge.

Hmm. I wonder as well.

It will be a tough adjustment not working out, but once you start working out again, you will get back in your groove. Its only 3-4 months gap.

FormerKidd · « **Reply #77 on:** January 12, 2018, 11:57:06 PM »

Hi Purushrottam, I am in a similar situation to you, so this is an interesting read to me. Sounds like we have similar body build/height, industry, from CA, .etc, except that I am several years older than you (30's). I also saved up for this operation, am going to have it done with Paley, and I am going to look for a new job afterwards. (I initially wanted to do quads, but everybody talked me into just doing femurs. I don't have enough for quads, anyway.)

Were you doing interviews in consolidation (e.g., while still on crutches)? How was that? Did you get any questions about the length of time you were out of work or the nature of what happened to you?

Also, you said you stopped at 6.5cm? Isn't that roughly 2.5 inches? In your first post, you said you were about 5 foot 5 1/2 inches, so wouldn't that put you at 5'8 rather than 5'9?

I don't want to get too personal on a public forum, but I might PM you if you don't mind a conversation.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #78 on:** January 13, 2018, 12:09:07 AM »

Quote from: FormerKidd on January 12, 2018, 11:57:06 PM

Hi Purushrottam, I am in a similar situation to you, so this is an interesting read to me. Sounds like we have similar body build/height, industry, from CA, .etc, except that I am several years older than you (30's). I also saved up for this operation, am going to have it done with Paley, and I am going to look for a new job afterwards. (I initially wanted to do quads, but everybody talked me into just doing femurs. I don't have enough for quads, anyway.)

Were you doing interviews in consolidation (e.g., while still on crutches)? How was that? Did you get any questions about the length of time you were out of work or the nature of what happened to you?

Also, you said you stopped at 6.5cm? Isn't that 2.5 inches? Wouldn't that put you at 5'8 rather than 5'9?

I don't want to get too personal on a public forum, but I might PM you if you don't mind a conversation.

Hey NowAnAddult,

Thats interesting. Good luck to you!

I was doing interviews during consolidation (on crutches). So far I only had technical phone screens. Yes every recruiter asked about that. You have to answer diplomatically. I will be more comfortable answering that in more detail once I accept an offer.

I stopped at 6.5 cm, which is 2.7 inches. I started out at 168 cm, so I ended at 175 cm, which is a hair below 5'9". You can PM me, but I check this thread more often (because I don't have to log on). If you PM me, you can mention it on this thread so that I can log in and check my inbox.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #79 on:** January 16, 2018, 03:32:57 AM »

Update

I'm getting my strength and flexibility back pretty quickly. I finally became a member of a nearby gym. I was able to cycle around for 30 minutes with minimal fatigue. Walking (with crutches for support) still tires me out after a while, but its getting much better. I think my glute strength is slowly coming back. I tried walking w.o crutches as well. I can walk across the room before I start swaying from the lack of glute strength. According to Paley, I should be able to get rid of my crutches on the Wednesday after next (I'm still going to play it safe and send my X-Rays on that day).

I did some PT stretches with someone helping me. For the Thomas stretch I was able to get the full stretch in. For the knee bend, I got over 110 degrees+ (180 means I can touch my heels to my butt). For the hamstring, I'm able to lift my leg past 90 degrees. Slowly and surely I'm getting there. By the time I start working (late Feb or March), no one should be able to tell that I had any surgery/etc.

On a personal note, I have a date with a cute Indian chick on Friday. Normally I only match with fatties, so this is a pleasant change. I didn't realize it until now, but I lost a lot of weight due to LL. Walking on crutches all the time also made my arms and shoulders jacked. I looked in the mirror and suddenly realized that I actually look good now. I always imagined myself as being a short, "ugly" guy who had to rely on being funny/having a good personality. I haven't changed any pics on my online dating profile (other than updating the height to 5'9"). The girl is going to be in for a surprise when she finds out that her date isn't some chubby dude in the pics.

Android · « **Reply #80 on:** January 16, 2018, 04:15:45 AM »

Hope your date goes as smoothly as your recovery!

Purushrottam · « **Reply #81 on:** January 16, 2018, 08:04:36 PM »

Thanks Android!

blacksheepwall · « **Reply #82 on:** January 17, 2018, 03:54:19 AM »

Hey congratz on your surgery. Im glad you found happiness and recovery so fast.

How supportive were your parents about this? How did you tell them that you were gonna do this?

And how much pain were you in?

Purushrottam · « **Reply #83 on:** January 17, 2018, 05:27:21 AM »

Quote from: blacksheepwall on January 17, 2018, 03:54:19 AM

Hey congratz on your surgery. Im glad you found happiness and recovery so fast.

How supportive were your parents about this? How did you tell them that you were gonna do this?

And how much pain were you in?

Thanks, blacksheepwall!

Very supportive. I wouldn't have been able to do with without their support. They already knew about LL because someone else in my family was thinking about it. I remember they were talking about that person. After a few months I was like "Actually I was thinking of doing it too. Heres my plan [savings, schedule, preparations, et]. By the time I told them, I already had the logistics/finances figured out. My original plan was to save money and go to India and do it with Dr. Parihar. They told me that then they would not be able to help because its too far away. They convinced me that the cost difference isn't really THAT much, so it would be worth it to just do it here at the Paley center.

If you think about it, if you are taking a loan, the difference between $50k and $90k is very little monthly payments wise.

Pain:

The day after the surgery, my anesthesia was still pretty strong, so I had no pain. Then next 3 days there was a lot of discomfort. I had to be on painkillers every 4 hours. The period from hour 3.5 to hour 4 was particularly bad because the painkiller had started to wear out.

After discharge, there was a bit of pain for the first 3 weeks (more so during phyical therapy). I was prescribed a high dose of oxycodone. The first week, physical therapy was extremely painful due to surgical scars and leg swelling.

After week three, I stopped talking painkillers. The level of pain was low (but still enough to be annoying). It made going to sleep really difficult.

After week 6, the pain started increasing again (due to muscle tightness). Eventually on day 70, I thought that I had stretched enough (65 mm) so that I decided to stop lengthening.

After I stopped lengthening, the pain dropped instantly. In 3 days after stopping, my legs left like before surgery (without the flexibility, of course).

Purushrottam · « **Reply #84 on:** January 17, 2018, 05:31:31 AM »

Speaking of recovery, out of all the LL patients that were there, I seem to be having the fastest recovery/consolidation. As of right now, even people who stopped lengthening a month before I did have not been given the go ahead to walk unaided yet. I feel blessed in that regard.

FormerKidd · « **Reply #85 on:** January 17, 2018, 05:47:49 AM »

Roughly how much did the medications run you?

Also, if you wanted to game/work/surf the web during the process, could you comfortably do so in front of a desktop, or was it restricted to using a laptop while lying down?

blacksheepwall · « **Reply #86 on:** January 17, 2018, 06:29:01 AM »

Amazing. Thank for sharing.

Judging from your post it seems that you had only moderate pain? I am very suprjsed u used the word discomfort to describe ur first 3 days...
On a scale of 1-10. What was the maximum pain you felt and how long did it last? Is the procedure as scary as you thought it was?

Hope you can move on to the next chapter of life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Purushrottam · « **Reply #87 on:** January 17, 2018, 06:51:25 AM »

Quote from: blacksheepwall on January 17, 2018, 06:29:01 AM

Amazing. Thank for sharing. Hope you can move on to the next chapter of life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Thanks man! I'm excited!

Quote from: FormerKidd on January 17, 2018, 05:47:49 AM

Roughly how much did the medications run you?

Also, if you wanted to game/work/surf the web during the process, could you comfortably do so in front of a desktop, or was it restricted to using a laptop while lying down?

The blood thinner was about $440/month. The pain killer was about $40 a month.

No. Sitting on a desktop would be tough. Doing simple tasks like filling out forms was really hard for me during lengthening because of the constant dull pain (its low 1-2 pain, but its still annoying and hard to concentrate). It will be impossible to get dev work done during that time.

You can however game/watch videos/surf the web. I spent lots of time on Netflix/reddit/etc. I thought that I would work on some side projects/ learn some new frameworks/etc. That did not happen. Its really hard. However, the week after I stopped lengthening, I hit the ground running (figuratively) by working on side projects/learning new frameworks, brushing up on algorithms/data structures, etc.

During lengthening, sitting on the bed is fairly easy. I would have my laptop on my lap while on bed or in the wheelchair.

TLDR: While lengthening, you can do mindless work/videos/surfing. After you stop lengthening, you can do more cognitive work.

InferiorityComplex · « **Reply #88 on:** January 17, 2018, 11:58:35 AM »

You can however game/watch videos/surf the web. I spent lots of time on Netflix/reddit/etc. I thought that I would work on some side projects/ learn some new frameworks/etc. That did not happen. Its really hard. However, the week after I stopped lengthening, I hit the ground running (figuratively) by working on side projects/learning new frameworks, brushing up on algorithms/data structures, etc.

Exactly the same for me, so plan ahead on what type of work you can do. Administrative work, ideas etc...anything that doesn't require immense focus like programming and I think you'll be ok? But listen to your body in regards to sleep and so forth, health > work obviously...

hillary · « **Reply #89 on:** January 17, 2018, 05:07:42 PM »

Very happy for you purshottam
Why dint you choose dr parihar? Why paley?
What do you think of dr mangal parihar?
I am planning on doing my cll with him

Android · « **Reply #90 on:** January 17, 2018, 06:42:56 PM »

Quote from: hillary on January 17, 2018, 05:07:42 PM

Why dint you choose dr parihar? Why paley?
What do you think of dr mangal parihar?

Already answered here, first paragraph.

OverrideYourGenetics · « **Reply #91 on:** January 17, 2018, 10:29:41 PM »

Quote from: alps on December 05, 2017, 06:57:30 PM

Were you told about this before?

Yes, I was.

Quote from: alps on December 05, 2017, 06:57:30 PM

That's a little concerning.

Surgery is hard and stressful for the surgeon too. I find it reassuring that there are two doctors operating on me at the same time, rather than one getting tired after the first leg and being more error-prone on the second.

Puru, I wanted to read your AMA but saw that you've deleted all your posts. Curious as to why you decided to do that. Privacy concerns? But you did start the AMA in the first place, so I wonder what happened. I'm contemplating being rather public about my surgery, as all my friends know (why not? if they disapproved, they wouldn't be my friends), but happy to hear arguments to the contrary.

I don't know about the Indian culture specifically, but in Silicon Valley, people are super open (and intrigued even) by leg extension surgery and other cosmetic procedures (e.g. Miradry to reduce underarm sweat). The transhumanist movement and all that. Also, employers aren't legally allowed to inquire as to the nature of your medical leave (as if anyone cared; devs are worth their weight in gold).

Purushrottam · « **Reply #92 on:** January 18, 2018, 05:30:27 AM »

Quote from: hillary on January 17, 2018, 05:07:42 PM

Very happy for you purshottam
Why dint you choose dr parihar? Why paley?
What do you think of dr mangal parihar?
I am planning on doing my cll with him

As Android mentioned, logistically it would be hard for me and my family to stay in India for 3 months. The cost difference between 50k and 90k isn't very much if you are making loan installments.

Quote from: fivefive on January 17, 2018, 10:29:41 PM

Yes, I was.

Surgery is hard and stressful for the surgeon too. I find it reassuring that there are two doctors operating on me at the same time, rather than one getting tired after the first leg and being more error-prone on the second.

Puru, I wanted to read your AMA but saw that you've deleted all your posts. Curious as to why you decided to do that. Privacy concerns? But you did start the AMA in the first place, so I wonder what happened. I'm contemplating being rather public about my surgery, as all my friends know (why not? if they disapproved, they wouldn't be my friends), but happy to hear arguments to the contrary.

I don't know about the Indian culture specifically, but in Silicon Valley, people are super open (and intrigued even) by leg extension surgery and other cosmetic procedures (e.g. Miradry to reduce underarm sweat). The transhumanist movement and all that. Also, employers aren't legally allowed to inquire as to the nature of your medical leave (as if anyone cared; devs are worth their weight in gold).

I deleted the AMA for 2 reasons:

1. Privacy. Reddit is a much bigger forum vs LL Forum. I would highly advise against telling others you got LL.

2. I got a lot of abusive responses on that sub. I made a follow up AMA a month after the original. I just talked about my recovery. People were not happy about it. So I figured that if anyone wanted to ask questions they can ask here.

Limb Lengthening Forum

Author Topic: Femoral Lengthening with Dr. Paley (Read 128313 times)