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[Movie]

Congrats bro!! where are you getting them removed? I'm looking to remove mine too ASAP

[TheAlchemist]

Great to hear from you Alchemist!

It’s awesome to read that after distraction and recovery, you begin to not think about LL and be consumed with it because I most admit now that I near the end of distraction, I have been consumed by LL by such a large extent that I am looking forward to the day I can enjoy my new height and not think about it 24/7 - really needed to hear that so appreciate it.


Congrats on your grea outcome and wishing you all the best for the nail removal!

Thanks RB! You are in the home stretch, congrats on your progress on the journey so far - the worst is behind you! That glorious day of height neurosis freedom will come sooner than you expect!

[TheAlchemist]

Congrats bro!! where are you getting them removed? I'm looking to remove mine too ASAP

Sent you a PM!

[TheAlchemist]

Hey LL fam:

Rod Removal Update!

I had a successful bilateral femur Stryde removal yesterday on 6/16/21 with Dr. Debiparshad here in Nevada.

Why Dr. Debiparshad ?

I had my original operation w/ Dr. Paley back in September 2019 and I couldn't have been happier with the results of my surgery and the lengthening process itself w/ Dr. Paley and his world class team. If I had to recommend a doctor to a prospective LLer he would be the first on my list.

I ended up going with Dr. D for a variety of reasons:

-Care and convenience- I'm lucky to have family in the Nevada area that have been nice enough to host and care for me throughout this removal process. I trust and value their care way more than any paid care taker service - this has easily saved me thousands of dollars in lodging and care fees had I done the operation independently in Florida.

-Cost and risk - Dr. D's nail removal price is ~20% lower than Paleys. I would have been more confident and comfortable going back to Paley as I'm familiar with him and his team, but given the relatively low(er) risk of the rod removal procedure (out patient proceure, less invasive surgery) I felt the 20% lower fee was justified relative to risk.

-Quality and experience- So far I've been very impressed with Dr. D and his team at the Limbplastx institute in Nevada - Dr. D has demonstrated deep knowledge and experience with this procedure and his team is fantastic.

I'll follow up this post with a recap of pre-op, op day, and post op day 1 later this evening - in short everything is going well!

[Movie]

Great news bro!!! good stuff congrats!

[LegSGo!]

That is outstanding news to hear and congratulations on the removal of hardware. I would greatly appreciate to hear your feedback on the overall experience. Dr. D performed Stryde femur surgery on me 11/20/20 and I am fully prepared for removal this December so would be very thankful to know more about your overall experience. Thank you!

[Thorfinnn]

Wow rods removed that’s a big accomplishment!

[TheAlchemist]

Pre Op (1 day before Rod Removal Surgery)

-Arrived at the LimbpastX Institute in Henderson Nevada. Impressed with the modern facility and robust team on site.
-The team measured me at 6 ft and a quarter inch in height- pleasant surprise as I've always thought I was barely 6 ft in the morning. I'll take that extra quarter inch.
-X Rays - went through the standard femur x rays at which point Dr. D came in to tell me my consolidation looked text book great and we're ready to get these things out.
-Dr. D then went through the procedure and the potential risks.

1) Surgical site infection- there are 3 incisions made on each leg (incisions at the lower and upper femur to unscrew + the rods are pulled out of the same incision that they were inserted)
2) Stryde Nail can break
3) Stripped Screws
4) Fractures
5) Surgical site pain

Dr. D assured me that the risks above are unlikely but could happen. After chatting a bit with Dr. D and his team, I thanked him for his time and headed home.

Mood: 90% excited, 10% nervous (going under anesthesia again + the thought of experiencing post surgical wound trauma again). Comparing and contrasting with my original surgery, I was much more relaxed and eager to get this over with in line with my expectation that for rod removals....in 1 to 2 weeks I'd be back to normal again.

Rod Removal Operation Day

-Woke up in the morning feeling fairly relaxed and eager to get the procedure done.

-As soon as I got to the surgery site I began the process of filling out paper work. Although the langauge in the paperwork was just as morbid as the language in the original operation, I was much less nervous this second go round.

-The nurses started to shave my hairy legs down around the incision sites  and then proceeded to put the IV in me.

-Met more nurses, an anesthesiologist, and PAs. Unlike my experience with Paley, I was still wide awake when they rolled me into the operation room. There was a team of about 6 people with their own distinct roles all around you - pretty amazing to see so many trained professionals here just for you with the mission of getting these rods out. The high $ fee starts to make more sense.

-The anesthesiologist starts giving me some happy juice and I slowly fade away.

-Suddently I wake up in the hospital and the team is gone, with just one lone nurse by my side. I ask "Am I still alive?" and the nurse smiled and said "you did great." I felt immense gratitude and relief that everything went as planned.

-I immediately recognize the lower half of my body as sore, in trauma, and "heavy". I can move my feet, heels and toe, but my quads, hips, and buttocks are incredibly sore.

-I am able to get out of the hospital bed and onto a wheelchair where I was then wheeled off to my family.

-Dr. D prescribed me Xarelto blood thinner and Percocet pain killers.

-Once I arrived home I immediately felt the physical limitations of the surgery. I could barely walk without support and experienced moderate pain levels (3 to 5 out of 10). At one point I threw up, probably a side effect of nausea after the anesthesia. I took a percocet which helped manage the pain. At this point, it was just a matter of resting and letting time do its thing. I took another percocet and passed out.

-Key takeaway - On day 1 of the surgery, the pain levels are relatively high and you are not ambulatory on your own -  I advise that folks have some form of care taking to help assist you through that first day or two after the surgery. Things like getting up and down from a seated position, to walking without support, are incredibly difficult on your own. In addition we are also a bit hazy as the anesthesia is still wearing off. Results may vary, as I've seen other diaries where patients bounced back immediately after the surgery, however in my case, post op surgical site trauma was bad enough that in hindsight, I'm thankful I had family around to watch over me.

[TheAlchemist]

Update! Happy to report that, similar to the other LLer's rod removal experiences before me, there is significant day over day improvement in the days following your rod removal operation. At this rate I'd expect to be in good shape 7 days post op, with a targeted plan to fly back home about 10 days post op.

Day 1 Post Op - Rough Shape

-Rough shape. Still dependent on family/care. Not ambulatory on my own and relying on crutches/cane to get around. Getting up and down from a seated position take a lot of work and/or assistance from others.
-Pain level ranging from 2 to 5 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is minor, but any movement of legs triggers pain (3 to 5 out of 10) at the surgical wound sites, glutes, and quads.
-Managing pain through either percocets or tylenol.
-Had to take a quick work call and was not 100% there when it comes to cognitive analytical thinking. I think this was a combo of the minor pains, fatigue, trauma, and meds.
-Focus is on resting and letting time do its thing.

Day 2 Post Op - Rough but getting better

-Great day over day improvement (at least 20 to 30%). Independent and ambulatory without the need for crutches or cane - I'd describe my walk at about 70%, with hip sway and waddling.  Able to get up and down from a seated position on my own, however I need to use my upper body (triceps) to push up and down.
-Pain level averaging about 3 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is non existent, with any movement of legs triggering pain of 3 out of 10 at the surgical wound sites.
-Reducing my pain management to 2 percocets a day.
-Focus is still on resting and letting time do its thing.

Day 3 Post Op - Feeling much better

-Great day over day improvement (at least another 20%). Able to get up and down from a seated position on my own without the need to use my upper body. My walk is about 80% now, my first few steps after getting up still sway/waddle, but after about 5 to 10 steps I'd say my walk appears 95% fine and undetectable to the average observer.
-Pain level getting better and averaging about 2 out of 10. At a stand still, pain is non existent, with any movement of legs triggering pain of 2 out of 10 at the surgical wound sites.
-Reducing my pain management to just tylenol. No more need for percocets. 
-Focus is still on resting and letting time do its thing. However, my cognitive analytical thinking is back to normal now, and I'm able to function with work just fine.

[TheAlchemist]

Day 4 Post Op - Feeling better

-Not much to update here other than ongoing day over day improvement (at least another 10%).
-Walk looks about 90% normal now however I've been limiting my daily walk to about 0.5 mile. I'd imagine if I went any further fatigue and soreness would set in.
-Pain level getting better and tolerable without any meds. The wounds feel like minor scrapes/bruises at this point.
-The one thing that I didn't mention was sleep - just ok, averaging about 6 hrs a night. Similar to the original surgery, it's dificult to sleep on your side given the surgery wound at the hip so you have to be comfortable with sleeping on your back.

I have a follow up appointment with Dr. D in a few days (post op day 8 ) and I'll definitely circle back then, but for now it appears its smooth sailing assuming this rate of improvement continues.

[Movie]

Thumbs up 

[PerfectBody]

Thank you for the very detailed review of your experience. I really appreciate knowing what to expect in the very last steps of this ordeal. Good luck man, you're doing great!

[TheAlchemist]

That is outstanding news to hear and congratulations on the removal of hardware. I would greatly appreciate to hear your feedback on the overall experience. Dr. D performed Stryde femur surgery on me 11/20/20 and I am fully prepared for removal this December so would be very thankful to know more about your overall experience. Thank you!

Thanks man. He's been a great doctor so far. Will keep everyone posted throughout the process.

Wow rods removed that’s a big accomplishment!

Thank you!

Thumbs up 

Thanks brotha!

Thank you for the very detailed review of your experience. I really appreciate knowing what to expect in the very last steps of this ordeal. Good luck man, you're doing great!

Of course. Rod removal diaries are not as common so thought I'd share my experience for future LLers!

[Ahd1978]

Hey brother

Congrats

Can you update if there was any corrosion in nails and if you had one year post pain or any issues with nails corrosion like everyone is making it out to be

Once again awesome news

[TheAlchemist]

Hey brother

Congrats

Can you update if there was any corrosion in nails and if you had one year post pain or any issues with nails corrosion like everyone is making it out to be

Once again awesome news

Thanks! Great question. Very curious about this too. I had requested the nails be returned to me (my understanding is the raw material cost itself was nearly $40k to every patient) and Dr. D confirmed they would be shipped back, however, all nails are sent back to NuVasive in Irvine, CA for review/inspection before they are sent to us. Once I get them back, probably fall 2021, I'll report back and provide pics.

As for one year post op pain, honestly I didn't have significant issues. Less than a handful of times, I'd have random knee pains, (probably 2 or 3 times, lasting 5 seconds) at around the 1 year mark. It's been nearly 2 years and haven't consistently experienced any kind of pain to date. The one unfortunate outcome of this, is ongoing, persistant, numbness of my left shin, that I still feel till this day.

I'm going to ask Dr. D if he could let me know if he observed any corrosion/rust with m nails at my post op check up later this week.

[Ahd1978]

Thanks brother

Paley has scheduled me to have nails out by Nov that’s 10 month mark

I am hoping I am consolidated by then

It’s awesome you didn’t have much pain except shin pain. I had patient come to visit paley in poland asking about same shin pain and he suggested some excercises. Maybe you can ask paley too for same ?

[TheAlchemist]

Day 8 Post Removal Surgery

Happy to report that things continue to get better at just over a week post rod removal surgery.

I came in to see Dr. D for a post removal follow up w/ x rays yesterday. The x rays looked good- due to the 4 small holes in the femur where the rod screws were once held Dr. D recommended no high impact sports or heavy lifting for at least another 2 to 3 months. He mentioned during that time frame, the bone will begin to regenerate within the screw/hole area, at which point you should be clear for high impact/running/lifting, however expect to see the holes fully filled in within a 6 to 9 month month time frame.  Really looking forward to playing sports, working out, and jogging again in about 2 months! 

Recovery wise I continue to progressively get better each day, although I'm not 100%. My left leg is probably 90 to 95% recovered, just minor stiffness and post surgery wound pain (pain level minor at aroun 1 / 10), but my right leg is noticably worse at about 80% recovered due to soreness/discomfort at the hip area where the rod was removed. Spoke to Dr. D about it, and he mentioned it's likely because the right Stryde rod was more difficult to remove, causing a bit more surgical trauma. He mentioned this is temporary and will likely subside in the next week or two.

I was also able bring my Stryde Rods home! Nuvasive is no longer requiring that they are shipped back to HQ for review.  I would take pictures and share but not much to report here, there was very minor rusting/corrosion observed around where the telescopic rods met and the screw area, Dr. D mentioned my Stryde rods were on the low end of corrosion/rust since the recall. It's a bit surreal holding these rods in your hands, knowing how they've been with you on this crazy journey and changed your life, a bit of a trophy. They've got some weight to them (would estimate a pound to 2 pounds) so having them out does make a difference in our biomechanics- my legs, even with the lingering  post surgery soreness, feel lighter and I feel more nimble on my feet.

All positive so far however one thing I didn't take into account was intimacy post rod removal surgery. Plannning for the removal, I thought it would be a quick in and out in a week type process, and in many ways it was, however, at a week out, I still have my bandages/dressing on (Dr. D recommended waiting a few more days to take off), legs shaved around the surgery sites, and I'd imagine, scarring and stitches at the surgery site. I've been actively dating someone who has no idea I had this surgery done and thinks I've been away for a little vacation. Heading home in a few days and not sure I can hide this from her, especially if she wants to get intimate/physical. Bit of advice if you are actively dating someone who doesn't know about the surgery, likely no sxx or physical intimacy at least a few weeks out or a month post rod removal surgery.

 

[TheAlchemist]

Thanks brother

Paley has scheduled me to have nails out by Nov that’s 10 month mark

I am hoping I am consolidated by then

It’s awesome you didn’t have much pain except shin pain. I had patient come to visit paley in poland asking about same shin pain and he suggested some excercises. Maybe you can ask paley too for same ?

I believe you will get there (full consolidation) at the 10 month mark! Good call on the shin exercises, honestly, after the rod removal, the shin numbness feels a bit better. Will ask about stretch exercises that can help! Wishing you well brotha!

[E Z]

I’m so glad your nails turned out to have minimal corrosion. I also read a post from TinyTL saying the same thing and he had his nails in for 2 years.

At this point, a good question to ask the big 3 American doctors (Paley, mahboubian, deprishad) would be what percentage of the nails they’ve removed ended up having a significant amount of corrosion?

[TheAlchemist]

I’m so glad your nails turned out to have minimal corrosion. I also read a post from TinyTL saying the same thing and he had his nails in for 2 years.

At this point, a good question to ask the big 3 American doctors (Paley, mahboubian, deprishad) would be what percentage of the nails they’ve removed ended up having a significant amount of corrosion?

Thanks man! Would love to hear this too - hopefully they can release some data. Great to hear from you E Z, we started our journeys around the same time- are you planning on getting the rods out? How's everything else?

[vegeta24]

How did ur family react when u told them u got surgery? Weren't u keeping it hidden?

[Movie]

Day 8 Post Removal Surgery

Happy to report that things continue to get better at just over a week post rod removal surgery.

I came in to see Dr. D for a post removal follow up w/ x rays yesterday. The x rays looked good- due to the 4 small holes in the femur where the rod screws were once held Dr. D recommended no high impact sports or heavy lifting for at least another 2 to 3 months. He mentioned during that time frame, the bone will begin to regenerate within the screw/hole area, at which point you should be clear for high impact/running/lifting, however expect to see the holes fully filled in within a 6 to 9 month month time frame.  Really looking forward to playing sports, working out, and jogging again in about 2 months! 

Recovery wise I continue to progressively get better each day, although I'm not 100%. My left leg is probably 90 to 95% recovered, just minor stiffness and post surgery wound pain (pain level minor at aroun 1 / 10), but my right leg is noticably worse at about 80% recovered due to soreness/discomfort at the hip area where the rod was removed. Spoke to Dr. D about it, and he mentioned it's likely because the right Stryde rod was more difficult to remove, causing a bit more surgical trauma. He mentioned this is temporary and will likely subside in the next week or two.

I was also able bring my Stryde Rods home! Nuvasive is no longer requiring that they are shipped back to HQ for review.  I would take pictures and share but not much to report here, there was very minor rusting/corrosion observed around where the telescopic rods met and the screw area, Dr. D mentioned my Stryde rods were on the low end of corrosion/rust since the recall. It's a bit surreal holding these rods in your hands, knowing how they've been with you on this crazy journey and changed your life, a bit of a trophy. They've got some weight to them (would estimate a pound to 2 pounds) so having them out does make a difference in our biomechanics- my legs, even with the lingering  post surgery soreness, feel lighter and I feel more nimble on my feet.

All positive so far however one thing I didn't take into account was intimacy post rod removal surgery. Plannning for the removal, I thought it would be a quick in and out in a week type process, and in many ways it was, however, at a week out, I still have my bandages/dressing on (Dr. D recommended waiting a few more days to take off), legs shaved around the surgery sites, and I'd imagine, scarring and stitches at the surgery site. I've been actively dating someone who has no idea I had this surgery done and thinks I've been away for a little vacation. Heading home in a few days and not sure I can hide this from her, especially if she wants to get intimate/physical. Bit of advice if you are actively dating someone who doesn't know about the surgery, likely no sxx or physical intimacy at least a few weeks out or a month post rod removal surgery.

That's definitely good news for you Alchemist, you're recovering quickly ! Yikes, that's going to be an interesting situation.

[TheAlchemist]

How did ur family react when u told them u got surgery? Weren't u keeping it hidden?

100% supportive. They had no idea I was doing the surgery and I went off to Florida for LL alone. I saw them about 6 months post op after I had recovered / fully consolidated with a normal walk/gait. Once they saw that I was happy and healthy, they didn't care and were just happy to see me. If they saw me while I was going through distraction they would have freaked out lol - which is why I kept it a secret until I recovered.

That's definitely good news for you Alchemist, you're recovering quickly ! Yikes, that's going to be an interesting situation.

Thanks Movie! Yeah the rod removal recovery isn't so bad!

One other comment I have, I am very happy with my decision to go with Dr. D for the removal. While I still have tremendous respect for Paley and his team, I don't believe the premium price was justified for the rod removal procedure (lower risk, less invasive, out patient when compared to the original LL surgery and distraction process) and I am glad I realized cost savings of >20% for the removal. Dr. Dr has been impressive so far.


If I had to do LL all over again, I would do ithe initial surgery and distraction with Paley, but for those of you guys exploring who to go with for the rod removal procedure.....I would optimize cost and risk and I think any US doctor would be a good choice - go with the one with the lowest cost.

[BelowTheMean]

Hey TheAlchemist! When you started dating were your scars already faded or did you have to come up with some excuse for them? My scars are still pretty dark compared to my skin and very obvious which is making me hesitate on going out on dates right now.

[TheAlchemist]

Hey TheAlchemist! When you started dating were your scars already faded or did you have to come up with some excuse for them? My scars are still pretty dark compared to my skin and very obvious which is making me hesitate on going out on dates right now.

I started dating women again about 5 months post op - my scars were starting to fade, but still noticable, specifically my IT band scar.

Luckily none of the women I slept with commented on them. This is primarily due to me having pretty hairy legs. Advice I can offer, that might have helped me, was try to plan for sex in the evening, turng the lights off or dim the lights low, and optimize for sex positions like doggystyle where you are behind her.

If it came up, (which it never did, even with my consistent GF), my pre-prepared excuse is biking accident years ago.

Sorry if this is TMI for folks!

[Movie]

Haha not TMI bro this is invaluable info and advice 

but I second that, I've had about 6-7 new partners since my surgery and not once has it been brought up. most of them don't even notice, but that's because I do the same thing Alchemist mentioned, lights dim, positions she doesn't see your scars, although I didn't have a made up explanation for the scars before but not I do thanks to Alchemist  haha

[Ahd1978]

Hey guys

I am craving alcohol again

When is it safe to start drinking again ?

[PerfectBody]

Try to wait until a few weeks after consolidation. Hang in there

[Ahd1978]

Full consolidation before removing nails

Or 6 months average mark of consolidation

[BelowTheMean]

Re: Scars
Good to know. Looks like I need to start getting out there again. The pandemic isn't really an excuse anymore here. My leg hair isn't dense enough to hide the scars unfortunately. The scars for my IT band and lower screw are much darker than the others, which have faded some. I'm thinking it might be due to sunlight exposure when I'm wearing shorts indoors. Looks like I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and see what happens. I guess it might be awkward for the other person to bring them up as well.

Re: Drinking
I've had a few drinks here and there. First time was about 6 weeks after finishing lengthening. I'm not taking any painkillers and my callus has been growing on each X-ray so I don't think it should be an issue. Who knows though, maybe I'm slowing down my consolidation.

[TheAlchemist]

Full consolidation before removing nails

Or 6 months average mark of consolidation

Purely anecdotal, can't offer any kind of medical opinion here but I had the occasional drink about 5 months post op (2 months post lengthening). I was keeping it light on alcohol as I was taking it easy on my liver after taking all the meds and pain killers through distraction plus I didnt want to risk getting too drunk to the point where I could risk falling/injuring myself.

Re: Scars
Good to know. Looks like I need to start getting out there again. The pandemic isn't really an excuse anymore here. My leg hair isn't dense enough to hide the scars unfortunately. The scars for my IT band and lower screw are much darker than the others, which have faded some. I'm thinking it might be due to sunlight exposure when I'm wearing shorts indoors. Looks like I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and see what happens. I guess it might be awkward for the other person to bring them up as well.

Good luck man! Who knows, if it ever does come up, some women find scars sexy....could work in your favor!