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[TheAlchemist]

Hi Alchemist,

Like you, I plan to do LL with Paley by end of 2020 or beginning of 2021.

Your diary is truly inspiring. After reading, however, my biggest concern is regarding nerve pain. Are you still experiencing nerve pain or have you fully recovered?

I'm trying to decide if I want to go the full 8cm or just stick with 5cm. I'm starting at 5'9". Any advice you have is hugely appreciated.

And thank you again for sharing your LL journey. Hope you are loving life at your new height!

Thanks for the kind words! I'm loving life at the new height. I'm glad the diary has helped provide you with insight into the experience. Unfortunately, yes I'm still experiencing a slight numbness in my lower left leg and occassional mild nerve pain that I would describe as barely noticeable and more annoying than painful. It's dissapointing from the perspective that I'm dealing with an issue nearly 11 months post op when my original goal was to be 100% healthy with no lingering issues at 6 months post op, but on the bright side it is something I could definitely live with and does not compare at all to the joy of having freedom of height neurosis. Trying to share more data, of the 15 or so friends I kept in touch with from Paleys, 2 of them still have similar mild numbness / nerve pain.

At 5'9, I think both 5 cm or 8 cm would be an amazing, life changing gain. With 5 CM you'll end up at 5'11, a great height and "tall or slightly tall" with a good chance of recovering functionality at 100%. With 8 CM at 6 ft, you'll be at an even better height and "distinctly tall" (personally I think every inch leading up to 6'2 is meaningful whereby everything afterwards starts to diminish in value) however you will definitely sacrifice some functioanlity at the competetive athletic/sports level for those last 3 CM. Whether the trade off is worth it is a personal decision. For me, since my current lifestylf does not involve any kind of intense physical activity, I am 100% happy that I went the full 8 cm, absolutely no regrets. However if athletics were a big part of my life I could certainly see how the trade off wouldn't be worth it. 

Hello there,

Are you able to run now ?

Honestly I haven't attempted any running or jogging as I haven't gotten any x rays since Feb 2020 due to COVID 19. I defnitely feel like I can jog or run, just playing it safe until I see those bones fully consolidated. I've been biking/cycling just fine.

Any updates?

This was by far the best diary I’ve followed.

Would love to read about your recovery by now?

Also I recently watched a Paley video. He says that with a dedication to PT a return to normal within 6 months should be expected.

Do you believe you’ve not experienced this for the above reason?

How good did you find the PT at the Paley Institute btw. 

Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad this diary has been insightful for you. I think a return to normal at 6 months is achievable depending on your definition of "normal" and how much you lengthen. If you lengthen femurs < 5 cm and work incredibly hard at PT, I think there's a chance you can return to normal at 6 months, which includes atheltics / sports. However if you lengthen > 5 cm, with dedication to PT I believe that at 6 months one can function with every day activities such as walking, going to work, hiking, running errands, etc however any kind of athletic / sport activites at a level of high intensity won't be possible mainly due to soft tissues still being tight and biomechanics still adapting to new proportions.

I was a big fan of the Physical Therapy team at Paleys. I found Paley's system of attending PT daily 5x a week  just put me in a positive environment with an optimistic mindset that kept me disciplined and accountable as it almost felt like a boot camp where I was getting tested and assessed daily. Consistently showing up and sticking to the plan is the name of the game for LL, and Paley's system helps keep you on that path.

Sorry for the delay in updates, I've honestly just been enjoying life. I'm almost 11 months post op and still as happy as ever with this decision, truly life changing for me, and outside of the aforementioned numbness/mild nerve pain, I often go through hours and days forgetting I ever did LL. I've been busy with work and life but I'll try to find some time in the coming weeks for a more detailed update.

Take care everyone!

[Movie]

wow you too bro? E Z, and BoneStretching are all around the 1 year post op mark and having pains. I'm having pains too specifically in the right knee definitely no numbness but I do get a sharp pain in the top shin under the knee when driving lately, it's weird though because I was soaring without pain from monnth 6 until month 11 post OP and then pains came unexpectedly.

[TheAlchemist]

wow you too bro? E Z, and BoneStretching are all around the 1 year post op mark and having pains. I'm having pains too specifically in the right knee definitely no numbness but I do get a sharp pain in the top shin under the knee when driving lately, it's weird though because I was soaring without pain from monnth 6 until month 11 post OP and then pains came unexpectedly.

Sorry to hear bro. Not having any knee pains, just numbness and minor nerve pain in my left shin. Occasionally I'll get slight hip soreness after long walks or hikes but I think that's mainly muscle fatigue.  Have you consulted Dr. M on the knee pain? Curious to get his thoughts. Hope it gets better brotha!

[DoubleTime]

Hey Alchemist! So great to hear you're doing well. You mentioned in a previous post that you noticed your knees are slightly low compared to your overall leg length. You also mentioned that it's not something anyone would ever notice. That being said, do you mind me asking what your starting tibia to femur ratio was? I had a consultation with Dr. Paley this last week and I believe the standard ratio tiba/femur ratio typically falls between 78-82%

I don't know if you recall your tibia/femur ratio. I'm just wondering because my ratio is at 82% which means my tibias are much longer than my femurs (which makes me a great candidate for femur lengthening). Appreciate your thoughts!

[TheAlchemist]

Hey Alchemist! So great to hear you're doing well. You mentioned in a previous post that you noticed your knees are slightly low compared to your overall leg length. You also mentioned that it's not something anyone would ever notice. That being said, do you mind me asking what your starting tibia to femur ratio was? I had a consultation with Dr. Paley this last week and I believe the standard ratio tiba/femur ratio typically falls between 78-82%

I don't know if you recall your tibia/femur ratio. I'm just wondering because my ratio is at 82% which means my tibias are much longer than my femurs (which makes me a great candidate for femur lengthening). Appreciate your thoughts!

Thanks! I was on the bottom end of the range of normal pre - LL at 78% so you are a much much better femur candidate that I was. Even at 78% pre LL the proportions post LL  do not bother me at all- nobody has mentioned anything off. You will be even better off than I was at 82%.

If proportions continue to be a concern for you I'd suggest you do some photoshop mock ups. I remember pre LL I did do some photoshop mock ups msyelf to stress test it and it helped prep me for what was to come. Good luck!

[DoubleTime]

Thanks a million, Alchemist! Photoshop mockups. I hadn't thought of that. Awesome.

[brondo]

How is it going Alchemist? I was wondering how things were almost a year out from surgery? Do you still have any lingering pains from LL? When were you able to return back to a normal life (work, driving, etc.)? How far can you push yourself athletically now? Great diary btw.

[Froggy]

Thanks for the diary, TheAlchemist.

I'm also debating doing LL surgery with Dr. Paley, but my biggest concern is scars as I'm in an industry where scarring might negatively impact my career. I'd love to know how you feel about the scars and if they're very noticeable.

[Bosnian2018]

Is it too much to ask for some scar pics?

I know you are deferring laser until hardware removal.

Would like to get an idea.

[ghkid2019]

Everytime I read your diary Alchemist I just cry inside for you a little bit. One of the best diaries I've read. It's also this diary that made my original stance on "average height people wanting LL is crazy" change to "height neurosis is a thing that can exist for everyone and everyone has their own personalized struggle". Your height neurosis was probably worse than mine despite me at 165 in USA.

Happy for you again Alchemist. I think I'm gonna do what you did, 5x PT at Paley's. I think the hardest part is the mental aspect. Just making yourself get up daily and go out and exercise esp with other people can make the biggest difference.

[simple]

Hello TheAlchemist,

Thank you so much for sharing your journey and for all the tips and information! This is very helpful for us who are going to do the surgery. I found a piece of myself in your story.
I will be reading your diary again for tips and other clues to remember. I plan on lengthening femur by 8 cm ideally in September 2021 with Dr. Paley.

I have two questions. Do you think it was a good idea to lengthen femur by 8cm proportion wise or 6-7 cm would be better? And, was it worth it considering the pain and other things?

[simple]

Also, how are you doing one year from now?

[simple]

Damn man, how did you do this? How were you able to break your legs go thru that process? I mean all of these people here. A person must be very tough to do this. I am shivering as I write this and my legs act as im getting the surgery now. I wish I had your courage.

[TheAlchemist]

Hey everyone - Sorry for being MIA, life's gotten busy with work and life in general. Thanks for reaching out, I appreciate all the great questions - long story short, life is good and everything in relation to LL has overall been great so far. I'll try to carve out some time later this week to respond to all of the questions and give a more detailed update as to my LL recovery, LL next steps, and life in general post LL and post height dysphoria! 

[brondo]

Thanks Alchemist. I actually have a question on biomechanics and athleticism and I was wondering how your body has been able to adapt to your new legs and if there are any limitations based on sports/activities that you think you might have from LL. Looking forward to your updates!

[simple]

Thanks alchemist, will be waiting for your update.

[OverSixFeetTall]

Yeah that’s great things are picking up for you.

I’m always wondering about athletic recovery.

Since we have similar stats.

Do you plan on doing jogging? boxing? swimming? biking?

And did Paley tell you when you can start doing cardio or overall exercise again?

[simple]

whadup with that update tho? Alchemist my man we appreciate you going thru this, we might too... tell us please if this   is worth it. if your proportions aight. if you recommend it for short guy 170 cm. my beach is the same height as me. i want to  be better

[simple]

I LIKE YOU ALCHEMIST. I HOPE YOURE REAL AND NOT A DOCTOR OR SOME  .

[infinity&beyond]

Hey do you mind elaborating in this:

Step 6: Don't worry about what other people will think or if they might notice you taller. I worried about this a lot before doing LL and it gave me a ton of anxiety and guess what.... after doing LL I realized it doesn't really matter, people don't really care about you as much as you think they do.

Keeping it hidden is currently the single main drawback stopping me grim doing LL. I want there to be 0% chance of it being detected. Don’t ask why, it’s just what it is. I have an alibi etc, it’s just the return to the family home that is nauseating. If I could find a way to do it with 0 chance of detection I would be over the moon, filled with joy. Like you, I have a lot of anxiety about this point leading up to my decision. If family found out and they were accepting of it, this still wouldn’t be a good outcome for me. I just don’t want them to know at all.

[infinity&beyond]

I find your words, the ones I quoted above, very comforting. However I fear that that’s all they might be, words of comfort, not actually how I should rationally think. If what you say is true that’d be great. But I wear even 4cm lifts and I feel taller standing next to my fridge, standing in my bathroom, reaching for the tv remote. I just imagine going for 6 cm (the maximum possible amount I would consider lengthening and the absolute dream best case scenario).... not a chance. I wonder whether it is just tricks playing on my mind... it seems to good to be true to be able to get away with it. The perfect heist.

[TheAlchemist]

Hey do you mind elaborating in this:

Keeping it hidden is currently the single main drawback stopping me grim doing LL. I want there to be 0% chance of it being detected. Don’t ask why, it’s just what it is. I have an alibi etc, it’s just the return to the family home that is nauseating. If I could find a way to do it with 0 chance of detection I would be over the moon, filled with joy. Like you, I have a lot of anxiety about this point leading up to my decision. If family found out and they were accepting of it, this still wouldn’t be a good outcome for me. I just don’t want them to know at all.

I find your words, the ones I quoted above, very comforting. However I fear that that’s all they might be, words of comfort, not actually how I should rationally think. If what you say is true that’d be great. But I wear even 4cm lifts and I feel taller standing next to my fridge, standing in my bathroom, reaching for the tv remote. I just imagine going for 6 cm (the maximum possible amount I would consider lengthening and the absolute dream best case scenario).... not a chance. I wonder whether it is just tricks playing on my mind... it seems to good to be true to be able to get away with it. The perfect heist.

I understand your concern. I felt the same way leading up to my procedure- I spent countless hours and many sleepless nights worrying, stressing and over analyzing how I would manage and escape detection.

Leading up to my operation I wore shoe lifts that were just under 2 inches. So the net effect of LL, after doing the full 8 cm, was roughly 1.5 inches in additional height.

The reality is people will notice something different about you. In my case, even at just 1.5 inches increase net of my shoe lifts there were some people who still noticed. You can't control that and you will need to accept this. However you can control how you react and respond to their observations and curiosity.

I would say roughly 50% of people have noticed and explictly said that I look taller/skinnier/different. I'd imagine more people registered something different about me internally but did not vocalize the difference or just dismissed it as something odd about me.

It's important to emphasize that someone noticing you taller is very different than someone accusing you of getting cosmentic LL surgery to get taller. Everyone I've met since doing LL were none the wiser to a surgery being involved, even if they did notice me being taller.

What you will realize is even though LL and your height change are at the forefront of your mind, the same isn't true for those around you, even those who do register a change in height. Because LL is not mainstream peoples minds will automatically brush it away, thinking they are misremembering, you somehow grew, your posture got better, or ironically, even started wearing lifts. Remember, you are your own worst critic, people don't actually care or think about you as much as you think they do.

My advice is to just own it mentally. Don't go into each interaction with a defensive mindset. If someone mentions you growing, a confident/ happy "Oh yeah? Can't complain about that" response is a lot better than being hesitant and bashful. If they dig deeper, just look at them like they're crazy, they'll just as likely start to think that they may have gotten shorter. If they keep pushing, you can say you've been working on posture. As long as you own it mentally and maintain a confident, succinct position around any kind of comments, you'll be just fine.

[infinity&beyond]

Thanks for your reply, appreciated.

Where can I find some of your pics and vids? Before during and after. Can you link me a google drive

[azaghul]

Hey everyone - Sorry for being MIA, life's gotten busy with work and life in general. Thanks for reaching out, I appreciate all the great questions - long story short, life is good and everything in relation to LL has overall been great so far. I'll try to carve out some time later this week to respond to all of the questions and give a more detailed update as to my LL recovery, LL next steps, and life in general post LL and post height dysphoria!

Any updates on ur pains?

[Dreamer57]

Hey man ,any updates?

What's your current status with respect to gait? Is it back to normal? What about sports? Can you run in a park and no one can suspect a thing? Is it back to normal as in, nothing ever happened kind of normal?

[Vibes]

Would also like an update on this, but more specifically on the social aspects. AKA how has your social life changed? Both how others view you (more verifiable info like dating apps) and how you view yourself.

[Dreamer57]

Hey man, it's been a long time since your last update..

I'm sure you are doing great! Would like to hear abt your new improvements since last update..

How's life in general? I'm sure u r enjoying it new height....how's ur athletic abilities?

Would like to hear from u


Best wishes!

[OGfivesevener]

Just jumping in without Alchemist asking : )

We met and did LL around the same time period. He's doing well.

Similar to me - gait, walking all good for all intents and purposes.

I don't think any of us can say our athletic abilities are anywhere near what they were pre-LL until we get the rods out.

[Dreamer57]

Wow, that's good to hear....!

So like, the gait....it's unnoticeable? Absolutely normal?

I'm sure you will get back to all your atheltic abilities after rod removal...


Bt for now, do you guys jog or something? If so , how's the pace, the gait?


Say you are jogging in park.....
Can anyone notice there's something off with your gaitor anything like that?

Like tell me whatever you can...would love to get a perspective....



Also, do u have a diary over here? If yes, I'll surely read it!


Thanks for the previous reply....

Best wishes!

[TheAlchemist]

Hey LL fam,

I just wanted to quickly jump in and say I have my nail removal scheduled later this month and I'll update everyone here on that process as I approach my operation in mid June.

Sorry for the lack of updates- I've been busy w/ work and life in general. It's true when the LL veterans say that leading up to, and during the actual lengthening process, LL is this all encompassing thing that consumes your entire life.......but once you finish and recover it becomes a distant memory and blip in time. I try to remind myself how important and informative this community was for me leading up to my operation so I will make sure to update this diary with the nail removal experience.

I will also try to carve out some time with a more detailed, in depth update on life (physical, psychological, emotional) post LL to keep everyone here informed but to quickly summarize- life is good and I'm still more than satisfied with my decision to have gone on this LL journey!

[RB]

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!