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[TheAlchemist]

Update: 12 days post nail removal:

Quick update- things continue to improve, but wanted to circle back on the discomfort/pain in my right hip. I finally took off the surgical wound dressing/ bandages this past weekend and observed way more dark, surgical bruising around my right hip area as compared to my left hip. This is consistent with what Dr. D had communicated to me, during the surgery he mentioned he had more difficulty removing the right rod due to excess bone consolidation around the cap of the rod, basically he had to yank the rod out of the femur with a bit more force and as a result there was more surgical trauma in removing the right rod as compared to the left.

I can definitely feel the difference, my left leg feels almost perfect, I'd say 95%, very minor, barely noticeable stiffness/wound discomfort at the surgical site.

My right hip is still at about 80%, just feels slightly bruised / sore. At a stand still it feels totally fine, only when getting up from different positions do I feel the tenderness/soreness, and even then it lasts just a few seconds. Each day gets better and I suspect at this rate I should be totally fine in a week or so.

[Polvorón]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience here.

[TheAlchemist]

3 Weeks Post Rod Removal

Hey LL Fam!

Today marks 3 weeks post rod removal. I feel amazing. Outside of very minor, barely noticeable, temporary stiffness after being in a position for too long (lasts 1 minute at most), I feel 100% fine.

Here’s the recap of my rod removal experience:

Days 0-2 -> Rough. Pain level up to a 5/10- reliant on pain meds. Not ambulatory on my own - needed support from crutches/cane to move around. Highly recommend having an aide or family watch over you.
Days 2-4 -> Exponential improvement. Can now walk independently, albeit slow with an awkward waddle. Pain level improving to a 2/10. Only Tylenol needed.
Days 5-7 -> Exponential improvement. Walk looks normal, however speed limited. Pain level barely noticeable (only when pressure is applied to surgical wounds.)
Day 7 and on -> Exponential improvement in surgery wound trama healing and strength.  Everyday you’re so much better. Right hip had slightly more bruising and couldn't sleep on sides, otherwise I felt great.
Day 14 and on -> Ongoing improvement, slight soreness/bruising in right hip gradually resolved itself through remainder of week. Able to sleep on both sides. Can walk for miles each day with a perfectly normal gait.

The fresh removal scarring is healing up nicely. Putting on aquafor daily.

I'm limiting my activity to just walking (no gym/heavy lifting, no running) until 6 to 8 weeks post removal op per the doc's guidance (still have 4 screw holes in our legs that need to fill in.)

I receommend all LLers remove their rods/hardware as soon as their doctors allow them. The benefits are real beyond any placebo effect. My legs feel lighter and my body feels more agile- I have my rods in hand and they have some weight to them. The minor discomfort I'd feel with the screws in my hips are now gone. There is a substantial improvement in mobility and agility. I honestly feel like I did pre-LL, which I couldn't say w/ 100% certainty for the past year and a half after LL. It's an awesome feeling.

[6CMFemurs]

3 Weeks Post Rod Removal

Hey LL Fam!

Today marks 3 weeks post rod removal. I feel amazing. Outside of very minor, barely noticeable, temporary stiffness after being in a position for too long (lasts 1 minute at most), I feel 100% fine.

Here’s the recap of my rod removal experience:

Days 0-2 -> Rough. Pain level up to a 5/10- reliant on pain meds. Not ambulatory on my own - needed support from crutches/cane to move around. Highly recommend having an aide or family watch over you.
Days 2-4 -> Exponential improvement. Can now walk independently, albeit slow with an awkward waddle. Pain level improving to a 2/10. Only Tylenol needed.
Days 5-7 -> Exponential improvement. Walk looks normal, however speed limited. Pain level barely noticeable (only when pressure is applied to surgical wounds.)
Day 7 and on -> Exponential improvement in surgery wound trama healing and strength.  Everyday you’re so much better. Right hip had slightly more bruising and couldn't sleep on sides, otherwise I felt great.
Day 14 and on -> Ongoing improvement, slight soreness/bruising in right hip gradually resolved itself through remainder of week. Able to sleep on both sides. Can walk for miles each day with a perfectly normal gait.

The fresh removal scarring is healing up nicely. Putting on aquafor daily.

I'm limiting my activity to just walking (no gym/heavy lifting, no running) until 6 to 8 weeks post removal op per the doc's guidance (still have 4 screw holes in our legs that need to fill in.)

I receommend all LLers remove their rods/hardware as soon as their doctors allow them. The benefits are real beyond any placebo effect. My legs feel lighter and my body feels more agile- I have my rods in hand and they have some weight to them. The minor discomfort I'd feel with the screws in my hips are now gone. There is a substantial difference in mobility and agility. I honestly feel like I did pre-LL, which I couldn't say with full honesty for the past year and a half after LL. It's an awesome feeling.

Congrats on removal! Out of sheer curiosity, could you weigh the rods?? As someone who has had my Precice rods in for 7.5 years now, I am super curious how much they weigh. Also, I feel a huge difference in flexibility and athletic performance since I got my bottom (distal) screws removed last year, it is like night and day. I wonder how much better it will be when I get the whole deal removed.

[TheAlchemist]

Congrats on removal! Out of sheer curiosity, could you weigh the rods?? As someone who has had my Precice rods in for 7.5 years now, I am super curious how much they weigh. Also, I feel a huge difference in flexibility and athletic performance since I got my bottom (distal) screws removed last year, it is like night and day. I wonder how much better it will be when I get the whole deal removed.

Thanks!

Did a rough weigh in of the rods and they were each just about a pound. Doesn't sound like much on their own, but day in and day out over time you can feel the difference of a pound on each leg.

To add to that, as a fairly skinny person, the screws at the hip site would press up against my skin and caused mild discomfort whenever I slept or laid on my side, with the screws out it feels way better.

This is anecdotal but I feel more flexibible now too. I believe our bones have a natural ability to slightly bend and flex with various bodily motions, however with the steel Stryde rods in, where steel is much less flexible, your bones + rods don't have as much flex to them....with them out it feels better. Again purely anecdotal and obviously haven't been flexing my bones much so far....but will report back if this is truly the case over time.

[Movie]

Super awesome that you feel like pre-LL after just a mere 3 weeks!
 wow the body truly is an amazing machine.

[TheAlchemist]

Super awesome that you feel like pre-LL after just a mere 3 weeks!
 wow the body truly is an amazing machine.

Thank you bro! Agreed it's amazing what our bodies can do!

[bgreeneee]

Totally agreed Alchemist. Getting the rod out makes you feel better. I’m not sure of the exact science of it but it definitely makes a difference. Glad you’re doing well. You, me and Movie were going through this about the same time....It was helpful to refer to your experiences at the time. All the best!

[TheAlchemist]

Totally agreed Alchemist. Getting the rod out makes you feel better. I’m not sure of the exact science of it but it definitely makes a difference. Glad you’re doing well. You, me and Movie were going through this about the same time....It was helpful to refer to your experiences at the time. All the best!

Likewise - your diary and videos were helpful for me as I navigated through this crazy LL experience. I feel a sense of brotherhood w/ you, Movie, the rest of the forum folks, and all the friends I made at Paleys back in late 2019.  I'm so glad you are doing well. Cheers brotha!

[Dreamer57]

Hey man! So great to hear from you!

I request you, please keep updating every now and then...it's very helpful , and gives us motivation !

[Growing]

Any before and after photos?

[Dreamer57]

Hey man it's like 4 months post removal....how are things going? Are you back to pre ll stage in terms of strength, flexibility? Is there lingering pain, tightness or numbness? Also, weird question, have the nail holes started healing back? And btw what did doctor say, do our muscles and soft tissues grow after LL or they just stay there permanantly stretched? Are you back to running/jogging?

[binsisi]

Give ist an update Bro. I am very interested:)

[TheAlchemist]

4+ Year Update.

In summary, I'm fully satisfied and thankful I did LL. It is one of the most bizarre, risky, challenging, crazy, yet rewarding and transformative things I've done in my life.

I originally made this diary to share my experience and try to provide raw insights into the LL journey to help prospective LLers decide if LL is right for them. Was feeling a bit nostalgic on New Years and decided to drop by and share my experience 4 years post op to give folks a very long term view of this experience.

Life 4 years after LL

I am 100% free of height dysphoria to the point where I never think about height. At all. Thinking back to life 4 years ago, height dysphoria and LL went from being this all consuming thing that defines your life to now, being just a blip in your past. A distant memory. Life truly goes on and so do you.
My height is now just another normal, boring part of my identity. I used to be 5'9. I'm now 6 ft. I don't even remember being 5'9. I don't even think about being 6 ft now. This is just who I am and it feels normal.

I'm now in a long term relationship with a great girl. I don't think I'd have this kind of relationship today had I not done LL. Not because I'm taller now and therefore conventionally more attractive, but because when I had height dysphoria, I was so self consumed in my own personal height neurosis that I wasn't in the right state of mind (i.e confident) to be in a healthy relationship with another person.

Family, friends, and coworkers who knew me before LL definitely register something different about me post LL. Again I did the maximum femur amount allowed by Paley of 8 cm / 3 inches. I would say 30 to 40% of them vocalize it, while others just stare for a bit. Although LL has become more mainstream in recent years, I still believe people don't presume you had LL, it's just not at the forefront of their mind when they see you. Rather, they think to themselves they may be misremembering, you've lost weight, etc. I usually just shrug it off and smile about it if it comes up (rare). I remember worrying about people noticing so much pre LL, and now I realize people don't think about you as much as you think they do, or, I just don't care.

Physical Status:

Day to day life: I feel completely normal on a day to day basis (e.g walking around town, working, sitting, standing, hiking, etc).

Athletic abilities: I would estimate I have about 70% of the athletic ability I had pre op although I'd attribute a portion of that to aging as I go through the middle aged stage of my life. My glutes are probably my weakest area.  The biggest athletic decline would be my reduced ability to burst/ sprint during sports and my reduced stamina.

Scarring: Unfortunately my scars are still visible which is partially just a result of my ethnicity and skin color. I have other friends who did this who have had much better scar healing. I'm considering doing laser treatment. It's not terribly noticeable, although I've had a few intimate partners ask me where the scars came from.

Numbness in my shin has completely gone away

Financial Status

I am in the best financial health of my life. Before I did LL, I was concerned the pause in my career and cost would set me back. 4 years later, I've hit an all time high with my net worth, and have exceeded the financial goals I had originally set out for myself for this age. My salary earnings are the highest they've ever been, and I've consistently invested in equities and real estate since doing LL which has potentially set myself up for an early retirement.

The cost of LL was relatively high but insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Interestingly enough, I believe in a way I've "profited" from LL because I was able to reallocate a significant amount of time that I spent dealing with severe height dysphoria (countless hours) towards my career, investing, diversifying my income streams, and mental health.

My advice to prospective LL candidates

Life is too short to spend your precious time on this planet worrying about being too short. However, this doesn't mean I am always an advocate for doing LL. I recommend freeing yourself of something as debilitating as height dysphoria by any means necessary.

I think LL is an extreme, relatively risky, high commitment, high cost procedure that should only be done as a last resort after careful consideration of the risks and benefits. You should first try to address height dysphoria through therapy or self improvement, and if that doesn't work, well only then consider LL.