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[jayes]

I had a Stryde nail placed in my femurs and stopped lengthening close to the end of January. I stopped around 5.2 cm or 2 inches. I went from around 5'8 to 5'10.  I'm nowhere back to where I was before but getting better over time. I can't jog but can walk fairly long distances. I do walks of about 3 miles about 4 times a week. 

I stopped around 5 cm because I was really struggling with tightness and weakness towards the end. I was not in a good place mentally and physically in spite of getting regular physio. I also needed to get back to work which was another equally important factor. 

Now I regret not having gone for the full 8 cm. My height neurosis still acts up. 5.10 is statistically just above average.  When I'm out I'm always comparing myself to other guys and I'm solidly average. I wonder if going through hell for 5 cm was worth it. I like to think it was but you always want more. Lol.

To be fair if I had pushed myself to 8 cm I would probably be much worse off right now in terms of my mobility.  Surgeons grossly underestimate the amount of recovery time you need after you stop lengthening. And it's not a linear relationship.  Going from 5 cm to 8 cm doesn't just mean adding another 3/8th additional recovery time.  Anyone else not go the full 8 cm?

[ghkid2019]

2 inches is a good gain, but comparatively modest in the LL field. You went from 35th percentile to 60th percentile in the US. In a room of 10 other people, you used to be taller than 3 and now are taller than 6. Had you gone for an extra inch then you would be taller than about 7.5 people's, about 8 other men out of 10.

You started at a nearly average height, and still went to a nearly average height, just slightly above. That is perhaps why you feel dissatisfied.

The major reapers of LL are those who went from very short like elementary schooler kid short to within standard distribution (5'1 to 5'4), very short to nearly average (5'5 to 5'8 ), and average to the objectively "tall" percentiles (5'9 to 6'0)

You went from average to average. I find it highly worrying that your height neurosis hasn't been cured, especially after all that effort. I fear you may retain this neurosis for a long time, and perhaps you may go back for Tibias or extending the femur nail once again.

It does kinda suck to go from essentially average to essentially average imo

Edit: as a side note, if you are doing LL, expect to be out of daily life for a year. Do not try to get to back to work asap and cheap out on recovery. Do not reduce your goal by not filling committing to stretching and PT. Not referring to OP, but If you have to say you "tried" to stretch daily, then clearly you are not doing enough. MyEvolution said that the majority of patients are lazy and succumb to human tendencies to slack off and not PT or stretch daily.

LL should be a full time job, you must push yourself to stretch many many times a day.

OP, I went through your post history and you stated that you could never touch your toes and was at least 6 inches away from doing so. I have no doubt this lack of flexibility caused you to stop early and really struggle through the process. For people who want to do LL, you must stretch. Alot.

[Futureller]

Sounds like you shoulda taken stretching more seriously but whats done is done.  You're much better off anyway being above average than below average my friend.  Congrats on the gains. 

[k1erz]

This is a very interesting post Jayes. I'd be very interested in reading more about your experience.

I'm thinking of doing between 2-3 inches (I'm 5'9" at night) through Stryde Femurs.

I feel 5'11 would be totally worth it and 6'0 would be a dream however I'm concerned about the extent to which I'm able to make a full athletic recovery.

Do you feel that even though you're not "nowhere back to where I was before" that you eventually will be?

Please tell me more about your regrets not going to the full 8cm. So you obviously must have considered continuing but what utterly convinced you that you needed to throw it the towel? Was the pain unbearable? Was it out of fear?

How far along your recovery do you think you'd be now if you did the full 8cm? Would you be able to walk around as much as you currently are?

Do you think that doing it at home was also a factor in why you decided to not go the full 8cm?

[Highgains]

Jayes did your surgeon perform IT band release?

[Movie]

I understand why you'd be regretful Jayes I also know another guy "Purushotam" who did 6.5 CM and wish he did 8 CMs seems like he did a great full recovery he's about 2.5 years post op with the nails removed and is back to running 5Ks and miles in 7 minutes or so which is pretty decently fast, I did the surgery as well and would've regretted not pushing for the full 8 too, but you ended up even taller than me lol so try to appreciate what you have now, like others have mentioned before me, you went from slightly below average to above average, that's still decent.

[TheAlchemist]

I went the full 8 cm and am thankful I did. Looking back I totally understand why people stop at 5 cm, the last inch is the toughest to push through both mentally and physically.

5'10 is a great height and you should be proud of what you accomplished. Ultimately if your height neurosis persists, I'd suggest rebreaking the femur and getting the last 3 cm out of it.

[ghkid2019]

I went the full 8 cm and am thankful I did. Looking back I totally understand why people stop at 5 cm, the last inch is the toughest to push through both mentally and physically.

5'10 is a great height and you should be proud of what you accomplished. Ultimately if your height neurosis persists, I'd suggest rebreaking the femur and getting the last 3 cm out of it.

Hey alchemist, how's your shin numbness? It's about 10 or 11 months post op for you. I heard you were still numb a few months prior.

[6CMFemurs]

I lengthened around 6 CM in 2014 and totally regret not finishing the nail. My case was a little different, I wanted to continue at the time and get the last inch (I was in no pain and my muscles were super loose), but bone was cut too low by surgeon, so fat part of nail would have disengaged from femur if I had continued. I would say my height neurosis was mostly cured going from 5"5.5/5"6 to 5"8, but I just feel like I blew a once in a lifetime opportunity to get taller and reach average. I feel like that last inch would have given me a sense of accomplishment and closure that I feel I missed out on because of the way my lengthening ended.

[SpeedDialer]

Do you think you'll ever do internal tibia stryde to become average height?

I heard Parihar has Stryde now so I wonder if Tibias with him is a viable option that is relatively affordable

[6CMFemurs]

@Speeddialer: Not sure if I will do any further lengthening. I think when you don't get the amount you want, you regret missing the opportunity as much as you regret not having the extra height. I definitely feel like I have "unfinished business," but I don't necessarily feel short on a daily basis the way I used to. I think I will write a detailed diary of my entire experience as one of the pioneering patients of the Precice 2.0 at some point. Cosmetic LL has changed so much in the past 7 years.

[infinity&beyond]

This is interesting to hear given that i’m about to undergo LL of 6cm to take me from 179cm to 185cm, and a main consideration for me has been whether or not to reduce lengthening to just 4cm in an effort to prevent any noticeable height increase since I don’t want anyone to know when I return home. If, like you say, you regret missing that ‘once in a lifetime opportunirty’ of not going the full way, albeit for different reasons, then perhaps I should reconsider also.

[infinity&beyond]

To those LL vets commenting on whether or not they’re glad/regretful that they didn’t lengthen more even though they had the chance, how do you consider this in the context of someone who wants to keep or secret from family. I’m considering only doing 4cm instead of 6cm to prevent any noticeable height gain that my family might be suspicious of. This will cure my height dyspphoria without to much anxiety of having to worry about who knows afterwards.

What do you say? Has the height increase been significant more or less than you initially anticipated before the surgery? Reading numbers like 5cm, 6cm, 7cm, 8cm on paper during your planning, with the benefit of hindsight do you have any comments on how these numbers translate to the height difference you actually feel post OP and in your day to day life? Should someone in my position be wary not to overestimate or underestimate a stated lengthening length, i.e. does 6cm, for instance, feel like more or less than you expected it to feel like?

[6CMFemurs]

@Infinity: Honestly, you are spending a lot of money, time, and effort on this. Don't let your decision be influenced on what other people think about you or trying to hide it from other people. In the end you want this to be something you did for yourself and you will eventually be proud of. Don't listen to people on these forums who have never done it and don't listen to people who do photoshops in their underwear and critique each others proportions. I have never met anyone who actually went through this and then fixated on their post LL proportions other than some very dysmorphic people who had done dozens of cosmetic surgeries besides LL. Be honest with your doctor and tell them you want to try for the maximum, but will see how you feel along the way and make your decision in accordance with them based on your health. Trust me, you won't know how you truly feel until you are actually post-op and in the lengthening phase. Lastly, consider this, this may sound counterintuitive (it was to me at first), but people will be much more understanding if you went through all this and it made a difference they can really notice rather then going through all this for such a small amount that nobody notices.

In terms of my height gain, I barely remember what it was like being 5"6. I have been 5"8 for more than half my adult life at this point (longer than I was ever 5"6). I feel like I have been this height my whole life and this is my natural height. It takes a little while to accept your new body at first (which is why people shouldn't make impulsive decisions and go for things like AL months after they finish lengthening their legs), but honestly now my longish strong femurs are my favorite part of my entire body now. My whole body image has improved in general.