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[erenyeager1]

Not entirely sure I understand what you mean by "waiting it out". What do you expect to happen once you can weight-bear? I don't think you'll be able to walk unassisted without building your muscles first.

Please tell us some tips to build our muscles during consolidating. Going to gym room to do light legs and hip exercises?

Oh I am just not using crutches. I have been walking like 10 minutes a day with my walker since I was approved to do so last Friday, pushing down hard on the walker because single leg weight bearing limit is 100 lbs now but I weight like 195. The muscles are not great but they are not weak. I’ve been exercising them when lying down, like leg raises etc. PTs gave me a sheet of exercises to do at the beginning of lengthening. Glutes are important for not walking like a duck so I’ve doing them the most - side leg raises etc.

I am only going to the gym for upper body. It’d be the best if your apartment/gym has a pool. You can walk in a pool even during lengthening as long as the water is like chest level (offsets 75% of your weight). There’s a new pool opening up near me so I will be going there daily as soon as they open.

[hippo60]

I am only going to the gym for upper body. It’d be the best if your apartment/gym has a pool. You can walk in a pool even during lengthening as long as the water is like chest level (offsets 75% of your weight). There’s a new pool opening up near me so I will be going there daily as soon as they open.

Yeah going to the pool is amazing! I'm doing that few times a week, walking & swimming.
I still don't quite understand what will change once you can weight-bear. Are you planning to walk more than 10 minutes a day using the walker? Or you're hoping you'll be able to walk unassisted?

[Yau]

Erenyeager1
Do u know other patients u met in WPB recovered well now? Did they have severe complications and other issues? Just wonder the success rate of his patients.

[erenyeager1]

Yeah going to the pool is amazing! I'm doing that few times a week, walking & swimming.
I still don't quite understand what will change once you can weight-bear. Are you planning to walk more than 10 minutes a day using the walker? Or you're hoping you'll be able to walk unassisted?

Yeah I am just more comfortable with practicing walking more once the doctor says I am weight bearing. Right now my limit is just 100 lbs per leg per last xray.

Erenyeager1
Do u know other patients u met in WPB recovered well now? Did they have severe complications and other issues? Just wonder the success rate of his patients.

Every one (about 10 data points) I know recovered well and doesn't have any issue.

[Yau]

Great!
Hope everything goes well!
After lengthening, did all pain/soreness/ numbness go away? U just practice walking, improve your gait, regain your muscles strength, right?

[erenyeager1]

Great!
Hope everything goes well!
After lengthening, did all pain/soreness/ numbness go away? U just practice walking, improve your gait, regain your muscles strength, right?

Yes, everything is on track.

[Yau]

Yes, everything is on track.

Any update?

[erenyeager1]

Yeah I can walk starting today. Just got the email this morning. Nothing else changed.

[Yau]

Yeah I can walk starting today. Just got the email this morning. Nothing else changed.

Walking without any assistant? Great! How about your feeling? How long did u walk?

[erenyeager1]

Yes. I walked quite a while. Other than very wobbly and muscle not strong enough, it’s all good. Endurance is pretty good. I am feeling very good.

[youyin12]

Hope you regain the ability to walk normally soon, maybe upload a video at your convenience.

[erenyeager1]

Hope you regain the ability to walk normally soon, maybe upload a video at your convenience.

Thanks! As I mentioned earlier I won't put any media with myself in it.

By the way, here is my xray when I can walk without assistance: https://imgur.com/a/70LDPtu

[hippo60]

Thanks for sharing! Couple of questions for you -
1. How much are you able to walk nonstop unassisted?
2. Are you sometimes using anything for help? (wheelchair/walker/cane etc)
3. Were you told to do strength exercises or anything else other than walking?
4. Do you still stretch a lot?

[Yau]

Thanks! As I mentioned earlier I won't put any media with myself in it.

By the way, here is my xray when I can walk without assistance: https://imgur.com/a/70LDPtu

Great Look! Your bones are healing well. How about your gait? What did u do to improve your walking gait?

[TheDream]

The aquatic rehab / PT sounds really good and interesting. How often did you end up doing it, and is it something you can still do back home?

[youyin12]

Thanks for the update, your diary was very helpful, I am preparing for surgery with Dr Paley after the new stryde becomes available. Please keep updating and look forward to the day you remove your nails and fully recover.

[erenyeager1]

Thanks for sharing! Couple of questions for you -
1. How much are you able to walk nonstop unassisted?
2. Are you sometimes using anything for help? (wheelchair/walker/cane etc)
3. Were you told to do strength exercises or anything else other than walking?
4. Do you still stretch a lot?

1. How much are you able to walk nonstop unassisted?

I walked about 3 miles the second day I got the email saying I can walk. Not sure if that's a good idea. I am walking wobbly though. My girlfriend says I look like I just bought high heels and wore them for the first time.

2. Are you sometimes using anything for help? (wheelchair/walker/cane etc)

No, I donated the crutches. I've never used them. I am keeping the walker and the wheelchair but not using them at all. I want to be as normal as possible. When I am tired I just sit down or lean against the wall. I would keep the walker until I take out the rods. I heard I'd need them again after rod removing surgery for a few days.

3. Were you told to do strength exercises or anything else other than walking?

I was told not to do any exercise. I guess upper body is okay since I was told it is okay even during the lengthening. Robbins told me about 1 month away from jogging. I can bend down, squat down and pick up light objects.

4. Do you still stretch a lot?

Sadly no. I should be though... Work has been busy.

[erenyeager1]

Great Look! Your bones are healing well. How about your gait? What did u do to improve your walking gait?

Gait is not best. I am trying to walk straight lines. I will be getting PT soon though. I am moving this week so everything's been hectic.

[erenyeager1]

The aquatic rehab / PT sounds really good and interesting. How often did you end up doing it, and is it something you can still do back home?

Once a week. It is just execersing in a pool tbh. You can do it if you have access to a pool where the water level is at least the midpoint between your chest and waist.

Thanks for the update, your diary was very helpful, I am preparing for surgery with Dr Paley after the new stryde becomes available. Please keep updating and look forward to the day you remove your nails and fully recover.

Good luck! The new stryde is probably going to take a while but yeah being able to walk during lengthening would make life much easier. I'd say don't wait forever though. Set a cutoff time, like if the nail doesn't come out by 2026 I am going to do it. I think being young is just as important. I was thinking about the same thing but I also wouldn't want to be the guinea pig for the new nail. The stryde problem was only discovered a few years later.

[hippo60]

1. How much are you able to walk nonstop unassisted?

I walked about 3 miles the second day I got the email saying I can walk. Not sure if that's a good idea. I am walking wobbly though. My girlfriend says I look like I just bought high heels and wore them for the first time.


3. Were you told to do strength exercises or anything else other than walking?

I was told not to do any exercise. I guess upper body is okay since I was told it is okay even during the lengthening. Robbins told me about 1 month away from jogging. I can bend down, squat down and pick up light objects.

Wow 3 miles is quite a lot! Were you walking with the walker anywhere near that before? I thought you only walked for 10 minutes or so.

By exercise I don't necessarily mean weightlifting but also air squats. Stuff like the hip abduction machine can help you build those muscles so you're more stabilized when walking. You were told not to do any of that? Sounds a bit strange if you're able to walk unassisted...

Was it hard being able to crouch / squat down initially? I just moved to the walker and it's a bit scary

[reaching_goals]

Hey ErenYeager1, hope you're doing well. Would you be able to answer following questions for me?

1. Is there any place you would recommend the aquatic therapy near the Paley Institute if they dont already have one by now?

2. You also mentioned saving oxy for towards the end of the journey. Based on your experience how much did you need saved to get to the full 8 cm? Did you have to manage it in a way where you endured pain for the first three weeks of using less to save more towards the end or were you given enough to get you through the first 2-3 weeks of lengthening and could use some as back up for the last 6-8 cm when you really needed it?

3. You mentioned it wasn't worth it to bring your ps with you. I was considering bringing my ps5 as well when i get this surgery done at the Paley Institute as well. Do you believe that is a waste of time? Like there wont be anytime to play it or would it be worth bringing it just in case you do find the time or would it just be an unnecessary distraction or would a distraction be good? I get the answer will be different for everyone but would like to hear it from your perspective. Thanks in advance.

[erenyeager1]

Wow 3 miles is quite a lot! Were you walking with the walker anywhere near that before? I thought you only walked for 10 minutes or so.

By exercise I don't necessarily mean weightlifting but also air squats. Stuff like the hip abduction machine can help you build those muscles so you're more stabilized when walking. You were told not to do any of that? Sounds a bit strange if you're able to walk unassisted...

Was it hard being able to crouch / squat down initially? I just moved to the walker and it's a bit scary

The main problem with walker is that my upper body can't go that long. My palms and arms get really sore after like 10 minutes. Legs were not the limiting factor.

I didn't ask about specific exercises, so they didn't say yes but they didn't say no either... I think squatting and body weight exercises should be okay.

It is really hard to squat down. I feel like if I squat all the way down I can't stand up without pushing on things with my hands. It is part flexibility and part muscle strength. I hope it will improve over time.

[erenyeager1]

Hey ErenYeager1, hope you're doing well. Would you be able to answer following questions for me?

1. Is there any place you would recommend the aquatic therapy near the Paley Institute if they dont already have one by now?

2. You also mentioned saving oxy for towards the end of the journey. Based on your experience how much did you need saved to get to the full 8 cm? Did you have to manage it in a way where you endured pain for the first three weeks of using less to save more towards the end or were you given enough to get you through the first 2-3 weeks of lengthening and could use some as back up for the last 6-8 cm when you really needed it?

3. You mentioned it wasn't worth it to bring your ps with you. I was considering bringing my ps5 as well when i get this surgery done at the Paley Institute as well. Do you believe that is a waste of time? Like there wont be anytime to play it or would it be worth bringing it just in case you do find the time or would it just be an unnecessary distraction or would a distraction be good? I get the answer will be different for everyone but would like to hear it from your perspective. Thanks in advance.

1. Paley is building one and before that they are renting one. I'd go with their pool. Otherwise, just use the hotel pool, as long as your wounds are okay.

2. My management was not good. I had 20 left at the end that I had to medically dispose (basically throwing them away safely). I should've taken more in the beginning where I was kinda of budgeting. General rule - don't have an empty bottle before you are discharged. They won't give you more of this. The mere presence of oxy makes me feel better because I have a backup. Be careful of addiction though. I had no problem but it is different for everyone.

3. Bring a switch or a steam deck, or anything you can lie down to play. I had tons of time to kill but I didn't want to sit at all because if you are doing femur sitting is not going to be comfortable for you. I heard playstation has some sort of remote play where you can have the machine up running and stream it to an iphone or something? Not sure. But definitely you would want to lie down for comfort. I tried using a projector but it was too chaotic. Cable management with these things while you are on walker is a nightmare. You can't really bend down, you see, which makes it very difficult to manage the cables on the ground.

[hippo60]

It is really hard to squat down. I feel like if I squat all the way down I can't stand up without pushing on things with my hands. It is part flexibility and part muscle strength. I hope it will improve over time.

Right?? It's rough. I think it'll improve but you don't wanna specifically work on it? I imagine it'll speed things up...

[youyin12]

Do you think less lengthening would speed up recovery and preserve more athleticism? For example, 5-6cm on femurs.

[ballsackoffury123]

Do you think less lengthening would speed up recovery and preserve more athleticism? For example, 5-6cm on femurs.

no sh*t

[sphenopetroclival]

I am preparing for surgery with Dr Paley after the new stryde becomes available.

A smart decision.

[erenyeager1]

Right?? It's rough. I think it'll improve but you don't wanna specifically work on it? I imagine it'll speed things up...

I am being very conservative probably. I read from someone else's diary that it is better to rest as much as possible before the bone is healed 100%. I stood and walked for too long today, like 2 hours, because of moving, and my legs are not feeling the best.

Do you think less lengthening would speed up recovery and preserve more athleticism? For example, 5-6cm on femurs.

I was told that less lengthening will result in faster recovery but I don't think it is linear. I would say go for the full 8 cm. Most people can walk after 3 months of consolidation.

A smart decision.

Yeah being able to weight bear will be huge. If I were you and decided to wait for the weight bearing nail, wait a few more years after it comes out and let other people try it out first and make sure nothing will go terribily wrong. You definitely don't want to be the first one getting these nails. It is sort of a prisoner's dillema here.

[Yau]

If I were you and decided to wait for the weight bearing nail, wait a few more years after it comes out and let other people try it out first and make sure nothing will go terribily wrong. You definitely don't want to be the first one getting these nails. It is sort of a prisoner's dillema here.

Totally agree.
I am waiting for the weight bearing nail and I was told that new strydenail will return very soon(maybe November). But I want to wait 2-3 years and make sure nothing will go wrong.

[hippo60]

I am being very conservative probably. I read from someone else's diary that it is better to rest as much as possible before the bone is healed 100%. I stood and walked for too long today, like 2 hours, because of moving, and my legs are not feeling the best.

I don't think that's true at all, activity is helpful for bone growth. Definitely need to listen to your body tho, and rest if you overdid it a bit (I just did as well ).

[sphenopetroclival]

Introduction
Hi everyone. I have been reading diaries on this forum since early 2018 when I first found out about this procedure. I have been thinking about this ever since 2018, and it's been almost 5 years now. I can say that I've read almost all the diaries of those who did the surgery in the US. After visiting Paley's institute at WPB last summer, I decided to do it this year. Surgery is scheduled in late Nov 2022. I will update here around the time I begin the procedure. BTW, I stole this formatting from a diary by "belowthemean", credit to him/her.

I am going to do bilateral femur lengthening with precice 2.2. My goal is to reach 8 cm, but would be happy as long as I got above 7 cm.

Basic Stats
Demographics: early 20s, male, Chinese
Starting Height: 174 cm (5'8.5")
Wingspan: about 6 feet
Lengthening Goal: 7-8 cm
Starting weight: 197 lbs (I am pretty fit. Weight mostly come from muscle)

Starting Height and Lengthening Goal
174 cm. Goal is to reach 182 cm.

Physical Shape
My weight is pretty high - 197lbs. I love benchlifting so I have big chest muscle. I also do snowboarding in winter, so my thigh is pretty bulky. I plan to do some cardio to bring my weight down a little, but not sure how much I could lose without losing some muscle as well. Will update my weight again before the surgery.

Sports
Nothing regularly. On-snow sports in winter.

Flexibility
I've been doing PT since June, twice a week. It is covered by my insurance because of my back injury. I just ask my PT trainer to include half an hour of hamstring and front-of-thigh stretch. He's happy to do it. My flexibility was rated "tight, like everyone else" when I visited last summer. We will see how it goes. Not sure if it will help.

Health Status
Overall healthy, other than I have herinated disc l5/s1. It's been a few years since the incident happened (from snowboarding). This is also the main reason why I visited last summer. Back then, Dr. Robbins told me that this injury shouldn't have any impact on my lengthening.

My Backstory
I've been thinking about this since around the end of high school. It's been so long that I am convinced that if I don't do it I would regret it for the rest of my life. Jeff Bezo mentioned this regret minimization framework in one of his early interviews:

I am pretty much a follower of this framework.

Who Knows About This
Every one in my family and my extended family (think of grandparents, parents' sibliings and their kids). All my close friends who are at least my height and my girlfriend. My mental health consoler (I've known her for years). I am pretty open about it. I just don't want my choice to have an impact on other people.

Cost of the Procedure
97.5k plus room and board and food (budget is 30k). If you stay in one of Paley's partner hotel, it will cost around 15k for the time I am doing the surgery because it's peak season in FL. All is in USD.

How I’m Paying
My parents pay for room and board. My savings can pay for the surgery.

Time Off Work
I work in tech so I can work remotely. Also for the past 1.5 years, I didn't use a single day of vacation or holidays or sick days, so that summed up to be around 50 days of PTO (unused PTO days roll over). My company also has very generous PTO policy for short-term disability, which I am waiting on the result of my application.

Why Dr. Paley?
Paley is widely recognized as the best. I also visited the hospital last summer and really liked it. At the end of the day, you pay premium for his experience. If everything goes well, maybe the experience and the result would be the same if I do it somewhere cheaper. The premium goes to the possibility where things don't go as planned, and I trust Paley's experience on dealing with these.

Next Steps
Just booked tickets to WPB yesterday and arranged my hotel stay at the SHS I95. I will update more as we get closer to the surgery date.

Some Motivation
Sometimes late at night I would get scared thinking about the procedure. I would watch this video:

Vader was my favourite Star Wars character when I was a kid. Picturing this procedure as Anakin's transformation to Darth Vader would give me strength to move forward.

If you have recent imaging data please put it at this thread.