Makes sense, but even if you stop now - you're still going to be in a wheelchair when you're back, no? Feel like I'm missing something. Feel free not to answer if you rather not get into these details.
Because my bone growth is solid, I am approved to use crutches when I finish lengthening(assuming I stop lengthening at or shortly after 6 CM). Dr. A said he would allow 100lbs of weight bearing per leg. So I would be on crutches at work, which I could deal with.
That's great! To be honest if my starting height was similar to yours, I might've done the same thing, for similar reasons. Since I started at 5'4, I did want to go the full 8cm. In terms of my own proportions, I do feel like 6cm looked better.
Awesome man, the cool thing is that you probably look even taller than 5'7 or 5'8 because you now have long legs, especially from afar.
My only take on lengthening more (just to balance out my previous messages) is to not overly emphasize short term decision making. That extra month lengthening (and also recovering, delaying work etc.) might seem bigger than it is right now, but you wouldn't care or remember any of that a year or two from now, it just won't matter. So while we do live in a world full of constrains, I encourage you to focus and prioritize the longer term reasons.
Good perspective, and if the time were the only factor (lengthening, consolidation, recovery), it would be a worthwhile tradeoff. But the increase in risk after 6CM, worsening biomechanics and proportions, additional loss of athleticism put it over the edge for me. But I won't be too prideful if in a year I regret the decision, I will return here and be honest about my regrets so that others can use that to inform their decision.
Here's the best way I can put this (and as hippo06 can tell you, I think about the same thing daily as I'm currently distracting):
I thought about stopping at 6 cm. My Physical Therapist (who has decades of experience, two doctorates and sees people of all sizes and proportions daily) put this best:
"You're not out of proportion at 8 cm, and absolutely no one will be able to tell, or care. If you're healthy, and can make it, you don't want to stop and regret not going all the way to the end."
I'm nearing 5 cm distracting, which puts me at 184 cm or so. I could stop right now, but I'm not going to. I don't want to consolidate, get better, and later get lingering thoughts that I didn't do everything I can while I had the chance. I'm certainly not going through this again.
Best of luck.
Thanks for the response. The input of your PT is valuable, but I will say that speaking with Dr. Assayag most of his patients that willingly stop short of 8CM are satisfied. In a weird way, your PT's opinion carries more weight with me since they are working closer with patients day in and day out.
We get caught up with numbers in these spaces: lengthening 8CM, being 180CM, 6 feet. It's more of a feeling we should be aiming for w/ this process, or a lack of a worry about our height.
A major downside of the non-stryde nails is that you don't get to experience your new height as it comes , unless you are using your walker around other people. You're usually not out in normal social situations that would trigger your height dysphoria, so how do you know if its still there? How do we know if that "feeling" has been reached?
I am sure at your starting height you get people asking why you would even bother with this surgery, but you have the same dysphoria that anyone else getting this surgery has. In my opinion, once you've reached a point where that dysphoria is gone, you've won, and it is time to move onto other things. Statistically, going from 179 to 185 is jumping 23 percentiles in height. That is a pretty big difference. That additional 2 CM bumps you up another 4.4 percentiles. Its definitely a case of diminishing returns. Listen to your body, and do what feels right. You'll have my support regardless.
The way I look at it, is will I ever be in a situation where I will think "Darn, If I was 1.7CM taller I would feel so much better right now"? I can't see it. Its more likely I am in a situation where I think I need 4 CM more and need to go get my tibias done. I hope that day never comes, but I can't completely rule it out. Truthfully I am human and I will probably rationalize whatever decision I make.