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[Movie]

wow 3 days post op and almost back ti normal, that's awesome !

[InFullStryde]

wow 3 days post op and almost back ti normal, that's awesome !

Thank you, Movie.   Fortunately, the nail removal procedure is not near the discomfort and downtime of the 1st surgery.  It just goes to show you how much the leg break, lengthening, and IT Band release, make for a prolonged recovery.  In the nail removal surgery, the doctor goes right back into the same openings as before however this time there is only an incision made through the muscle (to remove screws and rods) and those muscle incisions begin to heal very fast immediately upon completion of surgery.  I am back to work, at the office today, and getting around well with no assistive devices.  I will provide a new update, shortly on my condition.

[ekulsrednas]

congrats on getting the nail out bro! I have a question for when you were in distraction, did you ever have a problem with wide legs/not being able to put your feet together? i know you got the IT band release during surgery, but even despite this was that ever an issue for you? thanks

[InFullStryde]

congrats on getting the nail out bro! I have a question for when you were in distraction, did you ever have a problem with wide legs/not being able to put your feet together? i know you got the IT band release during surgery, but even despite this was that ever an issue for you? thanks

Hi Ekul,

Yes, this is very common and to be expected.  At about 1 inch, I began to become tighter in the quadriceps (Rectus Femoris, esp) and hamstrings, and as a result, the legs would start to pull more outward.  You will want to stretch quads and hamstrings daily 2-3 time a day minimum and walk as much as possible (walker, crutches, cane, or unassisted, if you can). Stay active.  I would try to stand up and perform some steps every 30-45 minutes, especially during distraction.  The goal here is to keep things manageable.  It will be inevitable that your legs will be pulled apart slightly and you will not be able to put them together 100%.  Fortunately, after distraction, you will find that your legs will loosen with stretching, walking, and bone healing and you will once again be able to put your legs together again.  You can anticipate many of the tightness side-effects like wide-legs,  and duck-ass to start disappearing around month 5 and 6, post-operation, sometimes sooner.

I hope this helped.  What you are going through is a normal CLL event.  Feel fee to PM me a picture of your current wide-legs and how much you have distracted so far.  I'll be happy to compare your condition to mine at the same process interval.

Take care and All the best!

IFS.

[TheAlchemist]

Great to hear about your successful rod removal IFS! So good to see you begin the last phase of closing out the surgery related portion(s) of your journey - your diary is one of the most informative insights of LL on the internet. 100% agree on this experience being incredibly powerful, beyond the pure physical gain, but across our entire psyche.

[InFullStryde]

Great to hear about your successful rod removal IFS! So good to see you begin the last phase of closing out the surgery related portion(s) of your journey - your diary is one of the most informative insights of LL on the internet. 100% agree on this experience being incredibly powerful, beyond the pure physical gain, but across our entire psyche.

Thank you, Alchemist.  What a journey, indeed.

[InFullStryde]

Day 4 after nail removal surgery

Greetings CLL Family,

Not much to report today other than all continues to improve.  I worked out my upper body today and walked about 1/2 mile.  I could have walked more but didn't want to risk being too sore tomorrow. Additionally, I returned to the office and was able to put in a full days work and was walking around just fine without a cane.  My gait looks almost normal w/ slight limp with left leg, barely noticeable.      I have my post-surgery follow up with Dr. M tomorrow and I expect all to go well.  I will update again tomorrow!

All the best,

IFS

[Ghostfish]

Hi IFS

Congrats on finishing up your journey to CLL!!  What an incredible moment to be free from rods!!  I am so happy for you!!
I heard and saw the cases of rod removal.  It is a really much easier process as compared to inserting nails.  You have all the procedures done perfectly!! Now time to enjoy the pure joy of a new height!!

Wish you the best and happiness!!

Ghostfish~

[InFullStryde]

Hi IFS

Congrats on finishing up your journey to CLL!!  What an incredible moment to be free from rods!!  I am so happy for you!!
I heard and saw the cases of rod removal.  It is a really much easier process as compared to inserting nails.  You have all the procedures done perfectly!! Now time to enjoy the pure joy of a new height!!

Wish you the best and happiness!!

Ghostfish~

Thank you, Ghostfish.  It has been an unforgettable journey!

[Jackieeechan]

Do you feel any major difference without the rod? Like weight, flexibility and othef thing.


And as your journey is finish, can you copy and paste everything in a single thread?

[InFullStryde]

Do you feel any major difference without the rod? Like weight, flexibility and othef thing.


And as your journey is finish, can you copy and paste everything in a single thread?

Hi Jackie,

I do not feel much of a difference yet; but we will see in the coming weeks.  To consolidate my thread in a easier read format, I recommend hitting the "print" button on the top right of my thread.  This will allow you to print out the entire thread to PDF or to paper.   I did not realize how long this thread had become..it comes out to 320 pages! 

Hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

All the Best,

IFS

[InFullStryde]

Day 5 after nail removal surgery

Greetings CLL Family,

All is well.  I continue to improve.  I'm walking fine, able to shower, go up and down stairs, drive and I appear to have a normal gait while walking.  I have a slight limp on my left leg that is improving. Pain is non-existent at this point. Maybe a very minimal ouch, if I apply too much pressure on the surgical wound; but even that pain is going away now. 

I met with Dr. M today and he certified with me again that the nail removal surgery was a success.   The Staff Nurse Donna, removed my stitches and we chatted for a bit.   

Per Dr. M. "You're good to go and don't need to come back".

Guys, it's over.  I'm 100% completed with the CLL process.  I will now focus on a full recovery and in a few months will begin weight training my legs again. 

Thank you all again for your support and kind words.   I'll return from time to time to the community to check-in on prospect and current patients.  Additionally, I'll be back soon to update my diary on how I'm doing with my recovery and life in general. Feel free to reach out with any questions and feedback.  I hope I was able to assist some of you with your CLL Journey.  We are in this life together.  Let's stay together.

All the Best,

IFS

[BelowTheMean]

Congrats, IFS! I look forward to the day that I will be in your current shoes.

[Movie]

That's right IFS! we're in this life together as CLL Brothers, happy you're doing so well at 5 days post op.

[InFullStryde]

Congrats, IFS! I look forward to the day that I will be in your current shoes.

Thank you, BTM!

It's only a matter of time.  This all is over sooner than you know.   With Covid-19 and your CLL being at the same time; it's a great snippet of life to focus on other areas too that you wish to refine and/or adjust.

Feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback.  Here to help.

All the Best,

IFS

[InFullStryde]

That's right IFS! we're in this life together as CLL Brothers, happy you're doing so well at 5 days post op.

Thank's, Movie!  Having gone through CLL, you'll find this procedure to be nothing in comparison.   As CLL patients, know that your last leg in this race is fairly simple one.  The hard part will be done with after you recover from surgery 1.

[StrydeNailChallenge]

Day 5 after nail removal surgery

Greetings CLL Family,

All is well.  I continue to improve.  I'm walking fine, able to shower, go up and down stairs, drive and I appear to have a normal gait while walking.  I have a slight limp on my left leg that is improving. Pain is non-existent at this point. Maybe a very minimal ouch, if I apply too much pressure on the surgical wound; but even that pain is going away now. 

I met with Dr. M today and he certified with me again that the nail removal surgery was a success.   The Staff Nurse Donna, removed my stitches and we chatted for a bit.   

Per Dr. M. "You're good to go and don't need to come back".

Guys, it's over.  I'm 100% completed with the CLL process.  I will now focus on a full recovery and in a few months will begin weight training my legs again. 

Thank you all again for your support and kind words.   I'll return from time to time to the community to check-in on prospect and current patients.  Additionally, I'll be back soon to update my diary on how I'm doing with my recovery and life in general. Feel free to reach out with any questions and feedback.  I hope I was able to assist some of you with your CLL Journey.  We are in this life together.  Let's stay together.

All the Best,

IFS

This almost brought me into tears! You did it brother! Not just that, but throughout the process, you inspired and guided so many; at times even better than close friends or medical doctors, with your wisdom and compassion.

I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.

[snowcloud]

Congratulations IFS!!!

[InFullStryde]

Congratulations IFS!!!

This almost brought me into tears! You did it brother! Not just that, but throughout the process, you inspired and guided so many; at times even better than close friends or medical doctors, with your wisdom and compassion.

I wish you the best in all your future endeavors.

Thanks again, you guys.    I'm not only 3 inches taller as a result of CLL; but I am also a much smarter, stronger, and grateful person, having gotten through this journey.

All the Best,

IFS

[184dream]

may be the best diary i ve read thanks
one question before you get on with your life 
did you have a fear of arthritis ? dr franz says that with every cm there is a deviation by one mm . does you have malalignment or valgus deformity ? what does yr xray says or can you share it ?
do you still have knee or hip pain ?

[InFullStryde]

may be the best diary i ve read thanks
one question before you get on with your life 
did you have a fear of arthritis ? dr franz says that with every cm there is a deviation by one mm . does you have malalignment or valgus deformity ? what does yr xray says or can you share it ?
do you still have knee or hip pain ?

Greetings 184Dream,

Thank you for your kind words.    Fortunately, I do not have a malalignment or valgus deformity.  The one side-effect, I did experience after about 1-month post-op was Anterior Pelvic Tilt (Duck ass) and I also was unable to put my legs together. Both conditions resulted from having tight quadriceps.   After about month 6-7, both conditions seemed mostly resolved (undetected by the eye).  After one year, neither condition existed and all felt normal, as it did before surgery.   One area that I continue to work on is my overall flexibility.  I had very poor flexibility before surgery, so my tightness was greater compared to other CLL'ers.   I'm about 80% Flexibility so I'm working on this.  Otherwise, everything looks and feels normal.  No knee or hip pain at all.  I am only tighter than in the past.  This improves as I stay dedicated to my stretching exercises.    At this point, I'm not concerned with arthritis, but I have heard there is some risk in that.  Feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions.

All the best,

IFS

[Frogger]

Hi IFS, truly amazing diary-- you're such a gem to this community. HUGE congrats on completing your LL journey and beginning a new one.

As it's been over 1.5 years now post op, how is your scarring doing? Do you have any images?

Are they superficial scars or are they keloid-type or indented?

[InFullStryde]

Hi IFS, truly amazing diary-- you're such a gem to this community. HUGE congrats on completing your LL journey and beginning a new one.

As it's been over 1.5 years now post op, how is your scarring doing? Do you have any images?

Are they superficial scars or are they keloid-type or indented?

Hi Frogger,

Thank you for the kind words and for reaching out. Great question.  Fortunately, I am now just a couple of weeks prior to my 2 year anniversary of my CLL surgery.  1 month ago, I had my Styrde nails removed.   The marks before Stryde removal we're so faint and fading nicely.  They were flat, non-raised and were healing nice.  During, my rod removal surgery, Dr. M went through the same incisions as he did to insert the nail and fortunately, the marks are very small, are non-raised and healing nicely.  I'm going to let some time go by and will post the ultimate results.   I was thinking of using some scar lightening cream as well.  All in all, the marks are minimal and not that noticeable after a year+, as long as the doctor made clean cuts and post-surgery care as far as cleaning was done right.  I'll return soon with images.

Thank you again and All the Best,

IFS.

[Frogger]

Amazing results! Do you think that similar minimal incisions are possible with Dr. Paley & Dr. Rozbruch compared to Dr. M?

How many individual scars per leg do you have?

Also, I recommend Bio-Oil if you’re looking for a good scar treatment. I’ve used it many times before on some other bodily scarring from sports and it works wonders.

Cheers.

[InFullStryde]

Amazing results! Do you think that similar minimal incisions are possible with Dr. Paley & Dr. Rozbruch compared to Dr. M?

How many individual scars per leg do you have?

Also, I recommend Bio-Oil if you’re looking for a good scar treatment. I’ve used it many times before on some other bodily scarring from sports and it works wonders.

Cheers.

Hi Frogger!

Thank you for the great tip. I just ordered myself some Bio-Oil!  For the 1st surgery to implant the nails, I didn't use any special creams and the incisions still healed nicely and faded away.  I'm excited to use the Bio-Oil since I'm sure that the marks will barely be visible at all if I'm using something that will help the skin heal.

Dr. Paley and Dr. Rozbruch are top-of-class surgeons and you can't go wrong with either of them.  They leave very minimal scarring.  Both surgeons are on record, commenting that they make every effort to reduce any post operative scaring since they understand many patients are self-conscious about that.  Dr. Mahboubian, did a fantastic job in limiting the scarring on my body and I have no doubt that other experienced CLL surgeons will do the same.  It's definitely worth asking about prior to the procedure taking place.

As far incisions - For each leg, you have one approximate 2 cm, thin-line incision where the nail is inserted near top of hip.  You then have two thin line 1cm incisions proximal and distal (upper and lower, femur), where the screws were inserted to fix the nail in place.  You will also have a 1-2cm incision above knee, to the side, where your IT Band was cut so that it can easily lengthen with you as you lengthen your femur.

I will emphasize that for the femur lengthening, the superficial scarring is not much and appears to heal nicely in the months after surgery.  If one throws in some scar cream/oils, then I can imagine that the scarring is barely noticeable after a year or two. We shall see.   As for me, I don't mind the faint lines. They are a very subtle reminder of the CLL battle I undertook and overcame, successfully. 

Thank you again for your help.

All the Best,

IFS

[Tokito_Ohma]

Hey bro congrats on being post op!

Since you used Stryde, could you see yourself performing above average in kicking such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing etc. You dont have to be elite performer (you'd be training since childhood for that lol), but just above average and give consistent good performance if that makes sense?

[InFullStryde]

Hey bro congrats on being post op!

Since you used Stryde, could you see yourself performing above average in kicking such as Muay Thai, Kickboxing etc. You dont have to be elite performer (you'd be training since childhood for that lol), but just above average and give consistent good performance if that makes sense?

Hi Tokito!

Thank you for the question.  I am able to kick now with no pain or issue.  My legs feel perfectly normal and the only deficit I am experiencing is that I'm still training to regain flexibility and strength in my legs.  As long as one keeps strengthening and stretching; I have zero doubts that they can perform any kick they wanted and even compete again.  I will say also that I believe it would take 2-3 years post-surgery before any kind of serious competing could take place.  It takes that long to recover to competitive sports. It takes no more than 5-7 months to recover to regular function, like walking with a fully comfortable and regular looking gait. 

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

All the best,

IFS

[snowpiecer]

Hi IFS,

So how are you feeling 2 months after taking the rods out?

[InFullStryde]

Greetings CLL Team,

I hope all is well.  2020...psh, what the hell was that?!  Now that that's over, we're on to 2021 and we'll see how this year shapes up.   I wanted to check-in and report that I am now at 64 Days Post nail removal surgery (2 Months), and I'm feeling back to 100% .   As a quick note, I was able to walk normally, and back to my regular walking gate within 5 days after the nail removal.   At this point I am back to regular jogging, flexibility is back to pre-op shape and has improved a bit and my legs feel much lighter and looser.  I will begin to weight train and run more aggressively, begging in about 2 weeks.  Per Dr. Mahboubian, it is safest to wait about 12 weeks before one performs high impact activity with legs, post-surgery.  I look forward to getting back to normal leg training in February. The nails really do weigh a pound or two and by removing them, you're lighter on your feet.  I advise to anyone who is hesitating to get the nails removed to get those nails out ASAP, after waiting about 12 - 18 months.  You won't regret it and the impact of the nail removal surgery is not even remotely close to the initial CLL surgery you had.   In other news...my confidence and comfort-ability is sky-high.   I'm doing well in business, well with woman, and thankfully family is healthy, strong, and has been free from any COVID complications.  I'm happier than ever and CLL definitely had a hand in that.   I'll reach out again soon when time permits to add additional notes and perspective on the CLL experience, the impact that a successful outcome has had on my life, and I'll also touch on height dysphoria as well.   Feel free reach out to me if you have any questions or feedback in the meantime.

All the Best,

IFS

[Movie]

so happy to read this IFS!! can't wait for my removal 2 month recovery is great for removal

[InFullStryde]

so happy to read this IFS!! can't wait for my removal 2 month recovery is great for removal

Thanks Movie! Thankful it all worked out.