A friendly reminder/Word of warning

I absolutely agree with what programdude said. For example, in my case (Precice 2), it'll take easily take me 10 months post-op to walk with a proper gait. While I did take things slowly at the start (in terms of weightbearing for callus), my recovery is still most definitely longer than it should be. I didn't have much pain or any complication (the only "complication" I had was my left leg initially being operated twice) even though I was mentally ready for them.

I have no problem with this because I set myself a huge time frame. If I had given myself only 6 months, I would've been absolutely screwed.

I think this especially applies for people doing big amounts.

Has this affected your college plans, btw? Have you got in?

Has this affected your college plans, btw? Have you got in?

I got in, and I can walk with what I'd call a 70% normal gait right now as opposed to the horrid penguin walk I did a few weeks ago. College is a month away and my gait should improve by then.

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also agree with PD's advice. great advice from him as usual IMO. consolidation and/or recovery sometimes take really long for some people and I don't think there's any way to know beforehand if you'll be one of the lucky ones to recover fast. and that's assuming no complications which can make the process even longer

also agree with others that there's a world of a difference in recovery doing 6 vs 8 cms.  it may only be a 2cm difference to people who havent done LL, but it really can make recovery exponentially longer

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I think a lot of people assume that you just gather the money for surgery ($20-$100 thousand), and just somehow  take like 6-9 months of time out of your regular life, then your set. They don't realize that it's probably gonna be much harder to get this surgery done if they are not rich and don't own a business.

saving up just for the surgery will not be enough because you got to take into consideration your complications you might have, accommodation, and the extra recovery time where you may need extra money because you probably won't be working. Then there's worrying about your job that you have take time off from and not knowing if you'll be able to go back or get a paid leave while your recovering. You really have to get your crap together before doing this surgery.
This is the mindset I hope to dispel. People are so caught up on the up front costs that they can make them out to be the only barrier of entry in their mind. I don't blame people for focusing on the cash and the amount of pain the process induces, but I do want to hammer home how much more there is to it.

Its also important people know the difference between 6 and 8 CM. Not that I think you shouldn't do 8 CM if your hearts set on it- Many might not consider 6 CM to be worth it in general when considering the costs- But its very important to weigh the factors.

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Its very difficult to not consider doing high amounts when going to a high end doctor like paley as you want to get your moneys worth. So if you do decide for doing big amounts like 8 cm then you need mentally prepare yourself for a long recovery time as that is what is likely to happen.

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Agreed.

I was able to use short-term disability for the lengthening process at full salary, and then allowed to work from home after that. I was very, very fortunate. Most situations would not work out nearly as well as mine. PD has his own business, so he was fortunate in that regard in terms of schedule flexibility.

can you expand on how you got short-term disability during this process? or pm me if you are uncomfortable sharing publicly

can you expand on how you got short-term disability during this process? or pm me if you are uncomfortable sharing publicly

Even though CLL is an elective procedure, the physical therapy that follows may be eligible for short-term disability benefits. Also, see if you have other conditions that can be improved though physical therapy, such as back pain.

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So the best thing is not to do this operation?

I talked to Paley about this and he did not want more than 5 cm in femur, he replied that in 4-6 months after stopping to lengthen he could go back to sports.

So what to believe?

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