Hello all - I will be 45 years old in a couple of months. I am wondering if I am too old for CLL? Meaning, do you think my body can handle the trauma and the stress of a CLL surgery and the subsequent physical therapy?
I am 5-ft 4-in (or 162.5cm according to google). My body's overall condition is pretty good as far as I am aware. I don't have any chronic illnesses except for eczema and some mild asthma. My left foot suffered a torn tendon a couple of years ago and my right adductor muscle is somewhat atrophied. Both of these have affected my gait. My knees are starting to feel the effects of my age, in particular my right knee as a result of that adductor muscle. I've had physical therapy in the past to assist with both, although it doesn't seem like the PT produced lasting effects.
However, the biggest physical "ailment" I have is my stiffness. My body is SUPER stiff. I practiced Ash-tanga yoga from early 2008 until late 2010 and my instructors -- both of whom were very experienced teachers -- told me I was the stiffest student they had ever encountered. I really pushed myself in their classes, anywhere from 3x to 4x per week, and only loosened up a little over the 3 years I worked with them.
That was a decade ago. Since then I have only intermittently attended the gym. I'm very out of shape. Not really overweight but my BMI is definitely out of whack. I also need to revamp my diet. I spend most of my work day sitting. For most of my life I have sat at a desk. Sometimes I feel like my body is just a taxi for my head.
If I do decide to perform CLL it probably would not happen for another 18 months or so, given the complexities created for my company by the coronavirus. So I would be 46.5 years old if that timeline plays out.
What do you think? Am I too old for this? Am I too stiff? I'd love to get another 4 inches to make myself 5ft-8in. Really I'd like to get to 5ft-9in but I know that's probably not realistic.
Quote from: Ostentician on May 17, 2020, 10:59:04 AMWhile recovery, other than maybe taking longer, won't cause you any problems, LL reduces your mobility to around 90% of it's previous level. For a 20 or 30 year old this wouldn't be a problem. They'd recover and their body would eventually get used to it. However, for a 45 year old man, recovering from LL might take a few years to recover from, especially if you lengthen it for more than 2 inches, and your "recovered" self might have the mobility of a 60 year old man.
If your really serious about this, I'd advise an exercise regimen that is appropriate for your age to strengthen your legs, especially one that includes swimming and running. Strong, muscled and flexible legs will speed up your recovery immensely.
Thank you Ostentician, and thanks to the others who have replied to my question. This all sounds like good advice. Regarding an exercise regimen, how do I develop one? I know very little about the human body. And I'm not exactly fond of the idea of asking my local gym to give me one designed to help prep me for cosmetic leg lengthening surgery..... how can I get around this and still find someone who can help build an exercise regimen and monitor my progress? I feel like I'm more likely to succeed if I have a coach who holds me accountable and can tweak my regimen as progress dictates.
Many thanks to all who responded constructively. I know I want the surgery. I also know I still have a lot of work to do in understanding the risks and how I can best set myself up for a successful recovery.
The surgery itself is not the only complexity which must be managed. I run a business. Missing 6 months of work would require extensive planning on my part.
Later this year I'll schedule consults with one or two CLL doctors. I don't mind paying twice for a second opinion. In the meantime I will get started on adjusting my diet and physical activity.
I have absolutely no athletic ability. Zero. Never did, even as a child. So I'm not sure there's much of that for me to lose. The "sport" which gives me the greatest pleasure is salsa dancing. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I can only see positive benefits from CLL for this. I suck at dancing today but I know a lot of that is because I'm so self-conscious about being smaller than most of the girls on the dance floor. Going from 5ft 4in to 5ft 8in (or 5ft 9in) would do wonders for my dance floor confidence.
Quote from: BetzLandLiberator on May 26, 2020, 01:12:55 AMI think LL will be very dangerous for you, not because of your age but because you have been out of shape your whole life. The patients that do best tend to be the ones that have been working out since they were kids or teenagers.
In my 8 months in Germany for my LL it was very clear that the best results were from 1) Guys who practiced weightlifting, martial arts and/or yoga (I've practiced all of those); 2) Dancers and Gymnasts, uusally females. And even in those cases every one of them struggled after 7cm.
I'm a strong supporter of CLL but I think you really have to think this hard. I'm not sure your body can handle this.
Thank you, this is a very good point you make. And that's why I want to arrange consults with a couple of LL doctors before I get my hopes set too high on having the surgery. My hamstrings are super tight. This is probably my greatest cause for concern and a topic I will certainly bring up during the consult. But it's the stuff I'm oblivious to that gives me the greatest anxiety. I have no idea what other parts of my body might be of concern.
One thing I do know: whether I perform CLL or not, I've got to get myself into better shape. Period. I bought a gym membership earlier this year....about 2 hours before the governor closed all gyms in the state to prevent coronavirus spread, ha ha. Fortunately that coincided with the weather turning nice, so now three times a week I've been walking for couple of miles at an elevated pace. It's a small start but a start nonetheless.
Quote from: California2 on May 26, 2020, 03:57:25 PMThere is no downside to getting in shape. Carrying appropriate weight, having some muscle tone, and good flexibility are all beneficial and require no historic athletic ability.
However, you will NOT go from 5' 4" to 5' 8" as a result of surgery. More like 5' 4" to 5' 6"; then, two years of hard work to get back to salsa dancing.
I should have been more clear - I don't plan on attempting to add 4 inches to my femurs alone. I was thinking 2 inches on femurs, 2 inches on tibias. If I could squeeze out an extra half-inch that would be even better but I'll take what I can get!
Flexibility is my biggest concern. When I was active in the gym a few years ago, my arms and legs would put on muscle super fast. But flexibility, especially with my hamstrings, has always been a challenge.
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