BelowTheMean – Stryde Femurs w/ Dr. Debiparshad – Nov 2020

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Great post! Your recovery sounds very impressive. Thanks for sharing!

Question BelowTheMean...I am also an early 30s guy, same exact starting height as you.

If you were in the situation now with STRYDE off the market for the time being, do you think you would have waited another year or two for STRYDE's successor to release, or would you have gone with Precise to just get it over with? I am trying to decide this myself. Being early 30s, the longer we wait the longer we are without the additional height....But the recovery with Stryde seems better...

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Quote from: ilovescience on February 13, 2022, 06:42:11 AMThank you for sharing it. Doing LL is a big challenge in life, probably the most challenging task right?
The distraction phase of LL was the most physically challenging thing I've done in my life, but not the most intellectually challenging.

Quote from: thankscience on February 13, 2022, 10:53:53 AMCheers for the update. Glad to hear things are going well generally. What do you think of your proportions now? Also, how hard has it been to squat with your new biomechanics? This is one of my biggest concerns.
As I mentioned in the past, I think doing the full 8cm made my femurs a little long compared to my tibias, but it's not an issue imo. No one aside from you yourself will notice these things. I've never had anyone comment about my tibia:femur ratio. Regarding leg length, one girl even said I had short legs.. can you imagine what she would have thought of my proportions before surgery? As for squatting, the new biomechanics are much worse for squatting. If I squat like I used to, then I would fall over backwards. Nowadays I lean forward a bit to squat and I can go all the way down, but like I said I still have a bit of femur pain when using weights and my knees were never very good, so not sure how well I can recover there. Only time will tell.

Quote from: randomperson on February 13, 2022, 03:15:46 PMGreat post! Your recovery sounds very impressive. Thanks for sharing!

Question BelowTheMean...I am also an early 30s guy, same exact starting height as you.

If you were in the situation now with STRYDE off the market for the time being, do you think you would have waited another year or two for STRYDE's successor to release, or would you have gone with Precise to just get it over with? I am trying to decide this myself. Being early 30s, the longer we wait the longer we are without the additional height....But the recovery with Stryde seems better...I've known about LL since at least 2014, but didn't get it done until many years later. I spent a lot of time thinking about it over the years and at one point even decided not to do it. The main issues for me were the medical costs, finding help for the period that I would be crippled, and figuring out how to take an extended break from my career. The lost opportunity cost of not working for an extended period of time was even higher for me than the cost of surgery itself so I never seriously considered it. Then in 2020 the pandemic forced everyone to work from home and I returned to the forum to discover that the rumored weight-bearing nail from a few years ago had actually been released. Now all my problems had been resolved. With Stryde, I wouldn't need someone to take care of me the whole time I was lengthening, I could just work from home while lengthening due to COVID, and I had some extra cash on hand with a crazy market in 2020. It was pretty much the perfect storm so I quickly decided to pull the trigger and scheduled my surgery.

The reason I mention all of this is because if any of the issues above were still a problem for me, I might have not have done LL. Only you can decide whether to wait or not, because you know your own situation best. For me, I didn't seriously consider doing it until Stryde was available, but plenty of people did it before Stryde and I'm sure they are happy with their new height. I suppose many of them did it before weight-bearing nails were even a thing, so they didn't have anything to compare to, but also consider that one of the biggest regrets about LL that I see here on the forums from 30+ year olds is that many wish they had gotten it done earlier. Best of luck with your decision.

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Hi BTM, I'm been lurking on here for awhile and had to login just to saw thank you for your diary.

It's on of the best on here in my opinion, even our age/starting height/ goals, reasons, etc.

I understand that eventually you want to fade away from this and move on with your life, but it's been such a source of knowledge and comfort that I'd kinda wish you stayed around. I'd really appreciate a monthly video update on your walk, or even a video update every 6 months just so we can see how the results play out over the long run. Does it get better, does it get worse, etc.?

I also saw that you mentioned thinking about scar revision surgery and am wondering if you can show us what the scars look like, both close up and zoom out (so that we can see the locations they are on the leg), so that I can understand how discreet (or not) after getting the surgery with Stryde.

Once again, thank you for all your updates and responses. Really appreciate it.

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Quote from: Issun-Boshi on February 22, 2022, 05:55:21 AMHi BTM, I'm been lurking on here for awhile and had to login just to saw thank you for your diary.

It's on of the best on here in my opinion, even our age/starting height/ goals, reasons, etc.

I understand that eventually you want to fade away from this and move on with your life, but it's been such a source of knowledge and comfort that I'd kinda wish you stayed around. I'd really appreciate a monthly video update on your walk, or even a video update every 6 months just so we can see how the results play out over the long run. Does it get better, does it get worse, etc.?

I also saw that you mentioned thinking about scar revision surgery and am wondering if you can show us what the scars look like, both close up and zoom out (so that we can see the locations they are on the leg), so that I can understand how discreet (or not) after getting the surgery with Stryde.

Once again, thank you for all your updates and responses. Really appreciate it.

Hi Issun-Boshi,

The media functions on this site don't work for me anymore for some reason so I can't upload any links or images. However, even if it worked I no longer plan to record any new videos not only for my own overall privacy, but also because I don't have the energy to edit my face out of them. I will answer your questions by text though.

1) Regarding walking, I mentioned in my last entry that sometimes it felt like my walk was off, so I spent some time in front of the mirrors in the gym when no one else was around and did a bunch of walking in different ways. With this I can say that no matter how my walk feels internally, it looks completely normal in the mirror. I have full confidence that anyone who sees me will not notice anything wrong with my legs at all (as it should be since I'm over 15 months out from surgery).

I think the weird feeling is probably just a bit of tightness or stiffness due to the nails still being in, but we'll know for sure once they are out. I do plan to update this journal when my nails are out, but I don't know when that will be yet.

2) As for scars, I will definitely not share pictures of them due to privacy reasons. Each person is going to have different levels of scar recovery based on their genes and lifestyle. Personally, I think I exposed some of my scars to too much sunlight which caused them to unnecessarily darken. The ones that have always been covered have faded much better, though they are still a bit red. As for the location of the scars, there are 5-6 in total, from right above your knee all the way to near the intersection of your hip/butt. I'm sure you can find a photo or video of internal nail scars on a social media page or website of one of the big doctors. Imo the 1-2 scars near your knee (depending if you did IT band release or not) are the most concerning for men since they will show up when you wear shorts or swimwear.

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Hi BTM,

No worries, I understand. Thanks for replying anyways.

Now that your walk is normal, at least to external appearances, how does it function?

You previously mentioned you can run normally (even sprint?) but how long are you able to keep going? Would you be able to run, say, continuously for an hour (assuming that this was possible pre-surgery)?

What about long-distance walking, like hiking? I'm a big hiker and really into long-distance walking. I like to travel and my preferred method of exploring my destination is on foot. I've been trying to do that with insoles and realized my capacity for walking normally with insoles is only about half an hour before my feet starts to kill me. Is walking/hiking for hours a possibility for you at the moment?

In any case, thanks again for your response. Really appreciate it.

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Quote from: Issun-Boshi on March 01, 2022, 11:33:56 AMHi BTM,

No worries, I understand. Thanks for replying anyways.

Now that your walk is normal, at least to external appearances, how does it function?

You previously mentioned you can run normally (even sprint?) but how long are you able to keep going? Would you be able to run, say, continuously for an hour (assuming that this was possible pre-surgery)?

What about long-distance walking, like hiking? I'm a big hiker and really into long-distance walking. I like to travel and my preferred method of exploring my destination is on foot. I've been trying to do that with insoles and realized my capacity for walking normally with insoles is only about half an hour before my feet starts to kill me. Is walking/hiking for hours a possibility for you at the moment?

In any case, thanks again for your response. Really appreciate it.

Hi Issun-Boshi,

I mentioned a lot of this in my last post. Walking function is fine, I can walk very long distances and I've gone hiking in steep and muddy terrain with no problems. I don't think insoles are a good comparison for post-limb lengthening mobility. I would say you'd have to give it about 8 months before you can walk several km with sore legs and maybe 12 months before you can walk without getting sore at all.

As for running, I just started running somewhat consistently (more than a year after surgery) and I'm still working on it. I can only run or jog for a few minutes at a time, though I am gaining a little endurance each time I try. When I run for a while I have fatigue in my leg muscles and a very high heart rate. These issues were not a concern for me before surgery. For comparison, my best 3200m time was under 12 minutes and I did distance running when I was younger (though I quit running because I didn't want to damage my knees).

I don't know how much I'll improve in the future so I don't have any other information that I can provide on this yet, but I would say if running is a major concern for you then you shouldn't get a surgery that breaks both of your legs lol. For all I know it could take another year to recover good running/cardio abilities, especially since I won't be able to run for a while after I get my nails removed. However, after getting surgery I realized in my day-to-day life I don't need to run at all, so it's not that much of a concern for me as long as I keep improving slowly when I train. I stated early on in my journal that I would be happy being able to run 1600m in 9 minutes after surgery, and that's something I'm still working on.

Other than that, I just want to note that sports where your legs are in a more fixed position can be done quite normally, such as swimming, diving, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, etc. The only sport I play that requires agility is tennis, so I'm taking an extended break from that. In the end getting this surgery has tradeoffs that you need to consider, at least in the short term. I would definitely not get it unless your height neurosis is problematic enough that you're willing to make some sacrifices to get taller.

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Got it. Thanks for the response!

Really glad to hear about retaining your hiking ability. Likewise for skiing & snowboarding.

My height neurosis is pretty strong and sometimes it leads to me opting out of social events where I have to take off my shoes/insoles. Sometimes I walk around and just feel   because everyone around me seem tall and therefore, life felt like it'll always be better for other people. I hide it pretty well though and people would generally I'm cheerful & outgoing, but I wish I can live a life where I'm not thinking about my height inferiority every single damn day. I think that's why your diary really struck a chord with me when you mentioned it was something you don't think about anymore.

Do you feel completely normal with regards to the rest of society now (height-wise)? I think you mentioned that you were, but I guess now a tibia surgery is completely out of the question for you? I'm saving up for femur + tibia, so I was thinking of doing 5+6 to stay in what's considered generally safe limits, but now from reading your diary I'm thinking if 8cm will cure your neurosis then maybe that's what I should try too.

Anyways, thank you for your constant response. Please don't feel obliged to respond if you're busy. I still wish you come update here from time to time though so we can know how it goes long-term with regards to recovering complete functionality. Hope your cardio eventually recovers to pre-surgery level!

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Quote from: Issun-Boshi on March 11, 2022, 09:47:12 PMGot it. Thanks for the response!

Really glad to hear about retaining your hiking ability. Likewise for skiing & snowboarding.

My height neurosis is pretty strong and sometimes it leads to me opting out of social events where I have to take off my shoes/insoles. Sometimes I walk around and just feel   because everyone around me seem tall and therefore, life felt like it'll always be better for other people. I hide it pretty well though and people would generally I'm cheerful & outgoing, but I wish I can live a life where I'm not thinking about my height inferiority every single damn day. I think that's why your diary really struck a chord with me when you mentioned it was something you don't think about anymore.

Do you feel completely normal with regards to the rest of society now (height-wise)? I think you mentioned that you were, but I guess now a tibia surgery is completely out of the question for you? I'm saving up for femur + tibia, so I was thinking of doing 5+6 to stay in what's considered generally safe limits, but now from reading your diary I'm thinking if 8cm will cure your neurosis then maybe that's what I should try too.

Anyways, thank you for your constant response. Please don't feel obliged to respond if you're busy. I still wish you come update here from time to time though so we can know how it goes long-term with regards to recovering complete functionality. Hope your cardio eventually recovers to pre-surgery level!

I think my height neurosis was mostly tied to dating. I am very shallow/picky and only date hot girls, which is a lot harder as a short guy, even if all my other attributes are excellent. I was just really tired of girls calling me short all the time, even ones who I hooked up with. As for the other aspects of neurosis, other people being taller than me in a group setting was only a slight issue to me and I did spent a lot of time thinking about height as well, but I don't think those alone would've gotten me to do LL.

As for fixing height neurosis, the total number of centimeters lengthened is not that important. You're not going to notice the difference of 1-2cm in height. Going through the surgery and being a cripple for a few months makes you realize that health is a lot more important than height. The perspective of being taller also helps a bit, and I started feeling different when I reached the 5-6cm mark. Speaking of which, I'm not sure where you heard of 5+6cm as "safe limits". The safe limit is 0cm (not doing the surgery at all) because once you break your bones and start lengthening them, your body is going through a lot of trauma no matter how much you lengthen. You have a metal nail inside you and you'll have to do another surgery to get it out. You also have all the scars associated with the surgery. If you do two segments, then double all that surgical trauma on your body.

With any legitimate surgeon, you can set your goal in one segment to 8cm, but they're going to tell you to stop if your body can't handle it. Most people on here managed to get 7-8cm in their femurs, but it's always going to be on a case-by-case basis. There's a reason that most of the Stryde journals on this forum are femurs-only. The number of people who come back for a second round of this is quite tiny, and many who did just one round leave this place because they go back to living normal lives.

Personally there is no way I'll ever do another LL surgery. Before my first surgery I would have considered it, but now there's nothing to consider. First, it took over a year to feel completely normal again, and I still need to get the nails out and then get my scars surgically removed. All of that will take at least another year, after which I can finally put all of this behind me. Second, my arms are too short to support another two inches of height. Thirdly, among my peer group I'm not short anymore and that's enough for me as I don't need to tower over anyone. Finally, I could blow that money doing almost anything and I would consider it a better deal than trading another two years of my life for two more inches of height.

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Awesome BTM..I have almost decided not to do this surgery but I am really jealous as well as happy that you were able to complete it successfully..My dating life is below average but I think I have decided to make peace with that..I know that hot girls usually do not like guys 5ft 7 and under ( I am 5 ft 6 btw) and I will have to make peace with that.. The primary reason why I am not doing LL is because it will disrupt my professional/entrepreneurial journey which I value far more than height..It is what it is..Enjoy your new height

Quote from: BelowTheMean on March 15, 2022, 07:27:55 PMI think my height neurosis was mostly tied to dating. I am very shallow/picky and only date hot girls, which is a lot harder as a short guy, even if all my other attributes are excellent. I was just really tired of girls calling me short all the time, even ones who I hooked up with. As for the other aspects of neurosis, other people being taller than me in a group setting was only a slight issue to me and I did spent a lot of time thinking about height as well, but I don't think those alone would've gotten me to do LL.

As for fixing height neurosis, the total number of centimeters lengthened is not that important. You're not going to notice the difference of 1-2cm in height. Going through the surgery and being a cripple for a few months makes you realize that health is a lot more important than height. The perspective of being taller also helps a bit, and I started feeling different when I reached the 5-6cm mark. Speaking of which, I'm not sure where you heard of 5+6cm as "safe limits". The safe limit is 0cm (not doing the surgery at all) because once you break your bones and start lengthening them, your body is going through a lot of trauma no matter how much you lengthen. You have a metal nail inside you and you'll have to do another surgery to get it out. You also have all the scars associated with the surgery. If you do two segments, then double all that surgical trauma on your body.

With any legitimate surgeon, you can set your goal in one segment to 8cm, but they're going to tell you to stop if your body can't handle it. Most people on here managed to get 7-8cm in their femurs, but it's always going to be on a case-by-case basis. There's a reason that most of the Stryde journals on this forum are femurs-only. The number of people who come back for a second round of this is quite tiny, and many who did just one round leave this place because they go back to living normal lives.

Personally there is no way I'll ever do another LL surgery. Before my first surgery I would have considered it, but now there's nothing to consider. First, it took over a year to feel completely normal again, and I still need to get the nails out and then get my scars surgically removed. All of that will take at least another year, after which I can finally put all of this behind me. Second, my arms are too short to support another two inches of height. Thirdly, among my peer group I'm not short anymore and that's enough for me as I don't need to tower over anyone. Finally, I could blow that money doing almost anything and I would consider it a better deal than trading another two years of my life for two more inches of height.

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Quote from: Realistic on March 16, 2022, 05:08:06 PMAwesome BTM..I have almost decided not to do this surgery but I am really jealous as well as happy that you were able to complete it successfully..My dating life is below average but I think I have decided to make peace with that..I know that hot girls usually do not like guys 5ft 7 and under ( I am 5 ft 6 btw) and I will have to make peace with that.. The primary reason why I am not doing LL is because it will disrupt my professional/entrepreneurial journey which I value far more than height..It is what it is..Enjoy your new height

LL is really a personal decision and the answer is not the same for every short guy. Between 2017 and 2020 I mostly forgot about LL and just lived my life normally. If the pandemic never happened I probably would have never booked my surgery and stopped coming to this forum long ago. And even if you just wanted to sleep with hot girls, there are much more cost effective ways than dropping nearly six figures on LL

I think it's great that you're focusing on your professional career. Hopefully the satisfaction it brings you will help you forget about all of this nonsense about height. Good luck with everything!