I’m an LLD guy with less planned growth but we’re doing this together for at least the first part of the journey...my surgery was just a day or 2 after yours. Best of luck to you, glad you have a caregiver for at least the first week... in watching Movie and with my own unilateral experience so far, very thankful for my wife to assist.
As I watch the bilateral cases with Stryde, it’s apparent that Paley and Dr M from LA have no hesitation about full weight bearing in the growth phase. My doctor is still playing it very conservative and still only recommending partial weight bearing since I have the luxury of 1 unaffected leg. Not sure how that will play out with me... time will tell how much I push the boundaries there!
PS. One of the things I so look forward to...walking barefoot in the sand! A little different twist to your story but the same net effect!
Diary: Stryde Femurs with Dr. Paley September 2019
Alchemist.....Any updates....How are you holding up....I hope everything is fine....?
Alright LL fam, it’s been nearly a week since my surgery and I’ll try to recap the journey so far. So far so good , I’m doing well and in good spirits. I’ll recap surgery day and the days after.
SURGERY DAY 0 - 9/17/19
To my surprise I was able to sleep the night before surgery despite having so much on my mind. Woke at 4:30 AM, went straight to the shower and washed myself off with a pre surgery antibacterial soap provided by the Paley team. As instructed, no food and limited water the night of surgery (cutoff was midnight the night before surgery.)
Ordered a Lyft and got to the hospital at around 6 AM as instructed. Cherished every step I took around the hospital as I knew it would be a long time till I’d be comfortably mobile on my own two feet again.
Mood/ Mental State: For the most part anxious and ready to get the show on the road. So much planning and anticipation over the past year for this moment, although there was much to be fearful about, I kept thinking about what awaits me on the other side of the finish line of this journey, what life will be like a year from now, living a happy, healthy life, and continuing to contribute to the world without the constraints of my personal mental issues surrounding my height. There is a thin line between excitement and fear/anxiety, and with this positive mindset I felt energized and excited, I truly felt like I was moving forward.
Surgery Prep:
They wheel you into the pre surgery room where the nurses take your vitals again and proceed to have you undress into your hospital gown and store your belongings in a security locker.
Then one of the nurses shaves your legs around the surgery site.
They have you fill out a bunch of paperwork providing consent and defining liability, scary morbid stuff to read through, I scanned through it, said a prayer (not at all religious) and signed them.
Then, the anesthesiologist comes by and walks you through the process. I opted to go with a spinal block instead of an epidural to avoid the catheter, in hindsight am glad I did.
They put the IV in you, about a half hour later the anesthesiologist comes back and give you the “happy juice”, which contained fentanyl. I’m not here to glamorize drugs but there was in instant hit of immense euphoria, calmness, and a general happy numbness flowing throughout my body…my eyes rolled to the back of my head and a smile formed from cheek to cheek. It was an amazing high. Fentanyl is powerful stuff, and I can see why it’s an epidemic. A few seconds later the lights went out……
Surgery:
Woke up in a new room. Dazed and disoriented. Not knowing where I was, what time or date it was, or why I was there…..until an attractive blonde nurse comes in and informs me my surgery is done and was successful, its late afternoon, and I’m in recovery. I slowly gather my thoughts and am thankful to be alive and healthy. They take my vitals and I’m in good health. A feeling of immense gratitude and positive emotions fills my body.
Pain and other rehab: Virtually no pain. At a stand still pain is a 0. When you move your legs around pain is maybe a 1. The anesthesia lingers in your system for 24 hrs of so. On top of that, you are on a combination of Taradol, Tylenol, and Oxy.
Your lower legs are wrapped in an automated sleeve that intermittently squeezes and applies pressure to promote blood circulation.
Your thighs / femurs are elevated wrapped in ice pad to help with the swelling.
Exercises: The PT comes in and teaches you three movements to help promote blood circulation and stimulate your muscles
1) Toe/heel flexes – point your toes towards and your outwards 20x.
2) Quad stretches- straighten out your leg so that the back of your knee makes contact with the bed (your legs tend to slightly bend.) 20x
3) Squeeze your butt cheeks 20x
I was able to do all the above relatively easy, and did a few leg raises and 90 degree knee bends while laying down. PT and nurse were impressed.
Food: They bring you standard cafeteria food for dinner, a decent mix of protein ( meat), veggies and dessert. I didn’t get any morphine so I didn’t feel nauseous at all and was able to clean my plate. Your body needs calories after experiencing so much trauma, so even after this meal, I was still hungry and ate a protein bar I packed which hit the spot.
Going to bathroom: I was able to urinate on surgery date relatively easy. As I mentioned earlier, I opted to not use an epidural and therefore I did not need a catheter. I felt the urge to pee the night of surgery. At this point the anesthesia is still in effect and your bodily functions are still slowly coming back, so with a little more effort I was able to pee into a urine bottle. Made a little mess but you learn as you go.
Mood / mental state: Post surgery your body is recovering from significant trauma. Although you don’t feel it thanks to the meds, you are constantly dipping in and out of sleep. I would say I’d be awake for 1 to 2 hrs, fall asleep for 2 to 3 hrs, and repeat.
Hospital Care: The nurses are great. They check on you frequently, probably every hour or so, and take your vitals every 4 hrs. My biggest fear for the surgery was fat embolism, and the nurses coming in, checking my vitals, seeing my oxygen levels at optimum levels, really eased my concerns.
Surgery Day Tips:
1) Pack a long phone charging cord, at least 10 ft. Your bed is quite far from the power outlet in your hospital room.
2) Pack tons of snacks and meal replacements. The hospital feeds you decent cafeteria food 3 times a day, but I personally don’t feel like it’s enough. you’ll be starving post op and your body will need calories and protein. I packed a bunch of protein bars and Cliff bars which helped a lot.
3) If you are hiring a care taker, you will NOT need them during your hospital stay as the round the clock service from the nurses is more than enough. You can call the nurses at your will, but they pop in frequently enough that I felt safe and watched over.
4) The nurses won’t proactively provide you with oral hygeine care. Ask them for a tooth brush and mouth wash and they’ll provide.
Wow...didn't expect the surgery day recap to be this long, I'll follow up with recaps on the subsequent days later today....
Alchemist..... amazing update... stay strong... my friend 
Hey man! Good luck! I'm 173cm and will be doing the surgery in February.
Question: How's the sleep? This is the part that terrifies me because i'm a poor sleeper, and I sleep on my side all the time. I cannot imagine having to sleep on my back...
Don't be nervous dude femurs will go by. It'll hurt but you can 100% hit 8cm if you stretch 3x/day and you'll be pretty much fully recovered 1 yr later. dont leave anything on the table you'll regret it
Quote from: programdude on September 17, 2019, 06:57:19 AMLet me be the first(well, until there was a response while I was typing this up) to wish you all the best! What a coincidence I swung back by the forum right as someone in such a similar position was beginning their journey.
You honestly sound like a version of myself that had developed height dysphoria a few years sooner than I did. I really do think you will be completely cured if not feel MORE relief than me, so just remember the goal at the end of the tunnel.
Its a hard process in a lot of ways, but just remember that the pain and the isolation ENDS and that on the other side you will be an objectively better version of yourself- taller and with total peace of mind.
If you ever are feeling in the gutter or just want to compare and contrast with someone who has been in an essentially identical position always feel free to hit me up.
Thanks programdude! Your journey and successful outcome served as a huge motivating factor for me. Your diaries raw, honest take on this experience was just what I needed, the good and the bad, and I'm trying my best to provide what you gave to me and many other LLers through my experience and STRYDE. Quote from: bgreeneee on September 22, 2019, 01:59:46 PMI’m an LLD guy with less planned growth but we’re doing this together for at least the first part of the journey...my surgery was just a day or 2 after yours. Best of luck to you, glad you have a caregiver for at least the first week... in watching Movie and with my own unilateral experience so far, very thankful for my wife to assist.
As I watch the bilateral cases with Stryde, it’s apparent that Paley and Dr M from LA have no hesitation about full weight bearing in the growth phase. My doctor is still playing it very conservative and still only recommending partial weight bearing since I have the luxury of 1 unaffected leg. Not sure how that will play out with me... time will tell how much I push the boundaries there!
PS. One of the things I so look forward to...walking barefoot in the sand! A little different twist to your story but the same net effect!
Thanks bgreenee! Best of luck to you as well! If you ever need someone to talk to or support feel free to reach out. Walking barefoot on sand would be amazing - we'll get there soon my friend!
Quote from: Dreamer57 on September 19, 2019, 04:07:11 PMHello Alchemist....I really wish you best of luck for your journey....And hope that everything will be awesome .....I am a future lengthner....N I'll be following your diary....!
Thanks Dreamer57. It really means a lot!
Quote from: InFullStryde on September 17, 2019, 07:55:36 PMGood luck, Alchemist! Your story is relatable to many. Let me know if you have any questions along the way and I'd be happy to advise.
IFS! Thx for dropping in my diary. You are a legend in this community! You've helped so many and your diary serves as one of the most comprehensive, informative diaries out there. I really appreciate the well wishes!
Quote from: E Z on September 17, 2019, 03:48:54 PMI wish you the best of luck brotha. one piece of advice, keep up with the pain medication every 4 hours. Do not let the nurses forget. It'll be a breeze for you if you do that. Once that medication wears off after 4 hours and you let it go and forget, it'll be hard to keep control and you will be uncomfortable.
Thanks E Z! Yes totally agree, disciplined pain management and medication intake is so critical! So far I've been doing well with it, I'll get into it a bit in my next diary update!
Quote from: wannagrowtaller on September 17, 2019, 06:45:10 AMI think you already have a good height and you have a good mindset. Hope everything goes fine for you. Wish you all the best.
Thanks man. Yes, all things considered 174 cm or 5'8.5 is a good height that I'm thankful for, but our minds and height neurosis are a strange, powerful thing and I believe LL is the the path forward for me to freedom of height neurosis. Thanks for the kind words!
Quote from: PANDA:BEAR.. on September 23, 2019, 07:53:55 PMAlchemist..... amazing update... stay strong... my friend
Thanks PANDA! It's a battle every day, every hour, every minute, but I'm staying strong all the way through!
sta
Quote from: Bastouille on September 23, 2019, 09:09:11 PMHey man! Good luck! I'm 173cm and will be doing the surgery in February.
Question: How's the sleep? This is the part that terrifies me because i'm a poor sleeper, and I sleep on my side all the time. I cannot imagine having to sleep on my back...
Thanks Bastouille! Sleep was great until night 5 of the post op. The leg restlessness really starts to get to you and you realisically get 2 to 3 hrs of sleep at a time until the pain wakes you up. Luckily for me I naturally sleep on my back. Stay tuned, I'm experimenting with different ways to improve sleep. I will say that pain management is key. I'm going to try setting a timer every 4 hrs to take the pain meds throughout the night. Whenever I wake up, instead of trying to fight it, I'm going to stretch and move my legs to encourage blood flow to combat the pain. I tried Tylenol PM and it definitely helped me snooze a bit longer.
Quote from: MyEvolution on September 23, 2019, 09:59:37 PMDon't be nervous dude femurs will go by. It'll hurt but you can 100% hit 8cm if you stretch 3x/day and you'll be pretty much fully recovered 1 yr later. dont leave anything on the table you'll regret it
MyEvolution thank you! Your diary was awesome. It's a battle everyday but I know the benefits will be life changing. Your diary was inspiring. Hoping to meet you here while you are doing tibias!
Awesome man! Stay strong, soon you are gonna be a tall guy! Btw I am worried sick about fat embolism....What did Paley personally tell you about it? What are the chance of it happening? And about nerve damage? What did he tell you about that? Btw your updates are amazing and hopefully you are gonna be another of those successful diaries on the forum! Power to you!
Quote from: Dreamer57 on September 24, 2019, 06:37:19 AMAwesome man! Stay strong, soon you are gonna be a tall guy! Btw I am worried sick about fat embolism....What did Paley personally tell you about it? What are the chance of it happening? And about nerve damage? What did he tell you about that? Btw your updates are amazing and hopefully you are gonna be another of those successful diaries on the forum! Power to you!
Fat embolism was without a doubt my biggest concern during my consultation with Paley. He said it's rare but each time it has happened it was detected and addressed and resolved with no issues. As a preventative measure, they drill holes in your femur bone to act as a venting mechanism to prevent fat embolism, as a detective measure, they are monitoring your oxygen levels in the hospital post op and would be immediately alerted if your O2 levels dropped (an indicator of fat emboli entering the lungs) where you would get immediate treatment.
There has been a diary here with someone who experienced it (BiLateral Damage) with Paley but they detected it and addressed it and he ultimately had a successful outcome. Out of all the patients I've talked to since I've been here, none of us have had issues with fat embolism.
As far as nerve damage goes, I also asked this question and Paley mentioned that he has no patients with long term cases of permanent nerve damages.
LL is a complex, significant procedure and there are real risks so its good you are thinking about these things. For me, it was about informing myself about the risks, and making a calculated decision about the costs and benefits.....and here I am. Good luck with your decision!
Alright LL fam, it's been a week since my surgery and here's a recap. So far so good.
POST OP DAY 1
Pain Level: Average throughout the day was a 1. Peak was a 3 when they got me out of bed. I was surprised at how manageable the pain was. I know many other LLers have described this as one of the most painful days because this is the first time you get out of bed and use the walker. The nurse said many people cry or faint when they get of bed. For me, it wasn't bad at all, I used as much of my upper body as I could, maneuvering my way off the bed, and using my triceps to stand up with the walker, minimizing the work my legs had to do. From there, I was able to comfortably take little baby steps in and around my hospital room. Throughout the day the level 1 pain I could describe as the minor soreness in your legs after playing a game of basketball.
I attribute this pain management to 1) disciplined pain med intake, 2) thoughtful weight distribution and utilizing upper body accordingly, 3) consistent application of ice pads to my thighs/femurs and 4) mindfulness, staying calm, breathing, and not freaking out which I'll get into below.
Sleep: Slept like a baby. Would be awake for an hour or 2. Sleep for another 2 or 3. I'd be woken up by the nurses to take vitals, etc., but would go right back to sleep.
Mood/ Mindset: Positive. My biggest fear was the unlikely chance of death with fat embolism. Every time the nurse would check my vitals and report healthy O2 levels and blood pressure, I was thankful. With that behind me, I could now focus on recovery and PT. The pain meds, mainly oxy, didn't really get me high, you just feel a bit more relaxed and comfortably numb, but my mind was sharp enough to maintain the cognition required to read and respond to a few minor work emails. I was able to chat and make jokes with the hospital staff. Things are looking good.
Highlights: Getting on the walker and being mobile- feels great after being stuck in bed all day and night, it gives you back this sense of control. More PT. In addition to the three exercises we did on surgery date, we did two more. Leg lifts and knee bends. It's a bit difficult to get your muscles to do what you want them to initially, but once you get the first few down it get's easy, that muscle memory kicks in and it just feels heavier than usual. Pain increased to a 2, maybe 3 at most during these exercises, nothing unbearable.
POST OP DAY 2
Pain Level: Average throughout the day was a 1. Peak was a 2 or 3. Same as Post Op day 1.
Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby. Loving this because sleep makes time go faster. I'm really only awake to eat, take vitals, take meds and PT. Spent a few hours browsing the internet and shooting off work emails.
Mood/ Mindset: Positive and surprised that the pain level was as low as it was. Was waiting for things to shoot up after hearing about the horror stories but it never happened.
Highlights: Did PT again. Same routine as day 1 but took it a step further. Walker around the entire hospital floor, did a roundabout and back to my room. Steps are small, but I was moving along just fine. Continuing to eat tons of calories. I'm not a big guy, 5'9 and about 160 lbs, but I was all about calories. Would clean my hospital food plate and eat 2 or 3 Quest protein bars each day.
POST OP DAY 3
Pain Level: Average throughout the day was a 1. Peak was a 2 or 3. Same as the past few days. Still waiting on the pain to hit hard, but it never happened. Very thankful for this.
Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby. Time going by fast.
Mood/ Mindset: Positive and in good spirits. Time seems to be moving fast. I'm becoming friendly with the hospital staff. The fear of loneliness never hit, just chatting with my caretakers and PT was enough to feel connected to another human. Again, my biggest fear for this whole experience was the loneliness and solitude since I kept this a secret from friends and fam.
Highlights: Walking, walking, walking, on my walker. Still little baby steps but moving forward. PT gives you little gifts to take with you. A "grabber", basically an extended arm you can use to grab things off the ground, shoe horns, a mechanism to help you put socks on. They teach you how to put on a new set of clothes with these tools.
Dr. Paley and all the doctors dropped in to visit very quickly which was nice of them. If you end up doing Paley, you'll come to learn that he is a man of few words as he is super busy. We chatted briefly, he told me the surgery went well and was good to see me in good spirits.
It's only day 3 but I'm starting to see progress. Remember those leg raises? They become easier. I can go a little higher and hold them for a little longer.The steps on the walker? They get a little easier. My strides become more normal and my heel to toe form feels more natural.
POST OP DAY 4
Most people get discharged from the hospital on post op day 3. I could have totally gone home on post op day 3 but I decided to stay in the hospital another night for economic reasons. As part of the overall Paley fee, you get 4 nights in the hospital so that cost is baked in and included. I wanted to save money on my caretaker fees, as I would initiate the care taker hours upon hospital release, so I figured why not save an extra day of care taker costs since the nurses are basically more qualified, experienced, care takers?
Pain Level: Average throughout the day was a 1. Peak was a 2 or 3. Same as the past few days. Surprised I never had a moment where I wanted to scream, cry, or question it all.
Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby. Time going by fast.
Mood/ Mindset: Positive and in good spirits. Looking forward to my last day in the hospital and getting back to my hotel so I can be a bit more autonomous with things like work and getting on my walker (e.g. not having to wait for the nurse to take out my IV, etc.) .
Highlights: Walking on that walker. Did another round of the hospital floor, felt good.
My care taker came by the hospital to take me back to the hotel. Put me in a wheel chair and wheeled me over to his car. Getting in and out of the car wasn't that bad, again, utilizing my upper body to maneuver and rotate my body into his front car seat. At the most the pain was about a 3 when he had to lift my legs and rotate them into the front seat, but not bad at all.
Drove me back to my hotel and used my walker to get to my room. Home sweet home! Got into bed and felt great, the entire move was tiring since you are in a state of movement/transportation for over an hour or so. Felt comfortable in my bed and thankful to be back in good spirits. Started my ice packs, and taking meds in the hospital.
Got on my laptop and eased into some emails and netflix. I've been using a laptop bed stand, incredibly useful and highly recommended. Had my first bowel movement. This was a bit difficult because my toilet bowl seat was low and crouching down puts a lot of weight on your legs. I've since corrected this by installing a raised toilet commode and figured out better weight distribution.
Wow this post is really long, I'll get into the tips in another post!
You must be logged in to post a reply.