To be clear the aches I have are from the fact I broke my leg again and had to get a rod put in lol. I am convinced if not for the hardware I would be 100% for walking, as most of the time I currently am unless the hardware area is irritated, and 85-90% on running.
Quote from: programdude on December 06, 2017, 06:42:01 PMTo be clear the aches I have are from the fact I broke my leg again and had to get a rod put in lol. I am convinced if not for the hardware I would be 100% for walking, as most of the time I currently am unless the hardware area is irritated, and 85-90% on running.
When does the rod come out? Is the pain the hip area due to the nail?
Quote from: programdude on September 01, 2015, 02:33:58 PMI spent a lot of time in the pool. Almost no time walking in crutches as I was told it wasnt safe- until much later Paley told me it was ok and that the others were wrong.
PD, how come Paley's team of physical therapists hasn't told you that you can walk with crutches during the lengthening phase? That seems like a huge oversight.
Hi Programdude
I am new on the forum. This is my post. I am 21 year old male that is 5'4.5, although I say 5'5 because it just sounds better. I am looking to do internal femurs with Dr.Paley within 5 years if possible. I'm just wondering how you have been holding up so long after the inital operation. An update would be super helpful.
Cheers.
Hey PD,
how are you now?
Hey PD! I just had my nails removed with Dr. Roz. I read your diary several times. When you broke your bone while stretching (I think it was 2 months post nail removal), how did you know your bone had snapped? I'm asking as a precausion because some people break their bones and don't know their bones are broken for a long time (until the pain suddenly hits them at once). I'm obviously going to talk to Dr. Roz tomorrow but I want to make sure that my leg pain is not from a broken bone.
regards
In Colombia we do the same procedure at a lower value, with the nail precice.
I leave you my whatsapp (+57) 3193784166
Quote from: Purushrottam on March 29, 2019, 03:12:23 AMI read your diary several times. When you broke your bone while stretching (I think it was 2 months post nail removal), how did you know your bone had snapped?
Are you sure you've read the diary? He had INTENSE PAIN when the bone suddenly snapped.
You're probably looking for his post Early signs of a stress fracture.
Hello all! Have been getting a steady stream of PM's so I figured I'd post something public to keep the community as informed as possible.
I am honestly at the point where the LL dust has pretty much totally settled, hence being on less and less. Take it from me LL goes from being this all consuming thing that defines your life and days to a blip in your past. Theres comes a point where you at your new height is just how people know you, as opposed to it being anything aberrant. No one new you meet will have any idea etc. even in my case where, as I mentioned, I had that stress fracture ages ago and (occasionally) the hardware still in there irritates the area and can cause discomfort.
I will try to roll through a few questions before leaving some comments for people considering surgery(also I will check back now and then in the coming days/weeks to try and answer questions.
To answer the most recent question, it was EXTREMELY obvious when my bone fractured. I had been in immense pain, applied pressure thinking I would "stretch" and then my femur snapped in two which is an experience really beyond description. My muscles immediately spasmed and the adrenaline was so incredibly strong that I had to put my leg to the ground and watch it bend three times before realizing fully what had happened. It was a hellish experience especially because they refused to administer me pain meds initially because- Get this- I wasn't crying(even though my leg was visibly bent). Let me tell you once adrenaline wears off its an all around intolerable experience, definitely something you would immediately realize once the first few seconds of shock dissipate.
I don't mean to speak ill of Dr. R but from my disastrous experience I would er on the side of being a little more conservative with physical activity than he permits. At the end of the day if I was at the rod removal phase again, I'd still favor the significant savings going with Dr. R than Paley, despite maintaining my perspective of Paley being the only choice I considered when it came to the surgery itself.
As for early identification of a stress fracture(since like I mentioned a full fracture isn't going to be missed), a steadily growing aching radiating pain that feels like a deep muscle pain is the best way I can recollect/put it. It does NOT feel usual or normal so please don't take that as me saying to run to the hospital any time your a bit sore- But if you feel something like that which doesn't get better, and steadily worsens over a semi significant period of time you owe it to yourself to get it checked out unless you want to be wheeling yourself out of a market with a bent leg program dude style.
Great question about Paleys team and him having a miscommunication. Its a distant memory at this point but from what I recall people were always slightly walking on egg shells in terms of adhering to Paley's decrees. I remember Mike being visibly distraught and vocalizing to me displeasure about the kids not being allowed to use the exercise bikes abruptly, considering it was barely any stress compared to other things they were allowed to do. I think for whatever reason certain people thought a similar no crutch policy was instituted either for me or for cosmetic LL'ers in general. However when I mentioned it to Paley he didn't have even the slightest reservations/didnt seem like he thought he had ever given such a decree. Something to remember is the PT team there works with a vast array of cases, its entirely possible it was a matter of someone getting someone else's limits mixed up with mine.
That being said it was certainly a huge oversight as you put it and I would strongly advise you to always maintain contact with Paley. Even though he can be terse, shooting him an email if you think staff are wrong about something or you have questions/concerns is ALWAYS the right thing to do. Be proactive, you are paying an insane amount of money for his service so be sure to make use of it.
As for questions about how I am post LL, the answer is great! Like I alluded to earlier I am farrr past the phase of LL even being on my mind in my day to day. Things in my personal life have been going swimmingly and as far as my physical post LL experience things are good. I mentioned the irritation from the hardware that was put in after my fracture, which is the only thing that occasionally is out of the norm with my left leg. My right experiences none of that, and it is a fairly simple operation to get the hardware out. The only reason for my postponing it was that it is something that only even occurs seldomly and is usually minor and I was working towards some financial goals which I've now achieved, which means I plan on getting it out fairly soon at which point aside from sports performance(which as people here know was never a priority for me) I'll be 100%.
As far as my height dysphoria it is completely and utterly gone to the point that it seems almost preposterous that I ever had it. Even if I am standing next to someone incredibly tall its irrelevant, I simply feel "right" at this height.
I believe I've mentioned this before but I am always wary about expressing my satisfaction with the surgery too strongly, because I know that could exacerbate someones dysphoria depending on their disposition.
I think it is essential when evaluating if LL is right for you, that if you are using my testimonial to really get a feel on if your head in general was at a similar place as mine before the surgery. I say that because while I had a strong dysphoria, it truly was dysphoria, whereas I have certainly seen some people in the community that I honestly believe if they magically grew three inches would still be discontent, or who are channeling their general frustrations in life and attributing its to their height. Yes certain elements in your life are going to improve post LL but its not something that will magically fix all your problems. I cannot imagine the depression that spending the money and time on this surgery and enduring its pain as well as any complications, babe them physical or in your personal life, only to not feel any different at the end of it.
I really feel for people with body image issues, and having immersed myself in the community both online and in person I would never want to steer people in the wrong direction. That being said I would also not want to ever deter someone who genuinely was in my head space pre LL from getting it. Despite my words of warning I had that horrific complication and a very slow recovery and paid for everything from my hard earned cash and I still am fully satisfied with it, and everyone I personally met and stayed in touch with have been complication free to my knowledge, and are also satisfied. That being said a large chunk of them had a parent bankrolling it(lucky I know!) which obviously takes away a huge barrier.
That was far lengthier than anticipated but I just wanted to address some things and check back in with everyone. Like I said I am happy to try and answer questions. I also plan on re-reading my diary and perhaps commentating on it now that I'm removed from it by a few years in the effort to make my journal as informative a tool as it can be to those mulling over or diving into the big decision!
Wow. I love seeing a big update from LL veteran regulars. I used to follow your diary (along with DoingItForMe's and Penguinn's) religiously when I was going LL to compare the experiences (should I be stretching more, should I be feeling tightness/pain, yet, etc).
Quote from: programdude on September 15, 2019, 08:46:03 AM
Take it from me LL goes from being this all consuming thing that defines your life and days to a blip in your past. Theres comes a point where you at your new height is just how people know you, as opposed to it being anything aberrant. No one new you meet will have any idea etc.
very relatable. "Blip in your past" is an apt way to describe it.
Quote from: programdude on September 15, 2019, 08:46:03 AM
To answer the most recent question, it was EXTREMELY obvious when my bone fractured. I had been in immense pain, applied pressure thinking I would "stretch" and then my femur snapped in two which is an experience really beyond description. My muscles immediately spasmed and the adrenaline was so incredibly strong that I had to put my leg to the ground and watch it bend three times before realizing fully what had happened. It was a hellish experience especially because they refused to administer me pain meds initially because- Get this- I wasn't crying(even though my leg was visibly bent). Let me tell you once adrenaline wears off its an all around intolerable experience, definitely something you would immediately realize once the first few seconds of shock dissipate.
Thanks for answering my question. I had my nail removal in late March with Dr. Roz. I was really worried about that happening. The part about them refusing pain meds was a nightmare scenario for me. Thankfully they prescribed me some opioids (post surgery pain). I never used a single one. I was saving them for a scenario like the one you described. I flushed them down the toilet last month.
Quote from: programdude on September 15, 2019, 08:46:03 AM
As far as my height dysphoria it is completely and utterly gone to the point that it seems almost preposterous that I ever had it. Even if I am standing next to someone incredibly tall its irrelevant, I simply feel "right" at this height.
Also very relatable. This used to be the only thing I thought about and it consumed me. It was really exhausting. Now its completely irrelevant.
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