My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)

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Was just thinking about you today Vertical- Hope all is well on your journey!

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Update on Day 79, 6.3 CM taller!

Hey everyone! Thanks for the nice replies my friends, TheAlchemist, Kenda, and MirniHeight! I'm sorry for the time since my last update. Fortunately everything is going extremely well and I'm quickly reaching the end of the distraction process. I can't wait! I'm able to live much of my life like I had before starting this journey. I can now go out with friends knowing I'll be doing a good amount of walking. I've started dating again (I'll talk about that in a bit). But most importantly, I'm at the lowest pain level since starting the process. I don't need to rely on medicine nearly as much as I used to. I'm also not using my cane at all. My walking has improved a bit, but it still has a long way to go before I can pass as normal. At some point in the next couple of weeks I'll post another walking video. PT (twice a week) is going extremely well.

I'm now very close to my goal height of 6' (183cm). One of the most amazing moments of my life was finally being at a point where I felt comfortable ripping out all the lifts I had in my shoes. There will never again be anxiety about taking off my shoes. That alone has done wonders for my self-confidence. I had a date with a girl who was 5'6 (168 cm) - the same height as an ex of mine who called me short so many years ago. This girl told me after her date, as we went to hug each other, that she's not used to hugging a guy that's "so tall" (her words, not mind). I have *never* thought of myself that way (and still don't agree with "so" tall!). By the way, none of the two girls I've been on dates with had issues with the way I was walking. One said she wouldn't have even known if I didn't tell her beforehand. I also went out with a group of neighbors I've known for at least 3 years. When one of them saw me, he said "you look so much taller." Guys - moments like this were what I was hoping and praying to happen before signing up to do this. This entire process has been so worth it to me and if I went back in time I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'll be getting x-rays locally on Wednesday. I'll post those here of course. I'm not sure when I'll get back to Las Vegas. I'm still a bit disappointed in how the last trip out there went (when the x-ray machine was down), so that's why I'm doing the x-rays here. On a similar note, in my last update I mentioned that I was getting (small) bills mailed to me from the surgery. Sadly the two bills still went on unpaid by LPX. I finally told the folks at LPX that I'd pay them myself (since altogether they were less than $100) and I'd expect to be reimbursed. It's just not worth risking having the bills sent to collections. I remain extremely impressed in Dr. D.'s work - there have been very few issues and the scars are almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for them. But it's clear they are still tweaking minor things on the back end like billing and scheduling. I say that because I swore in the beginning I'd be upfront about everything.

So I will be posting another update this week with x-rays, and I anticipate finishing the distraction phase in two weeks. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!

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Quote from: verticalpush on August 13, 2019, 04:44:18 AMUpdate on Day 79, 6.3 CM taller!

Hey everyone! Thanks for the nice replies my friends, TheAlchemist, Kenda, and MirniHeight! I'm sorry for the time since my last update. Fortunately everything is going extremely well and I'm quickly reaching the end of the distraction process. I can't wait! I'm able to live much of my life like I had before starting this journey. I can now go out with friends knowing I'll be doing a good amount of walking. I've started dating again (I'll talk about that in a bit). But most importantly, I'm at the lowest pain level since starting the process. I don't need to rely on medicine nearly as much as I used to. I'm also not using my cane at all. My walking has improved a bit, but it still has a long way to go before I can pass as normal. At some point in the next couple of weeks I'll post another walking video. PT (twice a week) is going extremely well.

I'm now very close to my goal height of 6' (183cm). One of the most amazing moments of my life was finally being at a point where I felt comfortable ripping out all the lifts I had in my shoes. There will never again be anxiety about taking off my shoes. That alone has done wonders for my self-confidence. I had a date with a girl who was 5'6 (168 cm) - the same height as an ex of mine who called me short so many years ago. This girl told me after her date, as we went to hug each other, that she's not used to hugging a guy that's "so tall" (her words, not mind). I have *never* thought of myself that way (and still don't agree with "so" tall!). By the way, none of the two girls I've been on dates with had issues with the way I was walking. One said she wouldn't have even known if I didn't tell her beforehand. I also went out with a group of neighbors I've known for at least 3 years. When one of them saw me, he said "you look so much taller." Guys - moments like this were what I was hoping and praying to happen before signing up to do this. This entire process has been so worth it to me and if I went back in time I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'll be getting x-rays locally on Wednesday. I'll post those here of course. I'm not sure when I'll get back to Las Vegas. I'm still a bit disappointed in how the last trip out there went (when the x-ray machine was down), so that's why I'm doing the x-rays here. On a similar note, in my last update I mentioned that I was getting (small) bills mailed to me from the surgery. Sadly the two bills still went on unpaid by LPX. I finally told the folks at LPX that I'd pay them myself (since altogether they were less than $100) and I'd expect to be reimbursed. It's just not worth risking having the bills sent to collections. I remain extremely impressed in Dr. D.'s work - there have been very few issues and the scars are almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for them. But it's clear they are still tweaking minor things on the back end like billing and scheduling. I say that because I swore in the beginning I'd be upfront about everything.

So I will be posting another update this week with x-rays, and I anticipate finishing the distraction phase in two weeks. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!

Amazing update verticalpush! 6.3 cm is incredible and time has flown by, very happy to see you in positive spirits and already experiencing the benefits of this journey. Rooting for you all the way man!

Question - how did you respond to your neighbor's comments about looking taller? Did you explain LL? I'm guessing since they noticed you look taller than you did when you wore 2.5 inch lifts?

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Quote from: TheAlchemist on August 13, 2019, 06:12:12 AMAmazing update verticalpush! 6.3 cm is incredible and time has flown by, very happy to see you in positive spirits and already experiencing the benefits of this journey. Rooting for you all the way man!

Question - how did you respond to your neighbor's comments about looking taller? Did you explain LL? I'm guessing since they noticed you look taller than you did when you wore 2.5 inch lifts?

I laughed it off and said "are you sure you're not shrinking?" I've also lost about 22 pounds since before the surgery, so people comment on that a lot too. I'm definitely surprised people who saw me before with lifts on are saying I look taller. That tells me either (1) my posture is better now (I don't slouch as much since I'm always aware of my body), or (2) I wasn't fooling nearly as many people by always wearing boots and lifts as I thought! I have no idea, but I always figured there was a chance people who knew me saw through the lifts. I used to never wear flip flops or sneakers despite having many pairs in my closet. They're all in rotation now.

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Quote from: verticalpush on August 13, 2019, 05:59:14 PMI laughed it off and said "are you sure you're not shrinking?" I've also lost about 22 pounds since before the surgery, so people comment on that a lot too. I'm definitely surprised people who saw me before with lifts on are saying I look taller. That tells me either (1) my posture is better now (I don't slouch as much since I'm always aware of my body), or (2) I wasn't fooling nearly as many people by always wearing boots and lifts as I thought! I have no idea, but I always figured there was a chance people who knew me saw through the lifts. I used to never wear flip flops or sneakers despite having many pairs in my closet. They're all in rotation now.

Amazing news Vertical Push - it's great to hear you are doing so well.

It's crazy how many of the Stryde patients (and Precise tbf) are saying they don't regret this for a moment - it's pretty crazy - in a good way!

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So even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats

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Quote from: gustavklimt on August 17, 2019, 08:09:48 PMSo even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats

Yes, very true. Even, Dr. Paley is quoted to say that he has not encountered one of his patients that regret the procedure once they are completed. It's hard; but it's worth it.  The inches make life easier.  Great job, Vertical! Keep pushing vertically! ha.

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Everyone, I uploaded my x-rays here. The first 3 are my left femur, and the last 3 are my right femur. I'm waiting to hear from Dr. D. tomorrow to give me the official thumbs up on these x-rays.

Quote from: SimonFuller on August 16, 2019, 02:18:33 PMAmazing news Vertical Push - it's great to hear you are doing so well.

It's crazy how many of the Stryde patients (and Precise tbf) are saying they don't regret this for a moment - it's pretty crazy - in a good way!

Thank you my man SimonFuller! You're absolutely right - it seems everyone who's done Stryde so far has had an overall positive experience, and I have yet to see anyone who's regretted doing it.

Having said that, I think we all (myself included) gloss over how difficult it is mentally to go at least 2 months without having much freedom to walk that far before getting tired. Even though you *can* walk short distances, you don't always want to. As a result, you have a lot of time on your hands and you won't socialize as much in person. If you have any demons in your closet or if you got out of a relationship recently like I did, you're going to be thinking about that a lot. We focus so much on the physical aspect of the journey that we don't think that much about the mental part, which I consider to be equally difficult.

Quote from: gustavklimt on August 17, 2019, 08:09:48 PMSo even you wear a 2.5 inch lift won’t bring you 2.5inch taller becoz of the texture. I do have lift too. Because of the pressure of weight and the material of lift not going to gain me 2.5inches. So you are definitely taller than you used to be wearing lift. That a good news. And people will notice!
Congrats

Thank you gustavklimt! That is an excellent I didn't consider. I never got the full 2.5 inches from my lifts. I think when I measured myself I was 1.75-2 inches taller, so I'm well past that point. Within the last week I've had lunch with 3 folks from work who I haven't seen since before the surgery. The one guy was definitely taller than me even with my lifts, and now I'm clearly taller than him (I was a bit embarrassed, so I tried to make myself look a bit shorter when we were standing!). The real test would be if I were to date someone I dated before who *did* see me without lifts.

Quote from: InFullStryde on August 17, 2019, 09:04:02 PMYes, very true. Even, Dr. Paley is quoted to say that he has not encountered one of his patients that regret the procedure once they are completed. It's hard; but it's worth it.  The inches make life easier.  Great job, Vertical! Keep pushing vertically! ha.

Haha much appreciated as always, InFullStryde! The inches have absolutely made life easier. The boost in confidence alone is worth the procedure, but of course there are many other benefits that go alone with confidence. I've spent a lot of time thinking how much easier or better life would've been the past 5 years if I had it done sooner, but in reality I don't know if I would've appreciated that as much at the time.

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Update on Day 86, 7 CM Taller!

Hey everyone - very quick update for today. I've pretty much lengthened 3 times every day since my last update without any of the problems I had before. Someone (it might have been your diary, InFullStryde) posted that there are different "pain points" - where you're more likely to feel pain. For me, from about 3cm to 5.5cm were the most difficult parts of the journey, where I would get nerve pain in my left shin if I lengthened 3 times a day. Decreasing lengthening sessions to twice a day fixed the worst of the problem - the sharp nerve pain, but I still had major sensitivity issues in each shin. I have only very mild sensitivity issues now, and I expect to have no issues once I stop lengthening. Sadly, however, my gait has declined since stepping it up to 3 sessions a day.

In case anyone is curious about dating life, I want to give you the brutal reality of dating life while you're still in distraction mode. Until you stop walking like Frankenstein, you're going to have problems getting second or third dates. Most girls are completely fine having the first date even after I tell them I had leg surgery, but when they see me limping it seems to give most girls some pause. If you find a girl who doesn't care, she's a keeper. Only one of the 4 girls I've had first dates seemed to not be bothered (she's the one who said she barely notices it, which is probably her being generous! But she's the front runner by leaps and bounds.). The two girls I was talking to prior to the surgery mysteriously disappeared after they had dates with me post-surgery and saw my walking. There is nothing attractive about struggling to go up stairs, or waddling like a penguin. It's been worth it to me to get back into dating because it forces me outside and it gets me to socialize, but it's frustrating to clearly have more problems getting second and third dates than I had before surgery (when I wore lifts in my shoes). Hopefully that improves as my walking starts returning to normal.

I should be done lengthening in less than 7 days. I can't be more excited. I *wish* I had an official read on how long each leg is, so I'd know if I needed to continue to lengthen one side a bit longer. They seem to my untrained eye to be about even, but you never know for certain unless you get it measured at the Doctor's office.

One of the things I'm looking forward to after lengthening is working out my upper body again. I've held off on that because I figured my body was so busy creating new muscles in my legs. On a lighter note, I bought this "butt cushion" off Amazon:  I'm hoping this will make it easier to sit on hard surfaces like wooden chairs. A lot of the newer crop of LL soldiers complain about discomfort when they sit down - I think the common denominator is that it hurts a lot more when there isn't padding on the chair because you lose most of your glutes.

That's it for today. I'll update if Dr. D. says anything noteworthy about the x-rays I posted in my last update.

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Quote from: verticalpush on August 20, 2019, 06:36:35 AMUpdate on Day 86, 7 CM Taller!

Hey everyone - very quick update for today. I've pretty much lengthened 3 times every day since my last update without any of the problems I had before. Someone (it might have been your diary, InFullStryde) posted that there are different "pain points" - where you're more likely to feel pain. For me, from about 3cm to 5.5cm were the most difficult parts of the journey, where I would get nerve pain in my left shin if I lengthened 3 times a day. Decreasing lengthening sessions to twice a day fixed the worst of the problem - the sharp nerve pain, but I still had major sensitivity issues in each shin. I have only very mild sensitivity issues now, and I expect to have no issues once I stop lengthening. Sadly, however, my gait has declined since stepping it up to 3 sessions a day.

In case anyone is curious about dating life, I want to give you the brutal reality of dating life while you're still in distraction mode. Until you stop walking like Frankenstein, you're going to have problems getting second or third dates. Most girls are completely fine having the first date even after I tell them I had leg surgery, but when they see me limping it seems to give most girls some pause. If you find a girl who doesn't care, she's a keeper. Only one of the 4 girls I've had first dates seemed to not be bothered (she's the one who said she barely notices it, which is probably her being generous! But she's the front runner by leaps and bounds.). The two girls I was talking to prior to the surgery mysteriously disappeared after they had dates with me post-surgery and saw my walking. There is nothing attractive about struggling to go up stairs, or waddling like a penguin. It's been worth it to me to get back into dating because it forces me outside and it gets me to socialize, but it's frustrating to clearly have more problems getting second and third dates than I had before surgery (when I wore lifts in my shoes). Hopefully that improves as my walking starts returning to normal.

I should be done lengthening in less than 7 days. I can't be more excited. I *wish* I had an official read on how long each leg is, so I'd know if I needed to continue to lengthen one side a bit longer. They seem to my untrained eye to be about even, but you never know for certain unless you get it measured at the Doctor's office.

One of the things I'm looking forward to after lengthening is working out my upper body again. I've held off on that because I figured my body was so busy creating new muscles in my legs. On a lighter note, I bought this "butt cushion" off Amazon:  I'm hoping this will make it easier to sit on hard surfaces like wooden chairs. A lot of the newer crop of LL soldiers complain about discomfort when they sit down - I think the common denominator is that it hurts a lot more when there isn't padding on the chair because you lose most of your glutes.

That's it for today. I'll update if Dr. D. says anything noteworthy about the x-rays I posted in my last update.

I think the dating thing is to be expected. I wouldn't come to any dating conclusions until after you are walking like normal. Just because one girl is more accepting of limp than another doesn't give me enough to go by to say she is a guaranteed nicer person.

7cm and still going - good on you! I hope you get through this week with no problems - will we get another video?