Hey everyone! It's been almost a month since my last update, and almost 5 months to the day since the surgery. I'll say that it feels like FAR more time has passed than that, but things have really been picking up. The past month has been crazy for me as I went from trying to slowly transition back to work to now working double time to make up for time lost while I was lengthening.
In this case, no news is good news. I'm happy to report that my walking is improving gradually. If someone reminds me I will shoot a walking video to give you some sense about how walking looks 5 months to the day post-surgery. I just recently completed my last physical therapy session (which was a combination of my insurance finally putting the breaks on PT plus my physical therapist saying she thought I'm now at a place where she's comfortable with my progress). To be clear, I'm not 100%. It's still a little hard to get up from low seats. I'll use one hand to give myself a slight push from the seat. Also, my gait is much better but it takes a few steps before it looks normal. I can walk much further now - I was at an amusement park and my phone shows I walked 5.8 miles in a day! I was a bit premature in thinking I could handle a roller coaster. I haven't felt pain in my legs for a while -- but I sure experienced that pain while I was on the roller coaster! I think I'll wait a while longer before attempting that again.
I'm not sure exactly when I'll get my next round of x-rays, but I'll update when I do. With no pain and gradual improvement everyday, I have no reason to believe there are any issues with healing.
I never posted this in my last update - but here is a composite image showing the 3 times I was measured standing next to Dr. D. Do note two things. One, that Dr. D. is wearing shoes in the first 2 of 3 pictures -- he does not in the last image which is why he looks shorter. I am not wearing shoes in any of the pictures. Two, and I just noticed this, his scale only has 10 ticks between each foot, not 12. So, it's a bit over an inch between each tick, which is a bit /r/mildlyinfuriating 
Anyway, the first picture is 2 days before surgery, the second picture was about 2 months after surgery, and the last picture was about 4 months after surgery. I lengthened about half a centimeter after that picture was taken.
Hey CodyTheDog,
Quote from: CodyTheDog on October 14, 2019, 01:44:42 AMHey VerticalPush! Thanks for making this diary.
1. For people who don't live near Las Vegas, is there any cost advantage to going with Dr. Debiparshad instead of Mahoubian?
When I first was quoting prices, I got quotes from Dr. D., Dr. M., and Paley. At the time, Dr. M was $10,000 more expensive than Dr. D. I also liked my interaction with Dr. D. much better. Dr. M. reduced his price after I paid my deposit, but from what I gather he charges extra "if you need" to cut your IT band. But if you're lengthening past 1 inch, that is a requirement. Keep in mind I'm working on months old datapoints here - I have no idea what his total cost is now. Dr. M seems like a very good option, especially when you read the great diaries on here, but I have no regrets in my decision. Factor in cost, how you feel about the doc, location/cost of living, etc., and go with your gut. The odds are strongly in your favor that you will achieve your goal with any of the American doctors.
Quote2. What apartment / caretaker service did you end up going with and why?
I did not use any caretaker. I think I'm one of the very few that didn't. This worked out because their recommended caretaker never got back to me. I got some quotes from some online services, who were very quick to respond, but I decided that I would wait and see how I felt the last day I was in the hospital. You'll want to go back through my earlier posts in my diary to see some of the tradeoffs that involved and the major risks you'll need to consider. Looking back at it, I was probably a little crazy. But the way I figure is that if you're the kind of person who pays good money to have someone saw into your legs to get an extra 3 inches, you're already half way there.
Quote3. What are some costs you didn't expect?
I was very fortunate - I had no costs I didn't expect. I did have some money on reserve but that margin was very low. I was prepared to have to spend up to $5,000 for Dr. D. to re-break my bone in my most recent visit, but it was ultimately not needed. I guess the closest to unexpected costs were the flights to Vegas after I was able to return home. I had no idea how many times I'd need to go back there. I was averaging a flight every 3 weeks up till a month ago. In the grand scheme, that expense was peanuts.
Quote4. How much total money would you budget for Stryde internal femurs with Dr. Debiparshad?
Thanks!!
Assuming surgery costs of about $75,000 (I have no idea what he charges now but I'm assuming a slight bump over what I paid nearly half a year ago) and after factoring in hotel costs, I think it's very doable for $80,000 "all in" if there are no complications. We're making several assumptions - one, you're doing PT at home so you get a break on how much you owe Dr. D. Two, insurance is covering most of your medications. Three, you're able to find better deals on hotels than the "sticker cost" of one of the 3 hotels they recommend. Four, no caretaker (again - that is risky). Five, you don't need to go back to Vegas more than every 3 weeks. And finally - I'll repeat the biggest assumption of "no complications" -- which isn't really a fair assumption to make. You should be able to "generate" another $5,000 or so - at a minimum - if there are complications and your insurance wouldn't step up. It's not cheap. In my case, by the way, I just recently got another ~ $1,000 bill to my PT back at home - apparently the $20 they were charging as my copay the entire time wasn't enough to make up for the gap between the cost of therapy and what the insurance company paid. Expect something similar if you do PT at home.
Hope this is helpful! It is a life changing decision. Let me tell you how exciting it is to wear normal shoes and not boots all the time -- and how amazing it feels to not have to stick lifts in my shoes. There's no question I made the right decision.
My Vertical Push with Dr. Debiparshad (Strydes in Femurs)
Quote from: verticalpush on October 26, 2019, 06:28:01 AMHope this is helpful! It is a life changing decision. Let me tell you how exciting it is to wear normal shoes and not boots all the time -- and how amazing it feels to not have to stick lifts in my shoes. There's no question I made the right decision.
Amazing outcome verticalpush! Happy for you bro.
Quote from: TheAlchemist on October 26, 2019, 03:37:05 PMAmazing outcome verticalpush! Happy for you bro.
Thanks my man! I'm keeping up with your diary. You're doing amazing yourself! Almost to the half way point -- keep it up, you're past the hardest part BY FAR!
I just read through this diary. Very well written by verticlepush! Can you give an update now mate?
Quote from: limewalk on January 03, 2020, 01:59:42 PMI just read through this diary. Very well written by verticlepush! Can you give an update now mate?
Thank you so much limewalk! I admit I don't check this very often at all these days. I just had a routine follow up less than 3 weeks ago. Bones are consolidating and I've been cleared to begin light jogging. Since I lengthened a bit after my last visit, I wanted some reassurance that my legs were even. I'm very glad to report that they are in fact even! He told me I don't need to see him again until it's time to remove the rods, but I'll probably look into seeing if I can get that done in Texas with a local doctor since I would be able to use insurance that way.
I did get the full 3 inches and I'm extremely happy with my decision. It has made such a positive impact in my life - and it's not limited to dating like I feared it might be when I first considered the surgery. I took out all the lifts in my shoes. You wouldn't believe how many I had - here is an image of all of them. I suppose if someone wants these you can PM me - as long as you pay shipping I'm glad to send as many over as you'd like. Most of them are 2"/2.5" but there are also several 1" lifts. Otherwise, I'll just toss them out in a week or so. I'm so glad to be rid of these and to just be myself. Before surgery, I only wore boots with lifts. In the past two months, I purchased well over 20 pairs of "normal" shoes (mostly sneakers) and 0 boots. That might seem excessive, but it's such an amazing feeling to wear "normal shoes".
I'm back to a normal life. I've had a few long walks (6 miles+) in the past few weeks. I definitely feel sore afterwards, but I think that's to be expected. I wouldn't say I'm quite 100% yet - when I wake up in the morning the first couple of steps are still a little awkward, and while I now can get up out of a seat without pushing myself up with my hands, it isn't quite as easy as it was before surgery. However, these are such minor issues and I know that I'm very close to the point of where I was before surgery.
The key, I think, is to stay as active as possible during and after the process. The more you push yourself, the easier recovery would be. I was told that my experience was better than some other patients, but I think that's the main reason.
It might be a while before I check this again, but I will log in a few days from now to see if anyone wants those lifts haha
Quote from: verticalpush on January 04, 2020, 09:54:02 PMThank you so much limewalk! I admit I don't check this very often at all these days. I just had a routine follow up less than 3 weeks ago. Bones are consolidating and I've been cleared to begin light jogging. Since I lengthened a bit after my last visit, I wanted some reassurance that my legs were even. I'm very glad to report that they are in fact even! He told me I don't need to see him again until it's time to remove the rods, but I'll probably look into seeing if I can get that done in Texas with a local doctor since I would be able to use insurance that way.
I did get the full 3 inches and I'm extremely happy with my decision. It has made such a positive impact in my life - and it's not limited to dating like I feared it might be when I first considered the surgery. I took out all the lifts in my shoes. You wouldn't believe how many I had - here is an image of all of them. I suppose if someone wants these you can PM me - as long as you pay shipping I'm glad to send as many over as you'd like. Most of them are 2"/2.5" but there are also several 1" lifts. Otherwise, I'll just toss them out in a week or so. I'm so glad to be rid of these and to just be myself. Before surgery, I only wore boots with lifts. In the past two months, I purchased well over 20 pairs of "normal" shoes (mostly sneakers) and 0 boots. That might seem excessive, but it's such an amazing feeling to wear "normal shoes".
I'm back to a normal life. I've had a few long walks (6 miles+) in the past few weeks. I definitely feel sore afterwards, but I think that's to be expected. I wouldn't say I'm quite 100% yet - when I wake up in the morning the first couple of steps are still a little awkward, and while I now can get up out of a seat without pushing myself up with my hands, it isn't quite as easy as it was before surgery. However, these are such minor issues and I know that I'm very close to the point of where I was before surgery.
The key, I think, is to stay as active as possible during and after the process. The more you push yourself, the easier recovery would be. I was told that my experience was better than some other patients, but I think that's the main reason.
It might be a while before I check this again, but I will log in a few days from now to see if anyone wants those lifts haha
I'm so happy for you!
Quote from: InFullStryde on January 04, 2020, 10:02:04 PMI'm so happy for you!
Thank you IFS! Same to you brother. Your detailed diary helped me WAY more times than I can count! Can't thank you enough for your awesome advice!
Thanks for the update man!
Pic of those lifts was funny 
It was eye opening for me that height neurosis can happen at a 'good' height like 5'9 also. I am shorter than that, and LL scares the cr-*-p out of me. You really went ahead and did it. Happy it turned out well for you.
Some questions about Dr D if you don't mind:
* If Paley was also 75k would you have chosen Paley instead?
* How many cases of CLL and LL has Dr D done (the latest you know)?
* Dr D team seems to do a bit of excessive advertising sometimes in poor taste. They are not shy in branding themselves as a cosmetic surgery center. Did that bother you while making a decision?
* What are the some things you wish could have been better with Dr D? From your diary, it seems like some of the arrangements were slightly messed up - hotel, PT, getting x-rays, but that was partially due to you lengthening away from Nevada. Also Dr D seems to not be personally reachable other than through physically meeting him. Even Dr Paley personally responds to emails (of even non patients) but you can reach Dr D only through Teresa apparently. Would it have been a concern in the event of emergencies?
* Were there non CLL patients at Dr D clinic?
* In the event of non-LL related medical emergencies, did it seem easy enough to get medical care (through Dr D or otherwise). Like if you were severely constipated and wanted an enema as an example scenario.
Cheers mate!
Congrats verticalpush! Glad that this has had such positive, life changing impact on your life. I was able to hit 8 CM as well and am so happy with the outcome.
Quite the shoe lift collection you have there haha. I'm going to have a ceremonious burning of my lifts soon - those things amplified my height neurosis. You're right, getting rid of the lifts opens up so many options for footwear, low tops with thin soles, slippers, etc. it's a great feeling.
Couple of questions:
1) As you have met with family, old friends, and co workers after LL, what % of them would you say noticed the height increase? Would love to hear from you because your situation was very much similar to mine in the context of wearing 2 inch lifts pre LL and taking them out post LL and I'm hoping I can go by unnoticed. If they did notice how did you respond?
2) At what point in consolidation (# of days post distraction) would you say your walk was normal enough to get by without any comments from outsiders? I'm shooting for 2.5 months post distraction to get back to work with the goal of looking normal enough.
Quote from: limewalk on January 05, 2020, 04:13:42 AMThanks for the update man!
Pic of those lifts was funny
It was eye opening for me that height neurosis can happen at a 'good' height like 5'9 also. I am shorter than that, and LL scares the cr-*-p out of me. You really went ahead and did it. Happy it turned out well for you.
Some questions about Dr D if you don't mind:
Hey limewalk! Absolutely, height neurosis can happen at any height. I vaguely recall reading diaries from a few people who started at 5'11+. I think it also makes a difference how high the relative average height of your environment is. I lived much of my life in the northeast and it seemed the average height was shorter than it is in Texas. But yes, getting rid of those lifts was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had.
Let me hit your questions:
Quote* If Paley was also 75k would you have chosen Paley instead?
Well I have the gift of answering this with 20/20 hindsight, so I'd now say definitely NO. At the time of surgery, however, based on how many datapoints there were for Paley versus Dr. D., the answer probably would have been yes. I have no regrets going with Dr. D., and I'm glad to be one of the few datapoints for him so others can look at my experience and weigh that in their decision of who to go with. At the end of the day, it's like choosing your favorite sibling. Dr. D. trained under Dr. Paley. They still communicate with each other.
Quote* How many cases of CLL and LL has Dr D done (the latest you know)?
I'd be taking a shot in the dark. His marketing is fairly aggressive so I'm not sure he did quite the number of procedures that I assumed based on the initial advertising I read. I think his team claimed he had 1 procedure/week, but maybe it's more like 1 every other week? I do not communicate with many of his patients, but there are at least 3 I've advised / spoken with and know for a fact they went through with the procedure since my own. Don't forget that he doesn't only do CLL - he also does many other procedures like spine work, so maybe that's where the "at least 1 procedure/week" figure comes from.
Quote* Dr D team seems to do a bit of excessive advertising sometimes in poor taste. They are not shy in branding themselves as a cosmetic surgery center. Did that bother you while making a decision?
Quote* Were there non CLL patients at Dr D clinic?
I'm grouping these two questions together.
Yeah, that's fairly spot on. I spoke a bit about that in my last response. I get the reason for him doing it - he doesn't have the reputation that Paley has yet so he has to be very direct in what he offers. He has two challenges - one, convincing people to consider having the procedure done. Two, convincing people to go with him for the procedure. From a marketing standpoint, that's very difficult. I went to his office quite a bit over the last 6 months, and each time I was there the "LimbplastX" side of the business was more prominent as part of the brand (the stuff he does with spines and other procedures is under the "Synergy Spine" brand, but he runs both clinics in the same office). It's pretty easy to figure who's in the waiting room to get their spines worked on and who's there to get CLL -- the group there for spine work were MUCH older.
Quote* What are the some things you wish could have been better with Dr D? From your diary, it seems like some of the arrangements were slightly messed up - hotel, PT, getting x-rays, but that was partially due to you lengthening away from Nevada. Also Dr D seems to not be personally reachable other than through physically meeting him. Even Dr Paley personally responds to emails (of even non patients) but you can reach Dr D only through Teresa apparently. Would it have been a concern in the event of emergencies?
Bingo. There were some minor headaches and some things that weren't altogether clear. Transportation from the hospital and to/from the PT clinic were two of those issues. As others have mentioned, Ronnie is absolutely terrific and goes above the call of duty to help you straighten those issues out. I also had a big issue getting a caretaker to call me back - but it turned out I didn't need their services anyway so I guess that worked out for the best (it certainly saved me a lot of money). You can reach him through 3 individuals - Ronnie (probably the best contact - will respond 24/7), Teresa (often unavailable on the weekends), and Dan from Nuvasive (best contact for machine-related issues). I don't think I ever had his direct email address so you are quite correct my only direct contact I had was through personal face to face appointments. Without Ronnie being so responsive, this would be a major drawback.
Quote* In the event of non-LL related medical emergencies, did it seem easy enough to get medical care (through Dr D or otherwise). Like if you were severely constipated and wanted an enema as an example scenario.
Cheers mate!
I felt the lack of a caretaker (my decision) made this a very risky situation. I always could call 911 or the hotel front desk for non-major emergencies. I was indeed constipated and I took care of that on my own by having Walmart deliver stool softener to my room. Outside of that, I probably would have relied on communicating the issue to Ronnie and getting his advice.
Great questions - like I said, go with whomever you feel is the best fit. I'd rather convince someone to get the procedure done than convince them to go with any one doctor, but my experience with Dr. D. was very good in spite of a couple minor logistical things. Hopefully this diary would help smooth those out for whomever goes with him in the future!
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