Thoughts about age & CLL

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Hi all. I'm 56 yrs old but v active/sporty & young in outlook. I've always wanted longer shins but could never afford it. Raised 5 kids to independence & now I can invest in me. Wife thinks I'm crazy to go for LL. It's OK for her - she has fabulous legs which was the first thing I noticed before discovering her other wonderful attributes. I suspect most in here are probably a lot younger than me though. Any other mature types around? Does age become a contraindication? I suspect I won't ever come to terms with being short. So, this is why I am here & this is who I am. Decision time.

Rgds,
Patrick

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Hey Paddy, i had ll of right femur at 49 years old (5.7 cm), gotta say lengthening was tough/painfull/very stiff and still now cant touch foot to butt in a squat, leg even now is still stiff/sore and knee is very crackly (crepitus) - do wonder how this I s gonna effect my mobilty in old age - have i accelerated athritis and am i going to have future increased risk of  injury due to decreased flexibility and leg strength?

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"Wanted longer shins" is a terrible reason for going through with LL, unless your shins are abnormally short.

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Why do you say that? To me it would mean I gain height and more normal proportions as they are quite short. What would be legitimate reasons to undergo LL in your opinion?

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Hey AimHigh, thx for your insight. Sorry to hear about your symptoms. Maybe they will resolve given time? Maybe they might have happened anyway? Everyone gets OA/degeneration eventually, with/without h/o surgery. Did LL discepancy cause biomechanical issues that made KJ degeneration inevitable anyway? How long since the op? Would say the surgery damaged you or improved you & do you regret it or feel better overall for it? Would have doing it 20yrs ago have prevented your current difficulties?

Sport has already damaged me but I don't regret it at all. I've had 2 menisectomies, 1 acl repair, 2 hernia ops, 1 prolapsed intravertebral disc, rotator cuff tendinitis, jumpers knee, & bursitis just about anywhere you can get it. All of which which slowed me down a bit temporarily & made me less dynamic than I was when as I was 18 but I still got back into sport & I remain overactive. My knees sound like squeaking floorboards though... I just feel that I need some more height/proportions. Talking to folks with a similar interest on here is going to help me get my thoughts/feelings about surgery sorted I hope - like just do it/just forget it? Fit or short? Fit & taller? Who knows?

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Quote from: paddy10tellys on February 27, 2016, 11:06:21 AMHi all. I'm 56 yrs old but v active/sporty & young in outlook. I've always wanted longer shins but could never afford it. Raised 5 kids to independence & now I can invest in me. Wife thinks I'm crazy to go for LL. It's OK for her - she has fabulous legs which was the first thing I noticed before discovering her other wonderful attributes. I suspect most in here are probably a lot younger than me though. Any other mature types around? Does age become a contraindication? I suspect I won't ever come to terms with being short. So, this is why I am here & this is who I am. Decision time.

Rgds,
Patrick

Couple of questions.....

Have you had x-rays taken of your legs and measured your tibia/femur ratio?

Do you have a set budget to work with?  Can you afford the time for recovery?

Which doctors are you considering so far?

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If it makes you feel better there is a patient right now doing LL that is 47 years old in Russia. He just reached 7 CM. It wasn't easy but the point is that he did it and he's still going. He did it while having slipped disks so I'm sure you could do it just as easily. There were two other patients that i knew that were both 40. I've heard rumours of someone doing LL in their 60's but I don't know if that's a fact. You should contact LL doctors and ask for their opinion, but I say if you want to gain height and this is been something you've always wanted then go for it! -granted you're already in good health. It will be a long tough journey but I think it's worth it.

Side note: I would worry a little bit about your knees because CLL is hard on the knees - at least if you're doing external.

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No xr's, Ouroboros. I'm still at the starting point of my journey & dithering/reflecting/deciding just now.

Anterior superior iliac spine to medial malleolus = 82cms = L.
Anterior superior iliac spine to medial joint line of the knee = 46cms = F.
Medial joint line of the knee to medial malleolus = 36cms = T.

F/L x100 = (46/82) x 100 = 56 = FL

T/L x100 = (36/82) x 100 = 44 = TL

FL:TL = 56/44 so, yes this short man man does have short shins...

Anyway, I can tell by looking at them that they look short. This is my neurosis & no tape measure will sort it. Nor will xr's & the needless Ionising radiation zapping my pelvis/prostate/gonads/rectum...

I could retire anytime within the next 2 yrs with reasonable annual pension + lump sum & not have to work. So time off work/financing not a show-stopper. Q: do I (a) buy a £60,000 Jaguar XJ saloon? Or do I (b) buy half a 1BR flat in the Algrave, or (c) add some height & hopefully piece of mind? IDK yet but I'm working through it with people who have walked the same path & everyone's advice is welcome, either way. Thing is, I couldn't give a toss about a fancy car, or a holiday home but I really hate being a short man with short shins...

So far, I'm only considering Mr/Dr Guichet - are French surgeons called Mr, like in the UK, or Dr? Anyway, Marseilles is close to the UK. His int nail is cool. I fancy my chances of a positive outcome in the French healthcare system over the NHS any day of the week wether at weekends or not & I've worked in the NHS since 1984 so that is a considered judgement.

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Thx Stripes. I've given up on knees. they always hurt anyway. I've gotten use to it...

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Quote from: paddy10tellys on February 27, 2016, 03:31:45 PMNo xr's, Ouroboros. I'm still at the starting point of my journey & dithering/reflecting/deciding just now.

Anterior superior iliac spine to medial malleolus = 82cms = L.
Anterior superior iliac spine to medial joint line of the knee = 46cms = F.
Medial joint line of the knee to medial malleolus = 36cms = T.

F/L x100 = (46/82) x 100 = 56 = FL

T/L x100 = (36/82) x 100 = 44 = TL

FL:TL = 56/44 so, yes this short man man does have short shins...

Anyway, I can tell by looking at them that they look short. This is my neurosis & no tape measure will sort it. Nor will xr's & the needless Ionising radiation zapping my pelvis/prostate/gonads/rectum...

I could retire anytime within the next 2 yrs with reasonable annual pension + lump sum & not have to work. So time off work/financing not a show-stopper. Q: do I (a) buy a £60,000 Jaguar XJ saloon? Or do I (b) buy half a 1BR flat in the Algrave, or (c) add some height & hopefully piece of mind? IDK yet but I'm working through it with people who have walked the same path & everyone's advice is welcome, either way. Thing is, I couldn't give a toss about a fancy car, or a holiday home but I really hate being a short man with short shins...

So far, I'm only considering Mr/Dr Guichet - are French surgeons called Mr, like in the UK, or Dr? Anyway, Marseilles is close to the UK. His int nail is cool. I fancy my chances of a positive outcome in the French healthcare system over the NHS any day of the week wether at weekends or not & I've worked in the NHS since 1984 so that is a considered judgement.

If the above calculations are correct, you are on the shorter side for shins, but not by much.

I think that Monsieur Guichet is a fantastic doctor, but his whole schtick is femur surgery..... Basically he will convince you to have your femurs elongated even more before he will ever cave in and agree to elongate your tibias.  Going to him for having your shins elongated would be like taking your fancy Jag XJ for service to the best BMW mechanic in the city.  Sure the principles of mechanics are all very similar, but you have to take specialized knowledge into account.

I think you are in a great position to do this the right way because you seem to have discipline and understand your body exactly how it is..... no sugarcoating like others normally do.   Keep reading diaries, even those in india, russia, jupiter, etc., and you will find clues and commonalities on those that succeeded vs those that ended up a big mess