Life's been great. It was a grueling process, but I am ultimately happy I went through with it. I would say I feel more confident and at ease in my day-to-day social interactions. As far as dating goes, the biggest difference is getting more matches from taller girls in particular. Wish I could comment on the workplace, but I've only been remote post-surgery.
Quote from: KiloKAHN on December 02, 2024, 11:30:51 AMMy height is no longer pointed out as a topic of discussion. I haven't been greeted with a random "You're short!" from a stranger, as if I didn't already know. I haven't been referred to as "the short guy". I've been able to successfully date attractive women who were taller than me. I've been able to go to parties where I'm not treated as if I'm automatically invisible, etc.
Now part of this is that I carry myself much better than when I was 5'5", and people in social contexts are often positively attracted to people with a sense of confidence. I am much more lighthearted and jovial in social settings and am all around a happier guy post-op. So part of the difference is that I see myself in a more positive light than I did before, and that affects people to respond positively.
On the other hand, there is a very real prejudice against shorter men in particular, and the extra 6 cm has definitely helped me cross the threshold of "very short" to just "kinda short" at least in Los Angeles. Because of this, people in general seem to have a better first impression of me than before I had CLL. I'm also taken more seriously than before.
Dating is much easier. I'll be real - at 5'7", yes there are a lot of women who won't date me because I'm still on the short side and don't meet that "at least 6 feet" requirement. However, it's close enough to average in my location that facial features, body shape, and personality are able to more reliably overcome the height disadvantage. My longest relationship post-CLL was 3 years with a girl who is 6'1", and two GF's after that the girl was 5'11". Not to mention the multiple one-nighters I've had through apps like Feeld, Tinder, Bumble and Hinge.
I had researched CLL for 7 years before taking the plunge and getting the operation, so the difficulties I faced I more or less expected. Still, when faced with lack of sleep for days or random stings of pain from muscle contractures, etc, it did get tough at times. It was very worth it for me and I would do it all over again, though. But that is also keeping in mind that I went to a fantastic surgeon who made sure I made it to the end without permanent issues. If I were ultimately permanently handicapped at the end of it due to the work of a shoddy surgeon, I'm sure I'd be singing a very different tune.
Would you still have done it if you were 168cm instead of 164cm initially?
Quote from: PleaseComeVisitMeDawg on November 29, 2024, 07:27:30 PMHow has your life changed? (mainly the social aspects), but I’m also interested in hearing about the physical changes.
Do people treat you differently? Do you feel more confident? Do you personally think it was worth the pain?
I did the surgery with one of the top surgeons. Went from 5'7 to 5'10 with internal rod for femurs. My life has changed drastically. At 5'7 i was constantly thinking about height, comparing myself to others. Now i dont think or care about it. I will say though that 5'10 isnt as tall as i though. The ppl 6ft and above still stand out like when i was 5'7 but now i dont care cause im slightly above average. I though i would be able to finally buy jeans and sweatpants off the rack but looks like im still 2 cm shy of not being able to get it altered. Which is better than the 7 cm i used to have to get altered i guess. I feel more confident for sure. Family and friends have noticed i'm taller and i don't really answer/respond when they mention it. I just laugh it off and they don't go further lol. I also noticed a few guys who used to try to bully me or intimidate me in a league i played in looked intimidated when they saw me. I didn't play in the league but was just there to show support and when they stood next to me they looked scared and were very quiet which is uncharacteristic for them. Women for sure are being nicer to me. For example, if i go to a grocery store and there is a female cashier shell try to start a conversation with me which i'm not used to. It used to be me having to do that all the time and having to keep the conversations going. Although i did also add more muscle mass too so this could be a combination of gaining 3 inches plus 20lbs of muscle and sitting at 12 percent body fat. Since i didn't go to the gym for 9 months through this process when i got back in there i got very quick results which also helped throw ppl off my trail of cll.
This was for sure worth all the agony i went through. The mental and the physical but i would'nt ever want to go through it again. I think to myself at times to do 4 cm on my tibias just to see how much more i can intimidate the fake alpha guys out there but i don't ever want to go through this surgery again. This was for sure the most demanding thing i been through.
@reaching_goals: do you feel that you had body dysmorphia before the surgery? And do you feel that has been mitigated?
And when you say that you constantly compared yourself to others, was it all about height? or was it about other things too, such as physique, wealth, humor, etc?
Thanks!
Quote from: badgerbrocktree on December 04, 2024, 08:12:13 PM@reaching_goals: do you feel that you had body dysmorphia before the surgery? And do you feel that has been mitigated?
And when you say that you constantly compared yourself to others, was it all about height? or was it about other things too, such as physique, wealth, humor, etc?
Thanks!
Yeah i had body dysmorphia for sure pre-surgery. I guess you can say its been lessened. Im completly satisfied with my height but i will say my proportions pre-surgery were better. I didn't like my femur proportions post op but after i was able to get my mass back and add muscle they look much better now. Either way going into this i knew i would have to sacrifice proportions so it was worth the trade off for me at least.
When i compared myself to others it was strictly height. That was my main focus and i couldnt help it. Thats gone now so i feel way more at peace. Which is all i wanted. Felt like that was the only area in life i was lacking. Funny thing is i dont feel tall now i just feel like im at an even playing field. Thats all i needed mentally.
Quote from: badgerbrocktree on December 04, 2024, 08:12:13 PM@reaching_goals: do you feel that you had body dysmorphia before the surgery? And do you feel that has been mitigated?
And when you say that you constantly compared yourself to others, was it all about height? or was it about other things too, such as physique, wealth, humor, etc?
Thanks!
Some of these people are mentally ill. LL is about fixing a height disadvantage. You should still pursue other things.
Aside from my height I was successful fairly in all other aspects. Once the height dissatisfaction went away I felt that I was living a normal happy life. If you don’t feel like that after surgery or getting into a normal/above range, then you won’t ever be happy
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