Question:
Has anyone gotten shorter?

I have gotten 1 inch shorter maybe i am just crazy but i measured height at the doctors office & and at my gym and i am 1 inch shorter ?    — BFields-Smith (posted on October 30, 2002)


October 30, 2002
Actually, I am 5'4" and have always worn average length jeans, and now they are long on me. I have to roll them up several times. It's not just one pair either, it's all of them, some are hand me downs and some are ones I had when I was this size before. I thought I was just carrying them differently on my hips or something. Maybe I should measure my height!
   — sheltie

October 30, 2002
I believe this can be a symptom of osteoporosis. I would suggest a dexascan.
   — mom2jtx3

October 30, 2002
I lost 1 inch since wls 10 months ago. Could be shortening of the spine due to bone loss ? - I prefer to think of it as loss of fat tissue on the bottom of my feet and maybe the top of my head.
   — charlene M.

October 30, 2002
We often lose an inch or more of height as we age. Its due to the loss of the cushioning between the discs in your spine and neck. As we age, that cushioning thins and deteriorates-hence the back pain many experience as they age. I have had two back surgeries due to herniated discs and was disappointed to find out recently that I am now 5'3" instead of the 5'4" I have always claimed.
   — Cindy R.

October 30, 2002
I was just the opposite, I went from 5'2" and a 1/2 to 5'3" tall,I think it's becasue I stand up straighter,, don't have so much weight holding me down..
   — bikerchic

October 30, 2002
Yup, I went from 5'2" to 5' 1". Weird huh?
   — Leah H.

October 30, 2002
Yes, in high school (long long ago in the land of OZ), I was 5'4". Last month they measured me at the doc office and I am now 5'2". I lost 2 inches over the last 36 yrs. I also went from a size 8 and 1/2 regular, to a 10 wide shoe. Life is a trip! Carol Percel
   — Carol P.

October 31, 2002
I thought I was getting shorter for awhile too. I took my pants to be hemmed (by my mother in law) and she pointed out how loose they were - making them longer. (laughing) No, I am really not that stupid, it is just hard for me to comprehend sometimes how fast I am loosing weight.
   — Nene B.

December 27, 2002
I checked my height before WLS and I was 5'9 3/4". Now 7 months later, 125lbs lighter and now 5'8 1/14" That's 1 1/2 inches. I am mystified also.
   — Michelle L.

May 20, 2003
I felt like I had gotten shorter in the weeks after surgery, then my pants were all suddenly too long. Sure enough, when we checked my height I was an inch shorter than I was pre-op! I had been 5'2.5" for over 15 years, but dropped down to 5'1.5" within four weeks of surgery. I am only 29, so it shouldn't have anything to do with age. I knew I was going to shrink after surgery, but I didn't think I would be shrinking vertically! :-)
   — Katherine T.

May 21, 2003
Just the opposite: 5'6.5" to 5'8" in the first year. I was all hunched over from arthritis; now I'm not! hugs, Ann RNY 9/10/99 260/124
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 18, 2003
I was researching this topic. I have gone from 5' 6 1/2 pre op and am now 5' 5". I see there are no real answers. Any new imput. My bones are fine. I thought it was my age, but younger people do this too.
   — faybay

August 18, 2003
Darn, I too am one inch shorter than I previously thought (5'1 instead of 5'2"). I was hoping it was the result of spreading out (taking up horizontal space with my body instead of vertical space) and was hoping that I would "grow" again as I lost the weight. Looks like I was in dreamland - the vertical height is as it is - I have to live with 5'1". Rats!
   — Ro R.

August 19, 2003
Measure your height first thing in the morning after you get out of bed. During the day, while you are upright, the discs in your back, which are soft and flexible, compress slightly due to gravity. You could be as much as an inch taller in the morning! (An ortho nurse/friend told me this).
   — koogy




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