A Lipedema and Me Update
Hi Ladies,
It’s been a very long time since I wrote a newsletter. I apologize for my absence. This year 2022, has not treated me well. My mother passed away at the end of January, and that has been a devastating change for my family. Not only are we grieving, but I’ve had to go through all of her things, and she had so much stuff.
On top of that, my Lipedema started rapidly progressing to the point where I’ve been unable to manage it. My lymphedema worsened, and I couldn’t keep up with my conservative management. I had to stop working. I don’t socialize much because my legs become heavy and painful. I am always sweating, which dumbfounds me. Does anyone else have a perspiring problem?
Now, I’ve gradually eased back into my writing and am ready to continue this project. I have so much more information to share with you.
Even though it may seem like I’ve been frozen in time, I’ve been working on my insurance to approve liposuction surgery. It has not been fun nor easy, and I’ll be honest, I have the most difficult insurance anyone could possibly have. Even with my expertise in medical insurance, case management, and healthcare, I can’t just rely on scientific facts and insurance rules to receive approval. My insurance can decide based on a whim what they want or don’t want to pay for, and most of the time, insurance will decide not to pay. Their bottom line is the dollars, not keeping their members healthy. I will explain this in future posts because I’m sure many of you are in similar frustrating circumstances.
If you’re new here, welcome! Please go through my previous newsletters and ask me questions. I’m here to answer what I’m able to my best ability. Drop your questions below in the comments!
If you want to just say hello, then give everyone a “Hi” and a wave. I would love to hear from all of you.
Take care,
Michelle
Hi Michelle - I have been following your journey closely and it mirrors mine in so many ways. After doing some research - I was fairly recently diagnosed by my PCP and referred to vascular doctor - but my insurance company doesn't even have a lipedema topic on their website, so I know treatment will be an uphill battle. My father passed away in October unexpectedly so I have been traveling back and forth out-of-state dealing with his belongings and estate - it is grueling. And my lipedema seems to be getting worse (stress maybe?!)
Sorry you're going through this hell. My mother passed years back and going through all her stuff was super painful. And yes, my mom had tons of stuff, too. She was a pack rat.
Even so, it was *her* stuff. When my dad gave away things of hers that were valuable to me without asking me first, that just made it worse.
It's a terrible situation all around to lose a mother. I remember suffering from a lot of chronic pain in my body at the time. Every day, pain. It was hard. It made me irritable and my mind foggy.
Sure, it's different than what you're experiencing. What you're experiencing sounds worse.
Hang in there. I'm glad you have family support.