I'm Four Months Post-Surgery!
This is what's going on with me
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I had two major Lipedema surgeries last year, three months apart.
My first surgery was on September 5th. The front of my body (waist to ankles) was liposuctioned, including an abdominoplasty (or tummy tuck). The second surgery was on December 1st and focused on the back of my body, from my butt shelf to my ankles.
It’s now a little over four months, and I’ve experienced positive changes from my surgeries and developed some patience with what is NOT happening.
Let me explain…
Post-recovery, my body is taking its time getting back to a new normal. Here’s what I’ve noticed so far:
There’s a noticeable difference in the look and feel of my legs. I’m starting to see shape in my legs again. I can also see my thigh muscles and my knees!
My edema has decreased! It’s not entirely gone, but my legs feel lighter.
My fatigue has improved. I’m slowly recovering my stamina. I’m working in the hospital again instead of working remotely. I’m back at the gym a couple of times per week. I’ve been able to go out and live life again in small increments! That, for me, is a game-changer.
My pain is almost completely gone. Before surgery, my legs were so tender that any pressure was agony. I was never comfortable unless I was lying down with my legs elevated. Now I can do everyday activities without excruciating pain. Again, game-changer.
My mood is better. The other day I played 80s music, singing and dancing by myself while I put groceries away. I stopped and realized I was in a great mood! With my constant pain and fatigue over the past few years, I’ve been miserable even before I realized I had Lipedema. Struggling to find a way to feel better and instead getting progressively worse made me feel hopeless. I was grumpy. I was disconnected from my life. Now I feel almost entirely back to my real personality, who I am, and how I interact in my world.
However, I’m not 100%…Yet.
I have some parts of recovery still not yet resolved and other bodily changes I’m getting used to:
I have some body dysmorphia. Lipo and my tummy tuck have completely changed my body shape; when I look in the mirror, I have a hard time recognizing ME. My pants don’t fit right and look weird to me. This is my perspective only. When people I know see me again for the first time, they tell me I look great! But I have a hard time feeling the same way.
Parts of my body are still numb from surgery. I didn’t know I was going to have this problem. Thinking about it now, I, of course, would have some numbness. I mean, I have a scar from hip to hip! Muscles and nerves were cut. So, yeah. I have some surgical trauma. My abdomen is numb around my tummy scar/incision, and the back of my calves are numb. Sometimes, I get pins and needles in these areas, which is a good sign that my body is slowly waking up again, but it does hurt. Any edema I have makes the pins and needles feel worse.
My edema still bothers me. Most of my swelling has gone away. I still wear compression hose and do my sequential compression. I have constant swelling in my ankles, and sometimes the swelling is painful. Like, a stabbing pain that takes me by surprise.
I’m not dropping weight. I thought once the Lipedema was gone, I’d start losing weight again. Nope! Even though I’m more active and the Lipedema is mainly gone, I still haven’t been able to lose weight. I’ve even started Rybelsus, but that hasn’t had as dramatic an effect as I’d hoped.
I still have a love/hate relationship with food. I’ve been on many different diets in the past five years, and it’s ruined my ability to have a healthy relationship with food. I still obsess over food, what I’ve eaten/haven’t eaten/should eat but don’t want to/and eat what I “shouldn’t.” My food addiction affects my mental health. I’ve not made great strides in overcoming this.
Diet and supplements still have a substantial impact on my body. Again, I thought I could ease up on the restrictive dieting I’d placed on myself to control my weight and swelling. However, I’ve found that junk food, sugar, and carbs have an immediate negative effect. I also take a lot of supplements for my Lipedema, and I’ve noticed that if I’ve skipped a day or two, my body doesn’t feel as great as when I take my supplements.
I still get fatigued. Last week, a medical event took my husband to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Then the entire next day, getting in to see a specialist (no worries, he’s fine). I had little sleep, which set off a chain reaction of fatigue for the next three days. Yesterday, I slept until 1 pm because my fatigue was overwhelming. Before surgery, this type of fatigue was my norm. Now, it’s the exception. However, if I get off my schedule or overdo it, I get sooooo tired. I’m building my stamina, but it’s taken a long time. I’m still trying to find my new normal.
I’m happy I learned about conservative care because I’ve found I will likely need to continue this care, most likely for the rest of my life. If I hadn’t gone through all the hoops of doing conservative care to get my surgery covered by insurance, I wouldn’t know how to care for my body now. As much of a pain it was to go through insurance, I’m grateful I took the time to learn about conservative care for Lipedema.
Would I do surgery again, knowing what I know now?
Absolutely, YES! I feel like I’ve been given my life back! It’s slow, and I give myself a lot of grace. But, I have hope again for a life I love.
Did you know? I’m meeting up with Dr. Herbst!
It’s Springtime, and I’m going to Tucson this month and having lunch with Dr. Karen Herbst! I’m very excited to talk with her about diagnoses over a couple of sandwiches.
Dr. Herbst was my diagnosing clinician, as she’s also been for many of you. I want to talk with her about expanding the desperate need for diagnosing specialists in the U.S. I have my work cut out for me, but I’m up for the challenge.
Talking about diagnosing…I have a request for you.
I’m working with another creator who also has Lipedema, and we will be providing online workshops about Lipedema!
In the comments below, let me know which topic(s) you’d be interested in:
Getting diagnosed
Managing Conservative care
Getting Liposuction surgery
Getting preauthorization through insurance for surgery
Are there any other topics you’d like to know about? Help me out and comment below, or email me at: getyourlipedemaapproved@gmail.com. I’m happy to hear from you!
Check out my socials and my new website!
Yes, I now have a website, www.getyourlipedemaapproved.com. I have four different programs, so take a look!
I also have an appointment calendar if you’d like to schedule a time to talk with me or sign up to work with me on getting preauthorization approval for liposuction. Schedule time here to talk with me.
Appreciate the insights and learnings. Congrats on your success and thank you for sharing your story with us all. I have found healing by sharing my story on my podcast and with anyone who will listen :-).