Moving Forward Towards Lipedema Surgery

My conservative treatment is wrapped up and now it's time to look at surgery

Hey Everyone,

I apologize for not being more diligent on my newsletters. After my mom unexpectedly passed away in January, I’ve gone through a lot of emotions. I’ve also been taxed over the mental work of cleaning out her life and possessions. If anyone has had to do this, I know you understand.

However, I see the subtle signs of Spring, which brings new life and growth. I feel I’m ready to start in again with this quest of liposuction surgery for Lipedema, and showing you, through my own experience, how you can do this too.

At first, I thought a general newsletter on Lipedema would be helpful for those who don’t know about the condition. And it is! There are so many women who don’t know they have Lipedema.

However, my personal goal is to undergo surgery. I’ve become debilitated with pain and fatigue. I’ve been doing conservative therapy for many months, and although therapy has reduced my symptoms, I’m still not able to enjoy my life as I had even a year ago.

When I was diagnosed in September, it was such a relief to know that all my failed efforts to lose weight and stop the decline in my body was NOT MY FAULT. I can’t describe how hopeless I felt every time I stepped on the scale, and how guilty I felt every time I put a bite of food in my mouth.

After my diagnosis, I immediately started physical therapy to help with my lymphedema. Since October, I’ve gained six more inches and become less mobile, regardless of the conservative therapy I’ve done. However, I do believe conservative therapy has slowed this disease progression.

Just to give you an idea, here’s a full list of conservative efforts:

• Compression hose

• MLD-manual lymph drainage

• Vibration plate

• Lymphatic machine

• Wrapping my legs

• Trigger gun

• Lymphatic Yoga

• Vein ablation

Those are the modalities I can think of off the top of my head. I know there’s more. But let’s just say I’ve given it the good ol’ college try.

Well, last week I had my FCE!

That’s my Functional Capacity Evaluation I’ve talked so much about in previous writings. This eval tests your mobility and is needed for consideration of surgery. In other words, you must show your medical insurance that you’re physically compromised, otherwise they will immediately reject your preauth request.

A physical therapist who specializes in function and mobility does the exam. The exam is used a lot for workman’s comp cases and determining ability to return to work. The test itself is tailored around the person’s deficits. I don’t really know much more than that!

If you’re looking for a physical therapist who specializes in this, first look into your health plan and get your PCP to order it. This will save you hundreds of dollars. My first FCE was scheduled in January and was a private pay of $600.00. Fortunately, I kept doing my research and found a practitioner that billed my insurance. Whew!

Anyway, I went in with no clue what was going to happen. This is what she tested me on:

• Strength in my lower and and upper extremities

• Walking for six minutes on a flat surface

• Stooping over

• Squatting

• Standing on knees

• Balance -standing on one foot, toe to toe walking with and without eyes open

• Standing on one leg and standing on tip toes

• Carrying a heavy load

• Gross and fine motor skills with hands

• Checking blood pressure, heart rate, pain level, and fatigue with these functions.

Halfway through the evaluation, I started realizing just how compromised my body is. I normally try to push through the rough spots and stay positive, but this was an eye-opener and I got quite tearful.

I shouldn’t be like this. I’m a very healthy person otherwise, with no other medical conditions except migraines and menopause.

Now that I’ve had my FCE, I have everything I need (that I can think of) to submit a preauthorization request.

From here, I’m going to write about my step-by-step progress towards surgery.

I know how to request for insurance preauthorization because I’ve been a nurse case manager for over twenty years, and spent most of those years working for insurance companies. I know the process and the barriers insurance will put in my path to keep from authorizing my much needed surgeries.

This undertaking will at many times feel like gambling and putting all of my money on the table, hoping for a win.

But, I have a few aces up my sleeve, and as I go through this process. I’m going to show you what they are in my ongoing newsletters.

If you are looking at getting surgery, or are currently in the process, I hope that this newsletter will be helpful for you. If you’re on the fence, or even if you’ve pledged never to get liposuction for your Lipedema, this space is a great way for you to see the other side of treatment.

I encourage all of you to interact, ask questions, talk about your experience, your barriers and your wins.

Next time, I’ll write all about the boring topic of Benefit Plan Language. This will be interesting because my insurance has NO BENEFITS for Lipedema. So, we get to start from scratch! Yay!

Take care,

Michelle