Lipoedema surgery – Pre and Post Conservative care

I’m sharing the story of one of my clients. She posted this in a lipoedema group to show others what can be done conservatively alongside lipoedema surgery so that the best results can be achieved.

I’m seeing a huge increase in numbers of newly diagnosed, or even undiagnosed, lipoedema clients who “just want it gone”. The experience of getting to diagnosis is so traumatic that the thought of doing all the conservative treatment can be overwhelming.

But surgery on its own is not the answer. The more you do to prepare for surgery and then afterwards, the better your results will be. And I don’t mean just physically. The emotional/mental preparation is as important. Getting your backup team in place is essential. You will not be able to drive for at least a couple weeks and I’m specifically saying this because I had a client tell me last week she was planning on driving herself home from the surgery! No, that will not be happening. Be prepared, have drivers lined up, pre-cook some meals and clear all your commitments for a few weeks to give yourself time to heal.

Here is my client’s Lipoedema surgery story:

“1 year ago I sent the photo on the left to Dr Somia (Sydney Surgeon), as I suspected I had Lipoedema. After seeing him, he diagnosed me with stage 3-4 Lipoedema. Long story short, I made the decision to start managing this disease and prepare my body for surgery, before it got any worse. 

I began by wearing sports compression leggings, then Bioflects compression stockings. Then 2 months before surgery I wore class 2 flat knit compression stockings. None of these transitions were easy, as I work as a dog photographer, so I am bending down a lot and found the stockings very restricting and torturous to wear while shooting, especially in the heat. 

I also started an anti inflammatory (RAD) diet January 1st 2020, no meat, no dairy, no wheat, no sugar, no alcohol. 

I have MLD massage twice a month and pump my legs with the LX9  machine and sleep in Mobiderm leg sleeves EVERY night.

I dry brush EVERY morning and do some kind of water exercise every second day.

Surgery was successful, Dr Somia removed 6 litres of fat from my lower legs and 1.5 litres each side from my saddle bag area. 

I am now wearing Czalus 18-22mg stockings and a class 2 round knit stocking on my lower legs to manage the fluid and swelling in my ankles through the day. 

I took the photo on the right this morning and when I compared the two together, I realised just how far I had come in a year.

I wanted to share my journey so far as sometimes I feel depressed, hopeless and defeated by this condition and then I feel grateful to finally have the information and tools to start healing my body, after 30 years of looking for answers.”