Through the testimony of Mrs. K, share a patient’s journey: from diagnosis to complete surgical treatment of her lipedema, affecting her lower limbs.
Introduce yourself
I’m a 28-year-old dentist who’s been suffering from lipedema in my legs since I was a teenager. Despite the small stage 1-2 diagnosed by an angiologist and Dr. Zwillinger (which has only worsened in recent years, especially since I started my professional activity), the functional and aesthetic damage was omnipresent, and deliverance began when the disease was diagnosed.
Could you share with us the discovery of your lipedema, through this article: Testimony of Mrs K?
I just happened to be watching Emmy’s video on youtube, like many French speakers I think, because unfortunately France is lagging behind in terms of awareness, prevention and treatment of this pathology.
What were your day-to-day symptoms?
Already the imbalance in my figure between upper and lower body, the appearance of daily haematomas for no good reason, the pain on palpation of the legs which worsened at the end of the day, the cellulite-like appearance of the skin on the legs which was very marked from the age of 14, with very unsightly knees
The disproportion between the upper and lower parts of the body makes it very difficult to find clothes that fit.
How did you meet Dr. Zwillinger?
I randomly searched the internet to see if there were any surgeons in France qualified to perform this operation, as I didn’t want to do it abroad.
From the very first consultation, the contact went well, I had the answers to my questions and I didn’t feel the need to seek another opinion – I felt confident. I don’t regret my choice, because thanks to him I can say today that I’ve been freed from a great deal of suffering.
How did your first operation go? The big day? Post-op?
The operation took place at the Étoile clinic, which I sincerely recommend. The team was top-notch, from the nurses to the orderlies, and the anaesthetist was very available and very supportive in the postoperative period.
I decided to have the operation under general anaesthetic, but there was also the option of spinal anaesthesia. I woke up just fine, with no nausea or unbearable pain, so I confirmed my desire to undergo the operation as an outpatient and decided to go home after checking my vitals and hemoglobin.
That’s my only regret, as the night was very difficult, with burning sensations in the calf, dizziness, pain that wouldn’t go away with painkillers, etc. A night at the clinic wouldn’t have been too much.
Thanks to the availability of the doctors and my family and friends (because yes, you need to be well supported before taking the plunge, it’s far from being a trivial operation and, depending on the case, the convalescence can be really difficult), I was able to get back into a deep sleep after a week and regained my mobility after 15 days. It’s really after the 1st MLD that you feel a real sense of relief.
After 1 month we could already see a big change, the defined calves were something unthinkable a few years ago.
The days linked to my professional activity can be very tiring, so I went back to work after a month, and I didn’t feel 100% recovered, but despite everything the pain and heavy legs disappeared very quickly.
The only thing left is the swelling at the end of the day, which can last 1 year post-op and I’m only 6 months in, so I’m taking it easy.
The second operation has just been performed. How does it feel? How does it feel?
I’m delighted because it’s the last one for me. I was able to learn from my mistakes during the first operation, such as spending the 1st night in the clinic, avoiding the appearance of tourniquets with badly positioned compression stockings, starting MLD (lymphatic drainage) as soon as possible. Don’t wait for pain to set in before taking painkillers, and eat a balanced diet + hydration to regain strength as quickly as possible and avoid feeling bloated/constipated.
This second operation is different, with less pain and no burning sensation, but extreme fatigue and dizziness, probably due to the greater amount of fat removed and blood lost.
I’m currently at D+3 and I can already see a rough outline of the result. I can’t wait 6 months/one year for the final result.
If you could give advice for people with lipedema, or who think they have it, what would it be?
It’s a good idea to start with a diagnosis, as it doesn’t commit you to anything and allows you to really come to terms with yourself, to stop blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault.
Then adapt a healthy lifestyle in line with this pathology.
Unfortunately, there is no conservative treatment as effective as surgery, so based on my own experience I can only encourage these women to go for it, bearing in mind that it’s far from trivial and that you need to prepare yourself both psychologically and physically, and give yourself time to recover properly.
To follow this patient’s advice, given in this article: testimonial from Mrs K, we invite you to make an appointment with Dr. Zwillinger to diagnose or confirm lipedema.
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