Lipedema & Lipoma Legs- San Antonio - Going Under the Cannula Sep 11th

My appointment for my consult with Dr Fisher was in early August and I was pleasantly pleased. He diagnosed me with lipedema and lipoma in my legs and I finally felt like someone was hearing my cries for help! Total game changer! I was immediately more comfortable and way less self-conscious. I was happy with the estimate and didn’t feel like it was too much. The consult went so well that I told him I’d like to spruce up a few other things afterwards, but legs first is a must. I contacted his office to ask him a question, and although he was out for the day, they encouraged me to email him. I hesitated because he was away, but when I did email him, he responded right away. My experience so far has been outstanding and instead of worrying about the surgery, I'm looking forward for more great things to come!

First off, I’d like to thank the following posters who helped me with their tips and lists. Redwinelover, tootie55, onedimsim, AZDee, tc4wine, Southern.Belle, MiMiFromSD, WIPnorth, Cristinal, Cristine10, HappycamperinDC, and dogdaysII. I appreciate the time they took to post everything to help out newbies like myself. 

I’m employed as an analyst, anal retentive, and a practicing hypochondriac so you will have to excuse my extensive lists, etc., but they help me in preparing for the BIG DAY. And please, if I missed something, please let me know. I have had many surgeries, but nothing like this. I also apologize for my choppy paragraphs. I have had so much going through my mind, that this isn't really succinct.  A little background: My situation is similar to tc4wine, in that I have a bad case of lipedema. However, mine is compounded with a multitude of lipomas as well. My legs look like sacks of potatoes.  I do have a history with lipoma removal surgeries. I’ve had many taken off my trunk area (paid by insurance) that were the size of navel oranges. Unfortunately, insurance won’t cover the removal on my legs because they aren’t interfering with any organs. I started getting the lipomas about the same time as the lipedema, so even though no doctor can really tell me what either of the causes are, I strongly believe it has got to be tied to hormones… I started seeing odd leg happenings when I first started having my period. My ankles are unlike what I’ll call typical lipedema victims. I have what looks like 2 ankles on the outer side of each leg… not to be confused with cankles. The 2 ankles are actually 2 lipomas sitting on either side of my ankle, obstructing the ability to even see my actual ankle. I also have huge shins and they actually look like my calf in the back of my leg. I’ll post pics later. I’ve had these forever, and like so many of you, never go out unless I have jeans on.  I have always had problems with my weight and have gone up and down 100 pounds many times. However, after an early menopause (runs in the family, not due to hysterectomy), I simply can’t lose any more weight. I have screwed myself up so much going up and down and then the menopause just finished me off. Even when I did get down to a goal weight, my sacks of potatoes remained. So even after the 100 pounds, still nothing but jeans for me. BTW, lipedema runs in my family, but I'm the first to be diagnosed. So here we are getting so close to my surgery date. Been freaking out for a while now, worrying that I’ll forget some important item that I should have on hand. But I digress…  My appointment for my consult with Dr Fisher was in early August and it went better than expected. When he looked at my legs, he immediately said (without my prompting or brining it up), that it is definitely lipedema along with lipomas. I felt validated for the first time! When I try to discuss lipedema with anyone else I feel like they are looking at me like I’m making excuses for my weight. Okay, enough of the pitty party… Anyhow, I was immediately more comfortable and way less self-conscious. I was happy with the estimate and didn’t feel like it was too much. Bottomline looks like I will need several rounds of lipo and then possibly the spiral lift. Anyhow, sounds kind of like the same situation tc4wine had. I also told him I’d like to spruce up a few other things afterwards, but legs first. For example, I am currently a 40K, yes K in the breast department (natural). Back in the day it was okay, but now they are hiding what’s left of my waist and I just look more blobby looking... Kind of reminiscent of Jabba The Hutt… I’m not quite to the “tucking them into my pants” stage, but getting there closer every day.  I had gone to another surgeon before him (I live minutes from San Antonio), but he said he couldn’t do anything lower than mid calf. He then told me that I would have to go to someone who specializes in that. I was extremely self-conscious in his waiting room and pretty much sat staring at the ceiling so I didn’t have to see anyone looking at me. His clients seemed more on the celebrity type of spectrum and I stuck out like a sore thumb. Because of this experience, I was SO RELIEVED when it was so much better in Dr Fisher’s office/waiting room.  I was concerned about my blood work because the last time I had it checked was over 2 years ago and my cholesterol was a tad over the 200 mark (211 total w/141 LDL!). So, I started ahead of time (back in June) and went with niacin (immediately release) to ensure my cholesterol would be good. Already a big supplement taker, it wasn’t much to add this to my already long list of supplements. I take almost 30 different supplements daily for inflammation and edema due to the lipedema to try to ease the leg pain, others for metabolism, and so on and so on.  Well, the niacin and plant sterols worked like a charm. I didn’t want to “waste” my insurance paid blood work in case it didn’t work out, so I went to HEB grocery because they have a monthly check there for $50. My numbers were pretty good. Total-169, HDL-65, TRI-51, LDL-93. LDL could be a little lower, so I was worrying about that and thinking I need to work on that before my official test.  That being said, I decided to call and schedule my surgery date anyhow. Because of my job, scheduling for mid month works best for me and the best available date is Sep 11… good thing I’m not really superstitious. My pre-op for mark-up is late afternoon on the 10th. So, knowing that the blood work can’t be any older than 3 weeks, I backed the day up to the 1st possible day because I knew I’d need plenty of time to get off my blood thinning supplements. Yet, I felt I needed them for the blood work. It was a numbers game.  I went in for the official blood work on the 21st of August and I had prepared even further by increasing my dose of niacin and adding a plant sterol. BTW, don’t ever take slow release niacin as it can mess with your liver. I also decided not to eat meat for the week and a half just to really, really make sure. Yes, I was freaking out. It paid off nicely! My cholesterol dropped in the week and a half from 169 to 140, with my LDL going from 93 to 71! YAY!! Now to stop my blood thinning supplements and to watch my diet for foods high in vitamin E (blood thinning), and high in vitamin K (blood thickening). I’m scrutinizing this to death because Dr Fisher said he can get more fat out the less I bleed and I’m considered a bleeder. Fret much? You bet!  I found this informative site that will tell you about supplements and surgery in case you don’t know which ones that would help or hurt pre-surgery. I won’t list all the supplements and foods here, but if you want to know them, I don’t mind posting if you ask. It’s kinda long. I also can’t speak to anyone’s health or what prescriptions you are taking (I don’t take any), so I can’t talk interactions, etc. Again, I’m just a practicing hypochondriac. It’s just everything I analyzed from good websites.  I also looked up sites for what to pack in your hospital bag for a night or two overnight stay and this is what I found: • Toothbrush/toothpaste • Hairbrush • Chapstick • Face Wipes • Nightgown • Moccasins (house shoes) • Underwear/Bra • Maxi Dress for going home • Eyeglasses • Cell Phone/Charger • Sudoku Book • Pen • ID & Insurance Card • Supplement List • Pillow • Small Blanket • Rolling Suitcase • Lotion • Ankle Socks • Heeled Flip Flops (tc4wine recommends) • Towels for Car Ride Home • Ace Bandages • Compression Garments From all you wonderful ladies out there in particular, here’s the list I compiled of items needed at home after the surgery: • ScarAway Silicone Sheets • Mepitac Silicone Tape (SouthernBell’s favorite over scaraway-Stays on better and cheaper) • Medi-Honey Dressing Gel • Aloe Laxative for anesthesia constipation (This is horrible for me) • ALO Aloe beverage for 1st week (again anesthesia constipation) • Pstyle-Female Urinary Device • Molnlycke Liquid Antiseptic • Toilet Seat Safety Frame (has arms-my toilet seat is already raised) • Arnica Pills • Arnica Cream • Lipo Foam Pads • Bromelain • Marena Ankle length, high waisted compression (2 ea in 4x and 2 ea in 3x) • Anti-Gravity Chair (luckily I already have one) • Walker (already had one of those too) • In-Home Care (for up to 2 weeks) • Waterproof Twin Mattress Protectors for Drainage for Anti-Gravity Chair (2 ea for when one’s in the wash) • Floor Length Maxi Skirts (Don’t own any skirts presently) • Protein Shakes (100g protein daily need 6 each day) • Mio Electrolytes Water Enhancer • Ace Bandages in multiple widths (2 ea of 3 diff widths) • Adjustable Laptop Stand  • Adjustable Medical Table (like the hospital kind) • Long Nightgowns (6 ea) • Series DVDs (for boredom time) • Lotion for Lymphatic Massage (Massage dry til incisions are closed) • Claritin for Itching • Long reach grabber/claw I went with Marena because their sizing seemed larger. Not to mention that I needed an ankle long compression garment which is harder to find. I’m short enough too (5’2”) that I can leave the extra length halfway down my foot so I don’t have to worry about it riding up. Also, the adjustable laptop stand works well with the adjustable table over the anti-gravity chair so I think that’s a winner… for me anyhow. The Pstyle female urinary device had good reviews on Amazon, but I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet. I’ve been practicing in the shower. Another user posted just about just using a Solo cup tucked within the hole of the compression garment. If I can’t get the hang of it, I’ll guess I’ll resort to Solo. Some other notes I picked up were to move every 2 hours to prevent blood clots, dry brushing for lymphatic massage, and wear t-shirts, lipo foam under compression to avoid zipper marks from the compression garment. And of course, in trying to prepare myself mentally, I’ve been looking at all of Dr Fisher’s success stories on RealSelf for months now. Actually reading and re-reading them. It’s been a HUGE help, and I love that some posted the actual sections cut out, fat vats, etc. It really teaches you what to expect. I also like the fact that those posted about their trials and tribulations so when/if something bad happens, it’s only a set-back and not something else to freak out on. Now for my question list (Please help me if you know-I haven’t asked Dr Fisher just yet-but will): • How long to do the 100g of protein? • Any other tips on the anesthesia constipation? • Does lipoma/lipedema removal count towards max amt of regular fat lipo’d?  • If swelling amount larger than compression garments, will Ace bandages work in the meantime? • How soon can I shower after surgery? • Liquid diet 2 full days before surgery? • How far do you need to walk to fend off blood clots? If anyone has any further tips, please let me know. Experience is the best teacher!

Including some pictures of my potato sack legs. I've had lipomas on either side of my ankles since I was a 120lb teenager. In the ankle picture you can see the lipomas are so large you can't even see my actual ankle.