Lipedema patients: In Their Own Words
To assist future lipedema patients in preparing for treatment, we asked those who have already completed it to share their insights.
Here’s what they said:
1. Is there anything you wish you had known before proceeding with treatment?
“I wish I had known earlier in my life that I was suffering from lipedema and that I was just not a fat person. I was mentally ready for my treatment, so I was prepared.”
“I had already had liposuction for lipedema (upper legs only) before discovering Dr. Domanski, who operated on my lower legs. So, I knew a lot of what to expect from liposuction. Additionally, Dr. Domanski did a great job preparing me for surgery.”
2. Did anything about the recovery process surprise you?
“The recovery process exactly what was explained to me, so I believe as a patient I followed all the necessary instructions and everything went well.”
“I was surprised about how relatively painless my second surgery was (with Dr. Domanski). Of course, bruising is inevitable, but I hardly needed any pain medication at all.”
3. What advice would you give to future lipedema patients?
“Drink lots of water. Wear your compression daily, try to walk around as much as you can. Use massage oil for lipedema they really help. Eat more protein for healing.”
“Drinking water and eating protein and iron-rich foods helped keep my energy up during recovery.”
“Buying a long maxi dress was a good investment to stay comfortable post-surgery.”
“Tell your surgeon if there is a specific area that bothers you the most. I didn’t know that surgeons could target areas of concern, but Dr. Domanski asked what aspects of my lipedema were most troubling to me. I was terribly self-conscious about the “cuffing” that was appearing on my left ankle. Dr. Domanski targeted that area during surgery which was fantastic. If he hadn’t asked, I never would have thought to share this.”
“Don’t feel like you need to wait until your lipedema progresses to justify having surgery. Having surgery as a healthy person in my thirties helped this to be an easy experience. Plus, I get to enjoy the results for longer.”
“I would encourage anyone with lipedema to act on it as soon as they can afford to. Thanks Dr. Domanski for helping out lipedema patients!”
“It’s awesome to have a surgeon in the DC area that knows about this disease and how to treat it!”
“A&D (A+D) Ointment is your best friend, and you can use it early on for healing but also moisturizer under compression which also helps stick and keep your compressions up.”
