First-Hand Experiences of Lipedema & the Benefits of Treatment
Still unsure if you have Lipedema? Worried about all the unknowns of seeking treatment? You’re not alone! Meet Cat, one of the numerous women with lipedema, Dr. Wright’s patient who travels from Austin, Texas to St. Louis to complete her five scheduled lipedema surgeries. Cat is a writer, a women’s health advocate, and has a passion for documenting her journey and helping other women through it. As long as she can remember, Cat has struggled with her weight. She was never considered an obese child or teen, was active in sports from a young age, and trained and ran half marathons as an adult. Still, though, she found herself struggling with her weight and living with debilitating pain. She spent her summers avoiding the outdoors (because that meant she had to wear shorts or be miserable), never participated in beach or pool trips, and lived a daily struggle of physical and emotional pain.
Not knowing any different, her family explained her issues away, helplessly insisting that she naturally had a “pear body shape”, which ran in her family. She bruised constantly, which was diagnosed as anemia. While she is slightly anemic, Cat has reported that her bruising and painful-to-the touch legs have improved drastically after only two surgeries on her lower body. After years of doctors telling her she was overweight and needed to continue to cut down her calories, Cat was at a loss. Below are her experiences, which she’ll continue to update through the remaining surgeries and recovery process.
Lipedema Ruined & Saved This Fat Girl’s Life
In her first blog post related to Lipedema, Cat writes of her journey towards diagnoses, which ultimately led her to Dr. Wright’s office in 2019.
After her initial consultation and diagnosis, Dr. Wright and his team put a treatment plan together for Cat. Her first surgery was in December 2019, and this article outlines what she experienced before, during, and after treatment.
Stay tuned for more! Cat recently completed her 2nd surgery on her upper legs and will be reporting back to detail her experiences. Lipedema is estimated to affect 10% of all women across the world – you’re far from alone, and we’re here to help you through this process to a more fulfilling, healthy, and pain-free life.
