One of Dr. Wright’s newer patients, Crystal, was diagnosed with Lipedema for the first time just 3 months ago, and she’s already feeling the joy and relief that comes with an official Lipedema diagnosis.
“I felt a sense of relief and joy come over me instantly,” she says.
Crystal was diagnosed by Dr. Wright with Stage 3, Type 3, and 4 Lipo-Lymphedema. Over the next 90 days post-diagnosis, she’s undergone two Lipedema surgeries and overcome a lifetime of challenges when it came to “her relationship with gravity”, as she calls it. She lost just over 70 pounds after the two surgeries and is relieved to be on a path of healing.
Lipedema is a fat disorder, mainly affecting women, that causes an enlargement of both legs due to deposits of fat under the skin. It’s characterized as a “progressive disorder,” meaning it generally gets worse over time. In severe and more progressive cases, the trunk and upper body may also be affected, including the arms and upper back, and it’s often misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated as general obesity.
Nearly 17 million women in the U.S. and nearly 370 million women across the globe suffer from Lipedema. What is regularly associated with unruly weight gain in its initial stages can quickly spiral out of control if left undiagnosed. Often striking in a woman’s mid-20s, Lipedema is a disease that leads to the excessive buildup of fat cells primarily in the arms and legs. Going far beyond the appearance of extra pounds, those who suffer from Lipedema often present with pockets of fat on the limbs that appear disproportionate in comparison to the rest of the body.
Women suffering from this disease often report the association with lipedema pain symptoms that trigger difficulties dealing with everyday life activities. Excessive swelling often comes with pain, numbness, and bruising. In its advanced stages, Lipedema can impact mobility and provokes vascular and lymphatic swelling which can lead to further medical complications.
Lipedema is often misdiagnosed as standard obesity, leaving patients to deal with an endless cycle of disappointment and ongoing, painful lipedema symptoms. As they continue, their weight refuses to fall off. Unfortunately, Lipedema does not respond to a simple calorie restriction or increased exercise and ultimately requires surgical intervention in order to alleviate the appearance and pain of symptoms.
Patients often report that the road to their initial Lipedema diagnosis is an uphill battle. Women with Lipedema are typically diagnosed by their primary care provider with traditional obesity, and all treatment methods follow this diagnosis.
Unfortunately, as any Lipedema specialist will tell you, this treatment proves ineffective, and leaves women with Lipedema without answers, without a solution, and with continued pain and continued frustration as their, Lipedema continues to progress. Liposuction performed on the affected limbs is one of the most effective forms of treatment. Removing fat deposits that are diseased not only helps reduce swelling of the limbs but alleviates the pain that holds patients back from everyday activities. But before women with Lipedema and even consider these procedures and treatment options, they must first find a doctor who is an expert in this field and start with a proper diagnosis of the disease.
Just like Crystal, many women search for answers for years before getting an official diagnosis and validation for their struggles. “My body really needed this healing,” Crystal says. “I needed answers and I was craving [an] explanation why my body was fighting me.” While she contributes 15 pounds lost directly to her surgeries, she says she’s done the non-surgical work to get rid of additional lipedema swelling and fluid alongside surgery. She says she monitors what she eats and when, and eliminated a few types of foods that directly increase swelling, helping her lose more than 50 pounds on her own, and improving the outcomes of both her surgeries tenfold.
She encourages other women who think they may have Lipedema to contact Dr. Wright and his team to get the same help she’s received. “If you have lipedema or lipo lymphedema like I do, go easy on yourself,” she says. “There isn’t anything you could have done to prevent it, but I’m living proof there are things you can do to live better and have a higher quality of life.”
