Alexis Leg Surgery

Hello, my name is Alexis and I was recently diagnosed with a disorder called Lipedema. 

Bad news first:

· Lipedema is rare
· There is no cure
· It’s extremely painful
· If untreated, there is a 100% chance this will happen to me:

 


Here’s the good news:

· I caught it early, I’m only in stage 2 now
· A surgical treatment does exist and it is super effective!
· After the surgery, there are things I can do to slow it from coming back


Unfortunately more bad news:

· Our insurance, Aetna, refuses (repeatedly) to cover the surgery.

 
So what is lipedema? 

First, some important background information:
· Your body is made of different types  cells
· Your body stores fat inside adipocyte cells
· Adipocyte cells can expand or shrink
· When you lose weight, you don’t kill adipose cells, they just get smaller


Lipedema overview:

· It is genetic and only affects women
· Lipedema makes my body grow screwed up adipose tissue:



Fun facts about lipedema fat cells:

· They grow out of control, like cancer
· They grow in the wrong places
· Lipedema fat cells lack the ability to shrink!
· Lipedema fat is unaffected by diet or exercise


How this affects me:

· I have lipedema tissue in my legs, hips, and upper arms
· The lipedema tissue always hurts
· Having my own children probably won’t happen
       - Any hormone changes make lipedema way worse
       - Doctor’s don’t know why yet, but lipedema women almost always have daughters
      - The daughters then inherit the lipedema :(
· I have a severly compromised immune system
· I had to quit my job because I was constantly in pain and frequently sick


Why I need help:

· I will need at least 4 surgeries
· Each surgery costs $6800
· 1-2 month recovery period between surgeries
· My husband and I are saving as much as we can, but we can barely stay ahead of our current medical bills

Once I get the first two surgeries, I should be healthy enough to go back to work which will enable me to save up faster and pay for the remaining surgeries.

This disorder affects my life in so many ways.  I can’t start a family, I can’t work, I hurt every day, and I feel helpless and trapped because there is no way I can solve this on my own. 

So please know that any help you provide is doing so much more than just simply paying for a medical procedure.  You are giving me an entirely new life.