Lipedema Surgery #5

I have been diagnosed with a condition called Lipedema. This condition causes my body to accumulate fat cells that will not breakdown in response to diet or exercise. The result is a build up of fat cells in my arms and legs, which is painful, causes stress on my joints, and breaks down the blood and lymph vessels. 

Above you can see my legs today (on the left), between the first and second surgeries on my legs (top right) and before any surgeries (bottom right). My next surgery - Surgery #4 - will be on the front and inside of my thighs.

I believe that God is healing me – not just my body, but more importantly, He is using this experience to teach me more about His goodness. I am also blessed by so many of you coming to me and telling me that you are praying for me and following my progress. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t tell you how important it is that you are praying for me.

Just a recap of my progress so far:

·        July 2017 – surgery to remove tissue from just above and around both knees, resulting in increased mobility and decrease in knee pain.

·        March 2018 – surgery to remove tissue from the calf and back of the lower part of the thigh, resulting in greater ease in walking and much less swelling bunched around my ankle.

·        July 2018 – surgery to remove diseased tissue from both arms, resulting in greater mobility in my shoulders and elbows. I still have some stiffness in my fingers, but I’m still healing and I’m hopeful that complete relief will be coming. So far, my arms are down 15 cm or approximately 6 inches.

I have two more surgeries scheduled this year:

·        September 2018 – removal of tissue on front and inside of thighs and possibly the lower abdomen.

·        December 2018 – removal of tissue on back of thigh and buttocks.

Then I will give my body a 6 month break before we look at any more surgeries.

I continue to use political means to bring attention to this disease, but so far, I don't have any funding from SaskHealth to treat my Lipedema.

What can you do?

1.    Pray! I believe that God’s hand needs to be healing me. He may use a surgeon, but He is the one doing the healing and without Him, none of this can happen!

2.    Tell others about Lipedema. If you know someone you think might have Lipedema, please feel free to share my story. I have set up a Facebook group – Saskatchewan Lipedema Support Group – that people can join. And I have a lot of information I’ve gathered. I can email it to you if you want.

3.    If you have the means, and feel led, please consider supporting my surgeries. Surgery costs are approximately $4,200 CDN (after exchange), and total over all costs for surgery plus travel, are approximately $9,000 CDN.

Thank you for considering my request. And most importantly, please continue to keep me in your prayers.