Lipoedema surgery for Keby
Donation protected
My story
When I was 17, my mother went to visit a psychic medium, who predicted that vodka would make me angry and that my legs would give me trouble when I was older. She was right on both accounts! Maybe a lucky guess?
My legs bruised easily for as long as I could remember. At 18, my thighs became sore to the lightest pressure. By 19, it was painful to walk on level ground and my weight became increasingly difficult to manage.
(2012, 17 years old, before the chronic pain kicked in. I used to be quite a happy teen!)
I regularly went to my GP and also asked for second opinions. I was examined, x-rayed and told nothing was wrong and that I should diet and exercise. So I did - I invested money in a personal trainer, who couldn't believe how weak I was or how little I could manage. I tried every way of eating under the sun. I would lose weight from my already slim top half, but my clothes size from the waist down barely budged.
Believe me, I can not overstate this enough - I've done everything in my power to manage my weight over the years. We all know that weight can fluctuate upwards - say following grief, a big lifestyle change, even just some extra pounds over Christmas - but most people can burn the fat again within a few months. My weight has yo-yo'd but steadily trended upwards over 7 years as with each gain, more fat becomes fibrotic and unable to be metabolised by my body. Equally, the more this disease progresses, the more difficult it is for me to remain active - a keystone habit in a healthy lifestyle.
(2018 after losing 15lbs, late stage 1 - I thought I was just naturally pear shaped. Pain mainly present when walking up stairs/hills and side of thighs tender to the touch)
The Diagnosis and Treatment
The thing about lipoedema is that it's a progressive disease which is resistant to diet and exercise. The diseased fat becomes fibrotic and firm, creating painful nodules that can be easily felt through the skin where the fat should be smooth. WARNING: This link leads through to an image comparing normal fat to lipoedemic fat, do not click it if you are sensitive to medical imagery. The act that led to me getting my diagnosis was me attempting to lightly massage these mysterious lumps in my legs out - which led to very significant bruising as the disease places a lot of pressure on the capillaries and lymphatic system.
On seeing this image, my friend suggested it might be lipoedema. Sure enough, within a month I was diagnosed as stage II via ultrasound which showed me the fibrosis on my legs. I have lipoedema in my legs, hips and arms. I was delighted to finally have an answer for the pain that had been holding me back for years, but adjusting to the reality of having a progressive disease and the maintenance it will require for life has been taxing.
I've been slowing the progression with conservative treatments such as compression therapy but the pain is still debilitating. The great news is that the pain can be significantly reduced by removing the diseased fat cells via liposuction. With lifelong proper care and maintenance, it can prevent the disease from progressing entirely. Liposuction is the recommendation I've been given from my specialist and want to pursue in the hopes of getting my life back on track.
I really didn't want to share a picture of my legs now as I find them distressing to look at, however, I'm including one for transparency. I was always complimented for my slim and smooth legs, so having them progress to be more swollen and built up with hard fat deposits has been difficult to adjust to. You may look at this image and think my legs look normal for an overweight person, but I promise that this isn't my normal, and my surgeon estimates I'll require the maximum possible amount of 8-10 litres of diseased fat to be removed.
My pain level is now that I can't even crouch down to pick something up without exclaiming at how much it hurts my knees. I have aches and pains throughout the day that sometimes impact my ability to sleep if I've been walking through the day. My legs swell up during Summer. I can't walk up more than one flight of stairs without becoming faint and my heart pounding, as I unconsciously hold my breath to brace against the pain. To my absolute heartbreak, I recently got back in the saddle a few times after a long break from riding and found that I can't manage that any more either.
I'm quite a simple person and enjoy the outdoors. I just want to be able to go for light hikes and spend time with animals. The fact my body is working against me so much on this is something I can't accept and need to stop.
The Surgery
Being aware that I will be relying heavily on the generosity of others during an already difficult time, I've chosen the cheapest possible specialist while not making any compromises on my safety and long-term health. People with lipoedema opt to either have multiple surgeries (i.e. calves, thighs, then hips) or have their full legs done in one. As I'm young and otherwise reasonably healthy, I've decided to opt for one surgery and the harder recovery period to keep costs as low as possible. I'm currently on the waiting list with Dr. Solc's clinic in Czechia to hopefully get surgery this Summer, as long as the funding is in place.
Though I have lipoedema in my arms, it doesn't cause me as much pain or impact my life as negatively as my legs do - so for now I'm only raising money for my leg surgery and the associated costs. Here is the breakdown of costs in EUR given by the clinic.
Liposuction: 4175
Pre-operative check-ups: 60
Post-operative care: 80
Compression Garment: 80
Clinic Stay (3 nights) - 240
If raised, the remaining 565 would be used for flights and manual lymphatic drainage therapy following the surgery.
Over the last seven years, I've easily sunk thousands into gyms, personal trainers, therapists and slimming clubs trying to get this under control. Had I only known I had lipoedema, I could have been saving instead for when the disease would get to this stage. Instead I find myself here, endlessly grateful to you for taking the time to read my story and hoping you'll be in a position to help me reclaim my body and my life. Every penny donated alleviates a lot of pressure off of me and - eventually, hopefully - my knees!
The image I've chosen for my cover photo is from a trip to the Isle of Skye. I was able to drive most of the way to the top of that lookout point and I loved drawing the Scottish coast - this is what I want to do for the rest of my life and the thing I don't want to lose. I chose it as my cover photo because it inspires me not to give up on fighting this disease.
Why not the NHS?
Unfortunately, receiving NHS funding for lipoedema surgery is next to impossible. People with stages far later and more progressed than me are rejected in their applications every day. It's a complete non-starter. Lipoedema treatment is not currently covered by any social security system, despite being a very common disease. Going private is the only option.
What if the funding goal isn't met?
I'd be more surprised if it was! I'm mainly hoping to put a dent in the cost, if possible. GoFundMe will still release the funds to me even if only part of the cost is raised. If the funds aren't raised in time for the Summer surgery date, I will just need to postpone the surgery to later in the year until I can save enough through other means.
When I was 17, my mother went to visit a psychic medium, who predicted that vodka would make me angry and that my legs would give me trouble when I was older. She was right on both accounts! Maybe a lucky guess?
My legs bruised easily for as long as I could remember. At 18, my thighs became sore to the lightest pressure. By 19, it was painful to walk on level ground and my weight became increasingly difficult to manage.
(2012, 17 years old, before the chronic pain kicked in. I used to be quite a happy teen!)I regularly went to my GP and also asked for second opinions. I was examined, x-rayed and told nothing was wrong and that I should diet and exercise. So I did - I invested money in a personal trainer, who couldn't believe how weak I was or how little I could manage. I tried every way of eating under the sun. I would lose weight from my already slim top half, but my clothes size from the waist down barely budged.
Believe me, I can not overstate this enough - I've done everything in my power to manage my weight over the years. We all know that weight can fluctuate upwards - say following grief, a big lifestyle change, even just some extra pounds over Christmas - but most people can burn the fat again within a few months. My weight has yo-yo'd but steadily trended upwards over 7 years as with each gain, more fat becomes fibrotic and unable to be metabolised by my body. Equally, the more this disease progresses, the more difficult it is for me to remain active - a keystone habit in a healthy lifestyle.
(2018 after losing 15lbs, late stage 1 - I thought I was just naturally pear shaped. Pain mainly present when walking up stairs/hills and side of thighs tender to the touch)The Diagnosis and Treatment
The thing about lipoedema is that it's a progressive disease which is resistant to diet and exercise. The diseased fat becomes fibrotic and firm, creating painful nodules that can be easily felt through the skin where the fat should be smooth. WARNING: This link leads through to an image comparing normal fat to lipoedemic fat, do not click it if you are sensitive to medical imagery. The act that led to me getting my diagnosis was me attempting to lightly massage these mysterious lumps in my legs out - which led to very significant bruising as the disease places a lot of pressure on the capillaries and lymphatic system.
On seeing this image, my friend suggested it might be lipoedema. Sure enough, within a month I was diagnosed as stage II via ultrasound which showed me the fibrosis on my legs. I have lipoedema in my legs, hips and arms. I was delighted to finally have an answer for the pain that had been holding me back for years, but adjusting to the reality of having a progressive disease and the maintenance it will require for life has been taxing.
I've been slowing the progression with conservative treatments such as compression therapy but the pain is still debilitating. The great news is that the pain can be significantly reduced by removing the diseased fat cells via liposuction. With lifelong proper care and maintenance, it can prevent the disease from progressing entirely. Liposuction is the recommendation I've been given from my specialist and want to pursue in the hopes of getting my life back on track.
I really didn't want to share a picture of my legs now as I find them distressing to look at, however, I'm including one for transparency. I was always complimented for my slim and smooth legs, so having them progress to be more swollen and built up with hard fat deposits has been difficult to adjust to. You may look at this image and think my legs look normal for an overweight person, but I promise that this isn't my normal, and my surgeon estimates I'll require the maximum possible amount of 8-10 litres of diseased fat to be removed.
My pain level is now that I can't even crouch down to pick something up without exclaiming at how much it hurts my knees. I have aches and pains throughout the day that sometimes impact my ability to sleep if I've been walking through the day. My legs swell up during Summer. I can't walk up more than one flight of stairs without becoming faint and my heart pounding, as I unconsciously hold my breath to brace against the pain. To my absolute heartbreak, I recently got back in the saddle a few times after a long break from riding and found that I can't manage that any more either.
I'm quite a simple person and enjoy the outdoors. I just want to be able to go for light hikes and spend time with animals. The fact my body is working against me so much on this is something I can't accept and need to stop.
The Surgery
Being aware that I will be relying heavily on the generosity of others during an already difficult time, I've chosen the cheapest possible specialist while not making any compromises on my safety and long-term health. People with lipoedema opt to either have multiple surgeries (i.e. calves, thighs, then hips) or have their full legs done in one. As I'm young and otherwise reasonably healthy, I've decided to opt for one surgery and the harder recovery period to keep costs as low as possible. I'm currently on the waiting list with Dr. Solc's clinic in Czechia to hopefully get surgery this Summer, as long as the funding is in place.
Though I have lipoedema in my arms, it doesn't cause me as much pain or impact my life as negatively as my legs do - so for now I'm only raising money for my leg surgery and the associated costs. Here is the breakdown of costs in EUR given by the clinic.
Liposuction: 4175
Pre-operative check-ups: 60
Post-operative care: 80
Compression Garment: 80
Clinic Stay (3 nights) - 240
If raised, the remaining 565 would be used for flights and manual lymphatic drainage therapy following the surgery.
Over the last seven years, I've easily sunk thousands into gyms, personal trainers, therapists and slimming clubs trying to get this under control. Had I only known I had lipoedema, I could have been saving instead for when the disease would get to this stage. Instead I find myself here, endlessly grateful to you for taking the time to read my story and hoping you'll be in a position to help me reclaim my body and my life. Every penny donated alleviates a lot of pressure off of me and - eventually, hopefully - my knees!
The image I've chosen for my cover photo is from a trip to the Isle of Skye. I was able to drive most of the way to the top of that lookout point and I loved drawing the Scottish coast - this is what I want to do for the rest of my life and the thing I don't want to lose. I chose it as my cover photo because it inspires me not to give up on fighting this disease.
Why not the NHS?
Unfortunately, receiving NHS funding for lipoedema surgery is next to impossible. People with stages far later and more progressed than me are rejected in their applications every day. It's a complete non-starter. Lipoedema treatment is not currently covered by any social security system, despite being a very common disease. Going private is the only option.
What if the funding goal isn't met?
I'd be more surprised if it was! I'm mainly hoping to put a dent in the cost, if possible. GoFundMe will still release the funds to me even if only part of the cost is raised. If the funds aren't raised in time for the Summer surgery date, I will just need to postpone the surgery to later in the year until I can save enough through other means.
Organizer
Keilidh Bradley
Organizer