As many of you know I have been diagnosed with lipedema. I was all set to have my first surgery on August 23, 2022….but life had other plans. Let me give you a little update as to what happened and what I am doing now.
Lipedema
Having lipedema has been really physically and mentally hard for me. I constantly feel so uncomfortable and full of fluid, my body hurts and I just keep gaining more and more weight…pretty rapidly. On top of that, my mental health has not been great. Dealing with this, the side effects of this, and the pain from this, has been really hard for me. I just don’t have lipedema in my legs I have it all over my body and it’s pretty severe. Surgery does not make it go away, but it can drastically help, and my body needs help. So, I was all set and ready to go with surgery number one.
If you want to read more about my diagnosis or planned surgery click HERE
Surgery was canceled
A few days before surgery I received a call from the surgeon’s office telling me my surgery has to be canceled. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement. I cried for 3 straight days. I was so upset that surgery was canceled but also really upset about WHY it was canceled…
Let’s go back to a few months ago…
Getting ready for surgery
A few months before surgery I had to get my lab work done. When the results came back I saw that my iron was very low. I tried emailing my doctor several times to ask about this and I kept getting responses of “you should lose weight, watch your diet, focus on no carbs, you need to use weight.” The iron was never addressed, so I assumed it was not THAT low. However, I did decide to start taking some iron supplements myself. I knew I had experienced severe low iron after my skin removal surgeries in the past, so if I saw my iron was low now, I wanted to try to raise my levels before having a procedure. About a week before surgery, my surgeon’s office called (who is separate from my doctor’s office) and said my surgeon wants me to take my labs again just to check on the iron. My iron had gone up, however, it did not raise high enough where I could have a safe surgery…so we had to cancel.
I’m mad
I am so mad about this because I asked for help from my doctor. I knew my iron was very low. My doctor knew that the levels I was at were not safe…I was severely anemic and she did nothing to help. All she did was talk about my weight! There is no way to know if she helped me and put me on the right dosage of iron or iron infusions if my body would have been ready for surgery, but the fact that she did nothing is what hurts so much.
How low was my iron?
My iron was very low. I am severely anemic. And honestly, I have felt it. I have no energy, feel very weak and tired all the time, and just didn’t feel good. I had no idea my iron was so low until I got lab work done.
What now?
Right now I am focusing on my overall health. I will be having my labs checked again soon and hopefully, my iron levels are still raising. I cannot have surgery until I get my levels to a healthy place and can keep them there. In about 3 months my surgeon told me to check back in with him and see how my iron is doing. For now…we wait and pray to the iron Gods.
I am also taking a blood builder supplement, iron supplements, and a vitamin C supplement which are supposed to help your body absorb iron better.
I will be focusing on my nutrition and ensuring I get enough iron and nutrients in my diet as well. As I continue my journey, I am going to be more mindful about having enough protein and greens throughout the day. I want to walk and move more and not do as much intense exercise. When I have done these types of workouts they have been causing more pain in my body. I will be working on light toning movements and walking right now. I will also be wearing my compression gear every night before bed and using my vibration plate daily. Drinking lots and lots and lots of water is also a key point that I will be working on as I prepare for surgery. I am going to keep journaling, continue to go to therapy, and really make my physical and mental health a top priority.
At the end of the day, I am so blessed that my surgeon was looking out for my best interest and canceled surgery. It would have been very unsafe to go into surgery with my iron levels as low as they were. I am happy it was postponed…however it still hurts and is still disappointing.
There you have it, the not surgery, surgery update.
This was not the surgery update I was hoping for but life doesn’t always go as planned. This is a hard lesson for me to learn but one I need to keep working on. I keep telling myself that things will happen when they are supposed to happen and just because they did not happen right now or when we want them to happen, does not mean they will never happen. We just keep moving forward.
Thank you for all of the love and continued support!
Xoxo
Jacqueline
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I know how much you needed this surgery, but things will happen in at the right time. I have you to thank for encouraging me to be my own health advocate. I am dealing with sone issues and when I find my dr I felt off and wanted sone additional testing, she sad it was a psychologist issue. Lucking I insisted on the test and it came back positive. Now I am seeing a specialist who listened and ordered a slew of additional tests. One has already come back positive. I truky feel vindicated and plan on firing her as my primary care Doc. I don’t trust her anymore. When you know, you know. Be your own advocate. Do your research. And trust your gut. Thanks fir that Jacqueline!
Hey there Jacquline – I wanted to mention that traditional iron supplements, because of their form, can be really difficult to absorb. When pregnant, it was suggested to me to eat liver, which wasn’t an option for me, or to take a desiccated liver supplements instead. I am not sure if this would help you or not, but I wanted to run it past you so you could do your own research and decide for yourself. I am sorry you’ve had this set back, I would be just as mad!! You are such a strong person and I really give you a lot of credit for everything you’ve been through and keep sharing about.