Here in the US, the diagnosis of Lipedema is a tricky one. Many doctors don't believe it's real and think it's just obesity. They'll put you on a diet, see a nutritionist, or worst yet, on Wegovy or something like that. And yes I've had this happen to me. Don't get me wrong, I love my doctor and he's really amazing, but he didn't learn a lot about lipedema in med school. None of them do! According to my vascular doctor, they only get about 30 minutes about lipedema and/or lymphedema. To me, that's pretty pathetic. Now Europe on the other hand, they're well versed about it. There's even a huge huge clinic in Germany just for lipedema and lymphedema.

So why is the United States so backwards?

I'm a huge advocate for myself and fight for what I need. Have done it for years. After all, I've had a pretty intimate relationship with my body and know it well. When I got diagnosed, my vascular doctor encouraged me to get the surgery which is a specific type of liposuction. I'm all for it. It will help with my overall health and wellness too. So I reached out to my regular insurance and honestly, they were clueless. In fact, one phone call to my insurance told me they didn't even have a code for lipedema (which was a lie). So I filed a congressional complaint with my senator. FYI, anyone can do this when you're having issues with your insurance. That honestly got the ball rolling. I now have a case manager, a patient advocate, and an open line directly with my insurance. Great. That's covered. Now, let's find a doctor. Fun fact, many plastic surgeons don't take insurance!! One that was listed in my insurance was local. Great. I made an appointment and thought it went well and things were going to move forward. They sent me a quote and when I challenged them on it saying my insurance was supposed to cover this, they proceeded to gaslight me and tell me many things which were very (how do I say this nicely) shitty. When I told the insurance company, they acted fast and I was grateful.

So where am I at? I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon who's about 3 hours away from me who specializes in lipedema! His office has been so kind and caring and they're working with my insurance company. So we shall see what happens next.