Hi everyone!
I am a 32-year-old woman from Brazil.
I have type 5 lipedema since adolescence and 11 days ago I had my lipedema surgery, and it has truly been a dream come true. The surgery went smoothly, and I didn’t have any major complications. I had a lipedema reduction procedure from the knee down, and I also had a breast implant removal. I had silicone implants in my breasts for six years.
I had the surgery on April 17, and today, 11 days later, I’m returning to in-person work. It’s been a bit of a challenge—my legs get quite swollen by the end of the day—but it worked out. I recovered well in 10 days with daily manual lymphatic drainage done by a physiotherapist experienced in post-op lipedema care. The first three days I used a Lympha-Band, which is a type of compression, and once there was no more fluid drainage, I progressed to medium-compression stockings.
The first three days were the worst—I had a lot of limited mobility and felt pain when walking. Once I started wearing compression stockings and stopped using the Lympha Band, things improved drastically, with much better movement. And from early on—starting around the sixth day—we began doing lymphomyokinetic exercises.
I can notice a very significant improvement when I’m wearing compression stockings. My leg looks slim—it’s almost unbelievable to think that this leg is mine. However, when I take the compression off to shower, which is only about an hour a day, I feel like my leg looks almost the same as before, without major differences in volume. I’m attributing this to post-surgical edema and inflammation, since I’m sure there was a real reduction in volume, as my plastic surgeon removed about two liters of fat and fluid.
I’m sharing my experience because this kind of post helped me a lot in deciding to have the surgery, and I would say it was the best money I’ve ever spent in my life, even knowing it’s not cheap. It really took a few years of saving to make the surgery happen, but it was all worth it. I'm really really happy!!! 🌷🍀🌸💐🌺🌻