Yes, yes, 100 times yes! Even though I’ve had to pay 10,000 euro out of pocket (remember, I got 10k due to an administration error with my insurance) and even though I’ve had to go through 7 surgeries so far and sent my poor husband to the insane asylum (ok, just burn out but it might have well been the insane asylum), it’s been WORTH IT!
- I no longer scream in pain when the cats decide to take a stroll across my legs
- I no longer have frequent random bruises across my body (nor paw sized bruises)
- I no longer feel like I’m dragging my legs around
- I can walk almost normally again
- My knees and ankles no longer hurt from being forced to walk on the outside of my feet by the fat in between my thighs
- My sports bra no longer leaves bruises where the lipedema fat was under my arms
- I can squat, deadlift and do walking lunges and suffer like a normal human being instead of a special snowflake
- I can go faster and longer on my bicycle
- I can do high RPMs in spin class
- I was able to walk 15-18km per day doing the theme parks in Orlando
- I’m able to fit on a lot of roller coasters again (and the one with lap bars don’t hurt my thighs where it presses into the lippy fat)
- I no longer exhaust as quickly due to not having to haul 40 liters of lippy fat around
- I look like a semi normal human being again
- I can jog again
- Running through the airport isn’t quite as bad as it was with all that lippy weight
- I can fit in a normal airplane seat again and the armrests don’t leave massive bruises
I’m sure there’s loads more good things about having the surgeries that have made it very much worth the blood, tears, pain, and financial hardship.
Of course, looking back over the 2 years, it wasn’t a piece of cake. You have the financial part. You have the constant headaches with insurance, appeals, and just trying to catch a bloody break. You have scheduling tetris with surgeries, post op appointments, MLD, physical therapy, and work. You have the pain from surgery itself as well as the post op pain that lasts 3 or more months. You have things that you can’t do because you have surgery coming up, or you just had it and can’t go out and play with your friends.
Honestly, the things that were hard, painful, or expensive are nothing to knowing I can probably live another 40 years in this body and live a active and relatively healthy life. That is something money can’t buy.
If you’re thinking about surgery, yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s painful. Though you need to look at where you are now. If you’re on the younger side of 40, is the rest of your life sustainable how you are? Can you follow your dreams and check things off your bucket list? Or are you a prisoner in your own body? At the end of the day, what do you have to lose and what do you have to gain?
For me, it was worth it all day, every day.
PetraAnn
Latest posts by PetraAnn (see all)
- ABDOMINOPLASTY WEEK 6 POST-OP - January 29, 2020
- ABDOMINOPLASTY DAY 20 POST-OP - January 7, 2020
- ABDOMINOPLASTY DAY 18 POST-OP - January 6, 2020