#lipidema

[mcatmemoranda2]

I have a pt who has lipedema. There are varying degrees of lipedema and it can actually be painful/disfiguring, but health insurance won't cover liposuction to treat it because liposuction is considered "cosmetic." I referred my pt to a plastic surgeon, who can hopefully write a letter of medical necessity so she can get lipo covered. She has tried conservative management including lymphatic drainage massage and compressive devices without much benefit. If a doctor is saying a certain treatment is needed, then the insurance company needs to just cover the damn treatment!

I just saw a video someone posted about it on tiktok. Someone in the comments mentioned pycnogenol, which is a European pine bark extract that is supposed to have anti-inflammatory effects and may help with lipedema.

[3liza]

the ignorance and denialism about lipoedema/lipidema (distinct from lymphodema, but can be comorbid) in the medical field is pretty typical of the antifatness and misogyny generally (men can get it too but it's unusual) but it really makes my blood boil anyway. Im positive my mom has it, she has every single symptom, and I'm a stereotypical stage I case (skinny people can have it it's just not as noticeable). no doctor has ever mentioned it to either of us and when I saw the dysautonomia specialist recently (not about lipoedema specifically but for a general exam) he looked me right in the face and told me a bunch of completely false information about it, including that it "does not include pain as a symptom" (it is literally a pain syndrome). information he should know better about since he has lipidema patients. I faxed him a 25 page paper after I got home, from actual lipidema researchers, which started with the sentence "lipidema is a pain syndrome" in the opening paragraph. didn't hear back of course but at least I was annoying and that's the important thing

[3liza]

lipidema is a medical condition where you get a fat ass. you get fat other places too depending on the type but it is very ass focused in general. and it's not regular fat it's weirdly innervated and vascular and gristly. a lot of the paleolithic Venus figures look like older women with lipidema. there's probably some evolutionary benefit to it, possibly the fact that the lipidema fat doesn't respond to caloric restriction, it's possible these women maintained impressive size even during lean food periods and were symbolic of survival and miraculous fat in the midst of famine. I'm completely riffing right now I have no backup for this at all I'm just having fun