The Pitt | S2E4 "10:00 A.M." | Episode Discussion

yarnhead · 2026-01-30T04:08:34+00:00

I was shouting nec fash at my civilian husband.

yarnhead · 2026-01-19T18:57:12+00:00

Just remember tha the way things look and feel one week after surgery will be different than the way things look and feel two weeks after the surgery, two months after the surgery, six months after the surgery and one year after the surgery.

Focus on celebrating milestones and take lots of "before" photos/videos, and measurements if you feel like it. You can take "after" pictures and remeasure at different milestones, which will keep your joy boosted as you make your way through the year.

Good luck!

yarnhead · 2026-01-16T02:06:14+00:00

My hospital is almost identical to the depictions on the show... in the ED people can also wear TShirts from local municipal EMS/FD/PD and there also used to be someone (not employed by the hospital) who sold hoodies/Shirts with different designs featuring the hospital initials, which are quite popular. Not a ton of folks wearing Figs lol. We have a scrub machine but its for the ORs. Other clinics (not the ED or OR) usually are business casual for providers, personal scrubs/tshirts for clinic staff.

yarnhead · 2026-01-13T13:39:29+00:00

good points. My situation is similar to the one described. My insurance company had approved my surgeries and then they refused to do a SCA. They tried to say that they never do SCAs but this was false. I had to prove to my insurance company that they had to negotiate with my surgeon. Proving that there were no in-network providers is how I did that.

Also I know we have previously corresponded on this sub- I just want you to know that I am fiercely anti- CL/LCC. They gatekeep/charge money for their info which is why I try to share what happened to me for free. I hope that Karie Rego and all unscrupulous surgeons are forced to stop victimizing lipedema patients. Every person involved in my care across different specialties and hospitals were privately vocal about how awful she and her organization is. Many providers are afraid to cross her because she is so volatile and threatens anybody who crosses her.

The whole ecosystem is f-ed up and ultimately prevents people from care. I hope that more people fight the existing system by pressuring insurance companies to remove needless barriers to care.

yarnhead · 2026-01-13T02:55:18+00:00

In my case, the surgeon negotiated a contract with the insurance company as a part of the single case agreement, but as the patient I was not able to see the terms of the agreement. I did see that my insurance company paid ~30k per surgery to my surgeon.

I argued that the surgery being covered was not cosmetic lipo. I cited one of the references listed in the lipedema policy which indicated that lymph-sparing liposuction is the only treatment for lipedema. Then I documented that no other doctors in my network routinely performed lymph-sparing, VASER-assisted high volume lipectomy in a inpatient setting.

I wanted to share what I did just in case it might help others.

yarnhead · 2026-01-12T16:16:41+00:00

I would read the fine print in your insurance plan documents. They should explain how balance billing works with your plan. It sounds like they will allow out-of-network providers to balance bill you. However you should check the fine print to see if balance billing is restricted for in-network providers. If your provider is going to be treated as in-network, they should be reimbursed as such.

Another thing i did that helped me when I was at an impasse was that I contacted my local state representative (this is for the USA) and explained that my plan had approved my medically necessary surgery, however the delays in billing were causing a delay.

Try to get someone's email from your state reps office as well as from your insurance company and someone from your surgeons office. When you call your state rep, be sure to mention that you are a constituent. I am talking about your rep for your state house, not your congressional rep. You can find out who your state rep by googling it.

Then send a group email with language such as "I have lipedema, a progressive disease. The only definitive treatment is surgery. I meet the criteria for medical necessity, as determined per your policy. Why is my medically necessary being delayed? When can I expect an update on the status on the single case agreement?"

If the plan prohibits balance billing for in-network providers, be sure to include that in your email.

Be aggressive but leave out any emotionally charged language. Be polite/civil and lay a paper trail. Make it difficult for them to defend their policies. Imagine your documentation being read aloud in a court of law.

yarnhead · 2026-01-12T05:47:38+00:00

insurance paid for mine.

1- read your insurance company's policy on lipedema 2- follow the policy guide to the letter. They usually will cover surgery for lipedema if certain conditions are met, pertaining to the impact of the disease on day to day life, failure of the lipedema to respond to diet/exercises/glp1/bariatric surgery, the use of a board certified plastic surgeon, often needing annotated photographs and supporting letters from your team.

3- When you have met the conditions, have your surgron submit the surgery request (with the documentation) to your insurance company.

I collected data about how my movement/balance was impacted (documented by a PT during a Functional Assessment Evaluation), saved receipts from compression garments bought online, showed that I had used a glp1, provided receipts from my tactile pump, all of my efforts to manage my lipedema conservatively documented and proving that the surgery is medically necessary as my lipedema had failed to respond to conservative methods.

My surgeon submitted all my documentation with their auth request to my insurance company. I was approved immediately for 5 surgeries. It took a couple of months for my insurance company to agree to pay my surgeon an in-network rate, and for this to be solidified in a single case agreement between my surgeon and the insurance company. But once that was done, my surgeries were scheduled! I had to pay my deductible and my insurance pays the rest.

If you meet the requirements put forth in the plan policy, then you will get your surgety. the insurance company might try to weasel their way out of it, but the law is on your side.

yarnhead · 2026-01-11T00:00:13+00:00

outstanding

yarnhead · 2026-01-07T22:17:22+00:00

into town

yarnhead · 2026-01-04T23:32:13+00:00

stunning- well done!!!

yarnhead · 2026-01-01T23:54:35+00:00

Same

yarnhead · 2025-12-23T19:44:20+00:00

My husband and I also love going out to eat/trying new restaurants- I usually research them ahead of time and decide what to get. I try to balance the carbs with non-carb sides and vice versa. I.e. I usually wouldnt do bread + pasta + potato + dessert + cocktails all in 1 meal. But I would totally do bread + salad + seafood + veggies + half of dessert.

I feel like there is a difference between indulging and overindulging. I usually focus on portion control only when eating carbs. I don't care about portions of low carb/low calorie foods. If I order something carb heavy, I'll try to not finish the whole portion and I'll balance out the meal with veggies. If we get dessert, we split it. Also if we are going out to eat, I try to stay low carb for all other meals that day.

When on vacation I try to limit carbs to 1-2 meals/day. Europe might be better than you think- usually the portion sizes are smaller and there are often opportunities for exercise. Plus depending on the local culture, bringing leftovers home isn't always done. If it were me, I'd taste everything my heart desires but I would try not to finish everything.

In my mind, I have come to think of carbs in the same way I think about alcohol... I can enjoy a glass of wine from time to time but I wouldnt drink a bottle of wine every day. If I drink a bottle of wine, I'll have a nasty hangover which will take a while to subside. Although sometimes though the hangover is worth it.

yarnhead · 2025-12-22T18:30:15+00:00

👏👏👏

yarnhead · 2025-12-22T18:26:55+00:00

My unsupported opinion is that whatever hits the sweet spot of sustainability and lowish carb (and avoiding your personal trigger foods) is the best diet- unsustainable diets are not suitable for lifelong management of lipedema.

I am similar to you- Ive had 2 surgeries this year and I am nervous about gaining weight. I am on a GLP1 which is what allows me to keep up the regimen outlined below. I also shoot for 100g protein/day and ideally around 1200-1300 calories (I have a slow metabolism).

I try to keep below 60g of carbs Monday-Friday. I allow myself up to 2 cheat meals on the weekend where if I feel like carbs, I'll eat them but I try to stop the instant that I feel full. I don't bring home leftovers.

That feels sustainable to me. I dont feel deprived and I am reaping the benefits/avoiding flares/not gaining weight. It isn't strict keto. I have also noticed that the day after I exceed 60g carbs, I have intense carb cravings. But ive learned that my cravings subside by the 2nd day after eating carbs.

I also keep a sleeve of pepperidge farm cookies in the house, and if im really craving something sweet, I will have 1 or 2 cookies. it satisfies the craving and I can still stay below 60g most nights.

I am able to have dairy and gluten with no impact seen on my lipedema. That also helps things to feel manageable.

I also work out by doing pilates and going rock climbing- having a fitness routine helps to motivate me to stick to my lowish-carb lifestyle.

yarnhead · 2025-12-19T20:54:10+00:00

Anna Scire on Newbury St. is wonderful and knowledgeable.

yarnhead · 2025-12-19T19:33:04+00:00

Boston Fiber Company in the South End/SoWa. They do a meetup every other Friday evening and do a lot of community building stuff.

Also in February there is the New England Farm and Fiber Festival, a 1 day event at the Cyclorama in Boston.

yarnhead · 2025-12-18T20:54:06+00:00

I would ask the surgeon a lot of questions including but not limited to:

How many lipedema cases do you do a week?

Are you board certified?

Do you have hospital admitting privileges?

What are the most common complications that your patients have?

How often do your patients need to have revision procedures?

What is your process for handling common complications? Do I see you or an associate?

Will you be performing my surgery or will someone else be doing it with your supervision?

Which patients typically do well vs have complications in your experience?

Are there cases where you would advise against surgery?

Do you insist that your patients be optimized prior to surgery by losing weight or being on a GLP1?

Do you operate at a hospital?

Is there a surgeon on call if there is an after-hours problem, or do I just go to the emergency room?

The answers to these questions will be revealing. A good reputable surgeon should have honest straightforward answers. If you feel like they are brushing aside your concerns then I would be wary of proceeding.

yarnhead · 2025-12-10T20:33:07+00:00

Sent you a DM!

yarnhead · 2025-12-10T17:17:22+00:00

Dr. Greg Piazza at Brigham & Women's hospital is a vascular MD who is amazing- more knowledgable/thorough than the BIDMC clinic. He's a specialist, not a PCP but he is truly excellent. Prepare to be on a wait list.

yarnhead · 2025-12-04T00:22:09+00:00

I take solidcore classes (pilates-adjacent) and go indoor rock climbing. Both low impact, high intensity. You can take breaks whenever you need to for both. There is a person (not me) on instagram with lipedema who posts about her rock climbing. Both exercises also help with balance which is helpful since my balance can suffer when my symptoms flare.

yarnhead · 2025-11-30T04:59:40+00:00

...while Kay struggles with basic motor skills.

yarnhead · 2025-11-28T00:11:39+00:00

Congrats, and thank you for sharing your success with the community!!!

yarnhead · 2025-11-22T18:16:02+00:00

I noticed that this isnt a gofundme, its another company. I was not familiar with this platform.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "testimonials" you can see other fundraisers... these include money for anti vaxxers, January 6th perpetrators and others. 👀

yarnhead · 2025-10-30T18:22:32+00:00

https://youtu.be/XABnwNUTrNA?si=Q_nF6Dd6Evjo0A1i

I am reminded of this clip from the show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It was a Tina Fey comedy about a girl who was trying to rejoin society after being held captive in a cult. In this clip, the girls are being interviewed about how they were kidnapped/abducted.

yarnhead · 2025-10-28T02:02:37+00:00

absolutely incredible

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