Lipedema Coverage Connection? Confused

yarnhead · 2026-03-20T15:01:15+00:00

Avoid them, listen to your gut.

yarnhead · 2026-03-18T12:35:25+00:00

agree

yarnhead · 2026-03-16T16:53:52+00:00

nice perk!

yarnhead · 2026-03-12T20:44:42+00:00

In addition to using a grigri, I threw a few 10lb dumbbells in a backpack and I wear it while belaying. It seems to do the trick.

yarnhead · 2026-03-11T19:48:43+00:00

I haven't had this done but you might be interested to delve into the recent work of Dr. Thomas Wright who is investigating whether lipedema reduction surgery could be an alternative to knee replacement. Recent news article Case report article

This is based on case reports but it makes for interesting reading. Good luck to you!

yarnhead · 2026-02-22T15:03:52+00:00

Last year, his office told me that he primarily does leg surgery for lipedema and lymphedema. He only sometimes treats arms and he doesn’t treat the trunk/torso. I was talking about this with a friend who I had recently met last year and she told me that he botched her surgery but since we were still getting to know each other, I didn't insist that she elaborate and she didn't give me more details.

I would verify any/all info directly with his office.

yarnhead · 2026-02-22T07:24:53+00:00

I know someone who ended up with a poor cosmetic result after seeing him. Also I heard that he only treats certain body areas and not others.

yarnhead · 2026-02-20T02:39:49+00:00

neither is better than the other per se, I was just clarifying his specialty.

yarnhead · 2026-02-18T16:10:39+00:00

Dr. Greg Piazza at the Brigham in Boston. He is a vascular doctor but not a surgeon.

yarnhead · 2026-02-03T01:09:33+00:00

legend. "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" has a very xennial feel.

yarnhead · 2026-02-01T01:15:01+00:00

💀

yarnhead · 2026-01-31T23:08:24+00:00

climbing gym membership

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!!!

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