Christine, a 73-year-old retiree from Adelaide, first encountered the term ‘Lipoedema’ in late 2020. She recalls watching a news segment featuring a young woman describing her struggle with painful, disproportionate legs and a lack of weight loss despite intense efforts.
“I was able to identify with all her comments,” Christine reflects. Intrigued, she began researching online and stumbled upon a video of Dr. Lekich explaining the condition. She was immediately struck by photos of women whose body shapes mirrored her own.
Christine’s own symptoms had been started during menopause, and after undergoing a full hysterectomy in 2015 her Lipoedema escalated year after year. She experienced rapid weight gain despite leading an active lifestyle. “I went from 60kg to 119kg in five years,” Christine shares. The swelling and heaviness in her legs and abdomen intensified, accompanied by painful, rice-like nodules under her skin.
Christine used to lead a very active lifestyle, enjoying tennis, squash, badminton, swimming and gardening. Since she can no longer even kneel down without pain, she has had to give up on a large part of her life, leaving her feeling isolated.
By 2021, she was formally diagnosed with Stage 4 Lipoedema and secondary Lymphoedema, a diagnosis that finally explained her escalating weight, chronic pain, and difficulty walking.
In her quest for relief, Christine initially tried conservative management, including Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) massages, compression garments, and an anti-inflammatory diet. Though these measures offered minimal improvement, they were vital in maintaining her health as she prepared for surgery.
In 2022 as part of her conservative management, Christine was treated for venous insufficiency by Dr. Teo, and immediately felt a large pain in both legs disappear “literally overnight.”
In May 2023, she had her first procedure using the minimally invasive, Lymph-Sparing technique, during which 5L litres of lipoedema fat were removed from her lower legs. In August, 4.9L litres were removed from her posterior upper legs. By March 2024, another 4 litres were taken from her anterior upper legs. Christine has an upcoming fourth surgery, which could potentially be her last.
The journey hasn’t been easy, but Christine remains optimistic. Her goal is to regain mobility, reduce pain, and rebuild her fitness.
Beyond her personal journey, Christine is a passionate advocate for Lipoedema awareness. She emphasises the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, urging women to educate themselves and their healthcare providers. “The more people know, the sooner they can get help,” she asserts.
For Christine, spreading awareness is about more than just her own health. “Medicare and private insurers need to recognise Lipoedema as an official disorder,” she insists, pointing to the potential cost savings and preventing further complications.
Christine also points toward the importance of awareness so women can understand their issues and seek proper treatment, “My old GP would not accept Lipoedema as being a disorder and I had difficulty getting her to refer me for my first operation with Dr. Lekich … I feel it so important to pass the word on and bring it to people’s attention to help them get their GP’s on their side and not have such a fight on their hands as I did. The amount of time wasted for me, years, was the difference of being impacted both mentally and physically worse than it should have been.”
Christine’s message to others is one of hope and perseverance. “All is not lost. There are ways to manage Lipoedema and live a fuller life,” she encourages. “Stay informed, stay persistent, and never lose hope.”