Meet Sally, a thirty-five-year-old patient from Queensland.
Sally says she was told by countless doctors for years that she was ‘just fat’ and needed to ‘eat less and exercise more’. Always leading an active, outdoors lifestyle however, it didn’t make sense to her why her legs kept getting bigger.
Sally had undergone around five ultrasounds on her left leg, which continued to swell. When each ultrasound ruled out a blood clot however, she was sent away with no explanation.
Sally says her Lipoedema diagnosis came to her by chance. When her usual doctor wasn’t available for her yearly skin checkup, she saw a different doctor instead. This doctor asked why Sally had undergone so many ultrasounds on her left leg, and suggested she make an appointment at a nearby business called Harmony House with Nathalie Mills.
Sally walked into the appointment, and before she could sit down Nathalie suggested that she may have Lipoedema, and assured her she could help. They had an extensive conversation, with Nathalie suggesting Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) therapy could help, and that Sally book a consultation with Dr Lekich.
Sally had her first consultation with Dr Lekich in February 2020, and says that that is when her journey began. The first step was to undergo ultrasound guided sclerotherapy for her venous issues to reduce the risk of bleeding and clotting post surgery, as well as to reduce swelling. Sally also began using custom flat knit compression garments, following a consultation with Clare Anstiss from Medical Accessories Australia, and attended dietician consultations with Dr Mann as part of the conservative management protocol.
Sally underwent the first of three Lipoedema-Extraction surgeries in March 2021. Using a Lymph-Sparing technique, developed in Germany by Dr Heck, Dr Lekich removed 8.3 Litres of fat from Sally’s anterior thighs. The second surgery resulted in 12.3 Litres being removed from the posterior thighs. Finally, the third surgery resulted in an additional 7.8L being removed from Sally’s lower legs, resulting in a total of 28.4L removed.
Sally says she feels overwhelmed with the difference in her body, and continues to feel stronger, healthier, and happier every single day.
Sally’s photos were taken prior to her first surgery and after her second surgery (before her lower leg surgery).
Image 4 has been included to demonstrate the difference following venous treatments.