Testimonials

Michelle’s Journey: Overcoming Stage 3 Lipedema with Dr. Georgiou’s Expertise

Why did you decide on choosing Dr. Georgiou for surgery?

I had been researching into Lipedema surgery after undergoing several years of the recommended conservative therapies. I had spoken with many surgeons in many different countries, but hadn’t found the right one. I had extensive long present fibrosis and was stage 3, so many surgeons wanted a lot of money for a lot of smaller surgeries. I was quickly losing mobility by the time I had joined the Facebook Global Lipedema Group and asked there who the best surgeons people could recommend for my specific scenarios. Two had stood out that were good with the fibrosis issues in the recommendations I had been given; the first one I spoke with seemed absolutely out of touch with what it was like to be a patient; and the second Dr. Georgiou stood heads above the rest with his care, questions, knowledge and putting my concerns and desires first. He wasn’t asking me to spend a fortune to visit another country so he could give me a consult in person, he wasn’t asking me to come for 10 surgeries so he could micro cannula me to perfection, he knew what I needed, knew what he could do for me, and that was exactly what I was looking for.

Which procedure did you have?

I had full legs fronts and am scheduled for full legs backs. I still need to do midsection and full arms.

Please give a short description of your surgical experience and postop recovery.

I had read many testimonials from women who had surgery and were able to fly home quickly and not spend a lot of time dealing with the actual procedure. For a brief moment I considered a money savings place that was more of an “in and out.” I didn’t quite understand the length of time Dr Georgiou recommended to stay close by after the procedure if all these other places were so short and these other women were hopping on planes so fast. Well after experiencing it firsthand, I can tell you that I’m glad I listened to him. I cannot fathom having to deal with the post op draining and cleaning and maintenance all myself. I am ever so grateful for his facility to keep me in house for several days afterwards to tend to my needs as there was no way I would have comfortably done that myself. The more money I paid to be truly taken care of after such a surgery was well worth anything I would have saved at an “in and out.” I had zero complications, within 8 weeks my legs looked amazing, and I was ready to schedule my next procedure.

What concerns did you have about undergoing this procedure, and how did your surgeon assist in alleviating them?

I had a lot of concerns about if the Lipedema would grow back, if I was wasting my time, of the pain would alleviate, and Dr Georgiou had an amazing way of not only alleviating my fears, but explaining the science behind why things would likely turn out the way we discussed. I didn’t know that a layer of scar tissue would basically block the fibrosis from forming again as that hasn’t been mentioned in any of my research, and truly in my experience that’s exactly what’s happened. I don’t worry anymore about Lipedema ruining my life, I just look forward to it being gone and doing me again.

Explain why you are pleased with your decision to undergo this procedure. How has it positively affected your life and your self-esteem?

I have an extremely painful version of Lipedema that has made living difficult. I have spent many more days wanting to just be dead than live wasting away with fibrosis painfully demobilizing me and everything I ever enjoyed doing. I dealt with doctors my entire life who told me to diet and exercise more, didn’t believe I had anything wrong but “crazy woman fibromyalgia,” and told me to get my stomach stapled if I couldn’t behave myself and push away from the table. I had insurance companies that made me jump through a million hoops just to deny me and say it was my fault I was “just fat.” The day a plastic surgeon felt my calf and said “wow that’s a lot of fibrosis,” it was finally not my fault. I finally could get myself together and work towards something instead of just wasting away. I had lost everything as the pain of the Lipedema increased, but I kept trying and finally got lucky getting a remote job that allowed me to save money for surgeries. I knew I’d never afford the $25,000 for each of my 4 surgeries in the US so I started looking overseas, moved to France to get closer to possible European surgeons with much more experience in treating Lipedema patients and taking it seriously, and finally found Dr Georgiou and his amazing staff and program. I tell all the other Lipedema women I meet, if I won the lottery I would put it towards helping other women get their lives back who had been gaslit the whole time that there was nothing that could be done or that it was all their fault. There’s many who will tell you Lipedema surgery is barbaric, isn’t “proven” and not worth the effort. I will tell you in my experience it absolutely is and was worth everything. I would do it 10 times over.

Share the specific reasons why you are happy with your choice of surgeon. What are his most important qualities?

Dr Georgiou was absolutely the most caring, understanding and empathetic helper I have ever ran across on this whole “lipedema experience.” Lucky for all of us he just happens to be a world renowned surgeon in it too. I had met many other surgeons and staff that seemed to be maybe “good” or practiced at Lipedema, but I still felt like another number to them. Like fitting me in the calendar between doing someone’s eyebrows and Brazilian butt. I could tell the difference in doctors between someone who was just interested in churning me through as another “artistic liposuction” and someone who knew this was potentially a life altering event. Dr Georgiou seemed to understand that to me, and I respected he did.

In what ways did our staff support you throughout your surgical experience?

One of the most amazing parts of the experience in working with Dr Georgiou is that he made sure to introduce me to his team, and for them to see me as a person, not just a patient. I had been through so many other encounters with staff that could care less about me and what I was visiting the practice for which often left a bad taste. I’m not just another hamburger patty getting slapped together at the job you don’t care about! Every morning after my procedure his staff came to visit me to say hello and ask how I was doing. It felt like a group of people who were not only proud of the work and in achieving a good result, but in making sure I was comfortable and happy with my experience. I was more than ready to call again and sign up for another procedure, looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Do you have any advice for those who are considering undergoing this procedure?

I know it’s a huge decision and it can be very difficult to choose who and what is the best way to go in these matters. I held off for years thinking “well I’ve gone this long,” and truly if it wasn’t for the Lipedema growing so fast after perimenopause, I probably would have never gotten the courage to bother. But when I started to lose mobility from fibrosis blocking my calf muscles I knew I had to do something. Looking back, had known how much benefit I would’ve gotten from meeting Dr Georgiou and his staff, I would’ve done this 30 years ago when I was stage 1. As we would’ve all been in High School 30 years ago I guess I’ll just have to let that one slide. So my advice is, if you can, absolutely do it. I would have nothing I could say to you that would direct otherwise. Good luck all, and God bless.

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