Guest author Steffi
I am Steffi and was born on August 30, 1991 near Leipzig. Now I live near Koblenz on the Rhine.
By puberty, I began to notice differences between my friends' legs and mine. But since no doctor could help me, I lived ignorantly with the chronic disease lipedema until I was 23 years old.
After more than a year of conservative therapy, I played more and more with the idea of having an operation, as the pain determined my life more and more. I had an operation on February 16, 2017, and what can I say ...
For a good six months, I can no longer imagine what it was like before liposuction.
Much has changed in the meantime
I even thought of a trekking tour, which was unthinkable before the operation. Why? Because the pain was under control. At the end of May we booked our flights (my friend couldn't be missing, of course). The goal: Ireland. A dream is finally coming true. Ireland, we are coming!
But I can tell you, I am not someone who lets everything happen. I usually plan everything down to the last detail, but we set the time period for the tour and the approximate route, nothing more. What an adventure I have just embarked on.
We packed our hiking backpacks
- 3 long pants (1 hiking pants, 2 running tights)
- 10 T-shirts (functional shirts)
- 7 hiking socks
- 1 pair of hiking boots
- Toiletry bag (reduced to the slightest!)
- 1 vest
- 3 long sleeve shirts
- Rain cape
- First aid kit, blister plaster and tape
- 2 travel towels (very small, foldable and light)
- 1 sleeping bag and air mattress
- ... my friend was allowed to wear everything else
Traveling with lipedema: backpacking Ireland
And yes you read that right, no compression. I wanted to enjoy the vacation and not think about my illness.
Was this a mistake?
You will find out in my next article!
All the best
Your Steffi