Lipedema Rebel

Lipedema Rebel was created from lived experience.

After years of living with lipedema without answers, and after going through surgery, recovery, preparation, doubts, pain, documentation, appointments and daily adjustments, I understood one thing clearly:

Women with lipedema need more than awareness.

They need practical support.
They need structure.
They need resources created for the reality of this disease.
They need to understand where to start, how to prepare, and how to move forward.

Inside Lipedema Rebel, I created different tools to support women along their journey:

The Lipedema Journal, where I share my lived experience through articles.
The Lipedema Library, with practical guides and workbooks that can be used independently or during mentoring.
The Rebel Boutique, with skincare and activewear created to support daily life with lipedema.
Private 1:1 mentoring, to help women prepare before, during and after surgery.
And the new 90+90 Days Mentoring Program, created to support women before surgery and throughout recovery.

Lipedema Rebel is not only awareness.
It is preparation, guidance, organisation, recovery support and lived experience transformed into practical resources.

Applications for all mentoring programs starting from September are now open.

If you are preparing for lipedema surgery or trying to understand your next steps, this is where you can start.

www.lipedema-rebel.com or check my links in Bio 😉

Hair removal is probably one of the last things you think about before lipedema surgery.

Until one day you realize you don’t know what is actually safe.

Can you shave?
When can you wax again?
Is laser hair removal allowed?
Why does your skin still feel numb?

These are small questions that many women have, but very few people talk about.

After three lipedema surgeries, I learned that healing takes time. Even when your skin looks better on the outside, the deeper tissues and lymphatic system are still recovering.

In this carousel, I’ve summarized the general timeline that helped me understand when different hair removal methods may be appropriate during recovery.

✨ Every recovery is different, so always follow your surgeon’s recommendations.

Save this post for your recovery journey and share it with another woman preparing for lipedema surgery.

💜

The second photo is one of the very few pictures I have of my legs before lipedema surgery.

Not because I wasn’t taking photos.

But because I spent years avoiding them.

I avoided mirrors.
I avoided photographs.
I avoided looking at my own body.

Like many women living with lipedema, I felt ashamed of my legs long before I understood there was a medical reason behind what I was experiencing.

Today, looking at these two photos side by side, I see much more than a physical change.

I see years of pain finally being acknowledged.

I see a body that carried me through three surgeries, recovery, complications, physiotherapy, compression, lymphatic drainage, and countless moments of doubt.

I see courage.

And for the first time in a very long time, I see progress.

This isn’t the end of my journey.

But it is a milestone I never thought I would reach.

Later today, I’ll share my body composition results and explain what changed inside my body after three lipedema surgeries.

One of the things that surprised me most after my first lipedema surgery was how much more I started urinating.

I was also significantly thirstier.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand why.

Many women with lipedema notice that they urinate less frequently than expected, despite swelling and fluid retention. One possible explanation is that fluid becomes trapped within the lipedema tissue and the lymphatic system rather than being efficiently filtered and eliminated by the body.

After surgery, I personally noticed a clear change.

My body seemed better able to mobilize and eliminate fluid, and I felt thirsty much more often than before.

Of course, every patient is different, and surgery is only one part of the picture. Hydration, lymphatic function, movement, compression and overall health all play an important role.

In this carousel, we explore some of the mechanisms that may explain why many women with lipedema urinate less frequently and why fluid management can be so challenging.

Have you noticed any changes in urination, thirst or fluid retention after lipedema surgery? Share your experience below. 💜

When people talk about lipedema, they usually focus on the physical symptoms.

The pain.

The treatments.

The surgeries.

But there is another side of lipedema that nobody talks about.

The impact on relationships.

Over the years, I found myself declining invitations more often.

Not because I didn’t care.

Not because I didn’t want to spend time with people.

But because I was exhausted.

Because I was in pain.

Because I didn’t always feel comfortable in my own body.

Because so much of my time, energy, and financial resources were being invested in managing a chronic illness.

Little by little, my social life changed.

Some friendships became less frequent.

Some people stopped calling.

And at times, it felt incredibly lonely.

This is a side of living with lipedema that deserves to be acknowledged too.

Today on the Rebel Journal, I share a personal reflection on how lipedema changed my relationships and why chronic illness can affect friendships and social connections in ways that are rarely discussed.

💜 Read the full article on lipedema-rebel.com

Have you ever felt that lipedema affected your relationships or social life? Let’s talk about it in comments 🫴