mez

Hello from Down Under :)My story ..  I was finally diagnosed with Primary Lymphoedema after 13 long months of not knowing what was going on with my legs in Jan 2009 - and this was by pure accident or someone above was watching over me!  The diagnosis was not made by my old doc ..he was away and i opted to see a different doctor in this clinic that was close to home and thank goodness I did!   She referred me onto Lymphoedema Clinic in Melboure to which i was accepted for ongoing treatment for free .. however, I was advised that due to the severity of my chronic illness that I would need Lapband Surgery to help as my mobility at the time of diagnosis was quite limited.  Due to my previous doctors lack of knowledge i had ended up with 2 stumps for legs that were extremely heavy to move.   I was referred to see Mr Stephen Blamey - Bariatric Surgeon in Melbourne, he told me i was a perfect candidate for this operation however, i could not afford the operation at the time (June 2009).  I upgraded my insurance to ensure that i was fully covered for this operation and had to wait 12 months as my illness was then classified as a "pre-existing" ailment.  Twelve long excruciating months went on and i was back at Mr Blamey's office preparing to let him know that i had one more month to wait and then I could go ahead with the surgery (woooooot) - however by this stage due to not being able to walk far and i mean i could probably walk for 5 mins and i was in a lot of pain and discomfort!  I had ended up weighing an amount i never in my life imagined to ever get to :( . I was successfully banded on 15th of July 2010 .. my journey to a better quality of life has only just begun :)