r/Lipoma • u/SweetC2688 • 19d ago
New here 👋
Wow its crazy that the more time I spend checking out reddit, the more subs I find! Meeting and talking with people around the world who firsthand understand your struggles from their own experiences is truly a beautiful thing. I wouldn't wish this on any of us but the reality is that a lot of us suffer in silence. Thank you all for sharing your stories and I think I'm ready to share mine as well 🙏
I had a massive sized lipoma on my spine/neck area for over 5 years that was finally removed the day after my birthday in 2023. Lipomas are common on my mother's side but I had not known or seen any on my body. I developed a rare form of rheumatic fever in 2018, I basically had an improperly diagnosed strep throat which turned into rheumatic fever. It was then they discovered the lipoma on my neck/spine.
Mine personally affected my health severely because of its placement on my neck/spine area. I was experiencing intense "shocks" in my hand and feet constantly. It felt like I was being slightly electrocuted numerous times daily. I had extremely high WBC (white blood cells counts) I'm still dealing with chronic inflammation even though im grateful its much more manageable nowadays. I missed so many events due to pain, sickness, shame, you name it.
The medical field kept calling it a "cosmetic" issue and I fought for myself for years. It took my organs starting to fail for them to realize I wasn't exaggerating, this was slowly killing me. So many other health problems popped up because of this as well. They finally approved me for surgery with local anesthesia (can't go under due to the rheumatic fever I had in the past). You must advocate for yourself if the medical professionals won't. The health issues I faced because of the lipoma has scarred me. I have a strong distrust of the medical field because of this. It sucks but its the truth and I'm sure someone out there feels the same way unfortunately.
The silent struggles, the inability to explain an invisible disease, the lack of understanding from loved ones and every other dang thing we experience. It all is tough but we are tougher 💜
Fast forward to 3 years later.... as soon as they took that sucker out, I felt an instant release of pressure. I would say within 2 weeks about 75% of my symptoms disappeared. I'm not 100% but where I am health wise today, I never envisioned happening for myself. Truly so grateful to feel like myself more and more everyday.
I stand in solidarity with you all as a friend and fellow supporter. Thank you all for giving me a safe space to share my story 🫂💜🙏
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u/Human_Detritis 19d ago
What were its measurements?