My Personal Story of Travelling Through Lipedema Surgery Recovery
A personal reflection on compression garments, swelling, food, fear, flights, beautiful places, and learning how to keep living while my body was still healing.
This morning, I woke up with that rare and very specific feeling of excitement you get when you are somewhere new and the day still feels completely open. I am in Portugal now, writing from my bed in what feels like my temporary new home, drinking coffee and thinking about everything I want to see while I am here.
Portugal already feels easy to move around in. Since we have a car, it feels like we can go almost anywhere. One small town, one beach, one café, one supermarket, one restaurant at a time. The driving culture also seems much calmer than what I experienced in southern Italy. Sorry to my Italian readers, but that was honestly a little scary.
Our plan while we are here is simple. Work a lot. Go to the gym. Eat healthy most of the time. Enjoy good restaurants. Explore small Portuguese towns. Find a rhythm that supports both life and health, without turning everything into a strict health project.
And while I am here, I also want to continue building this community. I can already see that LipedemaScience is having an impact in the lipedema world, not only among readers, but also through conversations with doctors, researchers, and people working in this field. That means a lot to me.
My hope is that, in the future, lipedema treatment becomes more focused on the actual drivers of the condition, not only on symptom management. Surgery can be important. For some of us, it can be life-changing. But surgery is not a root cause treatment. It is a treatment of symptoms and diseased tissue. And those are two very different things.
But that is not really what this article is about..
This article is about how I managed to travel, live, recover, and still feel like myself between my lipedema surgeries. It is about what I actually did when I travelled during that period, what advice I received, what worked for me, what was difficult, and why I am still so glad I chose to keep living my life while I was going through it.
During this period, I had four lipedema surgeries. My first surgery was in September 2021, the second in November 2021, the third in February 2022, and the fourth in October 2022. Between those surgeries, I was healing, wearing compression, dealing with swelling, managing complications, and slowly learning how to live in a body that was constantly recovering. And still, in the middle of that process, I travelled.
Want to see photos from my surgeries and recovery process? You can find them in this article..
Barcelona (Spain)
November 2021
I remember going to Barcelona because my partner had to travel there for work. This was two months after my leg surgery in September, and it was also my first trip after the COVID lockdowns. During the day, I wore double compression garments, and at night I slept with one layer of compression. It was the first time I really understood that travelling affected my whole body, not only my legs. My face was bloated and full of water too.
Flying can make swelling worse because of low cabin pressure, prolonged sitting, reduced movement, and dehydration, which may slow lymphatic flow and allow fluid to pool in the tissues. For many people, this is most noticeable in the legs, ankles, and feet, but for me it felt more systemic. I am not always perfect at wearing compression now, several years after surgery, but I still try to always wear it when I fly. Yesterday, when I flew from Spain to Portugal, I had my compression on. Back then, I remember trying hard to find a hotel with a pool, because I wanted to be in water after the flight and support lymphatic drainage, but I didn’t manage to find one. I was a little scared during that whole trip, because my body still felt fragile and unfamiliar after surgery, but I also really needed that journey. So I tried my best to enjoy Barcelona anyway.
You can see it in the photos too. My body was bloated, and even my face looked full of water. It was one of the first times I truly understood how much travelling and flying could affect my whole system after surgery, not just my legs. When I came back to Norway, it was straight back to the lymphatic press machine, trying to help my body move the fluid again and calm everything down.
Reykjavík (Iceland)
January 2022
Then came Iceland. This was a little more than four months after my first leg surgery, two months after my thigh surgery, and one month before my third surgery. We went there to celebrate my partner turning 30, and I remember feeling much less afraid than I had felt in Barcelona.
By this point, I was no longer wearing double compression in the same way. I used one layer of medical compression, and then compression tights from 2XU or something similar on top. We stayed in four different hotels and Airbnbs during the trip, both in Reykjavík and in other places, and explored the island by car. It felt freeing to move around like that again, even though my body was still very much recovering.
We also spent a couple of days at a lagoon hotel close to the Blue Lagoon, which meant I got to spend time in warm water several times during the trip. We swam both in the Blue Lagoon and in other lagoons, and the warm geothermal water felt amazing for my body, my lymphatic system, my recovery process, and honestly, for my inner peace as well. The Blue Lagoon is known for having warm water temperatures around 37 to 40 degrees Celsius, which is about 98 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. That warmth felt deeply calming for my body, my lymphatic system, my recovery process, and honestly, for my inner peace as well.
Interestingly, I did not feel as bloated on this trip as I had in Barcelona, even though the flight from Oslo to Iceland was longer than the flight to Barcelona. I cannot say for sure why. Maybe the swimming helped. Maybe my body had simply recovered a little more. Maybe it was the combination of movement, warm water, less fear, and being in a place that felt peaceful. It is difficult to know.
At this point, I was also dealing with a huge seroma on my right thigh after my November surgery. So even though Iceland felt easier than Barcelona in many ways, it was not because my body was fully healed. It was because I was learning how to travel with a body that was still healing.
Prague (Czechia)
April 2022
At the end of February, I had my upper arm surgery. This is the surgery where you will see some fluffy, bloated lobster hands in the photos. Around the same time, I had also started wearing class two compression garments on my legs, the kind that looked more like thin nylon pantyhose than the heavier garments I used earlier in the process. Some of the photos of my hands will probably never make their way to the internet, because they are still hard for me to look at. So the photos from this Easter trip are a little limited. This was in April, about one and a half months after my upper arm surgery, five months after my thigh surgery, and seven months after my first leg surgery. The trip started in Prague in Czechia, then we took the train to Vienna in Austria, and from there we continued by bus to Budapest in Hungary.
Vienna (Austria)
April 2022
There is a reason I studied both nutrition and food science. Food genuinely fascinates me, not only because it is cultural, social, and beautiful, but because it can play such an important role in healing the body. And when you are going through a surgical pathway, healing becomes a top priority.
To be completely honest, I think we sometimes underestimate how much the body goes through during liposuction. Even when surgery is necessary and carefully performed, it is still invasive. I sometimes think of it almost like a war inside the tissue. Cannulas have moved back and forth through the fat tissue, removing tissue and leaving the body with a lot of internal repair work. And someone has to rebuild that. That someone is your immune system.
Your body is not just resting after surgery. It is actively repairing tissue, clearing fluid, resolving inflammation, and trying to restore order. That requires energy, protein, micronutrients, hydration, sleep, patience, and the right kind of support. This is also why surgeons emphasize compression garments. They help the tissue heal more evenly, support fluid movement, reduce fluid buildup, and may help prevent contour irregularities. Nutrition matters for the same reason. Your body needs building blocks to repair what has been disrupted.
And then there is patience. The visible bruising and swelling may improve within the first weeks, but the deeper healing takes much longer. Residual swelling can last for months, and for some people it can take up to a year before the final result is visible. That is important to understand before going into a surgical pathway.
Because of this, I do think many people may need to be more careful during surgery periods. Maybe the usual 80 20 approach becomes more like 90 10 for a while. More nutrition, more sleep, less alcohol, fewer inflammatory triggers. But there is also another side to this.
The mental burden can be huge. At least it was for me. Surgery, compression, swelling, pain, waiting, uncertainty, and constantly observing your own body can become exhausting. So giving myself space to breathe, travel, enjoy, and still feel like a person was also important.
I am a cultural seeker, an explorer, and a foodie. So when I went to Vienna for the first time, I knew I had to use some of my 10 or 20 percent joy there. I often talk about the 80 20 rule, but I don’t think it has to look the same for everyone. For one person, it may happen within a day. For someone else, across a week. For others, across a month, a travel period, or even a year. What matters is that it fits your real life.
Today, I have learned much more about how to eat well while traveling. But during this surgery period, I drank more alcohol, ate more sugar, had more fried food, and did not have the same balance I have now. That balance is something I have built gradually, together with my partner, through many reflections on what kind of travel lifestyle we actually want.
I bring this up when writing about Vienna because Vienna is one of those places where food is part of the experience. The city is known for its coffeehouses, cakes, pastries, and layered tortes. Viennese confectionery is part of Austria’s cultural heritage, and sitting in a coffeehouse with cake is not only about sugar. It is also about experiencing a place.
And then there is Wiener schnitzel, one of the most famous dishes in Viennese cuisine. A thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. Simple, crispy, rich, traditional, and everywhere. Would I do that trip differently today? Yes, probably.
If I went back now, I would still enjoy the cake and the schnitzel, because that is part of the experience for me. But I would also add more vegetables, more nutrient-dense food, more protein, and more balance throughout the day. I did not really do that back then. Back then, I used up a lot of my “enjoy life” credits on that trip.
But when I came back to Norway, I returned to my routines. The gym. My anti-inflammatory, vegetable-rich diet. My gut health routines. My compression. My recovery habits.
And I think that is part of the point. You don’t have to live perfectly to support your body. But you do need to understand what your body is going through, especially after surgery. You need to give it what it needs most of the time. And sometimes, when life gives you Vienna, you also allow yourself to sit down, taste the cake, and remember that healing is not only about controlling the body. Sometimes it is also about letting yourself live inside it.
Budapest (Hungary)
April 2022
And then, on the bus ride to Budapest, the shit hit the fan. I started to feel nauseous during the journey, and that night, a heavy food poisoning hit me. My partner stayed completely healthy, and I still don’t know what caused it. Since I studied food science, I had spent a lot of time learning about the microorganisms that cause foodborne illness, including in the laboratory. My first job after my master’s degree was also as a food safety responsible in the food industry, so I knew very well that it can be difficult to know exactly what caused a food poisoning episode. But whatever it was, my body was not happy.
I lost so much fluid, and my body made it very clear that it did not want any more food or liquid. We only had one day to explore Budapest, so it felt really sad to be in such bad shape in such a beautiful city. I felt terrible the whole day. I remember going to this really nice restaurant, and I could tell that the food was delicious, but my body completely refused to accept anything. I had to leave with a full plate of amazing food in front of me, which honestly felt tragic for the foodie in me.
Stavanger (Norway)
May 2022
And then spring finally arrived in Norway, and I went on an amazing girls’ trip to Stavanger.
At that point, it had been about three months since my upper arm surgery, six months since my thigh surgery, and eight months since my first leg surgery. I still had five months left before my fourth and final surgery, so I was very much still in the middle of the whole surgical pathway.
I was still wearing regular compression on my arms, and when I worked out, I wore a full compression tights suit, as you can see in the photos. That meant I had two layers on my arms during training, which felt necessary since my upper arm surgery was still quite recent. I was also still wearing compression pantyhose for my legs. I am not completely sure if I slept with compression at that point, but I probably still used it on my arms at night.
Kløfta (Norway)
May 2022
Later in May, my brother got married, and at the party that evening, my legs had their first real hours without compression after surgery. I took so many mirror selfies that day because I felt amazing. I wanted to document my new legs. I felt light, proud, and honestly a little fascinated by seeing my body look that way. But I also want to be honest. My legs did not look exactly like that after they settled.
I am not completely sure why, or what the full biological process behind it is, but I think it makes sense. When you wear compression continuously after surgery, the tissue is being mechanically supported and shaped for a long time. When that support is removed, the body has to find its own balance again. The remaining fat tissue, fluid, connective tissue, fibrosis, swelling, hormones, and lymphatic function all play a role in how the legs eventually look and feel.
For me, I think several things may have contributed. I am not always consistent with compression now, and I am not always the best at supporting my lymphatic system. I really want to work on that, but I am also trying to figure out how to manage it in a way that does not take over my whole life. Because honestly, lipedema management already takes up a lot of space.
After lipedema surgery, some people experience that the legs look very slim at first, especially while wearing compression regularly, and then later feel fuller again once the tissue settles. This can be incredibly frustrating. It does not necessarily mean that everything has “come back.” It may be related to fluid, fibrosis, tissue remodeling, surviving fat cells returning to their natural shape, hormonal changes, weight changes, or a combination of all of these things.
I have also been on a lot of hormones during the past year, and I do feel that I have seen changes in my body after that. But I do not want to go too deeply into that here. I mainly wanted to explain why I think my legs looked different on this day. This was basically day zero of not wearing leg compression every day after lipedema surgery. And for that moment, I just felt happy in my body.
Santorini (Greece)
July 2022
Then came Greece in July 2022. By that point, it had been about ten months since my first surgery, eight months since my thigh surgery, and five months since my upper arm surgery. I still had three months left before my fourth and final surgery, so I was still in the middle of the process, but I also felt more experienced in how to live with the recovery.
During this trip, I stopped wearing compression on my legs because it had been more than eight months since those surgeries. But I still needed compression on my arms, since my upper arm surgery had only been five months earlier. My surgeon had also told me to cover my scars and keep them out of the sun for one year, to help them heal as pale and neat as possible. So I did exactly that.
At this point, I had not yet had surgery on the lower part of my arms, so I found a bikini top that covered my upper arms. I used that when I was in the water. I wore SPF 50+ all the time, covered up carefully, and avoided direct sun exposure that whole summer. I stayed pale and happy, and I still enjoyed life.
Because I was still wearing compression on my arms, I also bought several long-sleeved dresses for this trip. We were in Greece for about three weeks in total, so I needed clothes that made it possible to feel comfortable, protected, and still like myself.
Santorini is very known for its wine, and at that point, my partner and I had not yet started limiting our alcohol consumption the way we do now. We were genuinely interested in wine and went to several wine tastings that year. Back then, we often bought a bottle of wine to share at home, like Chianti from Tuscany, Chardonnay from Burgundy, or Pinot Noir from California.
That is something we have stopped doing now. Today, we may have a glass or two at a nice restaurant, but we no longer drink wine at home. Part of me feels a little sad about closing that chapter, because it was something we explored together and enjoyed for a while. But I am also grateful that we had that period, and I am equally grateful that we have changed our habits as our lifestyle and health priorities have changed.
And Santorini really is a place where wine is part of the landscape and culture. The wines are known for their vibrant acidity, volcanic minerality, and dry profile. The island’s volcanic soil, intense heat, limited rainfall, and strong Aegean winds create a very specific wine tradition that feels deeply connected to the place itself.
But Santorini is not only wine. It also has beautiful seafood, vegetables, and ingredients shaped by the same mineral-rich environment. So even there, it was possible to find some balance. Enjoyment did not have to mean giving up completely on taking care of myself. It was more about learning how to protect my scars, respect my recovery, experience the place, and still live.
Island Hopping in Greece by Sailboat
July 2022
Then we met our friends in Athens, where we started our sailboat island hopping trip to more remote places, including Hydra. Hydra was especially interesting because the island has no cars, and from what I understood, they use mules to transport things around. It gave the whole place a very different rhythm.
Food-wise, this part of the trip felt much more aligned with what my body usually likes. Mediterranean food is basically perfect for my lipedema lifestyle. Greek salad every day, lots of seafood, simple ingredients, olive oil, vegetables, and meals that felt fresh rather than heavy. After some of the richer food earlier in the year, this felt like a much better balance.
During the sailing trip, I wore compression garments on my arms almost 24 hours a day. When they got wet, I basically let them dry on my body in the wind. I also tried to stay covered as much as possible so my scars did not get direct sun exposure, and honestly, it worked quite well.
There is also something about being on a sailboat that almost forces your nervous system to slow down. The sea, the movement, the silence between places, the wind, the lack of rush. You start to feel that calm, grounded, zen feeling quite quickly. And for a body that is still healing after surgery, I think that kind of environment can matter too. Not as a medical treatment, of course, but as part of the whole recovery picture. A calmer body, a calmer mind, simple food, water, movement, and rest. For me, that trip felt like healing in a very human way.
Copenhagen (Denmark)
July 2022
Then came Copenhagen, where I celebrated my birthday together with my partner. Denmark has a very distinct food and drinking culture, and Copenhagen is a lovely place to experience that. It is a beer drinking country, and it is also known for its open-faced sandwiches, or smørrebrød, with all kinds of beautiful toppings. Fish, eggs, shrimp, meat, herbs, sauces, pickled vegetables, and rye bread. Simple, but still very rich in culture and tradition.
At this point, I was still wearing compression garments on my arms, so even though I was celebrating, travelling, eating out, and trying to enjoy the city, recovery was still part of the background. That is often how this period felt. Life was happening, but compression, scars, swelling, and healing were always there too.
Berlin, Germany
September 2022
My partner studied in Berlin, so this city feels a little like home to him. He still has friends there, and because of that, visiting Berlin never feels like just another city trip. It feels more personal.
Berlin is also one of those cities where history is everywhere. You feel it in the streets, the buildings, the memorials, the contrasts, and the atmosphere. It is a fascinating city to visit because it carries so many layers at once. Heavy history, creativity, nightlife, food culture, street markets, and a kind of rawness that makes the city feel very alive.
And of course, Germany is good at beer, currywurst, street food, and markets. So this was another trip where food and culture were a big part of the experience.
September became a month where we travelled a lot. It was also the month before my fourth and final surgery, so in the background of everything, I knew I was getting close to the last part of the surgical pathway. I was enjoying life, seeing places, eating, walking, meeting people, and at the same time mentally preparing myself for one more round of surgery, compression, swelling, and recovery.
Paris (France)
September 2022
September was a month where I travelled a lot, and honestly, I feel a little shocked when I look back at the dates and see how much we actually did. What a dream month, right before my very last surgery. It is quite a long time ago now, so I do not remember every detail clearly, but looking through old photos brings so much of it back.
We had one full day in Paris on our way to Mauritius, before taking a night flight later that evening. Paris was short, but still Paris. One of those places where even a few hours can feel like something. Then we continued to Mauritius, which was a completely different kind of experience. Warm, tropical, slower, and far away from Norway, but still surprisingly practical because the time difference from Oslo was only two hours. I remember that made it possible for me to keep working from there, which was important at the time. So even though it felt like a big journey, I could still stay connected to my everyday responsibilities while being somewhere that felt almost unreal.
Mauritius
September 2022
Mauritius was a place that truly gave me peace. I loved it. It is located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa, and it felt like such a warm, calm, and welcoming place to be. The people I met there seemed happy, open, and kind, and the island itself has this beautiful multicultural atmosphere.
The food culture in Mauritius is also amazing. It is shaped by African, Indian, Chinese, French, and Creole influences, which makes the cuisine incredibly rich and interesting. You can taste French techniques, bold Creole flavors, spicy Indian curries, and Sino-Mauritian dishes all in the same food culture. For someone like me, who loves food and culture, Mauritius was a dream. You cannot really be there without taking part in the food, the people, and the atmosphere of the island.
At this point, my legs and arms were mostly free from compression, but I still tried to cover my scars as much as I could. It had been one year since my first surgery on my legs, so I allowed my legs to be free during this trip. My lower arm surgery had not been done yet. That surgery came in October the same year. But I still covered my upper arms carefully, using the same long-sleeved dresses I had bought earlier that summer. So even though I felt freer in my body, recovery was still part of how I dressed, moved, and planned my days.
Venice, Sirmione and Milan (Italy)
October 2022
Then in October, I went on an amazing girls’ trip to Italy. In Norwegian, we call this type of trip a “blåtur”, which directly translates to “blue trip”, but the meaning is more like a mystery trip. One or two people plan everything, and the rest of the group does not know where they are going or what will happen. I love that concept, because it makes the whole trip feel like a surprise from start to finish.
We ended up visiting several beautiful places in Italy, including Venice, Sirmione, and Milan. It was one of those trips filled with beautiful scenery, good conversations, nice wine, and really good food. Italy is almost impossible not to enjoy if you love food, culture, architecture, and atmosphere. Everything feels like an experience, from sitting down for a simple meal to walking through old streets and suddenly finding yourself surrounded by history.
Sweden
October 2022
The very last trip I had before my fourth surgery was to Sweden for a concert with my parents-in-law, where we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday. This was only a few days before surgery, so I was very aware that I was about to enter the final round of the whole process.
At that point, it had been about 13 months since my first surgery on my legs, 11 months since my second surgery on my thighs, and 8 months since my third surgery on my upper arms. My fourth and final surgery was on my lower arms, but my surgeon also did a little more work on both my legs and thighs. So even though I had already been through a lot, I knew my body was about to go through one more major healing phase.
Kraków (Poland)
December 2022
And then, guys, I was done. I was done with all of my surgeries, and I felt completely done with going into surgery. Yes, I travelled a lot during this period, and in all of these photos, I am probably at my happiest. But to be completely honest with you, what I do not show here is all the hard work behind it.
I do not show all the struggles. All the hours spent in the lymphatic press machine. All the appointments with my physiotherapist for manual lymphatic drainage. I do not show the fear, or how scared I was of the outcome, the healing process, and whether everything would actually turn out okay. I do not show how tired I was. I do not show the mental struggle I had with my body during this period of my life.
I was focusing on my body all the time, to the point where I sometimes struggled to actually live in it. I did not always see the positive changes. I did not always see the things that were still good about my body. The surgery process took up so much space in my emotional life, and when I look back now, I feel deeply grateful that I am in a very different place today.
It was worth it. But it was hard.
Looking at these photos now, I can see that travel became my escape during that period. I escaped into new places, food, culture, beautiful views, restaurants, hotels, cities, islands, and memories with my partner, friends, and family. I found joy where I could. And I think that matters.
Because this brings me back to what I am trying to foster in this stage of my life. Life should be about more than lipedema management. Life should be about happiness, connection, curiosity, culture, food, movement, love, and collecting memories with people who matter to you.
And my first trip after my very last surgery brings me back to exactly that.
During that last surgery, both my lower arms, legs, and thighs were affected. Basically more than half of my body had gone through trauma at the same time. Seriously, when I think about it now, I almost cannot believe it. Imagine all the immune cells in my body working like crazy, trying to recruit more immune cells, clean up the internal mess, move fluid, repair tissue, and calm everything down again.
On that trip, I felt like a big fluid balloon. I can really see it in my face and hands in the photos. My body was still very much in recovery, and I still had many months of healing ahead of me.
But I think we will end this story here for now.
Thank you for reading and for being here. I hope you enjoyed this article. And if you have ever been through something similar, where you are trying to find a balance between living your life and carrying something difficult at the same time, I would really love to read your story in the comments.
You can see glimpses of the struggle I had during this year in this article here.