Lipodystrophy Treatment Stories
A Three Year Battle for Medical Treatment
“You want to give up and I guess maybe that’s the point – they want you to give up. But I can’t.”
In November of 2012, Jean Marcoccio had surgery to remove the large buffalo hump on the back of her neck, alleviating the chronic headaches and sleeplessness that plagued her for years because of the pressure the hump put on the back of her skull. She’s more physically comfortable and ...
Read More →A Life Curtailed
“I used to be a very social, very outgoing, active person. And now I find myself just isolating because of the lipodystrophy.”
“It’s a win-lose situation for me,” says Joe Clement of living with the extreme side effects of the HIV medication that is keeping him alive. “My health is good, but I have what I call this ‘morphed image’ when I look at myself in the mirror. “I can’t stand it.”
For ...
Read More →Fighting for Treatment
Most people suffering from lipodystrophy don’t have the financial resources or provider support to successfully appeal an insurer’s denial of treatment.
Beth Hastie, 43, had the worst case of buffalo hump her surgeon had ever seen, a striking declaration for a doctor who had performed buffalo hump removal surgeries for about 25 other patients. It has caused permanent physical damage to her ...
Read More →I’m Not Living A Life That I Should Be Living
“I can’t stress enough how devastating lipodystrophy is and how much your life changes because of it.”
Mark forces himself to leave his apartment in Boston at least once a day, because he knows it’s unhealthy to live like a recluse. Usually, he heads to a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee. But his 10-minute walk can feel like a 10-mile journey because of the way people react to Mark’s ...
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