Mental Health Advocacy in Lipedema with Holistic Mental Health Counselor Hilary Stowers

Hosts Cindy and Kristy welcome Hilary Stowers, A holistic Mental Health counselor for Holistic Health and Nutrition, LLC, National Certified Counselor (NCC), Board-Certified Resident-in-Counseling, Certified Grief Counselor, EMDR-trained clinician, and lipedema patient, to discuss supporting women with lipedema through validation and trauma-informed care. Hilary shares how she recognized lipedema years before confirmation at FDRS, describes symptoms like column legs, bruising, slow healing, and family history, and explains challenges finding knowledgeable providers, navigating medical gaslighting, and dealing with ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief. She outlines comorbidities and complexities including hypermobility, venous insufficiency, endometriosis, and the impact of misdiagnosed Lyme disease and perimenopause on flare-ups. The conversation covers surgery timelines, insurance barriers and wins, the importance of vetting lipedema-literate providers, and the need for menopause/hormone-literate care. Hillary explains her holistic counseling approach and where listeners can find her online.00:00 Show Introduction00:57 Meet Hilary Stowers02:41 Counseling Background03:40 Finding Lipedema06:23 Early Signs and Symptoms09:24 Diagnosis Access and Resources15:43 Vetting Providers and Community18:19 Body Image and Lyme Trigger23:50 Comorbidities and Vein Issues26:30 Insurance Delays and Surgery Plans28:05 Perimenopause and New Surgeries32:31 Compression Recovery Routine32:54 Surgery Timeline Breakdown35:05 Menopause Hormones Baselines38:31 Testing Tweaks And Cortisol40:35 Avoiding Blind Hormone Prescriptions42:02 Insurance Coverage For Surgery44:51 Choosing Surgeons And Consults49:55 Community Support And Sharing55:37 Red Flags In Untrained Providers57:52 Counseling Seen Heard Understood01:04:33 Where To Find Hilary01:06:16 Episode Wrap UpFollow us on Social media!!!Kristy's Contact information:IG⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dellalunawellness/⁠FB Group⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1F3pseJKUd/?mibextid=wwXIfr⁠⁠⁠⁠Website is below  Kristy Dellacroce, MS,OTR/L, MLD-CDellalunawellness.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lipedema Advocate 856-297-7437Cindy contact information⁠FB:⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/withcindyhowell⁠⁠⁠Private FB Group:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/7021999704562921⁠⁠⁠⁠IG:⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/lipedema_withcindyhowell/⁠Cindy Howell RN PHC MPCHWebsite:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.withcindyhowell.com⁠⁠⁠⁠Lipedema advocate: 860-550-1161Top 5 Foods to Avoid for Managing Lipedema! Link:⁠ https://withcindyhowell.com/checklist/⁠Free surgery course: ⁠⁠https://l.bttr.to/6cATB⁠Hilary Stowers:https://www.instagram.com/hilarystowerscounseling/https://linktr.ee/hilarystowers