Prepare for your visit
A short, calm checklist to make your free consultation as useful as possible. You don’t need to do all of this — but the more you can bring, the more we can get out of the 30 minutes together. Most patients put this together in about an hour the weekend before.
For a free video consultation
1. Fill out the diagnostic checklist
Mark the items that apply to you. This is the single most useful thing you can do — it organizes years of symptoms into a structure we can review quickly together. Bring it to the call.
2. Write a short symptom timeline
Don’t agonize over this. Two paragraphs is plenty:
- When did you first notice changes in your legs (or arms)?
- What was the trigger, if any — puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, starting/stopping hormonal contraception?
- How fast has it progressed?
- What hurts, where, and when?
- What have you already tried — diets, exercise programs, garments, MLD, other clinicians?
- What other diagnoses have been suggested, by whom, and what tests were run?
3. Standardized photos (we send instructions when you book)
Plain background, full-body front + back + side, plus close-ups of the areas that hurt most. We send the exact instructions and an upload link when you book. Soft, neutral lighting; comfortable clothing that lets us see the distribution. The photos are encrypted, kept private, and used only by Dr. Hall and the clinical team.
4. Family history
A quick note on which female relatives have the same body distribution and the same complaints — mother, aunts, sisters, grandmothers. Lipedema is heritable, and this is often the most diagnostic single piece of information.
5. Your medical context
- Current medications, including hormonal contraception or hormone replacement therapy.
- Major health conditions (cardiovascular, diabetes, autoimmune, clotting history).
- Any prior surgeries.
- Allergies, especially to anesthetics or antibiotics.
6. Three questions you most want answered
Write them down. Bring them to the call. The 30 minutes goes fast and it’s easy to remember at the end that you forgot to ask the thing you most wanted to ask. Three concrete questions is a great anchor.
You don’t need any of this to book the call
We schedule consultations first, then send you the prep package. If you arrive on the call with only a vague sense of what’s wrong and nothing written down, we still work with you — the call is designed to help you organize what you know, not to test whether you’ve already organized it.
For an in-person consultation (after the video visit)
If we agree on an in-person evaluation, we’ll send a packet with directions, what to wear, what to bring, and what to expect on arrival. The short version:
- Wear: comfortable clothing you can change out of easily; bring shorts and a sports bra or tank for the physical exam.
- Bring: photo ID, insurance card, any prior records or imaging, your symptom timeline, any compression garments you’ve used (we want to see fit and brand).
- Allow: about 90 minutes for the visit; 30 of those are with Dr. Hall personally.
For surgical patients
Pre-surgical preparation gets its own dedicated planning visit (or call) once we’ve agreed on a surgical plan. It covers: medication adjustments, fasting instructions, compression garment fitting, post-op companion arrangements, recovery-friendly clothing, what to have at home, when to stop NSAIDs and certain supplements, and what to bring on the day. None of it is mysterious or burdensome; it’s just specific. Patients who follow the pre-op checklist have meaningfully smoother recoveries than those who improvise.
Not sure where to start?
A free 30-minute video consultation gives you an honest read on your situation — your likely stage, your options, and a clear next step. No cost, no pressure.