Hi there. As i understand it, you are quite certain of the diagnosis & are clear that the condition is a benign one. You mention her surgery is scheduled for thursday next & i presume you are looking for some pointers on what to be prepared for & how best to approach the situation. At the outset, Relax,,,it does not appear to be a serious issue & the surgery per se should be 'excisional' in that the entire cyst with the sac will have to be removed & this should be pretty straight-forward & assume the surgeon will do it under CT-guidance. Having said that, i note that she has 'far too many medications & medical ailments' to list in your own words. Herein lies the challenge..more than the surgery per se, i encourage you to get a good physician's evaluation of the situation & clearance for the surgery. There may be need for her sugars to be under control & the judicious use of insulin et al.
I do hope this answers all your concerns & am pretty certain your mother is a tough cookie & will come out of this with flying colours. We do wish her well & hope the surgery et al go well as it should & she is soon back to top form! Cheers & Good Luck!

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Hi there again.
Personally, if the lipoma is not bothering your mother & there is no undue morbidity & considering it is reported clearly as a benign lesion, I would not recommend going in for a surgery.
However, having said that, your surgeons/doctors there on the ground are best placed to make a judgement call on this.
You are right..it is not a common occurence & if he says he will have to remove a part of the calf muscle with it, it may take longer to recuperate/rest/rehabitaitation. Ensure the facility is equipped with a good physiotherapy unit prior to the surgery as more oftne than not, the post-operative care & physiotherapy are all important. Given her age & the myriad of medical conditions, it will take a longer time for the recovery than the average person. It will also depend on your mother's mental make up & resolution & her desire for removal of the lesion or not.
It is a tough call & have tried to guide you into making an informed deciscion but in the end, these deciscions are best left in the hands of the treating doctors' at this stage. Cheers & trust this is as far as i can assist you.
Good luck once again & hope it all works out well for your mum! Cheers!

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Hey there.
Any benign tumor can get 'cancerous'..again cancer is an oft misused term..it can be 'benign' or 'malignant'...usually lipoma is the former. Having said that, no-one can be 100% sure. Might i suggest a FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology) to ascertain the same if not operating. If operating the histopathology will ascertain & is probably a better bet.
No she will not lose mobility but will be 'restricted' obviously given her age & medical condition & hence i strongly recommended physiotherapy to be instituted before & after the procedure.
If it is causing her pain & swelling of the leg, then yes it needs to be removed & as i said this is probably the reason your docs' suggested the surgery.
Nope am not an orthopaedic doctor but have had multiple sports injuries & work closely with a team in a major hospital at this end in a dedicated hospital for the same called HOSMAT & have frequently operated on lipomas as they are mostly in the subcutaneous tissues but yes we have encountered muscle based lipomas & they have not generally turned out malignant as a rule.
Cheers & trust have addressed each query lucidly one by one. Your procedure is slated for the morrow i trust. Wish your mother a speedy recovery & am sure all will go well. I understand your anxiety but sometimes, these things are not in our control & we all want the best for your mum...again, i take it she is of a strong mental constitution & at this age, that is half the battle. Reassure her & all will be smooth sailing. Good luck.
Dr Praveen Rodrigues MD

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