Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome Doesn’t Define Carla Sosenko

Dating in New York is tough enough

We all face challenges in life. Sometimes these are financial in nature, like how we’re going to cover a budget shortfall. A cash call for no fax payday loans can do the trick and help preserve your credit.

How we deal with adversity defines our character. Werner Herzog, the famous German filmmaker, once said that he was most interested in characters who were in crisis, because it is only in how we deal with crisis that we see the true mettle of the man or woman. Carla Sosenko, a respected writer and editor who has worked on a variety of national publications, doesn’t see Klippel Trenaunay syndrome as something that defeats her. She lives well and doesn’t let K T Syndrome keep her from doing what she wants in life – like dating.

Pretty… pretty sure this will be an adventure

Carla Sosenko writes about her dating experiences in Marie Claire with great candor. Klippel Trenaunay syndrome doesn’t dictate her experience, but as you’ll see, it must be factored into the equation. Men may see her as attractive, but as Sosenko reminds as she tells the story of her date with “Joel,” that he “hasn’t even seen me yet, no really”…

On this first date in a long string of first dates, I’m in a dimly lit bar on New York’s Lower East Side, bewitching a stranger with my hip wit, my shiny blonde hair, my ability to keep pace with his drinking. This guy (we’ll call him Joel) likes me. I can tell, but then he says so: “This is the best first date I’ve been on.” It’s a nice sentiment, but I’ve heard it before, so I swallow it with a swig of PBR. It’s easy to do when I know he hasn’t even seen me yet, not really.

I was born with the rare circulatory disorder Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome (K-T), which translates differently for everyone who has it. For me, it means my right leg is larger than my left and trails slightly when I walk; my back is an uneven, fatty slab with a dense lump above the waist (which a guy in high school once called a meatball); and a gigantic port-wine stain reaches around my broad torso and down toward my right thigh. I know it could have been worse. I might have been blind; I might have needed amputation. I know that I’m lucky.

Online dating and Klippel Trenaunay syndrome

Clearly, Sosenko is self-confident. She is also realistic, in that she knows that Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome might cause her romantic opportunities to turn the other way and run. But she does accentuate the positive:

But K-T definitely complicates things. Tonight Joel hasn’t a clue. The dating site where he found me promised that my body type was “Average,” and as far as he can tell, it is. What else could I have chosen? There was no space for categorizing just my left leg as “Slim” and my back as “Not At All Back-like.” No casual way to mention K-T along with my taste for Middle Eastern food and mistrust of cats. I can conceal my body for a time, to a point, with clever dressing and maneuvering, so what Joel sees stacks up to the pictures I’ve posted: yoga arms, bony clavicle, long, graceful neck in full view. And my pretty face — my beautiful face, if I choose to indulge the flattery I’ve heard on occasion.

Facing rejection

Carla Sosenko is not being deceptive. She isn’t hiding; she’s leading with what she considers to be her most flattering features. But when the time comes to reveal those parts of her body that have been touched by Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, the tide can turn as quickly as it came. A hint of bitterness, some sadness and the human need to be understood and loved are footprints. She has followed them before…

But if I make it to a third date, it means I like the guy. That’s when I imagine myself as Jaye Davidson in “The Crying Game”: When my secret is revealed — when my date chivalrously ushers me through a door and gets a good look at my back, or kisses me and glides his hand over a ridge he didn’t know was there — I am abandoned. Which is why I rarely let things get to that point.

Sometimes, though, my desire to be understood is overwhelming.

Understanding Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome

Klippel Trenaunay syndrome, or KTS or K-T for short, is typically characterized by circulation issues marked with hemangiomas, arteriovenous abscesses, and varicose veins, mainly on the limbs. Dan Sevigny writes for Alternative Health Journal that the condition is “painful and life-threatening, but there are several treatments that work with varying success”…

1. Surgical: Tumor removal via debulking is a common treatment for Klippel Trenaunay syndrome. However, this is typically only used as a last resort, as it is an invasive technique. In extreme cases, amputation may be considered, but the real long-term benefits of such measures are questionable (considering the impact).
2. Non-Surgical: Shrinking swollen blood vessels via sclerotherapy, where medicine is injected directly into the affected veins. Once the veins open up to allow normal blood flow, swelling decreases. Compression garments and massage therapy can also be used, depending upon the severity of the patient’s Klippel Trenaunay syndrome.

The Mayo Clinic’s prognosis report

The world-famous Mayo Clinic reports that they have the most experience dealing with cases of Klippel Trenaunay syndrome, and they say that surgery is not always an option. Over 39 years and 252 cases of Klippel Trenaunay syndrome, “only 145 (57.5 percent) could be treated by primary surgery,” writes Sevigny. Treating the varicose veins had a 40 percent success rate, while cutting away vascular malformations was 60 percent successful. Debulking has seen 65 percent success, while surgery to correct bone deformities and non-symmetrical limb length (epiphysiodesis) has proven to be most successful (90 percent).

Unfortunately, all of these procedures leave the patient with high recurrence rates.

Triumph over adversity

Carla Sosenko is not the only person in the public eye who deals with . Pro golfer Casey Martin understands. In fact, Martin had to take legal action because of his condition. He successfully sued the PGA in 2001 under the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result of the judge’s ruling, he is allowed to use a golf cart in PGA tournaments.

Casey Martin continues to compete in the world of pro golf. Carla Sosenko continues to forge an admirable career in journalism and magazine writing. Klippel Trenaunay syndrome has not stopped them, but it has presented unique challenges that they must face in order to succeed. Be thankful for your health, and if you are experiencing difficulties, strive to overcome them whenever possible. On a lesser scale, a cash call for no fax payday loans can help with those short-term financial difficulties. Be confident when trouble comes; there are tools to help.

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