Hi Everyone, I'm Michelle and I've Been Diagnosed with Stage II Lipedema
This is my first entry of my ongoing story.
Thank you for clicking onto my newsletter. I am a writer and a nurse, and I never thought I’d be dealing with something as complex and controversial as Lipedema.
If you don’t know about Lipedema, it’s a loose connective tissue disease that affects the fat cells by holding in water (edema). Here’s a few facts about this condition:
It’s mainly a woman’s disease: It rarely affects men, but 11% of women have this disease. That means 1 in 9 women have this, and that means you or someone you know has this problem.
It’s underdiagnosed: Most women get fatter, and the medical community does nothing to help. Women are told to lose weight. They are denied medical treatment because of their obesity. Women who have this disease feel lost and out of control with their body. Many medical professionals have not heard of this condition, and certainly don’t know how to treat it.
It’s progressive and needs extensive treatment, much which is not covered under medical insurance: The only way to reverse lipedema is through surgical liposuction. Considered a cosmetic treatment, insurance will typically deny women to this medical treatment, which further alienates us and keeps us from healing.
As a nurse, writer, and a newly diagnosed woman with lipedema, I’ve decided to create a newsletter for those who are interested in my discovery of how to manage this disease, how to treat Lipedema through surgical and non-surgical methods, and how to work to get treatment approved through insurance.
I’ve come across a vast amount of information in the past two months. I will be writing about what I’ve discovered and share it with you.
Here is an original article of mine that explains further about Lipedema and the extents I went through to get diagnosed.
My goal is to spread awareness of this unheard of, underdiagnosed, and untreated disease. I want to create a community of women who can support each other, who can work to make this well-known in the medical community, and to get the right treatment we deserve. I also want us women with this disease to be unashamed of our bodies, to take back control over our lives.
Lipedema can be medically managed and women with this disease can live a healthy, active life.
Join my newsletter, and walk with me as we discover how to become well again.
Stay Positive!
Michelle