Lipedema and Me Poll and Scroll for September 17th
Joint pain and EDS. Also, not just one, but 24 anti-inflammatory recipes!
Last week, I took a much-needed vacation, a short trip to Victoria, BC. Although my knees are giving me pain, I was able to hobble around for four days, seeing the sights and enjoying the British vibe of this gorgeous destination.
I paid close attention to my body. Before my Lipedema surgeries, my entire body was painful and swollen. I could barely take a casual walk outside without breaking down into tears. Honestly, I’d lost all hope for my body.
Even after my surgeries, my body has taken a long time to mend. I still have swelling, mostly in my ankles. I can’t tell if it’s from my Lipedema or my knees. My legs were so deconditioned that it ached to walk. Once my lipedema pain was gone, I started noticing how bad my knees were, and after an evaluation last March, I found I needed a knee replacement for both knees.
Does it ever end?
However, during this 5-day trip, I discovered I don’t have Lipedema pain like I used to. All of my pain, and I mean ALL OF IT, is from my knees. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!
Yes, I’m still in pain. But I feel good! I feel like I’m progressing well. It’s taken a long time to get here.
I know I have more to go, but I can be patient with this part of my journey.
Did you know that many Lipedema women also have Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knees? Lipedema and Osteoarthritis seem to go hand-in-hand, similar to EDS and Lipedema. However, it’s believed that EDS and genetics may be more contributory to Osteoarthritis than Lipedema weight. This is because “It has been hypothesized that the (micro-)trauma in the joint due to typical subluxations and dislocations, make EDS patients prone to developing osteoarthritis (OA) in early stage.” BMJ Journals
Lipedema, EDS, and OA and their intertwining have become a hot topic lately. I highly encourage you to look further into OA with your medical support team if you’re experiencing joint pain.
Sunday Poll:
When I do online research now, compared to three years ago, I’m overwhelmed with the amount of information I can now find.
Three years ago, there was very little information out there. I had to dig deep to find anything medically related to Lipedema. Today, the discussion of our disease has skyrocketed. We now have a Standard of Care (2021), several research articles in the National Institute of Health, and not to mention social media has exploded with women finding they, too, have this disease and want to learn more about treatment.
This progression confirms my prediction that Lipedema will become more mainstream with insurance coverage. But we also want to start seeing Lipedema surgeons contract with insurances so we don’t have to do our own preauthorizations.
This is my hope.
I would love to see women getting treated earlier in the disease process before they become immobile and suffer. We certainly wouldn’t wait for someone with cancer or diabetes to wait until they are more advanced in their disease before treating them. This is why I push for awareness, conservative treatment, and lipo surgery. That is the standard for now, although I hope that also changes and that women can have surgery when they start having noticeable pain instead of waiting for immobility to set in.
Fall is setting in, and that means more hearty comfort foods: soups, root vegetables, and all kinds of squash. I found a page on EatingWell that gives (close to) an entire month of recipes to try. These are simple meals; you don’t need to be a chef to make them. I’ll start you off with five of them, and if you want to scroll through the entire list, go to EatingWell and see if you find something doable for your next dinner!
Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Rice Bowl
Honey-Mustard Pork with Spinach & Smashed White Beans
Ginger-Tahini Oven-Baked Salmon & Vegetables
Happy Cooking!!
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Take care,
Michelle