Lipedema/Lymphoedema

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As I reached pre teens my legs increased in diameter noticeably. It was then my mum watched very carefully what I ate. School lunches for me were cold meat and salads with a piece of fruit. At age 14 I was enrolled at a gym and attended 3 times a week. It was then I went on my first diet. By the time I married at 23 I weighed 80 kg. Wanting to start a family I attended weight watchers but could only lose 8kg despite sticking rigorously to the eating plan. After each pregnancy I gained weight so by the time I'd had my third child I weighed 100kg. By this time I'd been on a number of diets and seen a hospital dietician. At age 32 I weighed 120 kg and most of the weight was in my legs, hips and bottom. At age 42 I was victim to a serious car accident and suffered extensive soft tissue loss down to bone level on both lower legs. But it wasn't until 2 years later while in hospital for follow up surgery that I was diagnosed with Lipedema. At that point I began wearing compression garments. I then researched the condition and explored the possibility of MLD. However the closest therapist to where I lived was newly qualified and felt the distance to travel would be counterproductive to regular treatments of MLD. Then in 2009 at age 56 I was living in a different location and saw an advertisement on the walls of my doctors waiting room for Lymphoedema education. I enrolled and was taken on by a Lymphoedema therapist who gave me monthly MLD. This helped me with mobility issues. By now I weighed 140kg. Since then I have discovered the recommended eating plan as in the Lymphoedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide and by following this have lost 27kg. This means my mobility has improved. Over the years I've had many episodes of cellulitis, some requiring hospitalisation with IV antibiotics. I now always have on hand a supply of antibiotics to take at the first sign of an infection which most times means I avoid hospital. I've come to accept that this condition cannot be cured but can be managed. So I take great care in managing it well.