LET’S BE AWARE OF LIPOEDEMA

Overstepping My Bounds a Little, I’m Going to Write About Something Today.The subject is a disease I have been suffering from for years without a diagnosis: Lipoedema.I am neither a doctor nor a healthcare professional, but as a patient who has been overlooked for so long and unfortunately progressed in the condition, I take the responsibility of sharing this with you, My Dear Reader! If there are others out there, I hope it won’t be too late for them.

For a long time, the constant pain in my legs would not let me sleep. Despite eating healthy and exercising regularly, instead of losing weight, I kept gaining more. Even for a person with strong willpower, this is enough to make you pull your hair out. One wants to see a rose bloom from every soil they nurture. And if not, at least we look for a false little sprout of green, because we are human. I kept harvesting my barren land for months, hoping flowers would bloom one day. Finally, I knocked on the door of a functional medicine specialist in internal medicine. I said, What I’ve done is not enough anymore, I need a new perspective. That’s the beauty of being able to look at life broadly… It turns out that what I had been struggling with all these years was nothing but futile effort.

So, what is Lipoedema?Forgive me, dear doctors, but I will try to summarize what this journey has taught me, Dear Reader. Lipoedema, also known as painful fat syndrome, is when the capillaries in the skin tissue gradually lose their function, causing fat tissue to be absorbed and accumulate there. So, it’s not about Oh no, I gained weight, I’m swollen—it’s actually a vascular or tissue disorder. Over time, infections build up between the tissues. If you feel a burning sensation in your legs, or you have unexplained pain, or if what you thought was just cellulite seems like more, then it might indeed be more. Please, urgently consult a specialist.

It turns out that many things we thought were good for us were actually harmful. Gluten, dairy, sugar, legumes, estrogen-boosting foods… The list is so long. For instance, the oatmeal with dried fruit I joyfully ate in the mornings thinking I was being healthy—while good for most people—was not good for me at all. I had to reset everything I knew… By the way, since it is triggered by the hormone estrogen, it is seen mostly—almost exclusively—in women. My Dear Sisters, this one is for us too!

I don’t want to leave unpleasant images here or give too much advice, but if you suspect you might have this condition, I hope this creates awareness and encourages you to reach out to trusted specialists and do your research. It’s far more common than we think and directly affects quality of life. So let me close with the one piece of timeless medical advice that fits anywhere and everywhere:

Drink plenty of water, because water is life itself.

Wishing health to all!

With Love,

Selin BİNAY