Hello I am Tammy Sandra's sister. My story: I lost over 100lbs  after starting to get serious about my health in 2006 and have kept it off but could loose no more no matter what I did. In 2012 I underwent a Gastric Sleeve, which removed 80% of my stomach, and I lost only a few more pounds. Now physically unable to digest a glutton's amount I still am not an "average" size. Can you imagine my frustration I am eating 1200 calories maximum daily. Until a recent health issue that required a long hospital stay I was regularly in the gym six days a week. I was in the top five month after month on the YMCA tracking system of weights lifted and hours of cardio performed. Everyone who was around me daily begin to admit they could not possibly understand how I was not able to lose anymore weight. I could tell those closest to me hurt for me. 

Finally I found the answers of why, I have discovered I have Lipedema. I had a bowel blockage caused by fibrosis or "scar tissue". I believe the Lipedema may have been responsible for depositing that fibrosis through out my body, the disease is not well understood so I can't be sure. The ordeal has left me in a weaken state. I felt I was not recovering my strength and found my iron levels were so low I needed iron IV to help restore them. I am due a recheck on my iron level and I predict more iron via IV as my energy level has failed to return. I am fighting to get the swelling under control as well. 

My prayer is to get back to running 3 miles 3 times a week and 3 cardio/weight lifting sessions a week. It won't be so I can loose weight as much as it it will be because I don't want Lipedema to win and put me in a wheelchair! Until my energy level is improved by my iron levels leveling out I am walking to stay active. There is so little known about Lipedema and the treatment plan is so undetermined that I have heard mixed advice on weather I should attempt to run or exercise the way I did before. It could be it was leading to increasing the fibrosis and it could damage the legs. However I know I was stronger then, so I am searching to get strength back. I will carefully explore returning to exercising in these ways as my iron levels come up so I can.

My eating plan is undergoing a revision. Before discovering I had lipedema I followed a low carb, low fat, high protein diet. Now research suggested that either the RAD diet or a Ketogentic diet may be more helpful. The difference will be that good fats will be higher than they were before. I am working on an infusion of the two. I will in following posts give more details of my daily food choices to any who are interested in fight inflammatory diseases with food choices.  Also I am posting a link to my personal myfittnespal account if any would like to friend me or review my daily food choices:  http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/kapoorvilla

When I hear people talking about others being fat I often feel their maybe a lot to the story that is not known. I have never publicly shared this much before about my own weight however in an effort to stop others from being hurt let me say be careful what you say because there can be so much going on with them that you have no idea of! I have sat through and endured that pain and shame when people assume all weight issues are due to lack of self control with food and laziness. I know the hurt well and if sharing my story can help others then I will gladly try to let you all in my world of medical struggle so maybe you can be helped. 

So here is a small glimpse of my world: I wear compression  24 hours a day/ 7 days a week with the exception of removal for showering and for undergoing therapeutic lymphatic pump therapy. I will have to do this the rest of my life. I spend hours everyday managing this disease and trying to learn about it because not many doctors know much about it if they have even heard of it. 

This video is from an awareness campaign that was ran in 2014. I found it on youtube and I certainly felt drawn to it as I have a teenage daughter who is worried she too is showing signs of Lipedema. Like the young lady in the video she is currently a healthy weight and I pray it does not develop in her as years go by. 

I hope this blog can reach others and help them discover answers if they are fellow suffers of this disease and that we can together find hope for our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters that one day this will be a well understood and well controlled disease.