Instead of being depressed, so much fell away from me

Hello everyone,

My name is Romy and I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed with stage 2 lipedema in July 2023. At that point, I had already been through an eternally long, devastating medical marathon.

I first went to see a specialist when I was 16 because I had unexplained water retention. At the time, my legs already looked slightly different, but this was dismissed as me "growing into a woman". The first visit to the specialist was very disappointing and I was sent home as 'healthy'. I then went to see my gynaecologist as I had started taking the pill just before the symptoms started. The gynaecologist advised me to stop taking the pill for 2-3 months and see if anything changed. As expected, there was no effect and the water retention continued.

I then started again after 3 months off the pill, but with a different one than before. The symptoms remained.

So the search for the cause continued with my family doctor. He referred me to a child and adolescent psychiatrist because of a “disturbed self-image”. However, this didn't take away the discomfort in my legs.

Over the years, I noticed that my inflammation levels were too high. The reason given for this was that “girls my age sometimes have this”.

I spent ages worrying about what was wrong with me and whether I was just imagining things. I didn't pursue the whole thing any further for the time being.

By the time I was 17-18, you could see it more clearly on my legs, this typical wavy, dull complexion. The looks I got from my peers got worse too. When I went to the lake in the summer, there was always at least one stupid comment from someone. Things like "elephant ass", "cellulite bitch" or "your legs look like they were damaged by hail" - I could go on and on.

At the beginning of 2023 I started my journey from doctor to doctor again, I didn't want to and couldn't accept it like that. Something was wrong with me and I knew it all the time. In the meantime I was also experiencing more and more pain. Going to concerts had become unthinkable and I could no longer do my job without restrictions. I made appointments with various phlebologists and the first one I saw confirmed my suspicions. Instead of being depressed, so much was falling away from me.

I want to give every girl and every woman a message: Don't give up! Keep looking until you find someone who listens to you. Don't reduce yourself to your looks and your age. At the end of the day, everyone knows best if something is wrong with them.

In December, after 6 years of suffering, I started my liposuction marathon and have already finished my legs. My arms will follow in April and then I can finally look forward to a pain-free life!