In my early teens, I was told by a consultant at St Thomas’s hospital that my ‘large and lumpy’ legs were just puppy fat, and that they would go ‘back to normal’ after puberty. They never did, and it wasn’t long before I was trialling every diet invented in my attempts to change the appearance […]
After being diagnosed with Lipoedema in 2011, Suzanne Evans set up Lipoedema UK with the support of Professor Mortimer and his team at St George’s Hospital. This is her story. In 1979, I was 14 years old and the dreadfully sexist single, Nice Legs, Shame About Her Face by The Monks, was at no 19
NHS Stars Series ‘Having had my second leg operation, I continue to wear full leg compression underneath my scrubs’ Last year consisted of a lot of change for me. I graduated from Brighton University with a degree in Midwifery, I was single for the first time in five years, and I was adjusting to my
Reflecting on Covid, working as a midwife, and Lipoedema Read More »
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the middle child of three siblings. As I approached puberty, I noticed I had much heavier legs than my friends. I had been teased relentlessly at school about my ‘elephant’s legs’, and I found this very hurtful and, as a result, I didn’t mix very well with others,
Hi, I’m Jenny. I am 39 years old and I have Lipoedema. My first memory of feeling different was when I was 10 years old at primary school. A friend was carrying me ‘piggy back’ style around the playground when another friend said, ‘Urgh, put her down! Her big knees make me sick.’ That comment
Neither my friend nor I had seen legs like mine in 25 years of working in the NHS, and I now realise that it was because we weren’t looking for a medical condition. Over the years, I had become convinced by other medical professionals that the way my legs were was my responsibility. I was
My name is Kathleen (Katie) and I live in the North East of England. I am Mam of three grown children and two grandchildren. I have Lipoedema, osteoarthritis, severe hypermobility, fibromyalgia, I’m a asthmatic and I also suffer from depression. I remember as a teenager looking back at my first experience of Lipoedema – what
‘Get in the water. Feel the freedom and enjoy your life’ Read More »
Catherine, Harriet and Rachel share their story Sadly, Lipoedema can run in families. Here, Catherine and her daughter, Harriet, share their battle with Lipoedema, and Catherine’s sister Rachel also gives a personal account of what it’s like to be part of a family where some members have Lipoedema, but she doesn’t. Catherine’s sister, Rachel, describes
My name is Anne. I am 47 years old and was diagnosed with Lipoedema in August 2017, around 30 years after I first noticed signs that my body wasn’t quite the same as the other girls’ the same age. Within those 30 years, I have visited my GP surgery on many, many occasions and seen
I first noticed my legs were big as a teenager in school. Kids were cruel and I was called ‘thunder thighs’. Jeans didn’t fit and I couldn’t wear leggings like the other girls. I already felt ‘different’. This fact, coupled with other things that happened in my teenage years, meant I developed a terrible relationship
