It's no secret that I've been heavily attacked at one point or another during my time on social media. Now and then I shared that with you too, because I felt so misunderstood. I doubted if maybe I was really doing something wrong. Of course, one could now say that “making my path public” is accompanied by criticism. That is probably correct, but this is about something completely different. When you post something on Instagram and Co., it is quite natural that people from different fields read it. And to be honest, you've been used to hearing stupid comments for a long time, even if it still hurts, of course.
However, I find that a person in a protected space - such as B. a Facebook lipedema group - should give a feeling of cohesion. Unfortunately, I've already had a lot of opposite experiences. And I am not an isolated case. I am always happy when lipedema sufferers don't feel that the lipedema community is divided. But I see it again and again with others: Yes. Unfortunately. We obviously have two camps: the operated (or those who will soon be) and the non-operated. At this point I want to say again very clearly that I accept both ways and that this blog post is not judgmental or related to the general public. I just want to continue working to ensure that these things like division, resentment, attacks, envy or many other things stop because they are absolutely unnecessary.
We should finally ALL understand that there is no right or wrong with lipedema.
Each of us has a story
It makes absolutely no difference whether you have had / have had liposuctions before you, have not had an operation, do keto, are vegan, wear compromises or not. YOU all alone have to know how your best way to deal with this disease is. Each of us has our history, our package that we carry with us, trigger points, experiences, opinions, views and very personal feelings. That is fine and important because we are all individuals. And this is exactly where the crux of the matter lies: You are welcome to pass on your opinion to others, but you should stop judging. We are all in the same boat and I wish from the bottom of my heart that we all finally understand this and thus a new one # lipedema community who really stand by their side.
Girls, I know that stage 3 lipedema has completely different challenges than perhaps stage 1. But please, please, stop saying that you would be better off "with your legs" too. Pain is invisible. Stage 1 girls have often told me how bad pain they are and how hard they can stand some days because it hurts so much. None of us have it better than any other because we all have lipedema. And it makes me sad that you are taken more or less seriously because of your stage. And most importantly, no person should be able to presume to say about someone else that the person does not have lipedema at all. All legs look different!
Together instead of alone
A friend told me about another community that sticks together so strongly that there are no accusations whatsoever among each other - and that with almost 15.000 users within the group. In no way. Wouldn't it be nice if, instead of venting our own frustration on others, we would rather try to be courageous and exchange ideas positively? I've talked about it many times, but I like to repeat it again:
A positive mindset can change your life in every way.
If you want to get out of the downward spiral, you have to start thinking up and positive. Of course, you can also say if something is simply annoying or if the problem gets rid of your head, that's different. And you will see that you are not alone with this either. We all have these days when the compress is annoying, the pain is enormous or you just had a stupid experience.
We wish that others would not look at us crookedly in the swimming pool, but we sometimes deal so intensely with one another that I would prefer such looks from strangers a thousand times rather than reading something like this among like-minded people. It has become very easy to write things like this with the internet, but behind each of these women who are "attacked" there is a real person. Together instead of lonely. One for all and all for one. This is what we need. The disease challenges us enough every day and positive words and real solidarity are more than necessary. Let's write a new chapter! Let's take the feeling of togetherness to a new level. No matter who does what and how, find your way, be happy to share it and give other tips on what works for you. Only in this way can the entry into a new life with lipedema become easier, especially for newcomers - and it can only get better for us old hands.
