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My shoulder and back usually, but right now my shoulder.
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Question of The Day. Saturday 20th of March
- Thread starter Norachan
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Funny you should ask...today is the first time in one year that I have not had any pain in my body at all. My hips, neck and shoulders were so painful last week, all due to the new expensive heated massage office chair I bought last month. At first, it was good. Then my hips, which never ache, hurt so badly, because of the way the seat flares up on each side. Agony. I bought a $10 patio chair cushion (about 3" thick) last night and placed it on the seat. Within five minutes, I could feel relief. Within 45 minutes, all my pain was gone--even in my neck and shoulders. Today was wonderful. That pain was gone, as were my normal little aches and pains, including two split heels (dry skin from the winter). And I slept well last night!
This is going to make me sound miserable.
My left leg: It has chronic pain from a great deal of damage. On a good day, it feels like constant pins and needles the length of it and a dull ache in my thigh. On a bad day—almost there today—it has intense pins and needles and a deep ache, with an added pain in my knee that feels like someone has tried to rip it off. (I cannot lift it more than an inch or so. I tend not to lift it because it causes a lot of pain; however, dragging it also cause pain.)
Right leg: I recently sprained a muscle in my calf. That was caused by me ignoring the slight tear in my meniscus and a pulled patella ligament.
Both legs and both arms: I have lipedema in my legs and arms. It causes them to be painful to the touch most of the time. My legs are much worse than my arms.
My right arm and hand: Carpal tunnel syndrome that currently aches to my elbow.
Left hip: "Walking"causes pain in my left sacroiliac joint.
Lower back: The muscles across the space between my two sacroiliac joints hurt because of my stupid left leg.
My neck: There is a spot near the base of my skull that hurts today. Who knows why!
My left leg: It has chronic pain from a great deal of damage. On a good day, it feels like constant pins and needles the length of it and a dull ache in my thigh. On a bad day—almost there today—it has intense pins and needles and a deep ache, with an added pain in my knee that feels like someone has tried to rip it off. (I cannot lift it more than an inch or so. I tend not to lift it because it causes a lot of pain; however, dragging it also cause pain.)
Right leg: I recently sprained a muscle in my calf. That was caused by me ignoring the slight tear in my meniscus and a pulled patella ligament.
Both legs and both arms: I have lipedema in my legs and arms. It causes them to be painful to the touch most of the time. My legs are much worse than my arms.
My right arm and hand: Carpal tunnel syndrome that currently aches to my elbow.
Left hip: "Walking"causes pain in my left sacroiliac joint.
Lower back: The muscles across the space between my two sacroiliac joints hurt because of my stupid left leg.
My neck: There is a spot near the base of my skull that hurts today. Who knows why!
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What is Lipedema?
Lipedema is a disorder that affects the vascular system and fat cells. It is often called the "painful fat disorder" the fat cells and the fluid around them do not act the same as in someone who does not have it and it becomes painful. Since it is not widely know, most people will just think the person with it is overweight or even obese and that they can fix it with diet or exercise, which is not the case. Even my family doctor had not heard of it. It has been five years since my diagnosis, and she still has not read up on it. (I was diagnosed by a specialist that I found myself.) She even still brings up my weight and asked, "What are we going to do about it?" I often leave crying, and I am not a crybaby. Even at my thinnest, I have never had "normal" shaped legs or arms. I have never been "thin" despite trying for most of my life, often in very unhealthy ways. It got worse after I had a couple of unrelated surgeries, which is something that happens with lipedema.
The only "cure" for it is a certain type of liposuction. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not recognize it as a necessary surgery, deeming it purely cosmetic. I have compression garments, but I do not have the ones that would help the most because they are insanely expensive, especially since I would need custom-fit ones due to my height and abnormally short limbs. Nothing premade in that style is going to fit. Each leg would have three sections, and the cheapest of those sections is the knee. It cost $600 for one knee section. (My insurance does not cover it.) They need replaced every four to six months.
I have an exaggerated hourglass shape because it does not affect my torso. To give an idea, I currently have a 34" waist and 52" hips. (Before I hit 40, my waist was as small as 26" with 48" hips.)
I see women all the time with similar shapes and I just want to go up to them and tell them to get checked for lipedema. I do not, but I want to.
If you want to read about it, here are a couple of articles about it. The first is actually by my specialist. He recently retired, and I have not been in to see the new one.
Ladies, Here’s What You Should Know About Lipedema, a Condition That Causes Excess Fat in the Legs
Lipedema Foundation
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Good for you!
Neck and low back. Fortunately, as of this writing, I have a massage scheduled (I have a routine with a massage every four weeks and chiropractor every four weeks, but massage and chiropractor visits are two weeks from each other).
