Lipoedema: “For 25 years, everyone thought I was fat”

Diagnosis Lipoedema
“25 years everyone thought I was fat”

Even as a child, unlike the rest of her family, Maranda Kirk was very fat. All the doctors just put her on a diet – and the problem lay somewhere else.

Maranda Kirk from Maryland knew from elementary school that she was different from the rest of her family: when she was in third grade and her slim mother took her to school, her friend asked her why Maranda was fat and her parents weren’t . “It hurt so much, also because I didn’t have an answer for her,” said Maranda, who shared her story with the portal lovewhatmatters told. To this day, when she thinks about her childhood, the first thing she thinks about is the bullying she endured because of her weight.

“She just needs to lose weight”

In fact, neither Maranda’s parents nor she herself knew why the girl was severely overweight from an early age. Her family controlled what she ate and she was actually an active child. She was examined by several doctors, for example for possible hypothyroidism, which is often associated with weight gain. But the doctors found nothing – so their advice to Maranda’s parents was always the same: The girl should simply lose a few kilos with a set diet.

What followed were frustrating years for Maranda. In the short term, the diets brought some success, but each time, sooner or later, she regained twice the original weight loss. Still, she wanted to move: Maranda started playing hockey in high school, but shortly thereafter suffered from recurring pain in her calves and shins. Several doctors suspected that the pain came from being overweight and advised her to simply keep exercising to get rid of the symptoms. But Maranda’s pain got worse during training and so she gave up playing hockey after almost a year.

Not even Maranda’s best friend stood behind her

Over the years, Maranda’s weight has steadily increased, noting that the fat has settled almost exclusively in her hips, butt and thighs. But all the doctors she saw stuck to it: She is obviously not eating well and should be on a diet. Maranda was ashamed of her looks – and didn’t even get support from her circle of friends. When she went to buy dresses for a wedding with some other friends, she ended up in a store that didn’t have mirrors in the dressing rooms. And no clothes her size. The saleswoman squeezed Maranda into a dress that was far too tight and pushed her outside in front of the mirror where her friends were sitting.

I saw the other girls’ looks and felt like I was in an episode of Mean Girls. My supposedly best friend turned to her colleague, who had an amazing model body, and said, “I wish everyone had a body like yours.”

Maranda squeezed out of the dress, left the store crying, and immediately ended the friendship.

Over time, Maranda’s leg and foot problems got worse and worse. Every step hurt, there were clear varicose veins on her thighs. But these are only superficial and not a problem, a vein doctor claimed. After a car accident in which her legs were pinched, Maranda also suffered for years from recurring painful swellings in the ankles, feet and calves, that nobody could explain.

The correct diagnosis – at 25

It wasn’t until she turned 25 that Maranda finally found a foot care professional who she felt took her seriously. The doctor suspected that she was suffering from lipoedema and referred her to a specialist. This confirmed the suspicion with the help of another vein expert.

Lipoedema is a chronic fat distribution disorder: The fat tissue multiplies unchecked, especially in the lower half of the body. The exact causes of this are still unknown, but a genetic predisposition and hormonal changes seem to play a role in its development. To make matters worse for Maranda, there was a lot of scar tissue in her legs from the car accident, which is flooded by the fluid produced by the lymphatic system, causing the painful swelling.

New courage to live after years of uncertainty

At first, the young woman was shocked by the diagnosis, because lipoedema has not yet been cured. But then she realized something. “I finally had answers! And the biggest relief was realizing that none of this is my fault.” Since the diagnosis, Maranda has felt much more relieved: Her self-confidence has grown significantly, she has learned to accept the disease.

With the help of a special therapy, she is fighting against the fat deposits in her legs and was able to relieve most of her pain. Next, she wants to talk to a lipoedema specialist about possible liposuction on the legs, which is currently the only way to get rid of the fat permanently. At the same time, Maranda reports on Instagram about life with lipoedema and explains the disease. Her message: She knows what it’s like not to love your own body – but that there are ways and means to do something about it.

Bridget