Hi friends!
I’m back from Europe and I have several different posts to share from what’s been going on this June, which is also Lipedema Awareness Month. Today I’ll be focusing on the whirlwind that has been my last few days.
On Monday, I spent the full day travelling home with my Girl Scouts, after a wonderful tour of London and Paris that involved way more walking than I’m used to, but it was great. We travelled for 21 hours and I wore compression leggings and socks along with New Balance tennis shoes, laced the full time. I also drank a ton of water and even ate veggies and fruits a bit that day, but my legs did swell.
This is actually perfect though, because on Tuesday, bright and early, a film crew making a documentary about lipedema arrived at my home. We filmed segments about what I do to manage my condition.
So with the extra swelling at hand, we went through the process of one of my swimming sessions, how I fit time into my day to do Manual Lymphatic Drainage (it’s in the shower), what it’s like to put on compression, and the quite physically demanding process to use a flexi touch compression pump, among other things.
I also was able to have a meeting with Susannah Davdah of the Shoe Consultant on camera as we make our way through the process of prepping to work with a designer and manufacturer; and then a fantastic meeting with Beth Rylaarsdam (aka @CurvyGirlBeth of Instagram fame) on camera as well (thank you both for your valuable time!)
We also got in an interview with my mom, who also has lipedema and was able to tell some of her stories on film.
The team of journalists (@layanreportsthings) were lovely and such a delight, and also let me ask a ton of questions about their personal stories and film making. It was just wonderful.I won’t share all the details of the conversations because I think much of it will be included in the documentary. However, I learned a lot about filmmaking and the planning that is put into it and it was just a great experience. I’m super excited to see how the edited film comes out and wish the very best to the journalists making this film, as it is a personal work of passion for them both.
As a side note, my swelling has subsided and I plan to continue knocking out the jet lag by taking a swim in the sun here shortly. Then, I’m off to continue working on some research for the shoes that are getting closer day by day as I finish market analysis work and creating a list of “must haves” and “must not haves” in our shoes with The Shoe Consultant. Finally, I have to go find a fun lipedema-friendly outfit for a birthday shoot soon because I’m turning 49 in a couple of weeks and want to do something really special! I normally shop on amazon, but I may go into a few stores to try new looks on as well, so that’ll be a fun day!
I hope you all have a great day, and as we hit the halfway mark on Lipedema Awareness Month, find one thing you could do, even a single act or private share of information, to share awareness of this condition and how we manage it.
Stay Happy and take time for yourself today, loves!
Susan
