Taking Care of Us

By Christina Routon

Anyone who's ever flown on an airplane with a child knows that if the oxygen mask falls the adult is supposed to put theirs on first. If we don't, we're likely to pass out and won't be able to help our children our ourselves.

Women in general are caretakers and tend to put others first - their husband's careers, their children's activities, even their friends. But when is it our turn to be cared for?

This isn't about being selfish. I completely agree with being a partner, being a mother, being a daughter, being a best friend. I know all the sayings like "The world doesn't revolve around you," or "It's not all about you." But sometimes it should be.

As women with lipedema we can't afford to NOT take care of ourselves. If we don't watch our diet, do some form of moderate exercise, buy the compression hose (and WEAR them!), take our supplements and meet with our doctors what could happen?

Worst case scenario:

Our lipedema could get even more out of control - more weight gain, loss of mobility, loss of energy, more health concerns.

Then who will care for our children, partner with our spouse, visit with our friends?

We all need to take some time for self-care. It doesn't have to be a long amount of time and it doesn't need to cost a lot of money, but it needs to be a priority if we're going to beat this disorder and live our lives to the fullest.

So what can you do to take care of yourself?

1. Ask For Help. Discuss your needs with your spouse. What can they help you with around the house or with the children. If you're a single parent, meet with other single parents through your church or a community event or check out the Meetup website and see what's out there. Single parents can help each other. If you're a single person, discuss your needs with a friend or family member or see if there's a community program to help you with housework, transportation and other issues. There's nothing wrong with asking for help.

2. Support. I love our Facebook groups so much! There's a lot of support for just everyday life. Even though the group is online, I feel so many of these special ladies are my friends. Several ladies just met in person at the first lipedema conference held in Arizona. So make it a point to find support and advice, whether online or in person.

3. Eat right and exercise. I'm guilty of not doing this enough. Before I found out about lipedema I was at the gym every day for two years, living on chicken and broccoli, and got so discouraged with my results. Now that I know about lipedema and how the lymph fluid needs activity in order to move, I know this is important. That's why I'm making a new commitment to eating healthy (my choice is paleo / primal) and exercising 30 minutes every day. The difference is that instead of exercising looking for the end result (weight loss and, truthfully, wanting to look hot!) my goals are to gain strength and slow the progression of the disorder.

Let's make a commitment, today, right now, not next week or next month or next year, to putting these steps in practice and not finding the time but MAKING the time to take care of ourselves.

If you don't take care of yourself, who will?