Greetings, I would like to comment on a few things. First off some of the people that are overweight and considered grossly obese do have problems that lead them to be that way. Also, obesity isn't the entire picture. Lymphedema is one of these problems. Not many people know about lymphedema and it is misdiagnosed over and over. Doctors tell patients they are fat and to diet when diets don't work because it's not fat, it's fluid.

Lymphedema is broken down into 2 words. Lymph which is the colorless to milky colored fluid in your body. Edema, which means swelling. Lymphedema occurs when fluids build up in the soft tissues of the body. Lymphedema is pronounced: Lim-fee-dee-ma. It can be spelled a variety of ways such as lymphoedema, lymphadema, etc. All the various spellings mean the same condition.

There are 2 basic types of lymphedema.

1. Primary, heredity, sometimes called Nonne Milroy's Disease or Meige's disease which means you are/were born with it.

2. Secondary or acquired, which means it came from a cause such as surgery, trauma, injury, etc. Lymphedema can appear directly after surgery or many years down the road.

There are several stages of lymphedema.

Stage 0: subclinical or latent stage.

Stage 1: Completely and spontaneously reversible lymphedema. Lymphedema is considered chronic after 3 months.

Stage 2: Spontaneously irreversible lymphedema. Edema persists for some times and fibrous tissue forms.

Stage 3: Irreversible lymphedema. Very hard edema with no skin movement. Much fibrosis and hard skin. Can be loss of joint movement and mobility.

Edema is said to be pitting when your finger impression remains on the skin after pressing down.

Lipedema involves the accumulation of fat in the tissues. Lipedematous tissue may cause true lymphedema which results in the term lipolymphedema.

Lipedema is also misdiagnosed.

There is hope for these conditions. The gold standard treatment recommended by the National Lymphedema Network is called complete/complex/combined decongestive therapy. The therapy includes manual lymph drainage or lymph drainage therapy which is similiar to a medical massage (it feels good) where the certified specially trained therapy works the fluid out of the body. You are taught skin care, special exercises to promote lymph flow, how to wrap yourself and when you are the smallest possible size, you graduate to home care which you will be taught to do the bodywork to yourself, do's and don'ts and you will be fitted with a compression garment. For legs it's stockings, for arms it's sleeves or gauntlets. Either way you must be compliant to maintain your lymphedema as it is progressive.

The sad thing is on many people are blown off for years until they are barely treatable.

Please don't judge every person you see as being fat because it could very well be a medical condition. Hypothyroid patients tend to gain weight easy, some hormonal conditions cause weight gain, lymphedema causes fluid gain, and other auto-immune conditions also cause weight gain. Also if you are in pain from a condition or illness, it can be hard to get the exercise you need or even to be active.
Also some of these patients who are getting the gastric bypass have some of the above conditions and it can be very hard to get the weight down without medical help.

If you suffer from lymphedema there is help out there. Knowledge is power. My website is Lymphland.com and we have a support group which is joinable from the site. We also have a chat room available to talk to people one on one.

Thanks for listening, I hope that some people who visit the site here who might have lymphedema contact us for help.

Tina Budde, Lymphland.com
National Lymphedema Network Member
American Society of Lymphology Member
Ask-the-expert panelist for lymphedema and rare diseases
Lymphland International Lymphedema Support Group
Forums Coordinator for ELymphNotes lymphedema ezine
Cancer Survivor who has lymphedema
Patient Advocate for Lymphedema

Thanks for this info... it is true I had never heard of Lymphedema until I met someone online with it.. and then followed AMYbutterfly through her struggles.. (regular on ObesityHelp) I have said it a lot today while trolling the threads... EDUCATION before Judging! Have a blessed day!

I suffer from lymphedema and it is such a neverending battle trying to keep fluid down. I have it in the lower extremities of my body. I just wish there were more resources in my region to help me with it. I do need help but it seems everytime I get a lead it is just a door closed in my face... I feel really disgusted with things at times!

I've had lymphedema since the 7th grade. I had no idea what it was and it was so rare that we had to go through all these tests just to see if it was my liver, heart, or a broken limb. But now i wear stockings and with them i feel normal again...except that it looks weird and during the summer its a little hot. I'd rather be able to walk and lose the fluids than look "normal" though.