women’ s health
I’ m Not Cinderella: My Slipper Wasn’ t Glass When a Hidden Diagnosis is the Villain
Post Op at ArtLipo
intermittent fasting. It wasn’ t part of a grand plan or a doctor’ s prescription— it was simply what made my body feel and function its best. What I wouldn’ t know until decades later is this is the very lifestyle now recommended for lipedema patients.
Earlier successes were followed by years of what felt like a sick game of whack a mole. Not only did the most extreme regimens that once moved the needle no longer work, I started experiencing pain and nerve issues. Looking back, what I thought were unrelated metabolism and medical symptoms were actually all classic signs of progressing lipedema.
Like so many women with lipedema, the shifts of menopause intensified my symptoms to the point they became impossible to ignore. september / october 2025
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By Kitty Collins
My story doesn’ t begin with a fairytale ending or a perfect glass slipper. It begins with confusion and frustration— thick heavy legs shaped like columns, a lower body that never matched my upper, and a size that grew more disproportionate with every hormonal shift. What I wouldn’ t know for decades is these outward changes were early signs of an underlying medical condition.
For years I did what many women do: I fought back. I assumed my shape was just genetics and my metabolism was a code to be cracked. I became my own experiment— one diet after another, new supplements, fitness routines, and food rules that promised transformation.
Each attempt felt hopeful at first, but the results were never what I saw in others. While friends and family dropped pounds with the latest trend, I would see little change— or worse, gains that made no sense. At the time, I blamed myself for not having enough discipline. What I didn’ t realize was that my body wasn’ t just reacting to certain foods— it was responding with inflammation, a classic but hidden hallmark of a loose connective tissue disease: lipedema.
My trial-and-error years were exhausting, but they were also the beginning of a constant conversation with my body as I learned to listen closely. I didn’ t know it then, but each failed diet was actually a clue. My body was showing me that its needs were different, and I was slowly learning to adapt.
NOT JUST CHORES I gradually stripped things down to the simplest, cleanest foods, cutting out dairy, sugar and processed carbs, eventually settling into an anti-inflammatory dietary approach paired with
HIDDEN THORNS By my mid 30’ s, I began developing lower back pain, numbness and tingling affecting my hands. My 40’ s brought unexplained bruising, numbness and tingling in toes, and pain and swelling in my legs. Test after test included imaging, nerve conduction studies, rounds of physical therapy, even nerve blocks and trigger point injections to alleviate pain. Every doctor searched for answers in their corner of expertise, but nothing explained the full picture. The
The Amazing Dr. Herbst
dots themselves— back pain, numbness, weakness, swelling, bruises— weren’ t unusual. Taken separately, they looked like ordinary orthopedic, mild neurological or typical aging problems. Not once did I imagine they were connected, let alone linked to an underlying progressive disease I’ ve had my entire life.
I even threw myself into runDisney races with Team Breakthrough T1D( formerly JDRF) several years ago. Part of my motivation was to raise funds and support a cure for my middle son Drew and millions of others living with type 1 diabetes, but I also hoped the regular training would improve my health and help me reverse what I thought was menopausal weight gain. Prior to my diagnosis, over the last 4 years I’ ve completed at least fifteen 5k’ s, twelve 10k’ s, and seven half marathon races. Running never got easier, no matter how consistently I trained. Now I understand why— I wasn’ t