The Lympha Press Podcast

It's beginning to look a lot like lymph-mas at the Lymphedema Patient Roundtable! The December edition brought many gifts, including a recap of the recent National Lymphedema Network Conference, the importance of patient — and self — advocacy, and a candid conversation about the discouragement or frustration that can sometimes accompany life with a chronic condition. As folks shared their strategi...

She's about to turn 76 years old, but our new lipedema friend, Lenora, has a timeless story to tell of lifelong learning! She's watched every single video on The Lipedema Channel and talks about how she manages her condition after finally being diagnosed with lipedema . Learn about her youth and the cultural norms that impacted her lifestyle; be inspired by her zest for art, languages, and music -...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood that can result in toxic stress. When the body’s stress response stays activated over a long period of time, the result is increased inflammation and hormone disruption. Research has found that an adult who has one or more ACEs that were not mitigated by protective factors has an increased risk for many c...

"You must be lying to me..." That's what Jenny Beaujean's doctor said in response to her story that diet and exercise were having no effect on the swelling in her limbs. It took a cat bite that triggered cellulitis at 50 years old for Jenny to finally get a lymphedema diagnosis and another 12 years for an expert to recognize that she also had lipedema . Lifelines for her have been the social group...

Huge servings of gratitude and appreciation were at the pre-Thanksgiving Lipedema Patient Roundtable. How to stay motivated to "get up and move" and how PMS impacts lipedema patients were topics of conversation, as was how to don compression and how to keep hose from sliding down. Many new attendees had questions about preparing for a doctor's visit and how to go about getting a diagnosis. Several...

November is the season of gratitude, and to celebrate, panelists and attendees gathered around our virtual Roundtable to share their own feelings of "lymphatic gratitude." Joining the panel was Amy Beaith , a lymphedema patient and self-care herbalist whose insight and experience were especially appreciated during a discussion about herbs and supplements that may be helpful for lymphedema. Other t...

“No stopping lipedema? No…it’s not stopping ME.” A “beanpole” until puberty, Molly Gallagher’s legs felt and looked different after that hormonal juncture. She exercised compulsively and enjoyed success with the Keto diet, but hormone therapy as part of fertility treatment wreaked havoc with her body. Leg pain, weird sensations, leg cramps, and lack of energy dealt her not just a physical but also...

It was a boo-tiful night as the panelists donned costumes for our annual Halloween episode. Everyone displayed their personalities with flair - from Ringmaster Pattie Cornute to the lovely Lippy Butterfly as... well, a butterfly! Perhaps the showstopper was Pale Ginger Pear who created an uncanny replication of Lympha Pants .  (You've got to see it to believe it!) Dr. Karen Herbst and Linda A...

The weather may be cooling, but the conversation at the October Lymphedema Patient Roundtable was heating up with hot topics such as central lymphatics, the power of community, and the importance of mental health . Panelists Kelly Bell and Alexa Ercolano talked about their experiences attending the recent Boston Lymphatic Symposium — and meeting Roundtable regular Fenton Groff! — while certified l...

When the basketball team bullied this cheerleader by saying, “There’s tree trunk legs,” Liz Saunders became acutely aware that her body was different. But that didn’t stop her. A natural performer, she participated in dance and theatre, developed her singing gift, appeared in a national commercial, and entertained many with her renditions of the American songbook classics. It took this 50-somethin...

The changes in her body at age 13 were so traumatic for Lisa Lugo that she developed an eating disorder — even starving herself for seven days in the hope of looking “like the other girls.” A lifelong journey to discover what was going on with her body took a turn when she discovered the Fat Disorders Resource Society (FDRS) , which led to finally being diagnosed with lipedema last August. And whe...

The Lipedema Patient Roundtable kicked it old skool, with panelists wearing their favorite band T-shirts from back in the day — from the Moody Blues to Andy Gibb and U2 — and pondering the question: "What would you say to your high school self?" In between, a host of questions surrounding supplements and even Mucinex, abdominal lipedema , and fatty liver were addressed by Dr. Karen Herbst and Lind...

The seasons may be changing, but one thing remains consistent: the monthly Lymphedema Patient Roundtable! At the September Roundtable, the topics ranged from gut lymphatics and research grants to surgical treatments and compression wrapping.  Attendees brought up the various hurdles in getting a diagnosis — and treatment — while Kelly Bell's wife, Jen, joined the panel to provide her meaningf...

A marketing project associated with her passion to raise awareness of the benefits of Pilates for those “living in a body like mine” is what ultimately led Lori Paquette to her diagnosis. “I have good news for you,” Dr. Lindy McHutchison at Carolina Vein Center told her. “You have lipedema .” Learning that “this was actually a thing” was liberating for Lori, who lived until her 50s not knowing “Wh...

Those who follow Sean Mulroney and The Obesity Revolution know his lymphedema journey has been filled with ups and downs. One constant “up” is his use of the Lympha Press LymphaPod to manage his condition. It became a critical tool in his recovery when 200 pounds of additional fluid rendered him immobile. His recent 15-week hospital and rehab stint may have stolen his ability to celebrate holidays...

It might be the dog days of summer, but some of the coolest lipedema voices gathered once again for the monthly Lipedema Patient Roundtable. Medical expert Linda Anne Kahn led the program by talking about dry, itchy, inflamed eyes and the connection with mast cell activation syndrome. Turns out many of the panelists and attendees also suffer from dry eyes and Linda offered solutions to help them c...

Ch-ch-ch-changes! That was the theme of the August Lymphedema Patient Roundtable, beginning with Brenda Viola passing the baton to Alexa Ercolano as the new host of the Lymphedema Roundtables . Another big change? Catherine Rosenberg lost twenty-six pounds of fluid in two-and-a-half weeks after successful lymphaticovenous anastomosis surgery to address a thoracic duct obstruction. Incredible! Spea...

Sharon Dodds never stopped reaching out for help, and her message to others with lymphedema and lipedema is “Keep reaching out.” During the years before her condition had a name, she sometimes thought she was crazy. “I was walking, exercising, and yet my legs were painful and getting bigger.” When finally diagnosed in 2016, she said to herself, “I need to keep this at bay because I want to have a...

“I obsessed over other kids’ legs,” shared Debrena “Bre” McEwen, who is known and loved by many as @TheBrenaJean on Instagram. “I remember wishing I could run.” Embracing body positivity helped, but she knew something else was going on. As she approached age 40, her intent to live healthy led her to investigate reduction surgery. The procedure required weight loss, and she began tracking calories,...

It's host Brenda Viola's birthday, and the Lipedema Roundtablers surprised Brenda with party hats, flowers, and a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" to celebrate! Aside from the celebratory energy, the occasion was marked by the virtual worlds of Brenda, Linda Anne Kahn , and superfan Jackie Larson colliding as they shared the screen from Linda's home. The brain fog and fatigue commonly associa...

Panelists and attendees at the July Lymphedema Patient Roundtable were compressed for success as we welcomed special guests from Sigvaris to discuss all things compression. Emily Pour, Commercial Director of Lipedema and Lymphedema Strategy at Sigvaris, and Lindsay Playford, Marketing Program Coordinator, joined our regular panelists at the Roundtable for a special “compression session” to talk ab...

Cheryl Scoledge is the founder of the Facebook group "Lipedema and Food Intolerances." Her devotion to finding answers for her lipedema , which remained undiagnosed until age 50, resulted in a dramatic improvement in her quality of life. Going from a size 24 to a size 10 to speaking at the Fat Disorders Research Society Conference , Cheryl shares what she's learned on her lipedema journey.  T...

She’s earned a Doctorate and four Masters degrees, so when this lifelong learner was faced with the one-two punch of breast cancer and then lymphedema , she was relentless in her pursuit of answers. A nurse practitioner, Fernanda Cooley dove into the research and implemented compression and nutritional changes, even using an infrared sauna. When finally prescribed her Lympha Press pneumatic compre...

It’s the second anniversary of the Lympha Press Lipedema Patient Roundtable, and the celebratory night turned the spotlight on the “superfans” who show up every month to share, learn, inspire, and laugh with our regular panelists. Pattie Cornute ( @LipedemaFitness ), Cheryl Scoledge ( @LipedemaDiva ), Siouxie Boshoff ( @Lipedema. Living ), Angelique Charles ( @TheLippyButterfly ) and Cara Cruz ( @...

Summer is here, and panelists and attendees at the Lymphedema Patient Roundtable took a break from the heat to gather virtually for the June Roundtable. Joining the panel this month was special guest Sean Mulroney of The Obesity Revolution , who shared some of his story as well as his experience using the LymphaPod as a larger-bodied lymphedema patient. How did you spend your summer vacation? Lymp...