Wildheart Wanderings

Living with chronic pain and a condition like lipedema can make life feel like an impossible battle. I know, because this has been my story. For years, I didn't know what each day would bring, often spending about 22 hours a day in bed just trying to cope. I had given up almost all of what life once was, exhausted by a relentless cycle of trying to find healthcare professionals who actually care, late-night internet searches, and the discouraging feeling of not being believe

Are You One of THOSE Women? Those with lipedema who report less leg hair or NO LEG HAIR AT ALL!? They may shave much less often or barely even look at the razor in their bathroom. This may seem like one of the only positive side effects of living with lipedema but.... it could be a sign of some not so healthy things going on under your skin! There are important considerations to make if your body isn't functioning the way it's intended, even if that makes life more convenient

Lipedema affects about 1 in 10 women. When looking at common symptoms that change how we see our bodies, key signs include weight gain, pain, decreased mobility, and a change in body tissue. Often, usual dieting and exercise don't work in the ways we expect. Sudden weight gain without a change in lifestyle or food intake is common and goes unexplained, sometimes for decades. Still, these women eat less and less trying to win the battle they're in, which can lead to things lik

It's barefoot season and your footprint can tell a fascia therapist like me more than you might think about your overall health and function. Let's learn more about these fascinating feet that carry us through life because death (and life!) starts in the feet! How you load your feet affects your whole body. What does that mean? It means that most people put more weight on certain parts of their feet and it impacts how they stand, how they move, and how they hurt! Let's learn

Let's start with the basics. Fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds and supports every muscle, organ, blood vessel, nerve, and lymphatic structure in your body. It creates a continuous web of support and communication throughout your body. When fascia becomes restricted, circulation, movement, and healing can be impaired. Healthy fascia equals better flow and a stronger you. When fascia becomes restricted, it can contribute to reduced circulation, impaired lymph flow,

Five years ago I wrote about how the struggle of being the mom of a daughter whose lipedema future is unsure is often harder than the struggles of lipedema itself. To be honest, that struggle is still very real and I expect it will be until I leave this earth. My daughter is almost 12 now and as she's hitting all of those puberty milestones I'm waiting and watching. Hoping, praying. Since she was a tiny baby breastfeeding and taking probiotics, she's had a better start than

What does that mean? I've said before that various therapies I've tried for my awesome combo of chronic conditions ended up being a Band-aid instead of true healing. I stand by that. Until I found Block Therapy things would work for awhile and then I'd hit a wall. There would be slight improvement and then I'd go backwards or be unable to progress. Lipedema, lymphedema, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, migraines, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, celiac...the list was complicated and the sy

The question is always asked: What program EXACTLY should I follow if I have lipedema? I want to feel better. I want less pain. I want more mobility. I want healthier tissues. I want to reduce inflammation. As a Block Therapy Instructor and Fascia Alignment Coach, tell me exactly what I should do! My answer will always be the same. You may have the exact same diagnoses that I have, or someone on social media has, but your body and your journey are unique. That means I do

I have been working on something for the last year or so. It's something that will give me a trifecta of knowledge and certifications to be able to truly help the community that has my heart...those with lipedema, lymphedema, and connective tissue disorders like hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos. I've also used this training to help my husband heal and recover after cancer treatement and help my daughter become more flexible and strong for dance and lengthen her extensions. I h

For years, this was what I thought. Years of my life hoping. Years of my life dedicated to extreme exercise, extreme food restriction, extreme supplement intake, extreme everything. Years of thinking ahead to the next occasion and setting another goal of what I might weigh if I work hard enough. Years of believing that a few sizes smaller was THE goal. But I was wrong. When lipedema hit my life hard, though I didn't have a label for it at the time, I gained 50 pounds in thre

First, I'll start by saying I'd love to never hear this phrase again. Cheat days. Cheat meals. Just who are you cheating on? As an adult, you're allowed to make your own choices about what you eat and drink. So, this holiday season, let's have a new perspective. Know your body. Know the effects of what this food or that food does to your body. Weigh the mental and physical pros and cons and decide what you, as a grown human, will consume. That's it. After you've consumed it,

The question always comes when someone brings up another "thing" for a chronic condition. We already do so much each day. We already invest more effort into just keeping our pain and other symptoms at a low enough level to get through each day than anyone else we know. We already have tried and discarded a multitude of other promising options. We already are tired of doing all the things all the time. So the question of whether or not a new thing actually will help us, righ

Yes, I really do know. Those with the conditions I share like lipedema, lymphedema, and hypermobility or Ehlers Danlos, need the therapies that help us. We need activity and movement. We need things that move lymph and break down fibrotic tissue and restore our fascia and support overall health. However, and it's an elephant-sized however, those things hurt. If a cat stepping on your leg can be excruciating, how much more does it hurt if you're intentionally putting pressu

The biggest piece of my healing journey, by leaps and bounds, wasn't an "aha!" moment, but something I learned slowly. and also things I unlearned. For years I'd been told I needed to do certain things and I would be healthy (aka skinny). I listened to criticism from people in my personal circles, health professionals I saw, and experts out there who had never met me or anyone like me. I heard that people with conditions like mine had no hope of truly healing and that my bod

The last post I made feels like a lifetime ago. It was titled, "When the Basics are too Much" and I guess they truly were too much because life spun a little out of control and my own health and life needed attention before I could get back to helping others. It happens with chronic conditions, and with life itself. But God is faithful and God wasn't done. My spiral started when I slammed my hand in the car door and broke my thumb. I was in a removable splint type of thing

I often tell clients to give themselves credit for what they accomplish and grace for what they don't. A chronic illness introduces...

Every year we head to the ocean for at least a week. It's never long enough and I always shed tears when we leave. It's the only time in my life that I don't have pain. Within a few days of soaking up sun, sitting in the surf as it sloshes all around me, feeling the sand between my toes (and everywhere else!), and listening to the sound of the waves the pain goes away. I crave the ocean because it soothes my soul and makes me feel somewhat normal again. I always marvel at

It’s incredibly difficult to be a woman with lipedema. The only thing harder is being a woman with lipedema who is also a mother with a...

You can't dig too deep into information about lipedema without someone mentioning therapies. At first, you read that surgery is the only...

June is Lipedema Awareness Month and what kind of health and wellness coach would I be if I didn't talk about nutrition for lipedema...