'I found out why my legs are so much bigger than my top on Instagram'

Jacqueline is now planning to have £5,000 surgery in Spain

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A mum whose health problem became so sore she struggled to get out of bed diagnosed herself - using Instagram. Jacqueline Craig, 39, discovered she had lipoedema - an abnormal build-up of fat - after scrolling social media.

She had struggled with her body image since her teens, believing herself to be slim but unhappy with her "jiggly" legs. At one point her top half was a size 10 - while her bottom half was a size 14.

Jackie's condition then developed into lumps under skin, which was causing discomfort. So she logged onto Instagram and found #lipoedema - which showed other women with the same issue.

Jackie, a party planner, is now saving £5k for surgery in Spain. She said: "It was such a relief to read other peoples' stories. I was just scrolling through Instagram looking at pictures of legs and thinking, 'That's me'.

"I suddenly thought, 'Now I can stop being hard on myself for having a cake sometimes'. I'd always wondered if it was because I enjoy the odd cake - no more than anyone else - and it was lovely to let that go.

"And I'd blamed myself for not being a runner. I honestly thought that might be the issue. But I'm not responsible for this and it's not about something I could be doing differently.

Jacqueline said she'd been a skinny child but in her teens gained fat in a different way to her friends - all in her thighs. She hated buying clothes because nothing fitted right. If trousers fit her waist she couldn't get them on her legs and hips; but if they fit her legs and hips they were massive on her waist.

Lipoedema is thought to be related to hormonal changes, and Jacqueline said the problem got worse after each of her pregnancies. But she could lose normal weight gain like after a holiday, she said.

Jacqueline then became worried by steady weight gain after she stopped breastfeeding her last child, born in 2019. And in 2022 she gained a stone and weighed 14st.

This was despite joining a gym, and going four days a week, alongside walking 20,000 steps a day. And, always a normal healthy eater, she had even cut down on processed carbs, limiting herself to one treat a day.

The fat on her legs and hips became bumpy and hard - like frozen peas under her skin. Jacqueline was in a lot of pain, and struggling to do everyday tasks.

She went to the doctor in March, where they tested her for thyroid problems, and diagnosed with plantafaciitis for her foot pain which had started. Jacqueline, married to Grant Johnston, 39, a project manager, said the fat lumps spread, in a cuff around her knees and ankles, and also to her calves.

She said: "I just kept gaining weight and couldn't understand why. After I’d eat a meal I could actually feel it going to my legs. I'd got used to my bigger thighs, but when it started piling over my knees and into my calves it was horrible.

"I felt very unhappy, and I knew I had to do something about it."

Jacqueline went online and used Instagram and Google to find out more about her problem. She said: "I couldn't believe it - suddenly I could see all these pictures of other women who were worried like me.

"I just kept saying, 'Yes, those are like my legs.'"

Lipoedema sufferers use compression leggings to keep pain and mobility-restricting symptoms at bay. They have to be worn for 16 hours per day, Jacqueline said.

But she has regained her mobility, and no longer struggles to get out of bed or a chair, and is walking 20,000 steps a day again. Jacqueline has decided to go to a clinic in Spain for water assisted liposuction (WAL) to reduce pain.

She hopes to be able to afford to have her upper legs and hips done one day too. WAL involves shooting water jets in to break up the fatty tissue before sucking it out.

Jacqueline said: "The compression leggings are horrid but effective, they just don't feel like the long-term solution for me. I felt like an old lady before. I couldn't kneel down to play with the kids, and my family all thought it was hilarious how long it took me to get up from bed or a chair.

"I'm actually a busy active person, the compression leggings helped me get all that back. But I'm hoping the surgery will help."