The 37-year-old thought she was “shaped differently” till her prognosis of the situation in April 2022.

Lipoedema is an irregular build-up of fats within the legs and generally arms. The situation prompted Christine each day ache since she was 11 years previous.

While Christine led an energetic life-style, she struggled to drop some weight from wherever however her torso.

She discovered herself tipping the scales at 25st 7lbs (360lbs), sporting a dimension 18 on prime and dimension 20 trousers.

After giving delivery to her son, Andy, now 5, her signs worsened, and she or he struggled to let him climb onto her lap as a child as it will go away her in agony.

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Christine, who works in fraud investigation in well being care, from Hershey, Pennsylvania, US, mentioned: "When my son was little, he’d want to fall on to my lap.

"It could be excruciatingly painful after which I’d really feel like a horrible mum.

"After having my son, even just a gentle touch on my leg was painful. It's very hard in the winter months.”

Christine's husband, Stephen, 34, a supervisor of a health plan call centre, even has to lay on top of her in the winter to warm up the affected areas of her limbs.

Christine started developing symptoms at just 11 years old despite taking up dance and sport.

She would take constant trips to the doctors - who would immediately think she had diabetes and were shocked when they found her glucose levels were fine.

In her late 20s, Christine started accepting her plus-size body after finding other people online who looked like her.

She said: “I thought - I should just accept it for what it is.”

Christine’s symptoms worsened after welcoming her son in 2017.

She struggled to let baby Andy crawl onto her lap without being in pain – leaving her feel like a “terrible” mum.

Christine came across the condition lipoedema in 2021 after hearing other people speak about it on social media.

A lot of what others said resonated with her and she went to a doctor and raised the condition.

After going to several doctors, Christine was diagnosed with lipoedema in April 2022.

She said: “After diagnosis it was weird to like a part of you that is technically diseased.

“I went from loving everything to questioning it. I feel like my body doesn’t work the way it is supposed to.”

Christine built back her confidence in herself but has decided to get surgery to remove the diseased tissue to help her pain.

She is currently fundraising for the $10k (around £8,084) removal surgery – which she is having to ease her pain rather than to change her appearance.

Christine said: “If I looked the same but didn’t have the pain, I’d be happy. I really enjoy talking about it. So many people have it and have no idea.”

Here is a link to her fundraising page - https://www.gofundme.com/f/83tk4d-lipedema-surgery?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Lipoedema is more common in women and usually affects both sides of the body equally.

The NHS advises: “You may also have pain, tenderness or heaviness in the affected limbs, and you may bruise easily.

“Lipoedema can also cause knock knees, flat feet and joint problems, which can make walking difficult.”

If you have got signs of lipoedema see your GP. If your leg or legs turn into swollen, pink, sizzling and painful and you've got flu-like signs ask for an pressing GP appointment or name 111.