Well, at least there is a name for it

Over the past few months, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I have Lipoma. That, in itself, was not so bad, since, after all, it wasn't cancer. The little niggling problem I had was that a lot of what I read said that they weren't supposed to hurt, or that maybe one or two might hit a nerve once in awhile. The problem with this is that I have a few that are excruciatingly painful, and the others range from mild ache to kind of a burning sensation. And the severity changes. But never are they numb, so to speak. I joined a Lipoma forum, and introduced myself, describing what I was experiencing with mine. The moderator pointed me in the direction of some interesting websites, suggesting that I might have a very specific variation of Lipoma.
I have Dercum's Disease, Type III. Not a great outlook for my future, but at least I now know exactly what I have, what strain of Lipoma, I guess. In a way, it's a relief, because it explains a LOT of symptoms I have had. I wrote a very unhappy e-mail a few months ago, wishing the doctors could figure out what was wrong with me. Be careful what you wish for, I guess. LOL
It's funny because you would think that I should be depressed about this....and I'm not. It's kind of a calm acceptance, and an "okay, where do we go from here?" sort of mentality. I could have them removed surgically, but that would also cause a lot of pain, and they could still come back, making the whole procedure pointless. That, and I don't do so well with anaesthetic or needles. They say losing weight won't reduce them or make them better, and can even make them worse.....but of course, I'm still going to keep on losing the weight, because the least I can do is make myself as healthy as possible, and feel better about myself and how I look. I guess I can use pain relievers when needed. It's funny (in a not-funny way) how fast this has come on and progressed.
But it isn't cancer. It won't kill me. I can learn to live with pain. And now I know what it is and can keep reading up on it and figuring out the best way to carry on for the future. :)