As many as 200 million people worldwide suffer from Lymphedema, but diagnosis can often leave patients feeling alone and stranded. If you love someone with Lymphedema (LE), there are a few regular habits you can establish to help them feel comfortable, understood, and loved. LE is a dysfunction of the Lymphatic System – the body’s network of filters that helps the Circulatory System clear bacteria, infection, and by-products of blood circulation. Lymphedema can be primary (genetic) or secondary, as the result of trauma or damage to lymph nodes, often as a result of cancer treatment. Fluid back-up in the limbs makes […]
The Upside of Lymphedema
Having Lymphedema is a lot of fun, isn’t it?…said no one, ever. Any lymphie could write at least a few pages about things that make us crazy. Lymphedema is with us every day – it’s here to stay but it doesn’t define or own us. We could live in a state of regret, which is like walking around with an open wound, or we can acknowledge it, make peace with it, dress it up, and move on. Let’s choose the upside of Lymphedema. I attended a mindfulness lecture earlier this month, in which the presenter suggested setting the tone for the […]