I was told to stop calling it “my Lymphedema” because I need to separate myself from this sickness and stop embracing it and caring for it like a child. Instead, I need to see it as an unwelcomed visitor and work hard to get rid of it or manage it in a way that it does not prevent me from living the life I want.  I don’t, but in separating from it, I wish I could leave it behind me so I can live my life without:

• people staring
• the assumption that I ate myself to this size
• suggested amputations to be rid of my “oversized legs”

(also had a guy tell me to shave my head because I don’t have straight hair but that’s a whole other type of suggested self-loathing)

• eat a salad without worrying if an ingredient in it will aggravate the Lymphedema leaving me limping, inflamed and in excruciating pain for several days.

Lymphedema doesn’t have a clinically known cure. One has to learn how to manage it and there is no one blanket method of said management. Each patient’s Lymphedema condition or stage must be examined by a Lymphedema specialist and a tailored plan put together to help reduce flare ups, fluid buildup, prevent infection and prevent the dreaded and potentially deadly cellulitis. This is what I have been told by doctors and in my Lymphedema support group(s).

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