how do you know you have lymphedema

My legs have been swelling a lot the last two months, I have had swelling problems off and on for years. but usually once I go to bed the next morning they are fine. So if they swelled I learned to stay off of them for awhile. but this is different. going to bed has not been much help and when I recline they hurt to lay on the recliner. they lleave big dents in the lower part of my leg and that takes a while to go away. I also have this habit of wrapping my leg around a table chair and I have noticed that this has been hurting and leaving dents also. At the same time my legs feel hard. Is that lymphedema and what should I do about it. This is a small area and I am sure we have no treatment here. my doctor gives me water pills but they havent been helping.I am also going to have wls in a month or two will that make a difference.

The testing that they have is very limited in actually telling if you do have Lymphedema. Usually you can be diagnosed without these tests. A good therapist can see if first hand if you have it or not. Here's some info on some testing they can do, but keep in mind that some of these test can cause more damage to the Lymphs. TESTING FOR LYMPHEDEMA - LYMPHATIC OBSTRUCTIONS LYMPHOSCINTIGRAPHY DEFINITION: A method used to identify the sentinel node (the first draining lymph node near a tumor). A radioactive substance that can be taken up by lymph nodes is injected at the site of the tumor, and a doctor follows the movement of this substance on a computer screen. Once the lymph nodes that have taken up the substance are identified, they can LYMPHOSCINTIGRAPHY - The Procedure Lymphatic mapping is the first of this three-part investigation. No anaesthetic is required for this component of the assessment. It is performed in the Department of Nuclear Medicine by the surgeon and a medical physicist. The procedure is carefully explained to the patient who then lies on the imaging table with the appropriate anatomical site exposed. The surgeon injects 0.4mll (20 megaBecquerels) of technetium (Tc 99) unfiltered sulfur colloid intradermally in to four quadrants (0.1ml each) around the melanoma scar. The patient is then positioned under the scanner (Figure 1) and dynamic images obtained (Figure 2). This early phase dynamic scanning shows the lymphatic channels and the sentinel node(s) as they appear in sequence. This is carried out for 20 minutes. The patient is then asked to walk about in the hospital for approximately one hour. A late phase scanning of the basin is done ninety minutes after the injection INTRADERMAL BLUE DYE INJECTION This is done on the operating table in theatre while the patient is under anaesthesia (if general anaesthesia is used) or before the local anaesthetic infiltration. Vital blue dye (0.1 ml) is injected in to each of four quadrants around the melanoma scar (Figure 4). The surgeon scrubs and gowns while the operation site is prepared, thus, allowing time for the dye to reach the sentinel lymph node via the afferent lymphatics. This process takes 10-20 minutes in the lower limb and up to 30 minutes in the upper limb. www.snm.org/education/pq0103.html -------------------------------------------------------------------- LYMPHANGIOGRAM This test is a specialised X-ray of the lymph nodes. It is not done so often now that CT scans and MRI scans can be used to check lymph nodes. But it may sometimes be necessary. You are most likely to have this test if you are being investigated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease. You can have a lymphangiogram of the lymph nodes in any part of the body. The test is done in the hospital X-ray department. It takes about 2-3 hours. It is not painful, but can be uncomfortable and tiring. To show up the lymph nodes on the X-ray, a dye must be injected into the lymph vessels. This is usually done in the skin of the feet. A local anaesthetic is injected first and then the dye. The dye travels through the lymphatic system and into the lymph nodes. Once the dye is in the lymph nodes, X-rays are taken. Any lymph nodes that contain cancer will show up as enlarged on the X-ray. You may be asked to stay lying down for an hour or two after the test. You will probably be able to go home the same day. You may have one or two side effects from the lymphangiogram. Your Skin may look a slightly blue or green colour Urine may look slightly blue or green These side effects are nothing to worry about and will disappear within 48 hours. The results It can take time for test results to come through. How long will depend on why you are having the scan. Usually, the scan is examined by a specialist in radiography and a report typed up. The report is then sent to your specialist, who will then give the results to you. http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3951 ................. Lymphangiogram Medical Encyclopedia http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9605.htm br / ........................................................... Lymphangiogram, Lymphangiography, Lymphography http://www.1uphealth.com/health/lymphangiogram_info.html ........................................................... The Diagnosis and Treatment of Peripheral Lymphedema http://scienceed.arizona.edu/ISL/1995consensus.pdf ........................................................... Diagnosis of an early (latent) stage of secondary lymphedema of the arm - a necessary condition for its successful treatment http://www.mucos.cz/eng/onko/dessla_e.html ........................................................... Radiological Assesment of Lymphedema Joint Program in Nuclear Medicine Lymphedema Jac D. Scheiner, MD Annick Van den Abbeele, MD February 21, 1996 http://brighamrad.harvard.edu/Cases/jpnm/hcache/1065/full.html ......................................................... Lymphedema Diagnostic Aids http://www.venous-info.com/handbook/hbk20d.html Lymphedema: evaluation of qualitative and quantitative lymphoscintigraphy in 238 patients Abstract H Weissleder and R Weissleder Department of Radiology, Kreiskrankenhaus Emmendingen, Federal Republic of Germany http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/3/729 Ultrasound One potentially fatal complication of lymphedema, particularly late stage lymphedema is thrombosis (blood clot). Ultrasounds provide a quick, safe and noninvasive reading of the overall blood flow in the affected lymphedema limb. If an ultrasound show circulatory problems, thn your doctor may initiate further testing to find specifically where the problem is and how serious it might be. -------------------------------------- Venogram A venogram is a procedure that looks at your blood vessels (veins) by injecting x-ray dye and taking x-rays. http://www.cirarad.com/ptinfo/venogram.htm ..................... Venogram http://www.heartcenteronline.com/healthyliving/profile/index.cfm?fuseaction=firstpage&hcoref=pu ---------------------------------------- Other radiological tests can be utilized also to determine soft tissue problems and vascular blockages. ............. How MRI Works by Todd A. Gould, RT-(R)(MR)(ARRT) http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/home/content.cfm?proc_name=Venogram&content_id=272 ............................... Introduction to MRI http://www.mritutor.org/mritutor/ ............................... MRI GLOSSARY http://fonar.com/glossary.htm -------------------------------------------- CAT Scans http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/tomography/ ............................... How CAT Scans Work by Tom Harris http://science.howstuffworks.com/cat-scan.htm ............................... Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan/CT Scan) http://www.medicinenet.com/CAT_Scan/article.htm -------------------------------------------- What is a PET Scan? http://www.falange.demon.co.uk/explain-petscan.htm .......................... PET - Positron Emission Tomography http://www.nationalpetscan.com/petref.htm .......................... PET Scanning bodyscan.md http://www.bodyscan.md/pet_scanning.html