I was told that because I'm not homebound, the VNA would not come to my home to help me wrap. That was one of the barriers in my treatment. Although I was very big, I've never been one to sit around and am always out an about. It would have been too much to go to my therapist every day to be wrapped and the nurses around here really don't know much about wrapping a limb with LE. I'm confident that the Farrow Wraps are going to be the key to my treatment. They are bandages, joined by a panel in the back, which wrap around the front of the limb you're treating and fasten with velcro. Like I said, they can be pricey. My leg is too big for the off-the-shelf ones, so I have to get them custom made. The good part is, with them being velcro, I won't have to get smaller ones once my limb shrinks in size. I can just overlap them more! That being said, the custom wraps cost $250 and $16 to ship. It's a shame insurance doesn't cover these more for people. They think we can just find people to help us wrap. Makes it harder for those of us who have an easier time getting around......

Good luck to you! I hope it all works out, especially with your living situation. I knew a girl who had bedbugs in her apt because of the people who moved in above her and when she moved, she had to get rid of all of her upholstered furniture. It's quite a frustration because even the exterminators say it's such a difficult problem to treat! 

As far as clothing, have you tried ordering your clothes? I got some pants from WomanWithin that were knit. Although the legs to them shrunk in the wash, they go up to 6x I think. Even without the Lymphedema, I've always had larger thighs which make buying pants difficult. Their jeans are alright. If you let me know what size your bottoms are, maybe I could send the 2 pair of jeans that I have to you. They are a little larger in the legs which will help. I would have to know the circumference of your thighs and your calf so that I could ensure that they wouldn't be too tight for you. You could check them out online as well. They are 38W wide leg elastic top jeans. They aren't stretch material, but they are comfortable. I'm also starting to really swim in the 2 pair of knit pants that I have. They are a little shorter in the legs because they shrunk, but once I'm out of them for good, I would be more than willing to let you have them. I know how hard it can be to find clothing in our sizes and when you do find them, it's not exactly cheap. Do you need a coat? I have a 5X one that I bought last winter that I simply swim in anymore. I got it from WomanWithin as well. It's got a fleece lining that can be removed, so you can wear it for more than just winter. Let me know!

My name is Stacie and I'm a 33 year old mother of 3. At my highest, I weighed 450# and have had RNY surgery to lose weight. I stumbled upon this site while searching for information on Lymphedema. Amy Williams's story was an inspiration to me and is my driving force behind pursuing a normal life while managing my own Lymphedema. Here is my story. Any input, advice, or otherwise is welcome.

I was diagnosed with Lymphedema in 2008 after bout after bout of cellulitis infections and hospitalizations. In May of that year, I spent 9 days in the hospital, spiking a fever of 105.4 and having my WBC as high as 26000. I ended up with blisters up the back of my leg and an incredible amount of pain. It was awful. I had infections every 3-4 weeks that year until they finally stopped for the time being.  Over the years, it has been frustrating, especially since I lived an hour away from the nearest Lymphedema Therapist with no vehicle.
 
I entered into the Surgical Weight Loss Program at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA with hopes of having RNY surgery to help lose weight since my doctors told me that losing weight would ease the swelling in my leg (only my lower right leg is affected). I was in the program for well over a year due to 2 barriers to my progress in the program. The first was a fee that the program charged which was not covered by insurance. I simply couldn't come up with the money. The Doctor overseeing the program was considering waiving the fee, but I had to lose a certain amount of weight first. That became my second barrier. I had lost the weight that I needed to lose, but thanks to my lymphedema, I gained it back and the water retention was preventing me from losing anymore.

In a strange twist of fate, I was forced to move from my home and moved down to the Hanover, PA area. I was too far from Danville to continue in the program, so I had to quit. My new doctor was concerned about the swelling in my leg, so I found a Certified Lymphedema Therapist named Cindy and we moved forward with that. Unfortunately, my insurance at the time would only pay for so many sessions. I wasn't able to wrap my own legs and because I was new to the area, didn't have anyone who could help me to wrap daily like I should have. The therapist told me about some compression garments called Farrow Wraps which I could use by myself, but insurance wouldn't pay for them either as they are considered a "luxury". They are pricey and I have to have custom ones because of the shape/size of my leg.  I can't use compression stockings because my ankle is very small while the rest of my leg is large and all the stockings do is slip down my leg, strangle my ankle, and cut off circulation to my foot. I was discharged 2 months later with a BIOCompression Pump, but still had no one to help wrap my leg.

In May of 2011, I was finally eligible for Medicare (I had been pursuing disability for a few years and won in Sept of 2010) and went back for a second course of therapy. While the wrapping, pumping, and manual drainage helped, without wrapping at home, I was stuck in a rut. After 2 more months, was discharged from therapy again.

I also decided to pursue WLS again once I was eligible for Medicare. I contacted Dr. John Monk with Apple Hill Surgical Associates in York, PA and had my first appointment with him in July of 2011. Thanks to my lenghty time with Geisinger, he allowed me to forgo the educational portion of the pre-op process and go straight to the consultations to qualify me for the surgery. During that process, I ended up getting 3 more infections, with 2 hospitalizing me (I should have been hospitalized with the first of the 3, but the hospital I went to sent me home on oral antibiotics). The last infection landed me in the hospital for 10 days. I almost ended up in Critical Care because I spiked a fever of 104.8 (again!) and they were worried. Dr, Monk stressed the importance of having WLS saying it would help to relieve some of the swelling in my leg because I would retain less water.  Finally, in November, I was approved and set the date for RNY surgery.

After my last infection, I started another course of treatment with my Lymphedema Therapist. I really didn't want to go, but this last infection gave me blisters up the back of my leg and the doctor at the Wound Care Center demanded that I go back to her. I went back and we started another aggressive course of manual drainage, wrapping, and pumping. She stated over and over that without wrapping at home, I wouldn't be able to get my leg back to a more normal size. The Farrow Wraps were a necessity. I'm still seeing her twice a week and we are having fun watching my weight drop. As of my surgery, I'm down 56 lbs (I was 412# on the morning of surgery). My weight loss has slowed down and we both think it's because of the water I'm retaining in my leg. I would love to stay home and take the 80 mg of Lasix that I'm prescribed, but I've such an incredible amount of energy that I can't sit still! When I take it, I'm peeing every 3 minutes. Next week, I'll have to slow down a bit, bite the bullet, and take those darn pills so I can see more of these pounds that I know I'm losing come off on the scale. Cindy stresses the importance of moving and exercizing. She says the "muscle pump" gets the fluid moving. I can do so much more and spend more time on exercize equipment than I had before.

I can't wait to finally get my Farrow Wraps within the next month! I will be paying for them on the 2nd when I get my SSDI payment and hopefully they won't take too long to get to me. I'm anxious to see the difference that daily wrapping will have on my leg and hopefully I'll be able to wear shorts/capris/skirts/dresses with pride once again. I must note that I don't care what people think about me or my leg. I've had to overcome the feelings that come with having a misshapen leg and the worry of what people think when they see it. "If they don't like what they see, they don't have to look!"

I'm sharing my story with you in the hopes that I can inspire someone like Amy has inspired me. God Bless you all and good luck with your own journeys!

Hi Jeanne.

We went to court last Friday. We were given until the end of March to be moved out. We found another apartment, so we won't be needing that long anyway. This damn landlord is really infuriating me. We had to go the whole weekend without heat because our space heater broke, and he wouldn't come and fix it. It wasn't until I threatened legal action (again!) that he finally fixed our heater. I don't know how it has been where you live, (Pennsylvania?) but up here in Mass, (near Cape Cod ) it got quite cold at night. (27 degrees) We had a little plug-in space heater to provide us with warmth. We can't wait to move out! We will probably move the weekend of the 3rd, when we get our Social Security checks. My worst fear is bringing any of those bed bugs with us when we move, and thus have the problem all over again. We are leaving all furniture behind and taking what we really can't replace. We are going to bring all of our clothes and wash them at the laundromat before we bring any of it in. It is quite a chore, but it has to be done.

How are you doing? I hear you on wanting to lose weight for your knees. That sounds like a really painful condition you have. I want so badly to get my lymphedema under control so I can focus more on my weightloss too. I know which diet may work for me. The Volumetrics Diet. It's along the lines of that, but I will drink a full glass of water, or a Slim-Fast shake before I eat anything. The "volume" in my stomach will be filled with liquid and making me eat less. I've never really had a large appetite to begin with, which is why I can't figure out how I ever got this big. I had done Slim-Fast before and lost allot of weight on it. 

I hope you are doing well. My prayers are with you too. 

I wish you the best of luck.   At 35, even if you feel as if you wasted some of your life you have time to rectify it.  I am in my late fifties and I feel the same way but I also know that I can make changes.  My first change is that I need to get this weight off so that I can get my other knee replaced. 

I don't know what state that you live in but I would contact the local county assistance office and see what they can offer you as far as help.  Getting help is hard work, you have to constantly be up someone's ass to get the attention that you need.  Your situation in the apartment is not your fault and you need to get someone in your corner that will fight for you.  Good luck in court.  I had a court case in landlord's court many years ago.  I was the landlord and the claim was absolutely ridiculous.  The claim was settled but the court saw it for what it was and I think the settlement was very fair.  Two weeks later the tenents left during the middle of the night, leaving the apartment in shambles.  I never met the people, they were in the apartment when I bought the building.  But I tell you this because I think the court will be fair to you considering what you have said on how the landlord is treating you. 

Look at this as a new start for you and your hubby/boyfriend.  

You will be in my prayers.  Much good luck to you.  Please let me know how you make out.


Jeanne

Your poem is very profound.  Fat hating is the last accepted prejudgice that is still accepted, but you know that.  You are going through a lot of stress right now and that doesn't help your state of mind nor the way your body handles things.  I wish you luck in your housing situation.  I have very limited knowledge about bedbugs but what I know they are a difficult to get rid of.  

Tkr is Total Knee replacement.  From being overweight all my life my knees are both bone on bone and need to be replaced.  I had the right one done.  The left one will be done next year at this time once I take off some more of the weight. 

My first panni I paid cash for only because I was stupid and didn't realize that my insurance would have paid for it.  The second one my insurance paid as there were hernias involved and my weight loss surgeon who is very familiar with lymphedma told the insurance company that all removal of excess skin would help in one making my knee surgery easier on recovery and also lessen the changes for breakouts of cellulitus. 

Traci hang in there and take one of your problems at a time.  When you are feeling very down, pick up one of your furry children and hug them.  That always put a smile on my face.  If you are suffering from depression ask your pcp, over the phone, to maybe try you on Cymbalta.  It was originally a depression med but I understand that it is now being used as a pain reliever very much like celebrex.  As a matter of fact I think that there is a drug out that mixes that and nexium.  I read that somewhere but I am not too sure on the facts.

Good luck, remember that God only gives you what you can handle.   Please do keep in touch.


Jeanne