Shirley

I am having the Duodenal Switch August 19th!

Today is a really bad day for swelling, as it is about 103 and humid-- so I am really swollen tonight.

I was taking lasix- which did reduce my swelling everywhere but my thigh and it reduces potassium, so now I take triamterene, which works good on my thigh but no where else.

Yes I have lower leg compression stockings but I refuse to pay that large amount  for special stockings to go to my thigh- especially when hopefully the surgery will reduce the size of my leg.  Everything they have tried has not offered much assistance.  Tomorrow is a new day and a new therapist and hopefully we will start to see some improvement. Maybe  they will be better at wrapping than the other place.  So far no luck!  Wishful thinking!
JJ

I was finally diagnosed with lymphedema in my right leg in March and since then I have been going to therapy for it.  He measures me every time and then wraps me up like a mummy and then I take 4 steps and the whole thing falls down my leg.  Mine is in my thigh, where it is the most severe, which makes me walk funny, and throws my hips out of place all the time.  The wrapping can only help if I can function with it on and they don't seem to have any solution except to wrap it up let it fall down and then start over. 

My swelling in my thigh is like holding a balloon in between my legs at all times.  I do take a diuretic and some days it helps and others it does not.  I don't eat salt and I am basically on 30-40 carbs per day.  I am hoping that surgery will help and this new way of life will be gone.

When this started showing up I went to several doctors - try 15 - before I was finally diagnosed and it just grew and grew.  I kept asking "is this lymphedema?"  and they would all say no lets get a biopsy. Thank god for Dr. Berntsen who said you can not biopsy lymphedema.  I can only imagine if it would have got infected.  I feel like I saw some pretty amazing specialists and even they did not know what this was..... why is that?  When I go to the Lymphedema Network many many people are living with this, you would think one of those Physician's would know, 3 internal specialists had no idea.

I am switching therapists now and I am hoping for some sort of help, as it is continuing to get worse and worse.  I hope they have a better solution to wrapping my leg, I know I need compression but so far we have not accomplished that at all.  They wrap me up from toe to hip and within an hour the hip to knee section slips down to the top of my knee which is quite painful.  I have read about custom ordering a garment however that is No where near my price range.  $3500 WTH is that?

I hope it will get better and can't wait for surgery and then maybe we can get into a garment soon that works.
JJ

 If you are in that much pain I question if you have cellulitis.  It's common with those with Lymphedema.

I have a large area that started out as a wound but is now just like superficial.  When I have cellulitis it will exude fluid.  Sometimes if I'm retaining a bit more fluid that I should it also exudes fluid.  My old wound care place used to say the fluid takes the path of least resistance.  If you have an open area... the fluid will pass through that instead of working it's way through your lymphatic system to process through the kidneys.

But again... getting back to the pain... I've pretty much been on Vicodin for the last 3 years for pain.  When my areas are draining the pain is extreme... like stabbing zings of electricity.  It's awful.  But the Vicodin really helps.  Losing weight will definitely help because you'll lose fluid, which will ultimately help your wounds... and they will eventually dry up.  Try leaving them out to the air at night while sleeping.  I find it really helps.  Compression the rest of the time.

Good luck!

Hello everyone, this is my very first post  :)   
 I am just in the beginning stages of my weight loss adventures, so I am a complete nub  lol  I have a question to ask, does anyone here have or have had Chronic Wounds? I have had one huge one on my lower right leg for 5 years now, and a smaller one on my left for the past 2. My wound doctor basically said that I wont ever heal until I lose weight. I have never been diagnosed with L:ymphedema professionally, but the nurses agree that it seems like I do have it . My legs aren't swollen to the point of  complete deformation, but they are swollen. I use the special socks and keep my legs up as much as I can. Due to my wounds, I havent been able to work, the pain is so extreme that I am on enough pain meds to kill a horse. Oh, sorry, Ive been rambling on and on...lol  What my original question was - did anyone suffer from wounds and then have the surgery and have them heal and go away. I really need some good news, these things are really getting me down, they have completely changed my life style.  Any help or information would be greatly appreciated. 

 Thanks very much, and great to be here,

 Michelle

Hi, I am 16 and was diagnosed with lipoedema a just under 2 years ago. I have been dieting for about 2 months and I have found it extremely difficult to come to terms with the realisation that I wont be able to lose weight from the effected areas, which consequently for me are my legs, hips, bum and arms, and I am therefore concidering liposuction.
I am a size 16 at the moment, but do not wish for it to progress any further. I am not dilusional and I do realise that this is not just a quick fix for weight loss. But I am extremely unhappy, and devistated that no matter what I do, I will never be able to lose the weight naturally. I have looked into it with my mum, and on many lipoedema sites, it mentions that liposuction is a good method to not only help with the apperance, but the pain. At the moment, I do not have much pain, and have never really had much pain before. I went through a period of secondary lymphodema, but have currently got that under controll and haven't experienced any signs for over a year. I am wearing the compression stockings and dieting. I think my condition is stable and not to the extent that most people suffer from, due to the fact I was diagnosed pretty early into the condition. Is there any advice you can give me? Do you think that it would be the right desigion to try to correct it now before it's too late?
I know that the treatment of liposuction is not a perminent fixture, and will probable have to be re assessed in about 5-15 years, but I am hoping that it will not reach the stage of those 'extreme' cases you read about on the internet. Please help me, I am really worried. I have to do something now, because everytime I look in the mirror I am reminded of the condition. I am even withdrawing myself from social events etc... because I am so embarassed and self concious about how I look. I know I sound really horrible because I haven't got it as bad as many other women, but I need to do something! I am sooo scared. I can't live like this anymore. Please can you advise me? or simply give you're oppinion? It is affecting my whole life.

Kind regards, Lydia x