Lymphodaemia

Does anyone on here suffer with it? I always have but now it's got alot worse as I now have terrible sores that weep on the calves of my legs.

I am morbidly obese and I am really trying to lose weight now. From last September I have been going down to our health centre twice a week and the nurses have been dressing my legs, well they arranged for a specialist Lymphodaemia nurse to come out and see me and that was today. She turned up and I had three other practice nurses in with me, one of the nurses dressed my leg and the specialist nurse was sitting over in the corner watching. The strange thing was that the practice nurse that was dressing my leg dressed it with me sitting on a couch facing her with my legs dangling down, another nurse used a mirror so she could see the back of my legs to dress. The specialist nurse never saw the sores on the back of my leg and I'm wondering if they didn't want her to see them as my leg is so bad and in a hell of a mess. It just seems strange the way it was all done! I didn't think at the time but now it's made me wonder. What does anyone else think?

The specialist nurse came all the way from another town so it was quite a way. She was very nice and I think she was wondering why she didn't see them although she saw the front of my legs.

I've always had my legs dressed with me turning my back on the nurse so she can easily get to the sores.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Alison - how awful for you - I've not experienced it but can understand the burden and torment of it ......
Hope you can get some worthwhile treatment for it xx

Re: Lymphodaemia

A very distressing complaint and one which you want treated right. If you do lose weight then that's great, but don't blame yourself for the complaint as anyone can suffer from this. It's not always a weight problem. The main thing is to get it treated well so that no infection gets into your legs. The nurses should be keeping a thorough eye on it. I hope they treat it well for you and that you can feel better. I feel for you x

Re: Lymphodaemia

She could have easily got up if she had wanted to, she will only have to see your legs to know anyway, and there will be notes and reports that she probably had already seen, and your case would then have been discussed.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Thanks for all the replies and kind thoughts. I suppose I'm a little bit paranoid over it. The condition is getting me down and I just want it all to heal and get back to normal.

It just means that I can't go swimming anymore, I used to go nearly every day but not able to go now for some time. Still I suppose these things are sent to try us.

Thanks to you all.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Hopefully, with a bit of letting time pass, your legs will get better. Sorry you can't go swimming. It's a bugger when you can't do something you liked doing. Fingers crossed you get well soon x

Re: Lymphodaemia

Not suffered from this but sorry to hear of your suffering with it.
Just a point about you swimming. Did this disease come before
or after you started swimming regularly. I say this because I don't
go swimming anymore as I am allergic on the skin to the gunge they
put in the swimming pools nowadays. I have itching and red rashes
if I get chlorine on my legs. Don't know much about this disease so
sorry if it hasn't got anything to do with your illness.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Bowie Lymphodema is caused by the Golden Staph infection usually caught in hospitals when the virus gets into a sore or cut.

Everyone carries the virus on their skin, so that's why the nurses have to be very careful when they give you an injection or anything that involves an open wound on your skin. They have to make sure they wash their hands and swipe the area down that they are working on.

My daughter had cancer and she needed a blood transfusion. Notwithstanding that she had been on chemotheraphy for 7 years, so her resistance to this would have been very low, so extra care should have been used when giving her the transfusion to make sure she didn't catch the Golden Staph infection. Before the week was out she had Golden Staph which turns into Lymphodema.

It's a terrible thing to get and once caught you never get rid of it.

Ali do you have access to a special Lymphodema Massager ?? In Australia you have to be accredited to do massage on Lymphodema. They do a marvelous job and can get the infection under control by getting the swelling down and using the special suits.

Do you wear a special elastic suit, made especially for this ???

Unfortunately in my daughter's case, because of the cancer too, she only lived another 18 mths. In fact it's just a year ago that she passed away.

If you would like more information send me a PM and we can exchange emails on this.

I do know how debilitating this disease can be, but there is help available, at least here there is.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Thanks for your good wishes Myra, swimming was important to me because it was the only exercise I could do. As it stands now I've got to try and do walking which isn't easy for me as I walk with a stick and I am very slow and in pain.

Re: Lymphodaemia

Thanks for your reply Bowie Eyes, the lymphodema I have had for a long time, it's the sores on my legs that worry me and they have only started since last September after scratching my calf on a shrub. I have been swimming for about five years. It's a shame you are allergic to the chemicals they put in the pool.