Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Call to Fellow Lymphies: Information on Treatment Globally

Why is the United States so behind in Lymphedema treatment and outreach?

From what I have found on the Internet, the UK and other countries are more advanced in treatment and awareness of Lymphedema. Could all of my fellow Lymphies send me information on your experiences with finding treatment (proper treatment), any obstacles to finding such treatment, costs of treatment, level of education of the individual who treated you (M.D., Nurse Practitioner, Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, etc.).

What did your treatment entail? How did you feel about the treatment?
I am thinking this could be a part of something larger than my blog. Perhaps a publication? A call to step up treatment practices…

Let’s educate ourselves on our experiences and push for more treatment options, better treatment facilities, more specialized training for treatment programs, etc.

Please share this with any other Lymphedema networking you are a part of! Thanks in advance.


Also, great resource for those in the UK:

http://www.lymphormation.org/associations.php#6

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Update on Swelling and Fitness Goals

Alright, I am days away from new and improved compression stockings. My doc moved me up to 40 to 50 for the compression grade. They should be coming in the mail soon and I am anxious to see if they keep my swelling down. I recently bought new wraps and have been better about the manual lymph drainage so I have noticed a phenomenal difference in the mornings, just not at the end of the day.

I also have increased my fitness goals at the gym and am now completing miles in much less time (on the elliptical). I range anywhere from 10.5 minutes to 11.5 minutes per mile. My ultimate goal is to get to 10 minutes per mile so I can knock out 3 miles in 30 minutes and then walk the 4th mile on the treadmill.

And how am I doing with my diet? Well I have completely cut out soda, iced tea etc. I do drink gatorade or powerade after the gym some days when I feel dehydrated. I have also cut out the sugar from my coffee and now use Splenda which really does not ruin the flavor of my coffee! I am still battling my addiction with cookies and candy. One day at a time, right?