Insurance Issues

I am feeling stressed over my medical claims not being covered. Thousands upon thousands have been accumulated in medical bills. I really wish I did not have to pay any money to Athletico. I feel bitter that the physical therapist lied to me about her qualifications. Hundreds later she actually worsened my condition. There is a physical therapy board that I plan on writing to about the treatment (or lack thereof) I was given.

Then there are the thousands I spent on the doctor that misdiagnosed me and performed a pointless surgery.

I am feeling a little bitter about all this.

I wish I could have been diagnosed earlier, before the recession. I will never understand why it hit at this point in my life.


Today is not a good day but I will continue to try to keep my head up. And in the meantime, I will work on taking out some of my bitterness on Athletico and the physical therapist that took advantage of me at one of the hardest points in my life.

Lymphedema and Tiredness

Lately, it feels as though my leg is wearing me down and I cannot kick this tiredness. I don't know how to tire myself out like I used to with running. I imagine that the mix of less exercise, more stress and this medical condition make for a nasty combination.

I have noticed that even though there can be some pain and extra swelling accompanied with exercise, that will give me more energy.

Also, when I eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables, I do notice less swelling. The problem, sometimes I need more food than a massive fruit salad for dinner.

I am trying some supplements of Rutin and Bioflavinoids which contains Grape Seed Extract and Quercetin. These have not been confirmed via research to help patients with Lymphedema but I am willing to try it.

I am hoping I will figure out some effective combinations to help me feel less tired.

If you have any success stories, I am all ears. If you want to vent about how freakin' tired you are and how its a huge downer for your social life, I am all ears then too.

Compression Hosiery in Lymphoedema

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BypYxXhTooBwMWYzMzI2ZDQtMTRhMy00ZjMyLTg5ZDUtNTdiMTM1NmZlNDUy&hl=en

International Society of Lymphology

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BypYxXhTooBwN2M1NjJkNmItNzdhOC00YjQwLTg3ZWEtMmNkYjgxZGU0YWJk&hl=en

Reply to Comment by Elaine Sandhurst (UK)

It must be incredibly difficult to deal with this condition in both legs and I could not imagine the frustration and pain that accompanies this.

I do want to add, however, that my leg improved considerably with wrapping. I have much less pain, less swelling, increased ability to exercise, increased self esteem, etc. If my other leg develops Lymphedema, I would try to incorporate wrapping both legs in my life. It would be time consuming and frustrating but it could improve my condition and prevent my legs from worsening. I have experienced the result of not having any treatment on my leg and not wrapping it as I went a year without the correct diagnosis so in order to avoid the pain and extreme swelling I had to deal with for that year, I would wrap both legs.

Also, there are compression garments called sleeves and they make them for the legs now. Although they are so expensive (two would cost anywhere from $200-$400) I think I would try to save up for these items. These sleeves supposedly work just as well as wrapping yet you just have to put them on like pants. That is another possibility, albeit an expensive one.

Again, I want to stress that I do not know what it must be like to have to deal with both legs and I empathize for those that do. That would be a major struggle and would take a very strong individual to deal with the extremity of this condition.

International Society of Lymphology

This is a great article on treatment, research and directions in the treatment of lymphedema.

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~witte/contents/2009.42.2.concensus.pdf

Goodbye Dear Friend

I have yet to formally say goodbye to a dear friend of mine: running. Before my lymphedema set in fully, I was running most days of the week and I have to say that I loved running. I felt free when I ran as though nothing could touch me.

When my leg started severely swelling I stopped running because my leg was heavy and it hurt to run. After treatment, I eagerly looked at my doctor and asked him when I could return to running. He told me running was one of the worst things I could do for my leg. He also informed me I could no longer get pedicures--double blow...

Just in case, I asked each of my occupational therapists (I had two) and they both said no.

Since then I have avoided my Nike shorts and brightly colored sports bras and all of my running apparel. I wear my running shoes on "bad days".

So, I wanted to take a moment to tell running goodbye. We had it great while it lasted.

And to all of you who had to give up something because of this condition, I hope you can find something that will replace what you miss.