I have Lymphedema. When I first had symptoms, doctors
didn't know what was wrong nor did they
have any clue what to do.
I hear this is common for those of us with the condition. After going to many
doctors and hearing the same thing, "Elevate" and pretty much deal
with it, I became frustrated. I
went to a reputable surgeon I have
never been to before, he diagnosed me right away. I was given a
script for compression garments and later on, manual lymph drainage
therapy.
I had researched on my own in medical books but didn't find
much. In the late 1990's I got a computer
and began to research online. I didn't find much just a handful of websites that didn't offer any hope or
insight on what to do. It wasn't until the 2000 era that
lymphedema became more popular and just in
the last 2-3 years,
lymphedema exploded on the web. Thanks to all that worked to make that
possible!
Lymphland?
Lymphland was created by me to be a place of
support, information, and friendship. I wanted my
website to be
special, where we could have chats and find the unusual. Lymphland will always
be around
and I'll be adding more as time passes.
What
is Lymphedema?
Lymphedema is broken down into 2 words. Lymph which is
the colorless to milky colored fluid in your
body. Edema, which
means swelling. Lymphedema occurs when fluids build up in the soft tissues of
the
body. Lymphedema is pronounced: Lim-fee-dee-ma. It can be
spelled a variety of ways such as
lymphoedema, lymphadema, etc. All
the various spellings mean the same condition.
There are 2 basic types
of lymphedema.
1. Primary, heredity, sometimes called Nonne Milroy's
Disease or Meige's disease which means you
are/were born with
it.
2. Secondary or acquired, which means it came from a cause such as
surgery, trauma, injury, etc.
Lymphedema can appear directly after
surgery or trauma's or even 20 years down the road.
Filariasis is the
infestation of the Brugia malayi parasite through mosquito or fly
bites.
Lymphorrhea is the laking of lymph that has ruptured through the
skin from skin breakdowns.
Self induced lymphedema is very rare but
reported in which a tourniquet creates a fibrotic ring that
causes
fluid build up.
Mayall's syndrome is extremely rare, caused by an
arteriolo-venular shut which causes the development
of peripheral
disease.
There are several stages of lymphedema.
Stage 0:
subclinical or latent stage.
Stage 1: Completely and spontaneously
reversible lymphedema. Lymphedema is considered chronic
after 3
months.
Stage 2: Spontaneously irreversible lymphedema. Edema persists
for some times and fibrous tissue
forms.
Stage 3:
Irreversible lymphedema. Very hard edema with no skin movement. Much fibrosis
and hard
skin. Can be loss of joint movement and
mobility.
Edema is said to be pitting when your finger impression
remains on the skin after pressing down.
Lipedema involves the
accumulation of fat in the tissues. Lipedematous tissue may cause true
lymphedema which results in the term lipolymphedema.
Myxedema is
the accumulation of mucinoid substances in the extracellular compartments from
thyroid
dysfunction. Areas involved include the shins, eyelids,
back of hands.
Hydrostatic pressure refers to the pressure of fluids
against the resistance of a vessel wall or tissue.
High levels of
fluid can result in high blood pressure. The connection between edemas and
blood
pressure can be intertwined.
SYMPTOMS
AND SIGNS OF LYMPHEDEMA:
Puffiness, stiffness, fatigue, discomfort,
tightness, pressure, heaviness, pain, numbness, hard
thickening
skin, loss of motion, skin folds, and weight increase for no
reason.
CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LYMPHEDEMA:
High blood
pressure, heart problems, venous problems, diabetes, thyroid conditions,
inflammations,
infections, hormonal conditions and auto-immune
conditions.
HOW IS LYMPHEDEMA DIAGNOSED?
In cases where patients
might be suffering from a mixed form of edema's, a lymphoscintigraphy may
be used. It's called the gold standard of diagnostics. There are many
variations with different tracers,
different injected amounts of
dye. It must be done by a skilled examiner. CT, MRI, dopplers,
ultrasonic devices, and C-scans may be used as well. A venography may
be needed to rule out blood
clots. In any case there is risk of
reaction to the tracers/dyes used and/or infections. In most cases
physical examination and patient history are used to diagnose
lymphedemas.
SYMPTOMS:
The symptoms of lymphedema vary from
individual to individual. Some common symptoms include:
A feeling of
fullness, heaviness, or tight skin in an arm or hand
Pain or
aching
Jewelry such as a watches, rings or bracelets that feel too
tight
Shirt sleeves or cuffs or pants that feel too
tight
Weakness, fatigue, or decreased flexibility in the fingers, hand
or wrist, ankles, toes.
Redness, visible swelling, or signs of infection
in any part of the limb
Preventing and managing lymphedema boils down to
just a few simple rules and some do's and don'ts.
The biggest thing to
remember is to avoid injury or irritation to areas prone to or affected by
lymphedema.
Injuries and irritation include: Falls, bruises,
bumps, slivers, bug bites, scratches, hives, bee stings,
sunburn,
razer irritation, repetitive injury, over exertion, burns, too tight clothing,
and being in one
position too long.
Take a minute and join our support group Click on the button below:
didn't know what was wrong nor did they
have any clue what to do.
I hear this is common for those of us with the condition. After going to many
doctors and hearing the same thing, "Elevate" and pretty much deal
with it, I became frustrated. I
went to a reputable surgeon I have
never been to before, he diagnosed me right away. I was given a
script for compression garments and later on, manual lymph drainage
therapy.
I had researched on my own in medical books but didn't find
much. In the late 1990's I got a computer
and began to research online. I didn't find much just a handful of websites that didn't offer any hope or
insight on what to do. It wasn't until the 2000 era that
lymphedema became more popular and just in
the last 2-3 years,
lymphedema exploded on the web. Thanks to all that worked to make that
possible!
Lymphland?
Lymphland was created by me to be a place of
support, information, and friendship. I wanted my
website to be
special, where we could have chats and find the unusual. Lymphland will always
be around
and I'll be adding more as time passes.
What
is Lymphedema?
Lymphedema is broken down into 2 words. Lymph which is
the colorless to milky colored fluid in your
body. Edema, which
means swelling. Lymphedema occurs when fluids build up in the soft tissues of
the
body. Lymphedema is pronounced: Lim-fee-dee-ma. It can be
spelled a variety of ways such as
lymphoedema, lymphadema, etc. All
the various spellings mean the same condition.
There are 2 basic types
of lymphedema.
1. Primary, heredity, sometimes called Nonne Milroy's
Disease or Meige's disease which means you
are/were born with
it.
2. Secondary or acquired, which means it came from a cause such as
surgery, trauma, injury, etc.
Lymphedema can appear directly after
surgery or trauma's or even 20 years down the road.
Filariasis is the
infestation of the Brugia malayi parasite through mosquito or fly
bites.
Lymphorrhea is the laking of lymph that has ruptured through the
skin from skin breakdowns.
Self induced lymphedema is very rare but
reported in which a tourniquet creates a fibrotic ring that
causes
fluid build up.
Mayall's syndrome is extremely rare, caused by an
arteriolo-venular shut which causes the development
of peripheral
disease.
There are several stages of lymphedema.
Stage 0:
subclinical or latent stage.
Stage 1: Completely and spontaneously
reversible lymphedema. Lymphedema is considered chronic
after 3
months.
Stage 2: Spontaneously irreversible lymphedema. Edema persists
for some times and fibrous tissue
forms.
Stage 3:
Irreversible lymphedema. Very hard edema with no skin movement. Much fibrosis
and hard
skin. Can be loss of joint movement and
mobility.
Edema is said to be pitting when your finger impression
remains on the skin after pressing down.
Lipedema involves the
accumulation of fat in the tissues. Lipedematous tissue may cause true
lymphedema which results in the term lipolymphedema.
Myxedema is
the accumulation of mucinoid substances in the extracellular compartments from
thyroid
dysfunction. Areas involved include the shins, eyelids,
back of hands.
Hydrostatic pressure refers to the pressure of fluids
against the resistance of a vessel wall or tissue.
High levels of
fluid can result in high blood pressure. The connection between edemas and
blood
pressure can be intertwined.
SYMPTOMS
AND SIGNS OF LYMPHEDEMA:
Puffiness, stiffness, fatigue, discomfort,
tightness, pressure, heaviness, pain, numbness, hard
thickening
skin, loss of motion, skin folds, and weight increase for no
reason.
CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LYMPHEDEMA:
High blood
pressure, heart problems, venous problems, diabetes, thyroid conditions,
inflammations,
infections, hormonal conditions and auto-immune
conditions.
HOW IS LYMPHEDEMA DIAGNOSED?
In cases where patients
might be suffering from a mixed form of edema's, a lymphoscintigraphy may
be used. It's called the gold standard of diagnostics. There are many
variations with different tracers,
different injected amounts of
dye. It must be done by a skilled examiner. CT, MRI, dopplers,
ultrasonic devices, and C-scans may be used as well. A venography may
be needed to rule out blood
clots. In any case there is risk of
reaction to the tracers/dyes used and/or infections. In most cases
physical examination and patient history are used to diagnose
lymphedemas.
SYMPTOMS:
The symptoms of lymphedema vary from
individual to individual. Some common symptoms include:
A feeling of
fullness, heaviness, or tight skin in an arm or hand
Pain or
aching
Jewelry such as a watches, rings or bracelets that feel too
tight
Shirt sleeves or cuffs or pants that feel too
tight
Weakness, fatigue, or decreased flexibility in the fingers, hand
or wrist, ankles, toes.
Redness, visible swelling, or signs of infection
in any part of the limb
Preventing and managing lymphedema boils down to
just a few simple rules and some do's and don'ts.
The biggest thing to
remember is to avoid injury or irritation to areas prone to or affected by
lymphedema.
Injuries and irritation include: Falls, bruises,
bumps, slivers, bug bites, scratches, hives, bee stings,
sunburn,
razer irritation, repetitive injury, over exertion, burns, too tight clothing,
and being in one
position too long.
Take a minute and join our support group Click on the button below: