Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I did some more research on lymphedema. I wanted to see if there were any famous people who may be dealing with this situation. So did you know……

Hilary Clinton has lymphedema in her legs after giving birth to her daughter.

Sen. John McCain’s bout with facial melanoma left him with lymphedema in the face.

Ingrid Bergman suffered from lymphedema after breast cancer.

Kathy Bates has lymphedema from breast cancer.

Elizabeth Taylor had lymphedema from breast cancer.

Elizabeth Edwards, who died of breast cancer also suffered with lymphedema.

Dr. Jerri Nielsen, who became famous when she treated herself with chemotherapy at the South Pole suffered from lymphedema.

According the Lymphatic Education and Research Network over ten million people suffer with lymphedema. Have you ever noticed that not one celebrity in Hollywood suffering from lymphedema has come forward to be an advocate for this disorder but many come out with their personal triumphs over breast, prostate, colon and testicular cancers. Why? Because lymphedema is unfamiliar, poorly understood and physically unattractive. No one wants to be labeled. Celebrities get paid for their looks. Well I am here to tell you, that it is not a terrible or embarrassing disorder. There are several different stages and types of lymphedema. Mine is mainly in my left hand. My fingers swell and I have to wrap them to pump the fluid out of them. Lymphedema does not have a cure, but it can be managed. Don’t give up, go to a therapist and have them show you how to manually drain the nodes and explain how it works to you. If you do not like the first therapist you go too, find another one. I did….

Overall today is a good day. 🙂 The sun was shining and the birds were singing row row row your boat. Training came really early today. The winds were so strong we had to row in the indoor rowing tanks.