Many of the book's contributors have lived with lymphedema for decades. Some live in areas of the world where their condition was so little understood as to go untreated or improperly treated for most of their lives. Authors talk candidly about the challenges of travel, exercise, garments, and insurance reimbursement. Some of them are still obviously angry, and others have come to accept their condition as a molehill next to the mountain of blessings in their lives.
Not everyone's lymphedema is a molehill in need of a little shift in perspective. AZ's story, below, reminds me that lymphedema is a serious, disabling medical condition when left untreated. Thank you for your support in bringing hope to people with lymphedema everywhere!
AZ Goes to Wal-Mart
I have been a therapist about seven years now and patients are always inspring me. One who is especially significant to me is AZ.
When I first met him, AZ was 57 and had been bedridden for about 30 years. Both legs and feet were huge. It was estimated that his right leg alone weighed between 300 and 400 pounds. The swelling was from the knee down. In all other areas, he was a normal size with some abdominal swelling. When he would try to stand, the weight would pull down so hard that blood vessels would break and he would be in severe pain for days.
It was impossible to reach around the leg to apply the bandages so it took two therapists, working as a team, to treat and bandage his leg. The first thing we did was to massage him and then wrap the legs. I then pulled the weight up with bandages and attached this to the thighs being careful not to restrict the fluid. This allowed him to stand without having the weight break the blood vessels behind the knee.
I then asked him to get out of bed each day and touch the wall. With treatment and movement the fluid began to reduce and finally we could apply the bandages with only one person. His fluid seemed to stabilize so we began to use the Komprex Binde (padding) stretched tightly under the bandage. Again the fluid reduced. When it stabilized, I decided to use Komprex foam chips. His legs were so fibrotic that the chips barely dented them. I thought I would make bigger chips so I would roll Komprex Binde into rolls about 1 to 2 inch diameter and place these under the Komprex Binde that was rolled on. The tissue would soften and then reduce.
He was now walking more. He went to the kitchen and back, then around the house, then to the street and then to the end of the block. After a year he and his wife were walking on the beach most afternoons. He reported they would usually walk between one half to one mile. He was now small enough that his wife could bandage him.
In the beginning it took 75 bandages to cover one of AZ's legs from the foot to the knee [I use 6 from foot to thigh, for comparison's sake]. His wife would wash and have these rolled for every visit. He never complained and did everything he was asked to do without complaint. My biggest problem was slowing him down so he would not overtire the leg.
On his first day of treatment, I asked him what he wanted to accomplish and he said he would like to see what was inside a Wal-Mart since he had never been to a big store like that. Now, I hate going to Wal-Mart and always used to complain about standing in line for such a long time to check out. AZ achieved his goal. He went to Wal-Mart and had a ball -- and I've stopped complaining about shopping or standing in line.
Thanks to AZ, many people around here have a whole new look at a lot of things.
Submitted by James Morrow, AZ's therapist
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