First, what a great website y'all have! I was first diagnosed with leg lymphedema bilaterally in the summer of 2004. Before that, I thought I just had really fat legs, and no amount of dieting helped at all. A bout with cellulitus landed me in the hospital, where my right leg ballooned so impossibly large - never thought a leg could get so big. Fortunately, I was able to get into therapy shortly after discharge, and by the grace of God, had an excellant therapist, cause both of my legs were in bad shape then. Since that time, I've moved twice, and where I am at now, the closest clinic for lymphedema is about a 4 hour drive away. I'm fortunate to have a doctor who knows what lymphedema is and is willing to be flexible with me with the antibiotics. I take a minimum dosage daily, and increase it immediately for any scratch, etc. Again, fortunately, I've not had any re-occurance of the cellulitus.
Since finding this site, I've learned more about lymphedema than I've ever known. One thing really hit home is the fact that while i've been able to get away with just wrapping my lower legs, I do need to be more mindful of my thighs, too. During therapy, after about a month, the therapist did wrap my upper legs, but before discharge, she'd said if I could keep my lower legs wrapped mainly, that was the most important thing. Well, I've been attempting to wrap my upper legs lately, without the best of results. The probelm? Get them wrapped, and within a very short time, they loosen and fall down. How the heck do you keep them up? I've been wrapping them in a figure 8, as I've found that works best with my lower legs, but the wraps just don't stay up or in place long on my thighs.
At the initial time of discharge from the therapist, I had lower leg assists to use in place of the wraps, but since that time, I've lost a large amount of weight, and while I still use them from time to time, the wraps are my main form for containment. I'm on a limited income and little means to purchase the stockings. Even replacing the wraps can make things kind of tight at times, but I will do all I can to prevent having my legs get worse like they were before.
Again, thank you for such a wonderful site!
Marian