Reflections of My Life

I cannot believe the difference in how my legs feel this morning! This compression wrap is so different from the stockings. Yeah, I have to wear them all the time but not feeling horrible is the trade off. It is the same lesson I have learned through eating keto and sticking to it or eating the SAD (standard American diet). You give up things you loved and learn to love things that make you feel good and not be is so much pain.

I am thinking of buying some skirts for summer since they would be easier with the wraps. Maybe cooler too. I remember I wore skirts when working in my garden and it made a difference.
 
katlupe said:
I cannot believe the difference in how my legs feel this morning! This compression wrap is so different from the stockings. Yeah, I have to wear them all the time but not feeling horrible is the trade off. It is the same lesson I have learned through eating keto and sticking to it or eating the SAD (standard American diet). You give up things you loved and learn to love things that make you feel good and not be is so much pain.

I am thinking of buying some skirts for summer since they would be easier with the wraps. Maybe cooler too. I remember I wore skirts when working in my garden and it made a difference.
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Nothing tastes as good as feeling good feels. --somebody said
 
Jules said:
Can you take the wrap off to sleep or shower?
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Not yet. She will be teaching me how to do the wraps myself. Then I can do it at home and won't have to go back as often. I will be taking them off in the morning when I get up and then shower and put them back on. Maybe I will be able to use a different type of compression after I get this under control. This wrap is supposed to do that which will get the swelling down as far as it will go. Then the next type of compression will maintain it so it does not get any worse.
 
The people who smoke here have been throwing their butts everywhere around our building. Looks awful but I never said anything about it to anyone. Yesterday our manager (who is smoker also) made one of the smokers (who stands outside for hours in the same spot smoking the whole time) take a broom and dustpan out and clean them up. I was glad to hear that. There is one of those containers out there for people to put the butts in but she doesn't stand near that.

To make matter worse............the community room has been a mess due to people sitting down there drinking. Actually it is in our lease that no alcoholic beverages can be consumed in the public areas of the building. Just in your own apartments. Plus they broke the lock on the bathroom. So if they picked up the beer boxes and cups and cleaned up after themselves no one would have even known. By leaving a mess it just might cause the manager to lock up the community room so nobody can use unless she is here.

One thing I wonder about smokers is why are they so dirty? Just throwing the butts everywhere without regard to it being litter. Or why they have a cigarette in their mouth ready to light before they even get outside the building? All along the ramp coming into the building are cigarette butts. Nothing can be kept nice when smokers live in your building.
 
katlupe said:
The people who smoke here have been throwing their butts everywhere around our building. Looks awful but I never said anything about it to anyone. Yesterday our manager (who is smoker also) made one of the smokers (who stands outside for hours in the same spot smoking the whole time) take a broom and dustpan out and clean them up. I was glad to hear that. There is one of those containers out there for people to put the butts in but she doesn't stand near that.

To make matter worse............the community room has been a mess due to people sitting down there drinking. Actually it is in our lease that no alcoholic beverages can be consumed in the public areas of the building. Just in your own apartments. Plus they broke the lock on the bathroom. So if they picked up the beer boxes and cups and cleaned up after themselves no one would have even known. By leaving a mess it just might cause the manager to lock up the community room so nobody can use unless she is here.

One thing I wonder about smokers is why are they so dirty? Just throwing the butts everywhere without regard to it being litter. Or why they have a cigarette in their mouth ready to light before they even get outside the building? All along the ramp coming into the building are cigarette butts. Nothing can be kept nice when smokers live in your building.
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A new "No Smoking on the Premises" rule?
 
as a former smoker you have to keep in mind it's an addiction. i always tried to keep my butts picked up. those containers for the butts are great unless they don't get emptied and they catch fire. some smokers don't care and will flick butts wherever. cigarettes are just as addictive if not worse than a drug addiction. you don't realize how nasty it is until you quit.
 
MarciKS said:
as a former smoker you have to keep in mind it's an addiction. i always tried to keep my butts picked up. those containers for the butts are great unless they don't get emptied and they catch fire. some smokers don't care and will flick butts wherever. cigarettes are just as addictive if not worse than a drug addiction. you don't realize how nasty it is until you quit.
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Regardless of it being an addiction, (I know it is because of how it affects my son) it is still a careless dirty habit to throw the butts on the ground. I just hate looking at it everywhere I go. I hardly go outside anymore now because of the smoke I have to walk through to get down the street.
 
Just got back from my therapy appointment. It is beyond my expectations on how good this is turning out. She measures my legs, calves, ankles & feet every time I go. When she took the wraps off this morning I was like "Wow"! I could not believe it. My feet and ankles looked so thin so normal. I almost burst in tears I was so happy. She said they improved way more than she expected.

She did the lymphatic massage and applied lotion. Then rewrapped. She said on Friday she will have me try to do it myself. Still have to take sponge baths till then. She will be placing an order for compression velcro wraps for me after she gets the order back from my doctor. The time this takes to go there and do this is worth it.

I have been able to make the appointment for the transportation on the computer now and that makes it much easier.
 
katlupe said:
Just got back from my therapy appointment. It is beyond my expectations on how good this is turning out. She measures my legs, calves, ankles & feet every time I go. When she took the wraps off this morning I was like "Wow"! I could not believe it. My feet and ankles looked so thin so normal. I almost burst in tears I was so happy. She said they improved way more than she expected.

She did the lymphatic massage and applied lotion. Then rewrapped. She said on Friday she will have me try to do it myself. Still have to take sponge baths till then. She will be placing an order for compression velcro wraps for me after she gets the order back from my doctor. The time this takes to go there and do this is worth it.

I have been able to make the appointment for the transportation on the computer now and that makes it much easier.
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🤔 I thought the velcro wraps were what you already had on!
Kat, I have the same problem as you, so please advise re what sort of 'wraps' you are wearing?
 
gruntlabor said:
🤔 I thought the velcro wraps were what you already had on!
Kat, I have the same problem as you, so please advise re what sort of 'wraps' you are wearing?
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No, they are the kind that kind of look like an ace bandage but are not exactly. She first puts a thing like a sock without an end on. It is stretchy and loose. Then she wraps a white fluffy type of material around from the foot (not the toes) all the way to just below the knee. She then wrapped the actual compression wrap (that looks like an ace bandage) over it all.

Today she put a stretchy material type of covering over it all but included the knee on that. This also has some compression but not a lot. If I am not comfortable with it I can take it off or even loosen it up a bit. But probably won't be doing that. I like the way it feels.

I am wearing socks in this picture also. You can see how it is wrapped all the way up.


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Kat, has the therapist told you if your insurance will cover the cost of the supplies you will need at home.?

I did this type of therapy on my husband for five years. He developed lymphedema in his arm, after his cancer destroyed the lymph nodes under his arm.

Strange enough, we had great insurance but these things were not covered. It is wise to have at least two, if not more sets of wraps. That way I always had one set on him so I could roll the other to be ready for the next morning. Same with the other things, gauze, padding material and stocking materials.

I had to order from a company that specialized in these types of supplies given to me by the therapist. We also had a special thing, much like your boots to help move fluid out when needed. The insurance did pay for that.

Also, the wraps will need to be hand washed and hung to dry. They kind of get stretched out after a few uses. The washing helps them bounce back to like new condition so they compress well.

It can be aggravating when you first start doing it but after a while you figure out the best way for you. You get a routine set up and it gets much easier to manage. It does make a big difference in how your legs will feel. It can be difficult to adjust to having it on at night, might take a little time to adjust.
 
katlupe said:
No, they are the kind that kind of look like an ace bandage but are not exactly. She first puts a thing like a sock without an end on. It is stretchy and loose. Then she wraps a white fluffy type of material around from the foot (not the toes) all the way to just below the knee. She then wrapped the actual compression wrap (that looks like an ace bandage) over it all.

Today she put a stretchy material type of covering over it all but included the knee on that. This also has some compression but not a lot. If I am not comfortable with it I can take it off or even loosen it up a bit. But probably won't be doing that. I like the way it feels.

I am wearing socks in this picture also. You can see how it is wrapped all the way up.


View attachment 496440
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THANK YOU for all the trouble you went to, Kat!
Yep, they work very well but are difficult to do yourself. I'm very familiar with them. After you've brought the swelling down, the compression stockings may be sufficient, at least for awhile. You're gonna love the Velcro wraps.
 
Blessed said:
Kat, has the therapist told you if your insurance will cover the cost of the supplies you will need at home.?

I did this type of therapy on my husband for five years. He developed lymphedema in his arm, after his cancer destroyed the lymph nodes under his arm.

Strange enough, we had great insurance but these things were not covered. It is wise to have at least two, if not more sets of wraps. That way I always had one set on him so I could roll the other to be ready for the next morning. Same with the other things, gauze, padding material and stocking materials.

I had to order from a company that specialized in these types of supplies given to me by the therapist. We also had a special thing, much like your boots to help move fluid out when needed. The insurance did pay for that.

Also, the wraps will need to be hand washed and hung to dry. They kind of get stretched out after a few uses. The washing helps them bounce back to like new condition so they compress well.

It can be aggravating when you first start doing it but after a while you figure out the best way for you. You get a routine set up and it gets much easier to manage. It does make a big difference in how your legs will feel. It can be difficult to adjust to having it on at night, might take a little time to adjust.
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Last year........FINALLY this happened........ "The Lymphedema Treatment Act is a federal law passed on December 23, 2022, that will go into effect on January 1, 2024, to improve Medicare insurance coverage for the medically necessary, doctor-prescribed compression supplies that are the cornerstone of lymphedema treatment." Once it was approved by Medicare, Medicaid follows along.

I am doing good so far with them. The therapist said once I can do them at home I will find what works for me. She said I do not have to use them at night when sleeping if I don't want to. So I will see. So far I am not removing them until I can do it myself. I believe once they are back down I can use compression stockings or wraps to maintain.

I have been washing the compression stockings at night after I remove them almost daily. But now I will be doing these new things. I know it is important to keep them clean. Also to apply lotion daily.

I know it is a lot of bother to have to do this stuff but really, it is not like I go to a job or anything. Most days I am on my computer or cleaning my apartment. This therapy took me out of my comfort zone. I hardly left my apartment. Now I am out of here every other day this week. Kind of like it now.
 
I wear compression wraps on my left leg to reduce the swelling from my surgery. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday and then it will be removed. Under the wraps is a wound vac that is extremely uncomfortable. I must wear the machine part of the vac around my neck.

Thanks for a pic of the sign on your fridge. I’m finding life so hard. It’s hard to keep my spirits up.

I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. Went to bed last night at 7pm. Got up at 5:30 am. Didn’t want to move. I’m just so sad about the shape I’m in. Then I thought about coffee. I make good coffee. I was able to rouse myself. Able to start the day.

Must take life very slowly. Must care about myself. Like your sign on fridge says.
 
One thing that always inspires me to keep going and doing what I have to do is the memory of what my mother and MIL went through. Both of them had difficult health issues. No matter what I am dealing with at this moment it is nothing like what they suffered.

I have been using the same Kindle Fire since 2011. My husband bought it as a surprise for me. I wanted one so bad and didn't think I could ever have the money to get one. Well, I loved it since day one. Never had a problem with it. So I had been thinking of upgrading to the 10" one for some time. I recently received a message from Amazon that they are discontinuing support for it. I can still read the books I have on it but cannot download anything new. So that pushed me to buying the new one. I will see how I like it.

I did not order any of the accessories until I get it and see what's what. The cover is forty dollars but there are other cheap China made ones. I might end up getting one of them. I don't know yet.

Today I am throwing out all the black plastic containers in my kitchen. I have always cleaned and reused them because they last forever. Now I learn they art the most toxic of all plastic containers. That figures. :cautious:
 
Pepper said:
I wear compression wraps on my left leg to reduce the swelling from my surgery. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday and then it will be removed. Under the wraps is a wound vac that is extremely uncomfortable. I must wear the machine part of the vac around my neck.

Thanks for a pic of the sign on your fridge. I’m finding life so hard. It’s hard to keep my spirits up.

I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. Went to bed last night at 7pm. Got up at 5:30 am. Didn’t want to move. I’m just so sad about the shape I’m in. Then I thought about coffee. I make good coffee. I was able to rouse myself. Able to start the day.

Must take life very slowly. Must care about myself. Like your sign on fridge says.
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Just doing one thing, like getting your coffee is a positive first step. Take your day in baby steps. You need to heal first before you do too much. I know you said you do not like to eat, but you need protein. Protein heals your body. Think of food as medicine because it is.

I am praying for you every day. Love you Pepper! ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏
 
Well, I planned on doing laundry today because tomorrow I have a therapy appointment. But I feel too tired to even go downstairs. Then to sit in there for a couple hours.......nope doing it today. I will wait for the week-end. Another thing about Lymphedema is that it makes you tired even when you didn't do much of anything to start with. So I can put it off a couple of days not going to kill me. I have plenty of clothing so no worries there.

The sun is shining brightly in my windows but is cold outside. I am planning on trying to walk to the park on the corner as soon as the weather gets nice. Just walk there and sit in the sun awhile then walk back. Increase the distance as I can.
 
I woke up this morning feeling energized. Maybe because I didn't do all the work I planned yesterday. Today I have another therapy appointment and going to actually wrap my legs myself with the therapist watching and guiding me. I need to do this so I can finally take a shower and wash my hair! These sponge baths are not my thing. Even though I used to do them at my house because without running water a bath once a week was a big chore.

If the week-end is nice I will attempt to walk to the park. It is just across the street but I have not been going there lately. I miss it. If I can do it I will start walking farther than the laps around my hall. I would like to be able to walk to my therapy appointments instead of getting a ride. I am all about my own independence as long as possible. Then back to my hair salon.
 
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