When
I prayed to God about what I should blog about today, his answer was my
lymphedema. I smiled and felt at peace with His answer. For the past
week since I blogged about living with lymphedema for the very first time
I have received so much feedback and support.
I cried so many tears of
joy and gave so many women hope that they don't have to feel boxed in
from revealing to the world that they too live with lymphedema. In this
blog post, I want to share with you the ways in which I have been
managing my lymphedema for the past 10 years especially during the summer months.
I
am a 25-year-old woman who lives on the west bank of New Orleans,
Louisiana. I live in a very hot and humid climate for the most part,
especially whenever it isn't pouring down raining or the mosquitoes and
termites are out. I have always lived a very active lifestyle for many
years. I love wearing shorts more than dresses, and with lymphedema, I
have found ways to still have radiant skin and legs.
Every
morning, I reach for my dry brush after prayer and dry brush my legs
and feet. If you don't know how to dry brush or never heard of it before
I will link this video to help and aid you. Dry brushing has helped me
to keep the lymph flowing and over time (I stared dry brushing in
February.) has given me less swelling to deal with and a noticeable glow
to my legs without applying anybody creams, body butters, or lotions.
I
dry brush anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes before placing on my
compression socks. Notice, that I said nothing about applying anybody
cream either. I then place on my compression socks for the day. I
normally wear 20-30 mmHg, however, I am gradually making the switch to
30-40 mmHg compression socks for a tighter fit.
I
love using the MediUSA brand of compression socks. I always place money
on the side, so I can get a quality pair of compression socks. I used
to purchase random brands from eBay and saw no improvement in the
swelling in my left ankle that was very noticeable. Having a few pairs
of very durable and breathable compression socks are key! The MediUSA
brand has a wide array of colors, styles, and comfort levels that really
help with my lymphedema.
I
wear my compression socks underneath yoga pants, jeans, slacks, and
even with gym shorts. I really love purchasing bold color compression
socks to wear around my home or while walking around the track to burn
calories.
Drinking
over 64 ounces of water a day has also helped me manage my lymphedema. I
am also breastfeeding too, so I try to drink close to 80 ounces of
water a day as well. Staying hydrated will keep your body functioning
properly and your lymph to flow easier.
I
also try to stay on a low salt diet. Of course, I love my crawfish,
fried catfish/chicken, and an occasional dash of salt on my watermelon. I
do try to limit my salt intake for the day and even for the week. I'm
far from being a bland girl with the taste buds to match.
I love using this Tony Chachere's Salt-Free Seasoning with a passion. If you try it or even have it in
your pantry then you know it's amazing for many dishes! Thank me later
if you try it out, but please use it in moderation.
Another
way, I manage my lymphedema is by giving myself pedicures. If you would
love to see a video or blog post about my self-care pedicures, then
please let me know. Doing my own pedicures give me a boost of
confidence. I never had a professional pedicure in my life. I always
been the one to shy away from them and rather do them myself. Manicured
toes with hydrated heels and feet in a cute pair of sandals always make
my summers feel so much better.
I
also do wear my feet out! I know there's a lot of speculation on
whether it's safe for many who live with lymphedema. I occasionally wear
my toes out during the day. At night time, I am back to dry brushing
whenever I get out of the shower and out of my compression socks for the
day.
When
it comes to the radiant skin I also use the loofah gloves in the shower
and a body brush to scrub my body with Dove original soap. I do shave
my legs with soap and I do it very carefully in the shower especially if
I'm not using my Nair. After showering and shaving I sometimes follow
up with using Aloe Vera on my legs and feet or even Vaseline to hydrate
my skin. I love using my DIY whipped shea butter and good ole unrefined
coconut oil on my toes and cuticles.
Managing
my lymphedema has not kept me from feeling beautiful. In fact, managing
my lymphedema and discovering more and better ways to do it is
refreshing to me. I am learning more about bandaging and doing the
lymphatic massages for myself. I would love to even get a lymphatic
massage done soon.
I
will share with you the shoes that I wear and that I will be purchasing in a
future blog post. I hope that I have inspired someone today to take
charge of their lymphedema or even their health.
Feel free to comment
and reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I will be
recording a YouTube video on and about my lymphedema journey soon too.
Love you and take care!
*I also elevate my feet daily as well.
Discover your inner strength every step of the way with
shefoundstrength.com
I admire you for telling your story and showcasing your strength. God bless you during this journey!
ReplyDeleteThank you oh so very much!! 💕💕
DeleteThank you for sharing your story I battle Lymphedema also I never knew about dry brushing . My legs are not as bad as some of the people I see in the Lymphedema groups on fb. But I try to keep my weight down and almost no salt in my diet I haven't got strong anuff to wear skirt and short . I only wear maxi dress and jeans. Continue to share your story it give me hope thank you and God bless you.❤❤❤
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, I'm 25 and it's a struggle to feel confident x
ReplyDeleteI love your story. I struggle with lymphedema in both legs and feet. I too wear pants and long dresses during the summer. I purchased some midi dresses or over the near dresses but I still scare to wear them or show my stockings. I am a child of God and I should not fear or care what people say but I do. I am so proud of you
ReplyDelete