Paranoid - help please.

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mcgis
mcgis Member Posts: 291
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema


Hi! My physical therapist has submitted an auth to my insurance company for a couple gloves and sleeves. I'm dreading that I will have to wear these the rest of my life. I still can't get my head around it.


I do the exercises and manual drainage religiously at least twice a day. I find that I am obsessed with it all though. I am always doing some sort of massage or exercise, no matter where I am or what I'm doing. I'm also super paranoid that I'm going to get something as simple as a paper cut that will result in an ER visit and/or hospital stay.


I'm asking what you do to live a normal day without it constantly being on your mind. And what do you do if you do get a cut, splinter, scratch...


Thanks!!

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2013


    mcgis... very gentle hugs and welcome. Yes this can be overwhelming, and yes it takes time to take it all in. We are all different with how our bodies respond to things but theres much we can do to make this a better experience, or to be proactive. You are doing the right thing with MLD and exercises, as long as you have been shown properly what to do. I don't know what your dx is but Im sorry to say LE is a condition we do have to watch and learn to live around. Sometimes the learning curve can be steep, but overall it get easier as time goes on. There are many great articles on here and knowledgeable ladies plus the stepupspeakout website to help you along the way.


    It is best to tend to cuts etc as quickly as possible. Generally LEers will have an antibiotic cream which applied, should stop any nasty thing like cellulitis.

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  • mcgis
    mcgis Member Posts: 291
    edited November 2013


    Thanks Musical, I'll check out the stepupspeakout site. I did put some neosporin and bandaids in a baggy in my purse. Is that the appropriate cream?


    I was diagnosed with mild LE. Some days my hand and fingers look almost like my other hand and other days it needs more care and the sleeve and glove will help when I get them.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2013


    mcgis, as Im from NZ Im not familiar with US names of meds so much. I might be wrong but I think antibiotic cream needs a script. Anyway, it should say on your cream whether it has antibiotic properties. I'm a strong advocate of looking after our meds. Just be careful to keep your bag out of the sun in your car, or keep it in the coolest place. It is a very wise thing to have this cream on hand at all times and I have my lil bag of goodies I lug around too.


    Did you have a qualified person who measured you up for your sleeve and glove. This is absolutely imperative that the fit is right or it can cause some issues that make LE worse.


    The stepupspeakout site is brilliant, and some very knowledgeable ladies from here have input there.


    Anytime you have any questions or even if you're fed up and want to rant, we deal with it here. Again, we're sorry you had to join us, but welcome.

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited November 2013


    Neosporin, polysporin is good. Anykind of anitbacteria creme works. I have polysporin purse size that sprays. It is about 2 inchs high and 1 inch wide, small enough for a purse. Oh and at least 5 banaids because we are constantly getting them wet.


    Has anyone tried the liquid waterproof bandaid for dry cracked thumbs. I have several....not thumbs... but cracks! hee hee!....Well sometimes it seems like I am all thumbs, especially in these dangs gloves. Can't move in them easy and I drop everything.grrrrr. oops wrong thread.Winking

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2013


    hugz


    Any LE thread will do for a grrrrr ....

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited November 2013

    I'm a big user of hydrogen peroxide for/on all cuts and scrapes.  So far for me, in almost 4 yrs of dealing with LE, I've had no infections at all.  That is not to say that I haven't had MANY cuts in all sorts of conditions because I have horses, dogs and a rabbit, I garden, mow, fish, tie flies among so  many other 'things' that result in many cuts in all sorts of conditions.  I've also had surgery on my LE side wrist (last Jan slipped on a dog bone in out hall and did a 'good job' of messing it up) and had a punch biopsy and BCC (Basal Cell Carcinoma) removed also with no infections and did not take any oral antibiotics with either.  Remember that we are each so unique - certainly some/many do have major problems but not everyone does!  Be very carefully with care but do not assume the worst automatically.

    You really do need to see a Certified Lymphedema Therapist - not some PT that thinks they know 'all about' LE.  There is a lot to do with proper fitting.  The wrong compression level can cause more problems.

    How do I live a 'normal' day.  What is that?  I'm ALIVE so that's all that matters.  Dealing with LE is just a part of my LIFE now and LIFE with some inconviences is still LIFE.  LE does not define me and it does not stop me from doing anything I want to.  Just how I see it/how I feel.

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