It all started in 1986 after I had a hysterectomy, for Endrometriosis, my blood pressure went up, my weight went up, and my feet and ankles and hands started to swell in the heat , or if i ate salty foods, or MSG or was sitting or standing for long periods of time. It became very difficult to walk and my ankles hurt.
My doctor put me on water pills to eliminate fluid, but still I swelled. I was then told to elevate my feet. But I worked owned my own business and was either standing or sitting, and very active, I needed to be able to walk.
By the end of the day I was flat on my back, with my feet propped up on pillows and I would wake up the next day and they would still be swollen.
Years went by, I tried soaking my feet in cold water and ice, in the summer it was worse. Doctors just kept giving me water pills, tried different blood pressure medications, and bed rest. Nothing worked, by 2005, I couldn’t wear shoes, just strap over sandals, that could be adjusted for the swelling. I tried everything. Now I could barely get up from sitting, as the swelling ran farther up my legs to my thighs. I was to the point where I could no longer work because of them, and could barely walk and used a cane. Finally, I found a doctor that sent me to a Lymphedema specialist (of course by now you couldn’t tell where my toes ended and my foot started, and my ankles were non existent, and I was falling a lot because I was losing my balance and very immobile. And yes, I was much less active and gained even more weight. I tried exercise programs, did 27 weeks of boot camp at Golds Gym, grinded through the feet pain and heaviness of my legs to try and get my “circulation” going. But still no relief. And I gained 3 lbs. I wanted to die. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t support myself. My family didn’t understand, they thought I was doing something wrong. Then I started the therapy, leg bandaging, and wow, a miracle, I had ankles again, but only temporary. Now I have no medical since I can’t work, and no income to pay for treatment or stockings or even the bandages. I lost my home. I really became depressed, my sister had to spend 30 minutes everyday wrapping my legs in bandages as I could not do it for myself, what will I do if I have no one to do it. I just wanted to die. I truly prayed to God, that this is no quality of life just let me go. But I’m still here, and still trying to figure out how I am going to pay for more bandages, and compression stockings. Its a battle, constantly. I have to plan when I go somewhere and how I am going to put the bandages on. I wish I had another choice, but I don’t. This is it. I believe the lymphedema was caused from three things: surgery, a fall I took down a flight of stairs which made it worse, and a bacterial infection i got while traveling in Turkey which put me in the hospital for over a week, and then the continued weight gain which was not in my control. I am so tired. I pray to God every night to bring me some light, a way to pay for the compression stockings, just one pair, I would wash them every nite, until I get some sort finances going again. Here I used to be very wealthy, owned business’, owned properties, now all gone and I am unable to work, and now I finally got the right diagnosis, and the right treatment but don’t have the funds to provide myself with the items needed for the treatment.
