Aletha’s Story

I am a 35 year old, am a wife and a mother of 2, a daughter 16 years old and a son age 5. When i was 14 i got cellulitis for the first time in my right foot, my rushed me to my pediatricians office where he and a surgeon discussed possible amputation of my leg i was scared to death and they were unfamiliar with it, needless they had an ortho doctor come in to look at it and he stuck a 2″ needle in the bottom of my foot 6 times in hopes of pulling fluid off, they treated me with antibiotics and i went home. I have had cellulitis in both my leg so many times in the past 10 that it has damaged my legs causing me to develop lymphedema which is painful in both legs and has robbed me of my life. I am unable to attend functions like my sons’ hay rack ride because of my legs, i can not sit or stand for a period of time, i miss out on my daughters games and track meets. My husband and my kids help me on a daily basis from showering to get dressed. I am 35 i have my whole life ahead of me, i should be caring for them. I have good days and I have bad days, but every day i struggle to find the energy to get up and prepare my kids for school, after they leave i sit and cry, i cry because it is so depressing to look at my legs, some days i feel like i am walking around in buckets full of cement others i feel like i have walked back and forth in a pool of jello and i just cant go. My legs get so swelled that they shine and so tight i was they would burst open just to relieve some pressure. Lymphedema is not an easy condition to live with. I used to be able to get up and be on my feet all day, i used to push mow my own yard, now i weigh 465 lbs and i cant even play catch with my kids. I am on zoloft and xanax just so i can some what function every day. We are a one income family, my husband works full time and i am currently fighting disability, all i can do is continue to pray.