I am 43 years old. About 6 years ago I was diagnosed with M.S. This was a very difficult thing to deal with, especially as I am a divorced mother of 2. As treatment for the M.S. I was having to give myself shots 3 times a week to help alleviate the flair ups. Well, 2 to 3 years ago my left foot and leg up to my knee started swelling up. I became unable to work; even though the M.S. had already caused me to go down to 2 days a week, I couldn’t be on my feet for any length of time and couldn’t get anything but flip flops on the left foot. 6 months and many tests and many doctors and clinics later I was finally told that I had lymphedema! They were never able to tell me for sure why I have it, but I was told that it’s possible that the subcutaneous shots I have to give myself for the M.S. may have caused it.
I am trying to manage both the M.S. and the Lymphedema, but there are times when it gets kind of rough. I would NOT be able to deal with this if I didn’t have the compression garments! Before I had them the swelling was so painful it sometimes felt as if my foot was going to explode. These are NOT something that should be optional for insurance companies to cover. So much more damage can be caused to the affected limb if Lymphedema isn’t treated.
