On this blog post we are going to be talking about the things a physician should know about Lymphedema. Doctors have an amazing general knowledge about human health, but they might not posses specialized knowledge when it comes to Lymphedema!
1st Thing is Lymphedema Should Be Diagnosed Early!
Often Lymphedema is caught or diagnosed in the later stages like stage two or three. This is a problem because when it is diagnosed at later stages, the chances of reducing the size and healing the affected part body part is going to be more arduous process. It’s going to require longer treatment and the results may not be as aesthetically pleasing as when treated earlier. As the likelihood of permanent skin damage will occur as the skin stretches and breaks.
2nd Lymphedema May Present As A Chronic Swelling
This is very important to know because if you notice that your affected body part, could be your arm your hand, elbow, knee, foot are indeed swelling and then body-part shrinks and then it goes on like that for a period of time. After a while the body parts swell up again and reduce again that might be an indication that lymphedema. This could be the lymphedema trying to push in and you should get that addressed quickly in order to prevent any swelling from staggering and causing the affected area[s] to become disfigured if not addressed in a timely manner.
3rd Lymphedema Should Be Discussed With Your Physician or Health Care Provider
As an outcome that may occur post surgically depending on the type of surgery you’re need. This may required education before you have the surgical procedure. This is a recommendation in order to prevent different issues from occurring such as the swelling as mentioned before the swelling leads to other problems such as cellulitis which is a skin infection. This disfigurement can lead to skin conditions such as hyperkeratosis, hemosiderin, staining papilomas, fungal infections, and many more issues that can cause somebody to end up in a hospital. Therefore an education discussion on the matter should take place prior to a surgery that will affect the lymphatic system.
4th Lymphedema Can Have a Physiological and Psychological Effect
Somebody who has Lymphedema can suffer physiological effects and that can have an impact on somebody’s body image. Lymphedema can cause swelling to get out of control causing the affected area or body part to be bigger larger than the non-affected areas also wearing compression garments may be a bit of a discomfort Zone for some. Other patients can feel socially awkward and that can cause an impact on their social life in terms of psychological effects. Patients might not feel comfortable being in public or being seen by others.
As patients with Lymphedema will have parts of their body larger than other extremities wearing compressions garmets may also add to their social discomfort and they may decide to isolate themselves. They may decrease their interactions with others or limit themselves to only certain activities leaving behind other ones that they may have have enjoyed in the past.
5th Lymphedema Clients May Feel That They Are Part of an Invisible Population
This happens because many Physicians or health care providers do not diagnose Lymphedema on a timely manner and this causes a lot of patients to feel in despair. Many of my clients have gone from one healthcare provider to another and sometimes seeing three or four Healthcare Providers before being properly diagnosed. And for many patients this is physically and mentally and financially exhausting.
6th Lymphedema Clients May Require to be Referred to Mental Health Providers
The reason is because of this condition affecting the patient’s social and psychological well-being they may fall into a state of depression, anxiety, and fear for the future, therefore help with their mental hygiene might be necessary.
7th Lymphedema May be Exhausting and Debilitating
A patient may be carrying a body part that is heavier and larger, this may hinder their ability to participate in activities that they may have liked before such as sports like hiking, running, swimming and they may feel depressed. This can cause for them to have a mental exhaustion as well as a physical exhaustion because they feel powerless. They may decide that maybe an activity is going to make it worse because they’re not informed of the benefits of exercising. As moving will help that area improve lymphatic flow as well as vascular flow. The patient may not be aware that there is lymphedema therapy treatment to address the issues that they have so that they can go back to doing the activities they like. This is important for a physician or a health care to know that these clients can and should be referred on a timely for therapy with a certified lymphedema therapist.
8th Lymphedema Decreases Quality of Life
When somebody has lymphedema it is normal to not feel happy with their self image. The patient may have more difficulty fitting into their clothes. They may have difficulty moving or trying to perform their daily activities as well as their Home Care, Child Care, or other work related activities so their quality of life and performance significantly is reduced. This can cause an impact in their finances or their ability to care for others especially for primary caretakers such as a mothers. Therefore, it’s very important to address the lymphedema in a timely manner for these patients to be able to be functional and productive members of society.
9th Lymphedema Therapy Can be Costly, Complex and Lengthy
When lymphedema is not diagnosed in a timely manner like I mentioned before, if you’re stage two and higher the time that a client will spend in therapy is going to be longer. This is important for the body part to be managed and reduced. But if the insurance does not pay for supplies or compression garmets this becomes another financial burden to a patient. Therefore, it can affect their ability to provide for their family or for the patient to be able to purchase the needed supplies for the management of their lymphedema.
This is very important to note because when lymphedema is diagnosed at stage 1 or stage 0 [zero], then an over the counter compression garment can be purchased and usually they are much less expensive depending on the area of the body and they may run between $50 and $120 compared to a custom garment that can cost depending on the area of the body cost $120 and up! This can be very expensive for somebody who lives on a fixed income. Also the complexity of the treatment can require layers of compression for the swelling to be put under control. A lot of clients do not like to be wrapped in that many layers and the level of compliance can also decrease dramatically when somebody’s not comfortable. Not bandaging with enough layers can cause the therapy to be much more lengthy as well as more costly, especially when there is a co-payment/co- Insurance involved. Therefore, it’s very important to address the lymphedema on a timely matter.
10th Lymphedema is Different for Each Individual
Through many years experience treating lymphedema there have been different signs and symptoms for each individual. And although some symptoms do overlap, patients experience their symptoms in different manners. Some may experience pain, discomfort, and swelling that comes and goes.
Some experience swelling that does not go away. Others describe it as a joint pain or heaviness.
While some others may not even have any of these symptoms and all of a sudden just have cellulitis which as I mentioned before is a skin infection.
I’ve had patients that noticed that suddenly their jewelry does not fit anymore. They have gotten stuck with the jewelry on their fingers to the point that they have to go to a locksmith to get it cut or they had to go to a jeweler to get them resized!
That is why I think it’s very important for healthcare providers to listen very carefully to their patients who are describing the symptoms mentioned in this article.
Once the doctor can rule out other illnesses the patient can be safely referred to a lymphedema therapist to get an evaluation and start to treatment right away. In the long term is going to save money, time, and the potential of hospitalizations. As mentioned before, these conditions can lead to some nasty skin problems and other health problems that lead people to go into the hospital long stays because the issue was not addressed in a timely manner.
If you found this article helpful and informative You can check out the video version of the article below. If you have any questions feel free to contact me via phone text or email. I look forward to working with you on your path to Better Health!