| Hello, My name is Tina. I have Lymphedema. When I first had symptoms, doctors didn't know what was wrong nor did they have any clue what to do. I hear this is common for those of us with the condition. After going to many doctors and hearing the same thing, "Elevate" and pretty much deal with it, I became frustrated. I went to a reputable surgeon I have never been to before, he diagnosed me right away. I was given a script for compression garments and later on, manual lymph drainage therapy. I had researched on my own in medical books but didn't find much. In the late 1990's I got a computer and began to research online. I didn't find much just a handful of websites that didn't offer any hope or insight on what to do. It wasn't until the 2000 era that lymphedema became more popular and just in the last 2-3 years, lymphedema exploded on the web. Thanks to all that worked to make that possible! Lymphland? Lymphland was created by me to be a place of support, information, and friendship. I wanted my website to be special, where we could have chats and find the unusual. Lymphland will always be around and I'll be adding more as time passes. |
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Lymph consists of about 96% water. Compare that with cerebrospinal fluid which is 98.5% water and plasma which is 90%. There are minerals present in lymph which are also found in plasma. Proteins are also in lymph, 10-60 grams per liter. Proteins are transported through lymphatic fluid. Some escape into the interstitium and if not recovered by lymph, massive swelling and ultimately death would occur. Where are lymph vessels? Everywhere in the body! Except: epithelial tissues, cartilaginous tissues, cornea, and lens of the eye. The largest lymph vessel in the body is the thoracic duct. Lymphocytes are cells that perform immune functions, there are trillion of them in the body. Lymphocytes are broken down into B and T cells. B cells are present in follicles of nodes, they generate antibodies and are responsible for circulating a response. T cells are activated to destroy the invading culprits. Cytotoxic T cells are cells that kill infected or tumor cells, memory T cells are those which hold the memory of the invader. Lymph circulation relies on 2 parts, the superficial lymph and the deep vessels. Body functions which promote lymph circulating are called lymphkinetic. The biggest drains in the body other than the thoracic duct are the larger nodes: the waterwheel, clavicle, axilla, inguinals and sometimes the malleolar nodes. |
| What is Lymphedema? Lymphedema is broken down into 2 words. Lymph which is the colorless to milky colored fluid in your body. Edema, which means swelling. Lymphedema occurs when fluids build up in the soft tissues of the body. Lymphedema is pronounced: Lim-fee-dee-ma. It can be spelled a variety of ways such as lymphoedema, lymphadema, etc. All the various spellings mean the same condition. There are 2 basic types of lymphedema. 1. Primary, heredity, sometimes called Nonne Milroy's Disease or Meige's disease which means you are/were born with it. 2. Secondary or acquired, which means it came from a cause such as surgery, trauma, injury, etc. Lymphedema can appear directly after surgery or trauma's or even 20 years down the road. Filariasis is the infestation of the Brugia malayi parasite through mosquito or fly bites. Lymphorrhea is the laking of lymph that has ruptured through the skin from skin breakdowns. Self induced lymphedema is very rare but reported in which a tourniquet creates a fibrotic ring that causes fluid build up. Mayall's syndrome is extremely rare, caused by an arteriolo-venular shut which causes the development of peripheral disease. There are several stages of lymphedema. Stage 0: subclinical or latent stage. Stage 1: Completely and spontaneously reversible lymphedema. Lymphedema is considered chronic after 3 months. Stage 2: Spontaneously irreversible lymphedema. Edema persists for some times and fibrous tissue forms. Stage 3: Irreversible lymphedema. Very hard edema with no skin movement. Much fibrosis and hard skin. Can be loss of joint movement and mobility. Edema is said to be pitting when your finger impression remains on the skin after pressing down. Lipedema involves the accumulation of fat in the tissues. Lipedematous tissue may cause true lymphedema which results in the term lipolymphedema. Myxedema is the accumulation of mucinoid substances in the extracellular compartments from thyroid dysfunction. Areas involved include the shins, eyelids, back of hands. Hydrostatic pressure refers to the pressure of fluids against the resistance of a vessel wall or tissue. High levels of fluid can result in high blood pressure. The connection between edemas and blood pressure can be intertwined. |
| SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF LYMPHEDEMA: Puffiness, stiffnes, fatigue, discomfort, tightness, pressure, heaviness, pain, numbness, hard thickening skin, loss of motion, skin folds, and weight increase for no reason. CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LYMPHEDEMA: High blood pressure, heart problems, enous problems, diabetes, thyroid conditions, inflammations, infections, hormonal conditions and auto-immune conditions. HOW IS LYMPHEDEMA DIAGNOSED? In cases where patients might be suffering from a mixed form of edema's, a lymphoscintigraphy may be used. It's called the gold standard of diagnostics. There are many variations with different tracers, different injected amounts of dye. It must be done by a skilled examiner. CT, MRI, dopplers, ultrasonic devices, and C-scans may be used as well. A venography may be needed to rule out blood clots. In any case there is risk of reaction to the tracers/dyes used and/or infections. In most cases physical examination and patient history are used to diagnose lymphedemas. SYMPTOMS: The symptoms of lymphedema vary from individual to individual. Some common symptoms include: A feeling of fullness, heaviness, or tight skin in an arm or hand Pain or aching Jewelry such as a watches, rings or bracelets that feel too tight Shirt sleeves or cuffs or pants that feel too tight Weakness, fatigue, or decreased flexibility in the fingers, hand or wrist, ankles, toes. Redness, visible swelling, or signs of infection in any part of the limb Preventing and managing lymphedema boils down to just a few simple rules and some do's and don'ts. The biggest thing to remember is to avoid injury or irritation to areas prone to or affected by lymphedema. Injuries and irritation include: Falls, bruises, bumps, slivers, bug bites, scratches, hives, bee stings, sunburn, razer irritation, repetitive injury, over exertion, burns, too tight clothing, and being in one position too long. |
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| WHAT IS LYMPHEDEMA? |
| SYMPTOMS, SIGNS |
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| what you can find inside Lymphland International Lymphedema Online that is not on our Lymphland.com site:
Lymphedema Abstracts and Studies Current clinical trials on lymphedema Advice and tips from members including special ideas for skin care Lymphedema websites we've found helpful in our travels Up to the minute information on treatment Current doctors articles on lymphedema |
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