| Page updated 8/1/09 |
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Lymphland International Lymphedema Online
| Winter Tips for Lymphers by Tina Most of us have seen the preventative tips and heard what we should and should not do regarding our limbs and swollen areas. We all must be careful in the summertime about overheating, sunburn, and warmth along with humidity. But what about winter? Winter is an equally important season in which we must be careful. After trial and error I have come up with a list of things I’d like to share: 1. Be very careful of ice. Remember you can’t always see ice, it can be what they call black ice, a very fine coat. Walk on surfaces very carefully. You don’t want to fall. 2. Dress appropriately. Keep your limbs comfortably warm but not too warm or too tight. Remember that you can swell in wintertime as well. Think of the hot malls when out shopping and dress appropriately. 3. Always wear appropriate footware. Make sure you have worn and broken in your boots, sneakers or your winterwear before you tread out. Awkward foot gear can cause falls, and again on ice it’s dangerous. 4. Moisturize! Remember in wintertime skin can be extremely dry with the furnace air blowing. 5. Make sure if you happen to get your garments or socks wet, change them as soon as possible. Remember we lower lymphers are prone to fungal infections as well as skin irritations from wet materials. Waterproofed and insulated boots keep the feet drier than plain rubber ones. 6. Remember the sensible tips for avoiding illnesss, if you can get inoculated for flu/pneumonia. Wash your hands after touching things someone sick has touched. Try not to have sick people breathe in your face. Wearing a scarf helps warm the air for those of us who have breathing problems as well as keep out germs. 7. Eat a healthy well balanced diet as usual. 8. Remember that hypothermia and frostbite are dangerous. Note that wind speeds can make for dangerously cold conditions even if the temperature is not below freezing. 9. If you can wear mittens, they provide more warmth than gloves. Gloves can also become tight on the fingers if you swell. 10. Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and if you think you are or someone else is experiencing hypothermia, avoid caffeine. Warm up slowly with a blanket and by drinking fluids slowly. 11. Keep a lymphedema and winter survival kit in your car. Try to carry extra medications, bandages, extra blanket, batteries, flashlights, etc with you in case you are stranded somewhere. 12. Keep a list on you in a wallet or purse of emergency contacts, medications you are on and your doctors name and number. Lymphedema Gardening Tips Wear gloves that actually fit, make sure they are not too loose or too tight. Leather gloves with a cloth back are a good general purpose glove. If you plan to work in wet soil, select rubber gloves with cotton lining Wear Neoprene gloves to use when spraying or working with pesticides. If you are pruning or trimming shrubbery, wear gloves that have long wrist protectors. If your gloves get muddy you can washing the gloves while on your hands! If you wear your compression garments under the gloves, make sure you don't get them wet, if wet, change immediately. Avoid direct sunlight, even Spring sunshine can cause sunburns. Always wear sunscreen. Wear comfortable clothing. If you get overheated, take a shower in cool water, not cold, you don't want to cool off too fast. Make sure you don't get dehydrated! Drink lots of water and/or gatorade. Work at a steady pace with frequent breaks, switch gardening chores often to avoid repetitive injuries. Warm up before you garden. Use as many ergonomic tools as possible. Wear shoes that will protect you from hazards such as nails, sharp objects on the ground. If you do get scratched, wash the area right away, apply an antibacterial cream or zinc. For any puncture wounds, make sure your tetnus shot is up to date, wash thoroughly, depending on how deep they are, clean/bandage, or go to the emergency room. Make sure you put tools away when finished to avoid later injuries. Some good warm ups: From Tina, who gardens. Use hands to squeeze stress balls or balls with seed like materials in them. Do 10 each hand. Stretch your hands straight out, link your fingers and pull lightly to feel a stretch in hands, elbows and arms. Do 10 times. Stretch your hands above your head, again link your fingers and stretch. Do 10 times. Bend at the waist downward letting your arms dangle in a relaxed position, this stretches the upper back. Put your right hand on your left shoulder, turn your body slightly to the left until you feel a stretch. Reverse to left hand on right shoulder, turning right. Switch back and forth, 10 times, so it will be 5 stretches to each side. Put your hands on your hips and lean backward, arch your back, this stretches the ribs. Do 5. To stretch your low back, lay down, bend your legs. Put your right foot up to left knee, take a hold of your knee and lightly pull to feel a slight stretch. Do the other side. Do each side 5 times |