Category: Reflections
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My latest diagnosis
For the past week or so, I’ve been experiencing almost constant stomach pains and a burning feeling in my chest. Afraid that it was a relapse of my pancreatitis, I went to the emergency room on Saturday to get it checked out. By the time I got to the hospital, the pain was pretty bad.…
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Casual ignorance
A few days ago, this popped up on my Twitter feed: (For those of you who may not know, “cankles” is a derogatory term that refers to when your calf meets your ankle. If you’ve got lower extremity lymphedema, then you’re probably familiar with this term.) “If you have kankles, don’t”… don’t what? Why should people that…
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My first massage, and why it didn’t help my leg
Yesterday afternoon my girlfriend and I got massages. I had never had one before, so the experience was a new one for me. I told my massage therapist that I had lymphedema, a chronic swelling in my leg. She nodded knowingly, saying that she would give me a deep tissue massage to help get the…
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Rain, rain, go away
It’s been raining for what feels like days, and I’m starting to get a little bored of it. However, I got these really cute rain boots from South Moon Under last month, and love having an excuse to wear them. They’re so bright and cheerful! They’re also roomy enough that I am able to wear…
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New beginnings
Hey, lymphies! Well, it’s that time of year again – back to school, that is. Today is my first day of classes; I can’t believe I’m in my third year of college already! I’m actually excited to be back, to see all my classmates and learn new things. I feel active and alive and a…
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Earthquake!
We had some tremors here in Baltimore due to a 5.9 earthquake in Virginia today. The tremors were felt up and down the East Coast, but we’re all okay here! I hope all our East Coast lymphies are doing well despite today’s shocking (!) events.
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Thought for the Week
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” -Jim Rohn I have thought about this quote a lot recently, which means I probably need to write about it. Health – whether mental, physical, emotional, whatever– is pretty important, and if you don’t have health, then you really don’t have anything.…
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New stockings!
I got my new stockings today! They fit great, and after a summer of no compression, it feels good to finally have some support again. My stockings are Jobst custom Elvarex compression garments, and I got them though Comfort Care Medical. They’re knee highs, and they don’t slip despite not having the optional silicone band.…
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Waking up
Today was sort of a bad one for a couple of reasons. First of all, I had work, which is beginning to grate on me a little and I wasn’t too happy to be there. Then, my legs swelled a little more than usual thanks to the 100+ degree heat that has smothered Baltimore these…