Kicking cancer's ass - day 1758

Almost exactly one year ago I posted about the latest gift I'd received from having cancer:  lymphedema.

Kicking cancer's ass - Day 1392

That was on June 22, 2017.  Today, June 24, 2018, a year later I am still dealing with this.  I always will be dealing with this.  Lymphedema is a lifelong problem once it develops.  Fantastic, huh?

It has been very frustrating for me because nothing seems to help.  I have three different compression sleeves and gloves (different sizes and compression levels) and they don't help.  In fact, the custom sleeve and glove make my wrist skinny, but my hand and the rest of my arm blow up.  Obviously something isn't right.  I do have supplies to bandage (wrap) my arm.  But that's uncomfortable, time-consuming and did I mention uncomfortable?  And it doesn't really help.  I also have a pump that we are paying a bunch of money for that is a pain to put on and it takes an hour to run through the cycle.  Since my restless legs are worse than ever, it's difficult to keep my body still for an entire hour.

Basically lymphedema is a pain in the ass...or in my case, the arm.  It's painful and annoying, unresponsive to treatment, and all of those treatments are expensive.

There is a little bit of hope.  Last week I met with a plastic surgeon who specializes in microsurgery for lymphedema.  And when I say micro, I mean MICRO.  We are talking lymph vessels that are less than a millimeter in diameter, and stitches with thread smaller than a human hair.

There are two types of surgery offered, depending on the patient.

• Vascularized lymph node transfer surgery: Surgeons transfer working lymph nodes from another part of the body, typically the upper groin or lower abdomen, to the damaged site.
• Lymphaticovenular bypass surgery: Surgeons perform this surgery by shunting, or moving, fluid from several dilated lymphatics in the affected limb to adjacent venules (tiny veins) to reduce pressure.

Dr. C believes I'm a good candidate for the second surgery.  He will make several small incisions from my hand to my upper arm and in those areas he will connect my lymphatic system to tiny veins to re-route the fluid that has nowhere to go.  

It's not a cure-all.  There is no cure for lymphedema.  But if this surgery is successful, it can reduce my swelling, hopefully significantly.  First things first...

I am having lymphoscintigraphy (https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=lympho) on Tuesday. Basically it's a nuclear scan to evaluate the flow of the lymph system in my bad arm. It's the first step in hopefully getting me some relief.  Once the surgeon reviews this scan he will determine which surgery, if any, I will benefit from.

I'm not thrilled with yet another surgery, but I'm even less thrilled with living the rest of my life with this uncomfortable and unsightly condition.  My arm aches constantly, hurts sometimes and makes me self-conscious all of the time.  I know it could be worse.  Believe me, I know there are worse things I could be dealing with.  But everyone deserves a little pity party now and then, and if I can educate people in the process, I'll step right up on my soapbox.  

Cancer truly is the gift that keeps on giving. 
But like the shirt I'm wearing today says, life is good!