Diane Parker, 61, of Griffith, has lymphedema in her right arm, but has not let it slow her down.
The arm, once so swollen that she feared she would be unable to hug a baby or travel in an airplane, is near normal. She credits the competent team at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System for helping her to lead a normal life.
“I was frightened when lymphedema flared,” Parker says, recalling how her arm first began to tighten and grow numb after a double mastectomy, removal of nine lymph nodes and radiation therapy.
Like Parker, nearly 400,000 women in the U.S. each year are affected by lymphedema, a condition that occurs from swelling in an extremity caused by an accumulation of fluid in the tissues.
At Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, certified lymphedema therapists (CLTs) can help manage swelling through skin care, manual lymphatic drainage, compression and therapeutic exercise.
Home management techniques are taught as well, to regain control and quality of life. Those techniques may include exercises, wrapping, massage, pneumatic compression, compression garments and/or complete decongestive therapy.
Without treatment, lymphedema can create swelling that becomes so significant it is difficult to walk or raise an arm. It may cause pain or a lingering numbness that bogs one down or worsens with heavy lifting or repetitive gestures.
To learn more about lymphedema treatment and classes offered through Community Healthcare System visit www.comhs.org/services/therapy-services/outpatient-therapy-services/lymphedema
