I have pretty much ignored my lymphedema except for doing the manual drainage routine once in the morning. That seemed to keep it at bay, and I really felt like it was gone. I've even told people that it can spontaneously correct itself and that I seemed to be one of those lucky ones. I have given up wearing the compression sleeve and gauntlet, given up drainage 5-7 times a day, given up the 10 minute morning exercise routine, given up wrapping in bandages, given up getting in the Flexi-Touch machine once a day. There was only the once a day manual drainage routine left.
So this morning when I woke up, I could not close my fist. I could not make my hand close up without pain and the old familiar "odd stretching sensation" in the back of my hand. Hm...then I remembered I had not even done the manual drainage routine even once for the last two days.
OKAY! I guess the lymphedema is not gone. It must be just almost gone, fairly small, but still there. If I don't do the minimum thing of once-a-day manual drainage, it's going to build up that fluid. I got in the shower and did the complete routine. I also did a few of the arm exercises that I had given up. That completely took care of it. My hand felt normal and flexible with no pain. Sigh of relief!
Lesson learned: Do NOT skip the morning manual drainage routine!
On a sadder note, my Keurig coffee maker died. Sigh, yes, that's sad. I had the smallest, cheapest model for about five years. I loved it, especially at night when I wanted just one cup of decaf. It started dying on me several months ago, but I didn't want to believe it. Just when I was sure it was dead, it would work again for awhile. Denial was easy. Then the broken times were more frequent than the working times. It did not heat the water anymore. Sniff. Yes, that's sad. Last night I wrapped it in a plastic bag and gave it a proper burial, in the big trash can in the garage.
I hope I can get a new one soon. The empty spot on my kitchen counter is a sad reminder of its absence.
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