Summer and maintaining your lymphatic wellbeing

Welcome to 2021!

With the heat and humidity cranking it up, you may find your lower legs are starting to swell or you are feeling “uncomfortable” in you abdomen. Think deep belly breathing regularly throughout the day to “move that lymph”, keep yourself as cool as possible, keep hydrated and where possible do some safe swimming to add to the lymphatic movement. Being in the water will also give you a compression boost and help stimulate that lymphatic return. You can also pop your feet up the wall to help drain or elevate your feet by lying down and popping your feet up by using a pillow or two. This is a good trick for night-time sleeping to elevate those feet. I sometimes pop a pillow under the mattress so my feet are up but I don’t slide off the pillow!

For those of us that wear compression garments, remember you can

Pop them in the fridge so nice and cool to pop on in the morning
Carry a spray bottle of cold water to spray on your garments to keep your limb cool
Wear your garments in the pool or sea for some more squeeze. Just be mindful of chlorine and sand!
Have a cool shower before you go to bed

It isn’t easy wearing your garments in the heat however this does actually help with maintaining the swelling. Just do your best and remember tomorrow is another day and we can start anew!

I am managing my leg lymphoedema by keeping cool by staying close to our home pool (many, many swims) or you may find me hogging the fan in the Clinic!

Any questions on self management, pop me an email or talk to me about options at your next appointment.

Posted on January 13, 2021