A little over a year after finishing cancer treatment for the first time, I was in physical therapy working to rebuild the strength I had lost during my year of chemotherapy and radiation when my physical therapist noticed my left leg seemed a bit larger than the right. The difference was slight, but noticeable.
Fearing it was a blood clot, I visited my primary care doctors, but there were no other indications of one, so that cause was ruled out. After close to a month of elevation and rest, the swelling in my leg still had not gone away. With a good amount of research and consultations with my oncology care team, it was decided that I probably had lymphedema.
I got measured for my first compression stocking soon after that, and began to wear it every day. Embarrassed by its appearance, for the next few years I only wore clothing that covered it, but it was at the expense of my comfort. Not even some of my closest friends knew about my lymphedema and compression, and even in 90 degree weather, I would never dare to wear shorts, instead choosing to melt in skinny jeans. Despite my self-consciousness at how the compression looked, it actually did a really decent job at containing my swelling and on the outside my legs looked “normal.”
In 2015, my cancer relapsed and in addition to another year of chemotherapy I underwent a major operation on my left hip. By the time I finished treatment, the lymphedema in my left leg had gotten much worse and much harder to manage. Fortunately, my physical therapist who helped me relearn how to walk post-surgery was also a lymphedema therapist. She taught me management techniques such as massage therapy and full leg ace-bandaging. I got custom measured for day-time compression stockings with one of the highest compression levels there is, as well as velcro wraps for overnight, and have implemented both into my daily life ever since.
Over the years, I have become a lot less self-conscious of my lymphedema (although I definitely still have room to grow) and have developed a fashion style that makes me feel confident on both the days where I am brave enough to embrace my visible compression and the days where I am not.
I decided to create this blog after watching a Snapchat Shake My Beauty episode featuring a “lymphedema warrior.” The woman, in her 30s, had been struggling with lymphedema in both legs from a very young age. Although I was inspired by the woman’s message of body positivity, I became really upset when she explained how she hardly ever does anything to maintain her lymphedema. She went on to call compression stockings “ugly” and modeled suggested “summer outfits” with almost all of the looks being compression-free. Similarly, my oncology doctors often echo that many young patients choose to not wear compression and manage their lymphedema due to embarrassment.
With this page, I hope to show other patients that they can still be stylish and live out their lives while managing their lymphedema.
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| Photo from August 2019, Adriana Arguijo Photography |
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