The Lymphedema Fashionista

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...