A Leg to Stand On

I am very happy to announce that Mom completed the compression bandaging treatment on her left leg! Her leg is significantly improved and she is able to wear a compression stocking instead of the bulky wrap! Yeah, Brenda! Mom has a much improved leg to stand on.

Now Mom has started the same treatment on her right leg and probably faces the same month-long ordeal as with her left leg. While this hasn't been a lot of fun for her, we are very encouraged by the progress we have seen since the first of the year. None of the other doctors who treated Mom diagnosed this malady or suggested this treatment. We are very grateful for Mom's new pain management specialist who, in the initial consultation, sent Mom to the lymphedema center for care.

This photo is not of Mom (her leg was not nearly this swollen), but does give a fairly good idea of the improvement she experienced. You can see the swelling in the right leg of this person and the near-normal appearance in the left leg. I am amazed at the results for Mom in such a relatively short period of time.

When I was ordering supplies for Mom today, I came across something called a ReidSleeve (see below). This device provides compression with adjustable straps and eliminates the need for the layers of wrapping and bandaging. I was quite excited to think that this might be much easier for Mom -- until I saw that the price was almost $2,000! Maybe I can find one on craigslist ...