GRRRRRRRRR I HATE LE..........
Comments
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Varga - glad you're going in tomorrow. No reason to mess about with pain & fever & LE.0 -
Varg. It’s hard to know but it sounds like a flare. Something tipped you off.See if around the clock compression helps.
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I probably just overdid it last week. We are in the process of building a deck on the pool we had installed last year. Lots of extra running around and moving stuff during that whole process. Then I kept the grandbabies 2 days. They are three and one so lots of lifting and cuddling going on there. And I delivered Meals on Wheels 3 days! I need to stop and remind myself to take it slow I'm always on Fast Forward!
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Varg. Yes that sounds like the culprit. I had to wrap two days ago. I know what I did, tamping down 8 pepper plants with my hands instead of feet ,but it's starting to resolve, I'll wrap again tonight.
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I have had boob sweat for years now, and a year before my bc dx my gyne observed a rash under my breasts, which my gyne dx'ed not as a mere heat rash but as a yeast infection, She gave me a 'script for a steroid/antifungal ointment, which cleared it up. It returned after rads, and my derm prescribed the same formulation but as a cream, which is easier to wash off my hands after I apply it. I get the rash if I go braless for more than 24 hrs, due to skin-on-skin contact and lack of circulation & absorption of sweat. So at night I tear a "linen-like" hand towel (I've been buying them online ever since a cutaneous MRSA scare) in half and place one half under each breast, which holds them in place. Then I change into a bra in the morning.
My LE doc cut me loose last June, saying I no longer needed to see him even annually unless I get a flare-up. I wear the sleeve & gauntlet during exercise and gardening/berry-picking, but I was able to fly to & from Rome this spring without donning them, and I was fine. My R hand ring gets tight, and my medic-alert bracelet makes divots, when the barometric pressure drops before or during a storm. (Between that and swollen sinuses, I am a living barometer). When that happens, I do MLD. I am utterly paranoid, though, about bug bites, cat scratches, cooking "owies" and even paper cuts (which I often don't notice until they sting). I use a natural repellent when outdoors, and immediately and thoroughly wash any cut or burn with soap & water. I then spray on antiseptic (or sometimes use antibiotic ointment) and apply a band-aid, removing it once a scab forms. But each little injury makes me wonder if this one will be the trigger.
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chi. Great ideas. You should copy it to my le helpful tricks thread. I'm just going to post over there now a few more hints.
I sent a few shirts and pants to have dipped in bug repellent at insect shield.com Very effective, good enough for the military to use. Way less money than buying bug clothing and I get to pick out my own cloths.
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I'm an insect magnet! My DH says I'm his protection and if we are in public people want to be close to be because I get bit first! My little 3 y/o grandson must have my blood type because he is the exact same way. I make my repellent from essential oils and it worked great last summer.
ChiSandy- great news! You girls on the lumpectomy lounge were the first ones to inform me about LE. Thank you for keeps the new ladies aware. I had no clue and it was not brought up until preop for surgery!
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varg. If I stood next to you the insects would leave you and go for me. What oils do you mix, lemon, geranium or what? If it works I want the secret recipe! Looks like your still safe from floods? Can you imagine the mozzies that’s will be hatching once the water recedes?
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Yes, I'd like the recipe for the repellent too if it's not secret. Bugs LOVE me.
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Outdoor Bug Spray
In a 8 oz spray bottle (glass is preferred but I use plastic due to so many grandkids )
10 drops of peppermint essential oil
10 drops Thieves essential oil
10 drops Purification essential oil
4 oz Witch Hazel
Fill the bottle the rest of the way with purified water.
shake well and spray
I use Young Living Oils. Other brands are good to. Duterra or Now are both brands use to I have other recipes but thìs one works the best for me ĺast year. Hope it does this year to.0 -
Varg. Thx some of those oils I’ve never heard of. Will have to google when I got time.
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I'm going to have to try that bug spray. Mosquitoes LOVE me.
In other news, I'm getting a mammogram tomorrow, and I'm afraid it is going to hurt because of my breast and chest wall lymphedema. This is my first post-radiation mammogram. Can someone share their experiences so I know what to expect? I'm thinking about taking some Advil an hour or so before the appointment. Would that help at all?
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Lovepugs, I don't know if my experience will help but my 1st post-treatment mammogram was one of the least painful I've ever had. I don't have LE in that area but I do have a sizeable seroma. The tech was so careful & kind that it was over before I knew it! The radiologist made a point of reviewing my films on the spot & came in personally to give me the news that everything looked fine. The entire experience was surprisingly easy!
PS I always take ES Tylenol before my mammograms; I don't know if it helps, but it can't hurt! Good luck tomorrow.
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Lovepugs- I do have LE in my breast. It is worse there than anywhere else. My first mammogram did not hurt. I am 52 and my breast are not a perky as they use to be. Sending you good vibes today!
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Thought I would post here too. Interesting - LE diagnosis by machine learning.
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Vargadoll & JKL, thanks for the responses! It went pretty well, and didn't hurt. I did take some advil about an hour before I went in.
However, the tech had to do 13! views because the surgeon (not my usual surgeon, someone else at his practice while he's out on medical leave) didn't order a 3-D mammogram. Ugh. The tech said to make sure I tell him to order 3-D next time because my case is too complicated to do the old way.
I do think I have a little extra swelling in the affected breast today, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.
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MinusTwo, thanks for posting that article. Seeing as how we can't seem to educate enough doctors on how to diagnose LE, teaching machines to do it might just be the way to go!
Hugs,
Binney0 -
I got bit by some funky look ant on my LE arm! We were in our pool and I felt something literally pinch the shit out of me and it was stuck on my arm. 4 people in the pool equals 16 potential appendages and my LE arm gets it! Right now it's a little red and itchy I'm not scratching it. It' raised a little. I'm keeping it clean and covered. I'm so mad!
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Oh no Varga...I know you'll keep an eye out & we'll keep our fingers crossed.
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I have been off the boards for several weeks dealing with nerve pain from LE and surgeries. Tried to catch up on the last posts. Varga, if there is one skeeter in the air and I'm in a crowd of people it will bite me. Will have to look up a couple of those essential oils. I use others for aroma therapy.
In the past two months I had to have another ring cut off my finger and had my wedding band enlarged again. It was cut off last year after thind surgery. I know I should stop wearing them but I'm determined to keep wearing my engagement ring and the old family ring that dh an I used for our 25th renewal in May. All rings have been enlarged and I wear my wedding band on a chain around my neck. Ironically, my finger swelling has gone down and the rings are loose now. Probably helped that I have lost 15 Tamoxifen pounds since January.
I follow the LE anti-inflammatory diet, drink lots of green tea etc. but nerve pain isn't going away. ONC switched me from gabapentin to lyrica and lyrica has bad side effects for me so I'm back down to the lowest dose with little pain relief. Currently waiting for an appt with spinal therapy hecause they may be able to do nerve blocks on either side of my chest.
If you've experienced bad nerve pain from LE, what worked for you? Would love any auggestions.
Thanks,
Scottie
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Scottie - I make my own bug repellent and it works well where I live. The bug that bit me in the pool was floating on top...sneaky little bastard! I shared my bug spray blend on one of the LE threads if you would like it I can post it again. I live in the mountains of NC. I know bugs are different depending on your location. I have not had any of the other issues you mentioned so I can't help there. I do have numbness occasionally and I think that's when I over do it.
Hoping you get relief soon !
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Varga, please share the bug repellant blend again.
Thanks,
Scottie
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Outdoor Bug Spray
In a 8 oz spray bottle (glass is preferred but I use plastic due to so many grandkids )
10 drops of peppermint essential oil
10 drops Thieves essential oil
10 drops Purification essential oil
4 oz Witch Hazel
Fill the bottle the rest of the way with purified water.
shake well and spray
I use Young Living Oils. Other brands are good to. Duterra or Now are both brands use to I have other recipes but thìs one works the best for me ĺast year. Hope it does this year to.0 -
Joanne- goodness what a few weeks you have had!!! I'm new to LE only been a year and I've only had cellulitis once. Hoping you find some answers soon! Why does everything have to be so involved??? I remember the days when I got a bug bite just put a little witch hazel on it and went on my way... Not anymore!
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Hi, Joanne! Long time, no see. Good to hear from you again, but really, really sorry about the reason for your check-in.
An infectious disease doc is a good next step--especially if s/he's familiar with LE. I have no clue what's going on with this, but just thought I'd mention that it seems to have some things in common with the redness that sometimes accompanies truncal LE in particular--redness with swelling, that sometimes fades a bit but never goes away or spreads, no response to antibiotics, no fever or other signs of infection. It's an inflammatory reaction. One thing that helps with that sometimes is a TOPICALl anti-inflammatory, so you might ask the new doc about that, if you haven't already tried it.
There has been some change in the general guidelines for resuming compression and MLD with infections, that being that once you've been on antibiotics for a time you can begin LE treatment again. You might start with self-wrapping, looser than usual if that's more comfortable.
Do, please, keep us posted. Gentle hugs!
Binney0 -
Just curious, but are you thinking the red spots on your legs are related to the arm issue, or was that another encounter with other members of the summer insect army?
Binney
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Jo - I remember you and am really sorry for the issues you're suffering. Don't worry for a minute about the long post. Unfortunately I don't have much useful to offer.
Years ago I was hospitalized with what presented as a Brown Recluse spider bite. Turns out that we all have staph bacteria on our skin all the time & I'm "lucky" to have an overabundance. Apparently I'd scratched a chigger or mosquito bite and the staph jumped right in. Sounds like you've tried antibiotics - but maybe considering staph will trigger some thoughts?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sta...
Please do let us know what the ID doc says.
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Hi can you tell me more about your cellulitus back when you had your masectomy? Im dealing with cellulitus 3 weeks post op after they removed the drains.. I can't seem to get rid of it once and for all. I had a PICC line and then i relapsed after i was finished with the course of antibiotics.
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Joanne, adding my prayers to yours!
Binney0 -
And me too.
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