If you live with lymphedema, and if you live in the Midwest, chances are that you notice more discomfort and swelling when summer heats up. While there's nothing you can do about the weather, there are some things you can do to increase your comfort and safety in the heat and humidity.
Summer is a time for picnics, bike rides, and grilling with friends. After a cold, dark winter, getting outside to hike or take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood is something that many look forward to doing. However, the humidity and heat can make managing lymphedema more challenging.
The summer sun and summer heat can contribute to increased swelling and risk of infection in lymphedema patients.
Sometimes, an injury or infection can lead to lymphedema or a lymphedema flare-up — especially if you have fewer lymph nodes as a result of breast cancer surgery. When we injure ourselves or get an infection, the body's tissues can get inflamed.
Always wear loose, breathable fabric. Good choices are 100% cotton, linen, and other fabrics that allow air to circulate through them. Wear your compression garment. It's tempting to avoid wearing a compression garment in the summer because of the heat, but it's important to protect your limb.
Avoid tight or restrictive clothing or jewelry
Wearing tight or restrictive clothing or jewelry can squeeze the arm or leg unevenly or too much, which might increase the pressure in nearby blood and lymph vessels. This can lead to increased fluid and swelling (much like water building up behind a dam).
On the contrary, foods such as salt, caffeine, omega 6 or 9, alcohol, and sweets exert the opposite effect [32, 49]. Thus, they should be avoided by patients with lymphedema.
Keep Protein in Your Diet
When you do not eat enough protein, fluid can seep from your bloodstream into your tissues, making lymphedema worse. For this reason, you should work healthy protein from seeds, nuts, eggs, legumes, fish, poultry and tofu into your regular diet.
Sitting down all day is bad news for everyone, and if you have lymphoedema then it is even more important that you stay active throughout the day. Set an alarm and take a short walk every hour – whether you walk around the block, around the office or just to the kettle, it will help to get your lymph flowing.
Summer temperatures have the potential to make a swelling worse. This is because heat increases blood flow which in turn increases the amount of tissue fluid produced and consequently the lymphatic system must work even harder to clear it away.
Don't be afraid to sweat!
Sweating helps detox the body and supports lymphatic function. Saunas and steam baths are OK with your doctor's approval. Be sure to check with your medical team because excessive temperatures can exacerbate lymphedema.
Avoid wearing tight clothing or jewellery. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time if you have leg swelling.
Stay away from extreme heat or cold.
Hot and cold temperatures can cause the skin to swell and dry out. It can also cause fluid to build up. Don't use hot tubs, saunas, or a heating pad. Cold can also damage skin.
Hot weather – the body tends to be less efficient at removing fluid from tissues during the summer months. Burns – including sunburn. The skin retains fluid and swells in response to burn injuries. Menstrual cycle – some women experience oedema in the 2 weeks prior to menstruation.
Alcohol and caffeine could also function like diuretics. They both could dilate the lymph tissue and cause more swelling, and as a result, exacerbate the lymphedema. Don't adopt a low-protein diet. Consumed protein has no connection with the protein in the lymph fluid.
Not only does it say that selenium supplements (in the form of sodium selenite) reduce lymphedema volume and increase the efficacy of physical therapy, it even offers a snazzy rationale for it: patients with lymphedema have reduced selenium levels, and these levels further decrease with lymphedema progression.
It's a chronic (ongoing) condition that has no cure. But steps can be taken to help keep it from starting, and to reduce or relieve symptoms. If left untreated, lymphedema can get worse. Getting treatment right away can lower your risk of infections and complications.
Your lymphatic system thrives on potassium-rich foods. Dark leafy greens, broccoli, bananas and seafood, like wild salmon, are some excellent choices to consider.
Lymphoedema may not prevent you from continuing with your usual lifestyle and activities. However, you may need to modify some aspect of your life if these involve a lot of activity, or inactivity, of a swollen limb. Try to continue with your life as normally as possible but listen to your body.
Physical activity is important for managing lymphoedema. Physical activity: works your muscles, which increases the flow of lymph fluid through the lymphatic system and helps move it away from the swollen area. can help you maintain a healthy weight, which can reduce lymphoedema swelling.
People with stage 3 lymphedema — the most advanced stage — have visible swelling, and the affected area enlarges and becomes misshapen. There is also a higher risk of infection.
One of the most comfortable and time-efficient ways to manage your lymphedema at night is with a quality compression foam sleeve. A nighttime sleeve provides a gentler compression level in comparison to daytime garments.