b'ulcers. Lymphedema is common but the medical communitymedical teams providing her surgery and radiation had educated remains clueless about any potential cure. I was given diuretics her on what to watch out for, this could be completely under by more than one doctor, and water retention is NOT the problem!control. That would mean comfort for her and fewer medical There is much work to be done to find a cure and better treatmentsbills for the insurance company. Speaking of which, she now for lymphedema. It affects both those who have had breast cancer(amidst all the medical bills) has to pay hundreds of dollars to and people like me, who acquired lymphedema after working in apurchase compression garments because Medicare wont paysedentary job for too many years. Please pay attention. for them! Please do something to change the Medicare coding, andAMANDA HOWARD please do something to promote more lymphedema educationCatawba, NC to doctors, nurses, and the general public.Although I do not have lymphedema, I have had lymph nodesJULIE SMITHremoved, which makes me at risk for developing the disease. It isso disheartening to know that if I were to develop it, there is Hillsborough, NCNO CURE! With proper research and funding, I feel certain thatAfter getting through a mastectomy, chemo, radiation, blood clots there is a cure to be found. from the chemo port, an occluded BC vein, a broken leg, and a parathyroidectomy, I was just waiting for the other mastectomy KARIN SIEBOLD (pandemic-postponed) and I thought I would be in the clear. I was wrong! Lymphedema hit me like a ton of bricks. Because of the Oak Island, NC lack of research and knowledge about this disease, it may be As a Lymphatic Drainage Therapist I regularly meet new clientsscarier than cancer and in many cases, more debilitating, with who are dealing with lymphedemamostly secondaryhavingEXTREME costs for society due to work loss and health care come on after cancer treatment. Often, these clients have neverissues. PLEASE do more to help.been educated or warned of the possibility of developing lymphedema, so they fail to get treatment early because they CYNTHIA MAIROSEdont know what it is. Cincinnati, OHRecently my own mother developed Stage 2 Lymphedema following uterine cancer treatment. The sad thing is that it went My experience with lymphedema began in 2016, seven monthson for four months before we were able to get her treatment. Fourafter my surgery for ovarian cancer. The most disappointing and different doctors were told of her swollen leg and they did nothing.shocking thing for me was that no one in my healthcare team had Now its bilateral, Stage 2, and extremely uncomfortable. If thementioned that lymphedema was a possibility and no one wasAs parents, our challenge now islearning how to help our daughter live with this chronic progressive disease having no treatments.KERRI ROSSI (Drews Mother) Ridgefield, CTAN AMERICAN TRAGEDY 31'