It’s a condition that affects thousands of people, yet many of them may not even be aware of what it is.
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Lymphoedema is a progressive chronic disorder of the lymphatic system and results in in painful and debilitating swelling – and there are about 12,000 people in NSW living with it every day.
In Wagga, a committee of people with the condition and health professionals are working together to increase knowledge of lymphoedema, with an awareness day, dubbed What the Swell, planned for March 2019.
Robyn Salau and Tahnee Collins-Roe are both lymphoedema therapists, who are keen to raise awareness about the condition, which they say can be overlooked or misdiagnosed by health professionals.
Ms Collins-Roe, whose mother has been affected, said the condition could have a genetic cause, but this is less common than what is referred to as secondary lymphoedema, which tends to arise most frequently from cancer treatments.
“It is caused by any trauma to the lymphatic system. Lymphoedema usually affects the limbs, but can affect the trunk, breast, head, neck and genital area,” Ms Salau said.
“There is no cure.
“Lymphoedema affects people of all ages – from birth to old age – and if not treated early, the onset of lymphoedema can lead to regular hospitalisations due to infections and can have devastating, ongoing effects on both the physical and emotional wellbeing of patients.”
Ms Collins-Roe said while there was no cure, people with lymphoedema had treatment options, including wearing compression garments and specialised lymphatic drainage massage.
Ms Salau said many people who had lymphoedema may not realise they had the condition, as it could often be incorrectly diagnosed as obesity, a similar problem which often faced people with lipoedema, which affects adiose fat.
“Lipoedema appears to be a hereditary disorder and may affect up to 11 per cent of women,” she said.
“Women with lipoedema are rarely identified by the medical profession, and are often misdiagnosed or mismanaged.”
The What The Swell awareness day will be held at the Wagga RSL Club on March 4, 2019, with a range of patients and health professionals scheduled to speak. To attend, email Marg Vonarx on vonarxm@hotmail.com