A light at the end of the tunnel!

Can I see the light?…Google images

I started my day today with the Physio for Manual Lymph Drainage and to see how things were going. This week I had not used the Ready Wraps and had worn my compression stocking instead. I had felt that the Ready Wraps were pushing the fluid from my knee downwards instead of up and away!! I had also decided to just do the walking I needed to do this week, not strengthening exercises or stretching of the knee. This was because I am not sure if the extra exercise was causing the knee to swell rather than being Lymphoedema. We did not do any measures today but the Physio felt that I was actually getting a visible knee and less swelling. Next week we will measure again and hope to compare these to pre surgery measurements. My leg is soft and there is no pitting, so this is good, but is it due to Lymph nodes or all the treatment I am getting!!!

Next it was off to the imaging department and the ultrasound I had been dreading. Could they see any viable Lymph nodes in the transferred tissue? As always my surgery was of great interest to the technician, as a first at Macquarie Uni Hospital.(leg) The  lady had lots of questions, which at least helped to calm my nerves. She then started to do the ultrasound on my knee and I could barely breathe…
“I think that’s one there and it’s working hard.”
Oh my goodness what a relief I could feel the tears coming but managed to hold it together. The technician then went and got two of the doctors to come and have a look. They thought that maybe there were two lymph nodes and asked how many had been transferred, but I did not know that, I thought it was usually only three or four to protected the donor site. They said because there was fluid present it was difficult to tell but they thought two… Well that is much better than zero…. My story continues!!!!

Coming out of the darkness.. Google images

A light at the end of the tunnel, after all that I have been through, was more than I hoped for. I emailed my doctor and told him to expect a report and I wanted to hear the results before I see him next Friday!!