It has been a long time, too long really, since I have written a column in this space. My last column was in August of last year, almost 11 months ago! I was recovering from cancer surgery and I shared the blessings I had received through that unexpected journey. When I heard the words that my pathology report was “fantastic—praise the Lord!” I thought my brush with serious illness was over. All I needed to do was regain my strength and life would return to normal. Little did I know.
We live in a wonderful neighborhood for walking. I started a focused walking regiment in which I was gradually increasing my time and distance. It wasn’t easy at first, but I had increased to over four miles each day. Joyce said I was overdoing it!
On a particularly beautiful November morning, I was thinking about how blessed I was. The leaves were turning, a deer crossed the road in front of me, and I was cancer free! I could almost hear Louis Armstrong singing, “What A Wonderful World.”
Then, it happened.
My left ankle started to hurt. I didn’t recall twisting it or stepping the wrong way, but I was seriously limping by the time I got back to the house. When I took off my shoe, my ankle had swollen dramatically.
“Oh, my goodness,” I said. “I’ve sprained my ankle.” I should have listened to Joyce.
I contacted my Orthopedic Doctor and good friend, Gordon Kammire. He told me to come in right away. When he looked at my ankle he said, “Your ankle is angry at you, Ray. Your body is trying to tell you something.”
My body was trying to tell me that I had injured my Achilles Tendon. It had not ruptured, but it was close. The official diagnosis was acute Achilles tendinitis. I was fitted for a boot. My walking days had come to an inglorious end!
All through the holidays, I wore that dadgum boot. It was especially awkward when I was leading worship. Just getting up out of a chair was a struggle. I had a couple of people tell me that they felt so sorry for me as they watched me during our Christmas Eve service.
But the new year brought new hope. My Achilles was healing and finally Dr. Kammire told me that I could retire that dadgum boot. I could even start walking again, but . . . don’t overdo it!!
I was being a good boy, and I was not overdoing it, but I noticed that my left leg was constantly swollen. I returned to see my good doctor who decided that after we ruled out a blood clot, which we did, I would need an MRI to determine what was going on.
I had just finished my Thursday morning Bible Study at the YMCA when Dr. Kammire called me with the results. “You have a condition called lymphedema,” he said.
I had never heard of it.
When I had my cancer surgery, my surgeon removed several lymph nodes surrounding the prostate which is very common. I guess it never occurred to me that those lymph nodes were there for a reason!
The lymphatic system is a network of lymph vessels, tissues, and organs that carry lymph fluid throughout the body. It is part of the immune system and helps to protect the body from infection, maintaining body fluid levels, absorbing digestive tract fats and removing cellular waste. Lymphedema occurs when the lymph fluid is not able to flow through the body the way it should, resulting in a build-up of fluid, which explained why my leg was constantly swollen.
The Achilles injury had triggered a traffic jam in my left leg and lymphedema was the result. I quickly learned that I was not alone with this condition. Many women who have breast surgery develop lymphedema in one of their arms.
Since the lymph fluid was not moving in my leg, it was necessary to move it manually. It would require physical therapy. I was thinking that after a few weeks of PT, I would be completely healed.
I was wrong.
There is no cure for lymphedema. It will never heal; the goal is to keep it under control.
After a few weeks of therapy, my therapist ordered a device for me called a Lympha Press. It is a pneumatic compression pump, made in Israel, that stimulates the lymphatic fluid in my leg. I use it for an hour each night and it always decreases the swelling in my leg.
My world is different now. In addition to the daily Lympha Press treatment, I must wear compression socks. They make quite the fashion statement with shorts! And because regular shoes are difficult to wear, I wear Hokas—all the time, even on Sunday. I call them my Hoda Kotbs. But the good news is that I am walking again. I won’t be walking 4 miles a day, but I walk about a mile and a-half most mornings. And, I am still cancer free!
Yes, the journey continues, not as fast as it was going before, but it does continue . . . and you know what, it is still a wonderful world!
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