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[nanagillian]

Hi everyone - quite recently diagnosed after years of being fobbed off, and amazed to find that after a few weeks my legs look fairly normal. I am not coping so well with the warm summer weather and my legs have stopped reducing in size. How do others cope in the summer?

[Hepsibar]

Summer is always the worst. I struggle with the heat too, stockings irritate my skin because they are so thick and my legs get hotter. The glue to hold them in place melts so the st o kings start slipping. Putting the stockings in the fridge the night before helps. Keeping out of the sun which helps. Good luck

[Lynora]

What form of lymphoedema do you have? Primary or secondary?

[nanagillian in reply to Lynora]

Secondary Lynora, had it for years but just recently diagnosed

[Snaomi]

Summertime is tough. If you sit outside, I recommend you elevator your legs and put ice packs around them.

[morganite]

It's important to keep legs elevated when you can. I use a cooling after sun gel on my legs before I put stockings on. It does help.

[ponygirl]

Hot summer days are such a challenge. At work and at home I try to have a fan blowing at leg level on hot days and I also stay in the shade/cool whenever possible. When I am gardening and want to stay outdoors I also have water in a spray bottle which I use to dampen my stockings from time to time so I can carry on a while longer.

[flowerdancer in reply to ponygirl]

Hi ponygirl,

Thank you for the tips to keep legs cool-summer IS a problem. I love to swim and this helps so much; however I feel so conspicuous in a costume!

[CCT67]

My legs are also much more swollen in summer heat. It's depressing to see them not as responsive to my daily MLD in hot weather but I remind myself they will return to their normal swelling when summer is over

I'm on holiday in the US now and the unexpected heat wave has brought 38c degree temperatures. There is air conditioning thank goodness. My legs look ginormous after being outside - thick flat-knit garments covering the whole of my legs seem to add a few degrees to the heat!

To get some relief from swelling and discomfort I have desk fans pointng on my bed at night; put a cold dampened towel draped around my legs; and I put my garments in the freezer while doing self-MLD in the morning - the coolness feels good on my legs when they go on.

I also rest and elevate my legs periodically to ensure I look after myself and don't overdo it otherwise the swelling will be even more exacerbated.

[Sage7]

Summer time is hard. Wearing the hot stockings in the summer months are not fun. Neither is wearing them during the rest of the year but you learn how to cope. I try not to be out too much during the heat of the day because my legs tend to swell more.

[Mistymay]

I know this goes against what usually happens, but this summer we have just had, I had the whole school holidays off (6weeks) so I made a promise to myself to try and do some sort of exercise every day. Then the heat came and it was hard, I tried to do it really early or late as possible when the heat wasn't so bad. I managed most days to do something, walking the dog, bouncing on the tramp, going for a swim that sort of thing. During the heat of the day I would do what the others above suggested, at the end of summer I went to my physio and got measured for stockings and couldn't believe it when all of my measurements had gone down! We were both shocked. I know this may not be the case for everyone, but it may give someone else some hope for the summer.

[Morgan0103]

Summer time is definitely the worst time of year for this condition as the heat alone is enough to exacerbate swelling and water retention even in people not affected by this horrible condition. Add in the skin tight, thick support stockings and things get even worse.

I live in maxi dresses in the summer to allow a bit of extra ventilation - jeans on top of stockings is unbearably uncomfortable and it's not like we can just put on a pair of shorts! At the end of the day before bed I blast my legs from the mid thigh down with cold water from the shower for a few minutes which helps reduce swelling and aids a better sleep I have found. At night I sleep with my legs elevated by shoving a few pillows under the end of the mattress. As others have said, elevate your legs and stay off your feet wherever possible.

When abroad I don't let it put me off sunbathing - I simply lie the wrong way round on the sun lounger with my legs up on the back rest, feet pointing to the sky! Sure you get a few odd glances but it works a treat having your feet and ankles above the level of your heart.

Hope this helps!

[Pezinhos]

Hi Morgan

I live in Portugal,so it hot hot hot in the summer. I'm going to try your water shower before bed, sound good as durning the night my leg feels like it's burning. I do have a special pillow to keep my leg evelated so that's not too bad. A great idea is to keep your stocking in the fridge over night. Will try that tomorrow. Been 30c today. I,also have layed on the sun lounger on the beach the wrong way, but who cares,,,I don't . I do,wear shorts now and I see people looking at my leg but now I really don't care. I've had 2 years of physo and now trying to do it on my own, it's not the same but like most lymphedema suffers we never give up.

Good luck to you all Linda at Pezinhos