Lack of support

[Holly69]

GP doesn't deal with Lymphadema refers to lymphadema clinic. This is two nurses for essex I think who rarely make home visits. In hospital they also don't treat lymphadema so if legs leaking they just leak not trained for compression. When in hospital my wife had to come in washmy legs and redo my compression straps. If it's cellulitus GP just sends you to A&E.

[Jocasta28]

In Derbyshire where I live there is one nurse in a clinic actually situated in suburbs of Nottingham. I am housebound by my lyphodema with a disabled adult child that has special needs and her private carer has other clients so unable to sit or care for her whilst they whisk me away by ambulance to this clinic. Only got ambulance because I reminded them that if I was unable to visit my husband dying in a care home 1.5 miles away last year, how was I to get to a clinic 10 miles away. Defies logic.

Wouldn't mind the hassle but I live 5 minutes away from a Community Hospital that until 2 years ago actually had its own lymphodema clinic that was discontinued for some reason - not from lack of use as it had a Consultant and nursing staff as well as a waiting list as long as your arm.

Some counties are better than others.

d

[lovesradio]

Lymphoedema care is such a postcode lottery and it was bad enough before Covid but as Jocasta28 says, it seems to have got even patchier since. In Wales they have a proper Lymphoedema Framework document and that's resulting in far better treatment and outcomes for lymphies there. We have been campaigning for the same up here in Scotland but we're not there yet.

[yorkiebee2 in reply to lovesradio]

I think you are spot on when you say Lymphoedema treatment is a postcode lottery. I currently attend a dedicated clinic which is attached to our local hospice, but things I read from sufferers in other parts of the country are so depressing.