My journey started about 7 years ago. I was an avid athlete, ran 15 marathons and competed in a full ironman. When my ankles started to swell, I thought the swelling was just a result of overtraining. Then I became pregnant with my daughter and the swelling continued and got worse during pregnancy.
It wasn’t until after my daughter was born and the swelling in my right leg never subsided that I started to investigate and get more information about lymphedema. I’ve fought to control the swelling for the past 7 years with a pump, massage, stocking, etc.
The experience made me unsure about having another child because I didn’t want to make my lymphedema worse. However, today, I am 30 weeks pregnant with my second child and continue to manage my lymphedema and strive to be the best Mom I can be. I am hopeful that the lymphedema community will continue to innovate and improve methods to treat lymphedema.
