LYMPHOEDEMA GCS VICKIE MATHIAS

LYMPHOEDEMA What is it? Where can you get it? How many classes of Lymphoedema are there?

Primary Lymhoedema

Secondary Lymphoedema

Lipoedema (Painful fat syndrome)

Obesity Related

Dependency

Skin changes Thickness of the skin increases Build up of horny scales on the surface Skin creases deepen Warty appearance, over time Stemmer’s sign positive- can be absent in early stages Pitting/non pitting Fibrosis

Stemmer’s Sign

Lymphangioma

Papillomatosis

Peau D’Orange

Malignant Disease

Treatments involved Maintenance; Skin care Exercise and use of the limb Compression Garments Simple Lymphatic Drainage Massage Posture Healthy eating advice Sign posting to Lymphoedema Support Network

Treatments involved Intensive Coban bandaging Medical/Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage Kinesiology taping Compression Garments Self lymphatic drainage massage Intermittent Pneumatic Compression therapy i.e.. Lymphassist Low Level Light Therapy New treatments; LV anastomosis, Liposuction, Lymph node transplant

Kinesiology Taping

The Lymphoedema Team Consists of; Vickie Mathias – Manager Kim wilcox – Lymphoedema Practitioner Shelley Ellis – Lymphoedema Practitioner (O/T) Ali O’Connor – Lymphoedema Practitioner Jane Spiers – HCA Pat Lipscome – HCA Jane Hutton – Clerical officer

How To Refer On the Intranet standard referral form (BMI, ?If Housebound, ?D.N’s involved) Only accept medical referrals You can always ring for advice if not sure 0300 4228750

Conclusion It is often devastating, debilitating, stressful and painful with frequent feeling of isolation. Too often , because of professional ignorance, appropriate treatment is denied to these patients. It is our role, of all healthcare professionals, to understand and provide the care that is essentially needed.