[Music] how it feels to have lymphedema it’s like a blessing and a curse the very first time i posted a photo on instagram i was so scared to put that photo out there it’s important to not hide my legs because this is who i am my name is monique and i have lymphedema i was not born with lymphedema i got lymphedema when i was 12 years old lymphedema is the swelling of well a blockage in the lymphatic system or disruption in a lymphatic system that causes swelling in a body part for me it’s in my legs my mom noticed the swelling and then the swelling kept progressing i visited a lot of doctors i went to about six hospitals it took approximately about six months before i got a diagnosis in my teenage years i used to get annoyed because you know at that time there were so many unknowns about lymphedema i definitely wanted to wear you know the hoochie mama booty shorts and the little tank tops and things like that like look at these pants they’re so cute for a long time i couldn’t wear stuff like this so now i can fit cute pants there is no cure for lymphedema but there’s a lot of ways that we can manage it and go about helping lymphedema patients lead a more normal or easier life so the first step is mld manual lymph drainage it’s a physical therapy where a physical therapist massages your your body part and helps to push the fluid towards your heart so it can get pumped out that’s one then there are of course wearing your garments that have compression you wear the garments and that helps to maintain or keep you from swelling too much while you’re up and about this is the shorts part the trunk part that i put on and then i have one for each leg so what it does it um simulates manual length draining now it’s great if you have help but i usually don’t [Music] then there is certain surgeries i have had over 12 surgeries for in relation to lymphedema and it definitely has helped me um get to where i am now so my first scar is right here i had a section hanging out here so i have another scar right here i have a scar going down the back of my calf i have another scar from here because my thigh was big like this that’s on my left leg if i wrap my legs that’s a whole maybe 30 40 minute process by the evening not wearing any wraps i could be 267 so i can gain seven pounds of fluid in just a 8 to 12 hour period of no stockings all right every day lymphedema is definitely a challenge it’s not like oh i can get up and go and just do whatever i have to plan and it sometimes can slow me down i get stares you know adults with stare little kids will stare so sometimes it would make me feel uncomfortable depending on the scenario where i’m that somebody’s like staring at me and they’re not like staring at my face they’re staring at my legs the very first time i posted a photo on instagram i was so scared i posted like hey life has to change this is who i am and i got so many likes um that shocked me after that i i wasn’t scared anymore hey hey how’s it going [Music] i love you it’s good to see you guys but yeah girl so why is it that um is it important that you don’t hide your legs anymore it’s important to show my legs because that’s who i am i rather educate and let people know what it is that nobody ever has to go through what i went through with in the early stages of not knowing yeah well i mean you the strongest woman i know because to be able to go through something like that like that is no easy feat but you did it and you rocking it thank you jesse not that she was ever timid or shy or anything she was always forefront but she’s now owned her essence and owned her beauty and that’s been amazing to watch that beautiful flower blossom into the beautiful woman she’s grown to it’s hard to describe how it feels to have lymphedema because i for me it’s like a blessing and a curse um i don’t know what kind of person i would be if i didn’t have lymphedema like what life would have given me what path i would have chosen for myself over time has given me a self-confidence like that i don’t know if i would have had because i don’t care what people think about me and i am who i am having big legs is a part of me so there’s never a reason for me to hide anymore you Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as5JzUt0Geg
