Well, things continued going in circles. Summer time would come and I would swell. I would have a doctor visit to check things out and get the same answer (lymph edema and we don't know why). I would read up on lymph edema and how to properly care for myself. Get depressed and then cheer up because I was still alive. Winter would come and the swelling would decrease. The only thing NOT going in circles was my weight. My weight was on a steady incline. You can't imagine the facial expressions that I received when I told people that I was 200 lbs. Quick update: I gained 55 plus lbs over the years. Many doctors said that it was water weight and prescribed diuretics (water pills) and potassium supplements. Of course, that didn't last long as well. I was tired of being their guinea pig. I was tired of having to explain my condition and situation. I was tired of how people looked at me when I wore my compression hoses. I was tired of the way people looked at me when I didn't wear my compression hoses. One of my players thought I had elephantitis. I laughed and corrected her, but it was still hard to swallow. I teach girls PE and coach junior high volleyball. I tell my students about my condition and past seizures at the beginning of the semester. I do this because many people don't know about it or know what to do if something happened. The students respond well and they make sure that I'm taking care of. They completely understand if I need to take a day off and put myself on bed rest.. I use my condition against them at times to drive them to do better. If they are trying to get over or saying that they can't do something, then I might do something to show them that it can be done. It also helps me realize that my limbs are still VERY active despite how they look.
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