What's your thorn?
His power is known and perfect in my weakness.
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12
There is another club I have joined that I don't talk too much about. Some things you just want to move past and brush under the rug. Some things we go through stay with us was longer than they are welcome. My thorn. I think somedays dealing with it all is too much. Maybe I don't want to admit this is a whole new path my life too. Maybe it's because no one is very educated in it and understands it. Maybe because I still struggle to tell myself there is a purpose in education and sharing is not complaining. I know that so many survivors deal with lymphedema. I know that sharing my struggles and my everyday thorns is important because It is shaping me everyday. God is writing this story and I want to be faithful in sharing the victories and the struggles. We all have them.
2 and a half years ago when I was told that cancer had metastasized to my lymph nodes and that I would need a radical dissection of all of the lymph nodes in my groin, I had no idea what the effects would be. Not a few nodes...Many. A whole part of my lymphatic system would be disrupted, and permanently changed. It was made clear the likely consequences that this type of surgery would entail. Removing a part of your God designed system is like taking gear out of a bike and expecting it to still ride. Not too long after recovery while dealing with nerve damage to my leg there was onset of lymphedema. Thus started a new physical, and emotional everyday story of my life. I am sharing because I know many of you have an everyday story too. I am with you.
What am I talking about you ask? Let me try to educate. I bet most of you have no idea about your lymphatic system. I didn't. It is actually a very intricately designed part of your body. It helps keep you healthy and strong. I had no idea about melanoma. I had no idea about lymphedema.
I have learned from this disease that everyday is a new day. Some days are fine. Some days are painful. Some days are plain annoying. Most everyday I wear compression garments. Most evenings my leg and foot is swollen, full of lymph fluid. I spend an hour night plugged up to a device that helps pump lymphatic fluid through my leg to prevent swelling, pain, and infection. I go to an amazing lymphedema specialist at Hershey who helps with several things like massage and wrapping when needed to push fluid out of my leg. 
The hardest part of this for me is that my body is fighting an immune responsive cancer that has gone into my lymphatic system. There is no evidence of tumor but my lymphatic system would be my first line of defense. Because of the surgery to remove cancer I now have a immune compromised disease and a dysfunctional lymphatic system. Seems counteractive to me. It complicates things a little more and makes it ever more important for me to take care of my immune system. Which is a whole new science I'm learning. Everyone has a different story. This one is mine... A part of me? yes, another hurdle? yes, another thing for me to know and trust that comfortable is not a goal, but knowing Jesus more is. As hard as is it to think back to certain times in our lives that are emotional, this causes me to grasp tighter to HOPE. That his faithfulness was there, and is not too.So not that you knew, and thanks to social media it came to my attention, but cheers to World Lymphedema day. March 6th 2017. I have wanted to share and not wanted all at the same time. But here we go again. I share my story not that you would know me more, but that you would see more of Jesus in my story. Now you know my thorn, the thing that reminds me, I am not enough but He is.
What is the Lymphatic System???
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It helps the body fight infections. It also helps maintain fluid balance in different parts of the body. It is made of a series of thin tubes, called lymphatic vessels. These vessels collect fluid, called lymph, from different parts of the body. Similar to blood vessels, these vessels then carry the lymph back to the bloodstream. Lymph is a colorless, watery fluid that is rich in white blood cells called lymphocytes. These cells play an important role in the immune system by protecting your body against infection. Lymphocytes form and are stored in lymph nodes, which are pea-sized collections of cells located throughout the body, such as in the armpit, groin, and neck area.
The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It helps the body fight infections. It also helps maintain fluid balance in different parts of the body. It is made of a series of thin tubes, called lymphatic vessels. These vessels collect fluid, called lymph, from different parts of the body. Similar to blood vessels, these vessels then carry the lymph back to the bloodstream. Lymph is a colorless, watery fluid that is rich in white blood cells called lymphocytes. These cells play an important role in the immune system by protecting your body against infection. Lymphocytes form and are stored in lymph nodes, which are pea-sized collections of cells located throughout the body, such as in the armpit, groin, and neck area.
Lymphatic disease is a malfunction of the lymphatic system in which fluid, or lymph, does not pass properly through the lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels. The most common lymphatic disease is lymphedema. The most prevalent lymphatic disorder is lymphatic insufficiency, or lymphedema. This is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial tissue causing swelling, most often in the arm(s) and/or leg(s), and occasionally in other parts of the body. The severity of this disease varies from very mild complications to a disfiguring, painful and disabling condition. In addition, patients are often susceptible to serious life-threatening cellulite infections(deep skin), and if untreated, can spread systemically or require surgical intervention. It remains a lifelong functional problem requiring daily treatment for maintenance. Eventually the skin becomes fibrotic (thickening of the skin and subcutaneous tissues) with loss of normal architecture, function and mobility.
There are two main types of chronic lymphedema: Primary and Secondary
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