Region’s specialists take action to fight for more health care access
March 6 is World Lymphedema Day. This year the Lymphedema Association of Manitoba (LAM) chose that day to make a presentation at the Manitoba Legislature to let our politicians know how important it is that medical coverage be available for Manitobans with this condition.
Nancy Rowsell, a registered massage therapist who is certified as a lymphedema therapist, vice-president of LAM, and the owner and a practicing therapist of Interlake Lymph Clinic in Selkirk was part of the group that advocated for the need to have our provincial health-care system cover costs for those with Lymphedema as it does for those with other conditions.
The lymphatic system, like our circulatory system that moves blood around our bodies, moves a fluid called lymph throughout our bodies. It is the system that manages fluid levels in our bodies and removes waste products from our cells to our blood.
“When your lymphatic system is faulty or damaged, you build up waste in your body and you can’t clear healthy fluids through the body anymore,” said Rowsell.
“Anywhere in the body can build up lymphatic waste, if the lymphatic vessels or lymph nodes don’t function in that area anymore. [The lymphatic system] can be compromised from genetic defects, through surgeries, or trauma.”
Rowsell explained that there is some medical coverage in our province for people who end up with lymphedema as a result of trauma from breast cancer treatment but that those who are born with the condition or acquire it in other ways don’t currently receive the same support.
How severe the lymphedema is, is something that varies from patient to patient, however, people’s quality of life can be affected and it is a life-long condition.
“The limb is just very sensitive to impact of any kind. The further they get in the disease, the more sensitive their threshold is for pain. We’ve all been sunburned. It’s like having your skin feel that pain, [you’d be] like ‘Don’t touch me. My skin hurts.’ But imagine having swelling and heaviness and fullness and toxins in that skin and adding that to that level of pain. It’s just that much more uncomfortable,” said Rowsell.
Current treatment involves manual lymphatic drainage followed by the use of compression garments which helps to slow the lymph fluid from building up again.
“The gold standard for care is where people go for a special type of massage therapy by certified lymphedema therapist and they get compression therapy and they maintain that. It’s lifelong care, you have to follow; you can’t do treatment once or twice and think you’re going to be in the clear. You will have to maintain this for the rest of your life,” explained Rowsell.
Diet changes and exercise can also be helpful as with many health conditions but they don’t treat the underlying cause of lymphedema.
Rowsell says that access to care has become better in the past five years or so and that resources in Manitoba are available on the Lymphedema Association of Manitoba’s website but that the province covering the costs of care, like they do for other medical conditions, is important.
“We’re a lot further ahead now, but we still have a marathon more to go to get more support. Other provinces in the country do offer garment funding, where they will cover anywhere from two to four [compression] garments per year. Manitoba still is at zero. We’re at least trying to get our government to come to par with the other provinces,” said Rowsell.
She explained that there is funding for garments if the lymphedema came by way of breast cancer treatment but that LAM wants this funding to be available to everyone with lymphedema regardless of how their lymphedema started.
Rowsell said that people who would like to advocate for the condition can contact their local MLAs to let them know that they support lymphedema being included in the current health-care funding model. They can also talk to their doctors to let them know about lymphedema as it’s a condition that is sometimes misdiagnosed initially.
To learn more about lymphedema and connect with local resources check out the Lymphedema Association of Manitoba’s website at https://lymphmanitoba.ca/.
