Loving life with Lymphedema

Winter in the PNW means rain, rain, a randomlly sunny day that is like 70 degrees, followed by-you guessed it rain.  Where I live in Oregon we do have some light dustings of snow and every 2-3 years it "dumps snow" which means a couple of inches.  Basically the whole city shuts down when this happens and we all hunker in for the 1-2 days it last.  It's the one time a year I love our steep driveway, it's the best sledding hill!  Winter and rain boots has been one of the most difficult items to find that fit Bertha .  Here are a few style I found that should work for us Lymphies and Lippys. xo-Allie Sorel Out and About Waterproof Bootie Living in Oregon and as a soccer Mom I need a good basic boot to keep Bertha dry.  I especially like these boots, because they are lace up, so you can adjust them if you only have one "Lymphie foot."  This is the boot I've had for the past few years.  I read reviews and decided to size up 2 sizes to a 12 and I'm glad...

 Hello Autumn my old friend, I've come bootless once again.  Every year when Fall arrives my social media is flooded with girls sporting wide brim felt hats, sweaters, t-shits stating "it's fall y'all!" and of course fall boots.  Two years ago I did find a bootie that fit Bertha . . . and I bought it in 3 colors. But I have had a lot of messages from women looking for Fall Boots that will fit their Lymphedema legs, so I went on the hunt.  As I was searching I discovered to my surprise there are a lot more options out there.  So many that I've decided to split my Blog Posts into three parts: Ankle Booties, Tall Boots and Outdoor Boots & Slippers. I'm always wary of boots with zippers.  Even if they have stretch, if they have a zipper pretty much every boot I've tried on hasn't worked.  Think about that pair of jeans you try to get on, the grunting, sweating and pulling-boots with zippers are those jeans' counterpart to me. So heads up there...

I guess my first question is . . . when was the last time you wore shoes?  Since the COVID pandemic I can count one time I wore a "fancy shoe" it's been all sandals and sneakers for me.  I have been looking for some cute white sneakers, ones I can wear with jeans, stretch pants and even with a skirt or dress.  I usually shy away from colorful or white shoes to try and not draw attention to Bertha.  But I've found a new confidence this year, so with swimsuits and shorts I'm adding any type color of shoe to the list of items I'm going to wear with pride!   I always forget Lane Bryant's shoes come in wide sizes, I checked and found their Lace Up Sneaker .  I ordered the 11 wide, they are so comfortable and I'm able to wear my Sigvaris wraps with them.  I would say they are true to size to running a bit big.  Before Lymphedema I was a size 10, now I size up to 11's, but with these I think I would stick with a 10 wide.  I purchased them duri...

Shop My Look Here! I had to add the question mark, because even before lymphedema at my thinnest I’m sad to say I never felt comfortable in shorts as a young adult. What that translated into is, “I didn’t feel comfortable in my skin” therefore I didn’t wear shorts.  I love flowy maxi dresses for summer, but now that we’ve become campers, the dress thing isn’t very practical. Even at home I find myself sweating up a storm, but a lot of times it's because of hot flashes. Picture you’re walking in a sweat suit in like 100° weather . . . and then walk into a sauna while Satan is breathing his hot breath on you-that’s a hot flash.  Sooo back to shorts.  Jean shorts are so cute, but if I’m going to wear shorts I need them to be lightweight, comfortable and flattering. Those words all describe the new short I found. Wild Fable’s High Rise Ruffle Shorts. They come in 3 colors and are $17!! I’ve learned at Target if you see something you could see yourself loving-grab 1 if not 2 ...

Birkenstocks are probably my favorite shoe brand right now. From their Gizeh:  https://shopstyle.it/l/blpM8   to their Essentials Gizeh:  https://shopstyle.it/l/blpM3  and for Mothers Day my kids bought me the Boston Slip On Clog:  https://shopstyle.it/l/blpMN  which I love-and already have my eyes on another color. So to stray away from Birkenstock is a stretch for me, but I needed some water shoes ASAP to fit Bertha. Thats when I found Target’s Shade and Store Sandal:  https://shopstyle.it/l/blpMT  They come in Regular and Wide sizes 🙌🏻 I ordered my size in wide width and crossed my fingers they would fit. They fit and since they are foam I don’t need to break them in. They have been amazing on my family vacation. The sandals are light weight, fit Bertha and are a great deal to boot! My bro-in-law has the real Birkenstocks and honestly I can’t tell a difference from sight. So if you’re looking for a great pair of summer/water shoes you ca...

I don't mean this to be one of those food blog post where it starts out "...it was an usually warm fall day when I was born . . . "  Most of the time I'll scroll until I get to the recipe.  So here is your permission to scroll if you don't want the background story of my current health issues. Recently my body has been what I call rejecting itself.  It feels like I'll have a season, when the saying "when it rains, it pours" describes my life and how my body functions.  It is difficult for me to slow down and listen to my body sometimes, but I feel like I've gotten better at listening to it's cues of when I need to stop and rest.  Well lately my body is screaming at me and my stubborn, strong willed self has had a tough time listening.  I told my husband my spirit character is John Lock from LOST (see below meme.) I started to have back issues after my daughter was born about 7 years ago.  It would spasm so much if I moved an inch the pain wou...

So I'm kind of a hippy at heart.  My Mom bought Organic, recycled and put Carob in our stockings before it was cool.  I will always love my black, white and grey wardrobe, but also show me a Free People flowy top I haven't loved.  These leggings are the best of both worlds!  Black and white tie dye!  There are from Target's brand Wild Fable and the same fit as the camo leggings I posted about ( Loving Life Saving and Splurging on Camo Leggings .)  Spoiler alert they are the Save option. What I love about Wild Fable is they have most items in Regular and Plus sizes!  I love my athletic leggings, however these are more cotton than spandex (95% cotton 5% spandex.)  On a recent vacation I pretty much lived in these leggings.  I've paired them with athletic wear, but also with a jean jacket and tunic top to work. Tie Dye Leggings:  https://shopstyle.it/l/bdo0M Plus Size Leggings:  https://shopstyle.it/l/bdo0N Leggings . Plus Le...