Loving life with Lymphedema

After being a Mom to little's there are few things that gross me out, besides my kid's loose teeth (cringe) and snakes!  However I do love a good snake skin print, which is why I was so excited to receive Pandere's new Dolphin Rambler Shoe which has a beautiful detail of snake skin without screaming it. I have tried two other styles of Pandere Shoes, The Barista and The Rodeo.  Both have been an amazing fit for Bertha, but the Dolphin Rambler was next level.  The first day I wore them was a busy day running around doing errands and cleaning my house.  I was so pleased with the fit and how comfortable they were.  I also love that I can adjust the fit, for two main reasons. 1. When I wear my wraps I frequently adjust them during my day. When I adjust and tighten my wraps I have the ability to adjust the shoe as well. 2. I only have Lymphedema in my right leg and foot.  If you have Lymphedema or another condition with swelling in one of your feet you know how ...

 I'm at SAHM (stay at home Mama.)  About a year ago I started working again, but due to recent health issues I decided to step down from my position.  Although it was a difficult decision to stop working and be home full time. I know it was the right choice for my health and my family.  Especially since COVID started my days have been pretty low key.  My kids are bigger now and gone are the days where I would have to guess if it was poop of chocolate on my shirt.  And I thankfully I no longer need to pack a change of clothes for everyone in our family (including myself) for a simple day out.  I can actually wear a white shirt and it is still stain free by the end of the day . . . unless I myself have spilled . . . which happens more than I would like to admit.  I've graduated to being able to wear dangle earrings without fear of them being ripped out!  If you have kids you know what a big deal these things are. Even with all of these exciting...

I felt like this last summer was from the movie Inside Out.  It's a Disney Pixar movie talking about emotions and how they all have a place and are important, I highly recommend you watch it with kids or just yourself.  Also this next part will make way more sense.  Spoiler alert!   This summer we made so many beautiful and fun memories with family and close friends, they all were "Joy memories" shinning brightly gold, but like Inside Out "Blue Sadness" kept creeping in tainting those memories-Erysipelas.  It had been so long since I had an infection and even longer that I had a recurring infection, but here it was, one infection after the other.  I was on antibiotics and like clockwork once I ended one antibiotic another infection would start.  I was trying to get in to see my Infectious Disease doctor, but with COVID everything was backed up. (I have a previous Blog about finding out my infections weren't Cellulitis, but Erysipelas, you can find...

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 ...