“What’s that thing on your arm?”
Photo by Steve Pajewski
“What’s that thing on your arm?”
Kids are not too shy to ask.
My answer for them is, “Sometimes my arm swells. The sleeve helps it.” They usually respond, “Oh,” and go on their way.
Adults are a bit more tricky. If they do ask about your sleeve, instead of just staring at it, the experience rates up there with someone asking, “How are you?” leaving you to gauge if they are using a social nicety or actually inquiring about your health.
You can give them the same answer you gave the kids. If I’m feeling flippant, my answer to the sleeve question involves some reference to my future in the NBA, as you see players wearing sleeves.
But they may want to know more.
“It’s a compression sleeve. It is used to treat lymphedema.”
Now you get to explain lymphedema, where lymphatic fluid collects in body tissues, resulting in swelling. (You then may need to quickly explain to them that it is not the same word as lymphoma - cancers affecting the lymphatic system.)
Then how to explain the lymphatic system? The circulatory system gets all the media attention and has the star athlete - the Heart! It does all that work pumping blood around, and we are very grateful that it does. However, the lymphatic system and its workings are like the rest of the players on the team that don’t get star billing, but you are sure glad they show up to do their job!
Part of the lymphatic system’s job is to remove waste products in your body. Think of the lymph vessels as a highway system. Some highways have tollbooths, their number and placement strategically designed to minimize traffic backups. Lymph nodes are akin to tollbooths in the lymphatic system in that everyone on the highway needs to go through them.
If some of the tollbooths are closed, there can be backups. When a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, removing and examining some lymph nodes in the armpit area can determine if the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body. This removal has the effect of permanently closing down some of the previously available tollbooths, causing backups, which is seen by swelling of the affected arm.
If your conversation has made it to this point, you may find yourself talking about breast cancer, or you may find it’s time to discuss the weather, to the relief of all involved. Yet, you may have helped someone learn something new.
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If you find yourself sitting in traffic this holiday weekend, think of the lymphatic system and how grateful we are when it all works smoothly!