Kathy Bates - Discussing Lymphedema On The Doctors

FULL interview of Kathy Bates on TV's The Doctors, where she discusses Lymphedema and her daily struggle with it.

[Kimmirisk]

Bravo Ms. Bates!! It’s so important to eliminate shame from all diseases. Your body isn’t who you are. 🥰

[helenhouliston]

It's great that Kathy has had the courage to speak about her experience. I too have lymphedema .One thing: on the show it wasn't really clear that lymphedema can be something you are born with and not just get through radical surgery like a mastectomy. I was born with it. Yet after years of being fat shamed by people who should know better, in my late 40's my GP gave me the diagnosis. I am now trying the ketogenic diet which is recommended for this condition and the research is very encouraging. I have started watching U Tube vids put out by Le&rn . So in this image conscious world we live in, just stop and thing: maybe that obese person you just glared at for not meeting standards of beauty as they are these days, stop and think for a moment. They may have an underlying medical condition causing their obesity. They could well be following healthy food/ nutritional guidelines and doing regular exercise!! Things are not always what they seem. Stop assuming it's just another" lard a**se" with no impulse control who pigs out!!! Be kind

[loriv]

My mother had lymphedema in both legs...it's a horrible disease...kathy bates is amazing, a great actress and wonderful for bringing awareness to this horrible disease

[thaisbury]

Kathy should get an Oscar for her work to help those with lymphoedema

[agentoffortune]

Thank you, Kathy Bates, for bringing attention to this seldom mentioned condition. Your bravery is inspiring.

[johnnyt.sollitto]

Hats off to Kathy for her bravery in raising awareness. My Mom had a mild case like Kathy but even mild is NO FUN.
Shedding light, increases consciousness an hopefully lead to better treatment methods. But until then be there for
your loved ones carrying this burden or the burden of any illness. There's no better medicine than LOVE! <3

[grandpajoe]

Push your representative to support the LTA, Lymphedema Treatment Act, get the treatment and devices covered by medicare!!

[tamerakwist]

Thank you Kathy Bates for being a spokesperson on this baffling disease. I have primary lymphedema type 2 : Meige's lymphedema. Though onset was at age 15 it would be another 17 years before I was diagnosed. I saw many doctors over the years who had no idea what was wrong with my left leg. There are videos on my channel regarding this condition to help raise awareness.

[Loumow]

Lymphedema was not even mentioned when I had my bilateral partial mastectomies in 2015 with axillary dissection of 13 lymph nodes!! When I brought it up with my surgeon and oncologist, as nice as they were, they did not want to address or even admit that I had it! They were skeptical even, maybe because it was mild. But I had pain and tingling and finally swelling of my hand and arm on the side of my node removal. I had to ask for a PT referral and ask for all my therapies (massage, sleeves, pneumatic machine, Jovi Pak etc) all along the way. I had to pull it up on the internet to learn about it. It was a lonely trip but because I forced the issue early on, I was able to keep myself at stage 1 (mild). I know that if I hadn't persisted and worked really hard to get the assistance I needed to manage this, it would have gotten much worse! Thanks Kathy for bringing this out in the limelight!

[cynthiahawkins]

Health insurance, as someone pointed out - takes care of ZILCH. So, it's DIY, read everything you can, become informed, and continue personal advocacy. And as Ms. Bates said, "Getting angry.." We are fortunate in that hubby and I live in NYC. My husband is a veteran, and our local VA hospital gave us a Flexitone /Tactile Compression Device. They sent a wonderful techie, a former combat medic who saw service in Iraq. This guy gave us the full tutorial, encouraged us to ask questions, and helped us learn how to use the device for maximum benefit to help my husband. We are making diet and lifestyle changes, drinking more water, and I employ a hand massage technique on days we do not use the device. Over time, we should be able to significantly improve his quality of life.. Thank you Ms. Bates for your eloquence and commitment.

[christina]

Not sure if anyone will see this, but I have lymphedema of the left ankle/leg, green tea helps so much. Please try it!

[southernbelladonna]

Kathy Bates has always been great, now she is truly wonderful! No one in Hollywood would ever admit that they had lymphoedema let alone speak out on it as agressively as she does and it's amazing!! Too many people suffer with this without support, without a physician who is knowledgeable in this disorder, qmf and they often feel alone and helpless. It takes a certain type of person to speak out the way she does and as often as ahe does because not only I it painful, disfiguring and causes fatigue she also has been low on energy since having breast cancer treatments, etc. So what she is doing I just amazing. Love her and she actually is trying to help and it is working. I ♥️ you Kathy Bates. We all do!!

[Rajnoma]

A wonderful, brave lady-and a great actress! I am so glad she came on The Doctors to help publicize this debilitating and disfiguring condition, which can limit daily activities considerably. I have lymphedema of the legs now at 69; I once had beautiful (if I do say so myself!) legs; now, they are disfigured, heavy and painful. I believe that my condition is hereditary, from a long-deceased relative; however, it is life-changing and limiting. Let us hope that more remedies will be discovered, although it is now totally incurable.

[lyndahicks]

Thank you dear Kathy for sharing your story and being an advocate for Lymphedema Education and Research (LE&RN). These are the keys to improving the quality of life for so many sufferers.

[soapsie]

So glad you touched on this topic. I have suffered from this for 10 years. I sure wish Kathy could have talked more

[andrewzanas]

Love your attitude and fighting spirit, Kerry. I'm with you. If I'm going out, it's full speed ahead.

Edema's a difficult subject to discuss openly & honestly. For myself, I admit I have a personal history of poor dietary habits which set the stage for a cascading event. Why is it we can see it in others and ignore what we're doing to ourselves? My event was a stroke caused by hypertension which I suffered after years of running several miles a day, all the while foolishly thinking I could eat whatever I wanted.

While in a stroke rehab hospital I saw almost all patients there immediately developing severe edema in the legs and arms. I manage my edema and my loss of function from stroke by exercising the muscles I can still use with weight training, and instead of driving I ride around in my community on a recumbent trike.

My advice would be to not get so caught up in treating symptoms like swelling that you depend on what you take for meds or use for appliances and neglect modification of your eating habits. I eat very little red meat and have gone vegan. I take zero medication, not even aspirin. That's me. It's not for everybody. My doctor was against it but he's come around to my way of thinking. It's been nine years. Still learning thru trial and error what works for me.

I wonder if swelling is the body's way of removing large proteins from the lymphatic system and dumping them interstitially. According to what doctors are now saying, these proteins collect in the extremities and block the valves that assist in pushing lymphatic fluids up. Muscles need protein for building, and since other symptoms of lymphedema are increased buildup of fatty tissue and shrinking muscles, weight training exercises seem to me to be a way of killing two birds with one stone.

[estherrivers]

Thanks Kathy Bates and the interview panel. This is great information.

[bernadetteschmeltz]

I love she is advocating. I am an occupational therapist and certified lymphedema therapist.

[elizabethrose]

My mother had this, I am getting the lumps under the knees, I have flabby under the arms . Like she did . God bless everyone that has this .

[citrinedragon]

My journey with lymphoedema began about 16 years ago after a train ride that took approximately 30 or so hours in two sections over two days. I never had cancer, nor was it caused by trauma or surgery. The swelling resides in both legs, both arms and to a lesser extent my belly and buttocks. Because it isn't a "glamorous" disease, there are very few doctors who specialise in it in Australia, and until fairly recently there were NO such doctors in my entire state. This meant all treatments have been assessed and done by nurses, physiotherapists and nurses aids. In fact, I've never even had a FORMAL diagnosis, though not one doctor has doubted that this was what I had.

Now, I have struggled for years to cope with the swelling, the pain and a very real mobility issue for so long it lead to other health issues. Three years ago I suffered from one of the common ones: phlebitis... and stupidly neglected it. Why? Because I was only just getting back into normality after 12 month looking after my mother as she was dying of cancer, and I didn't WANT to be sick. After ignoring the phlebitis for 10 days... I was taken to hospital thinking I'd had a heart attack, a strange painless heart attack. The reality? Clots in the lungs and pneumonia. The result? 5 months in hospitals due to losing the ability to even walk. Ironically, I lost 65+ kilograms over that 5 months.

So now I have Lasix to prevent fluid build up, blood thinners to prevent more clots, and still no formal treatment for the lymphoedema. I learned via the internet that most likely the cause was my weight, but that is something that I can work on. The dry mouth diuretics can cause is exacerbated in my case by Somac for GERD / GORD (also never formally diagnosed), and a CPAP machine for sleep apneoa...

Why am I commenting? Not to whine or complain, because health issues aside I have a terrific life. I am commenting because I wish doctors would not assume ALL lymphoedema comes because of surgery. And because I wish the Australian medical system had America's wealth of specialists, while maintaining its affordability for all. Most of all, I wish education here taught medical people to listen to the PATIENT before you listen to the "usuallies" or the "statisticallies" because when medical people don't understand how patients feel, how we need treatment geared for us as individuals rather than as numbers, examples or curiosities, problems that could be fixed quickly or treatments established that actually work, we get the "Well I don't know" and sometimes realise those words actually mean "You're too hard to treat properly, and brought it on yourself because you're fat and old and no one cares".

End of rant... Kathy Bates... you are amazing... Thank you for speaking up for us all.