'My Feet Are Killing Me': Tiffany's lymphedema leg drains fluids that are enough to wet the seat of a chair
Tiffany Howe has been struggling with a case of lymphedema since she was a teenager. However, things have taken a route for the worse over the years. Coming on the show, Tiffany revealed that she has shoes that are specially made for her, but they fail to provide her with the comfort that she has been looking for.
While Tiffany has been struggling to live her life freely, she feels the worst about not being there for her 15-year-old daughter. Tiffany revealed that she feels hurt about not being there for her while she is performing at a function. Even though her daughter understands, Tiffany admitted that she would love to be there for her.
Opening up more about her condition, Tiffany revealed she was a teenager when she was first diagnosed. It reached a point where the doctors informed her that she would have to amputate her leg. However, Tiffany was not ready to do that. Looking at her condition, Dr Ebonie Vincent revealed that lymphedema is a genetic condition in which the lymph nodes retain the fluid.
After taking a look at Tiffany's condition, Dr Vincent knew that it was a serious case. She feared that the folds on Tiffany's skin might cause an infection. While showing her leg via a video camera to Dr Vincent, Tiffany pointed out that her leg is constantly draining. As she removed her leg from the chair, she pointed out how the fluid managed to wet the seat of the chair.
Dr Vincent revealed that Tiffany will first have to take steps to make sure her lymphedema is reduced in size. To make this happen, she decided to give her Silver Alginate wraps. These wraps are used to stop the fluid. She revealed that it would help reduce the leg from retaining the water.
She also gave Tiffany a compression pump called Flexitouch. Dr Vincent asked her to massage her leg using the machine in a bid to remove the excess fluid from her leg. However, Dr Vincent warned him that there might be a risk of her losing the leg. Despite hearing this news, Tiffany wasn't upset as she just wanted to have a normal life.
'My Feet Are Killing Me' airs on Thursdays at 10.30 pm ET on TLC.