Must be nice to get a massage! – No, it would be nice to not have a chronic illness.

Yes, that’s me. Yes, I’m naked under there. Being naked doesn’t phase me after years of medical related appointments from doctors appointments to physical and occupation therapy for me legs. I’m so used to taking my clothes off that I once walked into a physical therapy appointment and starting taking my shoes and pants off while talking to my therapist, I then started to take my shirt off and she exclaimed “Sarah, what are you doing?”

Whoops my bad, guess I forgot where I was.

Through a decade of living with a chronic illness I’ve learned a lot of about how to manage my condition but more importantly my overall health and wellness. For years I had manual lymph massage two or three times a week, and while a massage sounds nice the application of layers padding and compression wraps really ruins any relaxation achieved through the gentle touch of massage.

Now every month I devote a day to self care and get a massage and pedicure. Both are important to maintaining my physical health and my emotional health. The massage helps my lymphatics and the pedicure keeps my feet in a healthy condition. Both help relieve stress. I know and trust both the massage therapist and the pedicurist, as it is important that proper techniques are used to avoid any complications.

I know many fellow Lipedema and Lymphedema patients fear the idea of anyone seeing their legs and fear the though of getting a pedicure. I’m sure they could never imagine getting naked for a massage. But I assure you, like doctors, these professionals have seen it all and are there to make you feel better not to judge.

So I encourage you to make self care a priority in your life. If you are not comfortable going to others for a day of pampering, take the time to do a little DIY spa treatment at home. Take a bubble bath, rub on some nice lotion, paint your nails a fun color.

How do you take care of YOU?