I don’t know if it was the nice hotel, the good night sleep, or simply knowing that at the end of this very long day I will be home, but I woke up bright and cheery. My legs remained swollen from the train ride though, so after my shower I changed up my compression and padded the waist once more with lipofoam.
Homeward Bound
Traci and I were good on time, with enough of it to enjoy a hearty breakfast in the lobby, arrange our bags, and leisurely wait for the shuttle to take us to the airport. We were the only passengers and neither of us said much as the radio’s heavy metal tunes filled the silence.Â
I had trouble checking in online for the flight last night, so we went to the counter to ensure all was well. I noted my seat had changed and told the employee I was worried about not having the accommodating legroom I had registered for. She told me that because I had asked for wheelchair service (which I wasn’t using here yet but would be in Munich), that she couldn’t give me the exit aisle.Â
When we boarded, I saw immediately there was no room for my inflatable, but as luck would have it, there was an empty seat in our row. I had purchased a leg hammock from Amazon as well and the extra space made it possible for me to use it while leaning on the inside wall. I slept during the entire 2.5 hours to Munich.
Once there, we discovered there was not a hell of a lot of time before boarding and Traci plopped me in a wheelchair and whizzed me through the airport like nobody’s business. We had to take a shuttle train to the gate and were allowed pre-boarding due to the wheelchair access.Â
Seat Confusion
Our seats had changed numerous times in the months leading up to this, and for this leg, Traci was not seated next to me. I was also not in the best location. Although the row had enough legroom for my inflatable, I was stuck at the front of a three-seat aisle behind a row of two seats, creating an aisle that jutted out rather than flowed straight. Putting an inflatable there would be impossible. Â
I was seated next to two ladies from Quebec, and although I have never asked to change seats before, this time I did. I explained about lipedema and my surgery, and the inflatable tripping hazard, and they were more than happy to allow me near the window. They asked me many questions about lipedema and, as always, I was thrilled to spread information.Â
The rest of the flight was long and relatively uneventful. I could feel my legs swelling and stiffening, despite my measures of elevation, walking, and massage with the paint roller. There is not much more to do but than to bear it. My biggest worry had been thrombosis, or blood clotting, but Dr. S had provided me with blood thinning pills that carried me through surgery to my journey home.Â
I can never express the gratitude for having her by my side. I have long known I was blessed by this friendship, but this took it above and beyond. I will be forever grateful.
Back in Canada
By the time we landed, my legs felt like two straight boards. I even had difficulty lifting them off the inflatable and had to topple it over instead. Walking off the plane, I was more zombie-like than ever, but I was in Canada, and that’s what mattered.Â
Traci and I had to split at the point of connecting flight versus exiting, and I threw my arms around her, telling her I can never express the gratitude for having her by my side. I have long known I was blessed by this friendship, but this took it above and beyond. I will be forever grateful.Â
I made my way, very slowly through the terminal and didn’t wait for wheelchair service. I felt it might be better to try to walk a little for the circulation (and partially because I was too impatient to wait more than a minute longer to get home). I did have to retrieve my suitcase, which was not the easiest, but made it out where my honey, Mario, and my stepson, Jérémie, were waiting. They grabbed my things and my arm, got me to our car, and I positioned myself in the backseat with the inflatable behind the driver’s seat to rest my legs on for the additional two-hour ride back home.
I can tell you, even with the meds, I felt every bump along the way, and if I choose the same travel next time, I will be sure to have Mario pad that backseat like a cloud.
By the time we got in, made it upstairs, and got into bed, it had been a full 24 hours from rising in Greece to resting here. It was long, arduous, but certainly doable.
Mario set up my bed with my back support and leg support, gave my meds, and I am settled in for a good ol’ sleep in my own cozy bed. Tomorrow I get to start my recovery at home.
I hope you have found following my journey somewhat helpful, or interesting, or informative. If so, stay tuned as I continue a series on my recovery at home over the next six weeks, as I test out the Lymphamat pneumatic compression machine from Bauerfeind as a complement to manual lymphatic drainage.
Thanks for joining me.Â
XoXo
Holly
Author: Holly Hedd
Holly Hedd is Lipedema Canada's Director of Communications.
