Lymphatic
System (Creatively) Explained.
I recall being told in a grade school health class that my blood
carried oxygen to all parts of my body and that it also had something to do
with cleaning away dead cells. If
pressed I may have been able to come up with the terms circulatory system and
glands, as something that might swell if you had infections.
I don’t know if this lack of knowledge is the norm but the
physiotherapists patiently explained what I didn’t know. (Note – I have forgotten some of the terms
and my explanation has morphed a lot, but I hope that it gives you a bit of an
idea, even with its inaccuracies.)
The blood is pumped through the vessels by the heart’s action. Swish, swish, swish. A component of the blood, a very fine liquid,
seeps through the capillary walls as the cleaning agent. This fluid becomes thicker with each dead
cell it gathers. It can’t return to the
bloodstream, so this thick and dirty fluid is transported by the lymphatic
system which works in a different fashion.
I think of this system as being similar to how sap runs in trees, no
heart is pumping but the liquids still move.
Within the body are several clusters of lymph nodes that are in charge
of taking care of this dirty lymphatic fluid, so that it does not cause
infections. It is a pretty efficient
system normally. The clusters I speak of
are located in the armpits and the groin area and each cluster is managing a
specific limb. (Lymph node clusters also
are in the neck.) This means that my lymphedema is specific to my right arm,
because it was my right armpit that had lymph node removal. I do have approximately half of the lymph
nodes in my right armpit, so I still have some lymphatic function.
My blood pressure has to be controlled.
Remember that fine liquid that seeps through the walls of the blood
vessels? A higher blood pressure means
that more liquids will be pushed through, so blood pressure normalcy is vital to
not burden the lymphatic system. The
compression garments that I wear are basically designed to push back, to keep
those fluids in check. It is also
important to maintain meticulous skin care because extra fluids are sent to
wounds and injuries.
The concerns with fluids that gather and are not handled by the
lymphatic system are twofold. First, the
fluids are dirty and can cause infections.
Cellulitis is a real and dangerous possibility. The second effect of gathered fluids is
scarring. Those scarred tissues are even
more likely to retain the fluids.
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