RESULTS

How did you first get to know about this treatment for lymphedema?

The doctors at Rikshospitalet in Oslo Norway, told me about Håkan Brorson. They said he was the best in the world at lymphedema.

What kind of lymphedema do you have, for how long have you had it and how has it affected your daily life?

I have secondary lymphedema after cancer treatment. I got cancer in 2013, removed about 27 lymph nodes and received radiation treatment. Got lymphedema about 3 months after the end of treatment.

This has affected my life a lot. Had to quit my job, became disabled in 2017. Had a lot of pain both day and night. I lost the will to live and often didn’t have the energy to look forward. This affected both my children, because I have always loved working. My mood was not good at the worst.

How have you experienced the initial and continuous contact with Skåne Care as a care facilitator?

Skåne Care has helped me a lot. I quickly got a good contact when I applied to them. I am very happy that they helped me. An extra thank you to Eva, who has always answered all my questions and concerns. She has been supportive and helpful. 

How have you experienced the initial and continuous contact with Art Clinic as a care provider?

Art Clinic is the best place I have ever been to. Everyone who works there is so caring, kid, good and skilled. I can´t wait to come back because I know how skilled and helpful everyone is there.

Tell us about the result you experienced directly after the surgery and after some time has passed.

Right after the surgery there was some pain. The worst thing was all the stuff that flowed out and smelled so bad. But right away I noticed that the leg was much lighter and better. Sore and tender of course, but it got better every day.

Even before I went home it was easier to move. The pain quickly got better and since I came home, I have had little pain. It got much better quickly.

How is your life today compared with how it was before the surgery?

My life now is much easier.

Are there things in your life that you can accomplish today that weren’t possible before the surgery?

I can climb stairs better, go for walks, get in and out of the car, etc.

I had a lot of pain both day and night, and now have little to no pain. I am very happy.

Using compression garments is a required part of this treatment. How are you experiencing this?

I wore stockings all the time before the surgery as well. Both day and night. I think it is very nice to use this now too. I know how important this is to get the best possible result, so I will do everything I can to get this to 100%.

How did you first get to know about this treatment for lymphedema

I have been searching online for years looking for answers to my condition and I found Lymphatic Education and Reserch Network ( LE&RN ) who has all expert in Lymphedema treatment , I did my own research about Prof.Håkan methods and how he is helping Lymphedema patients to regain normal life and I watched almost every video in youtube in which he was explaining the disease pathology and treatment method. 

What kind of lymphedema do you have, for how long have you had it and how has it affected your daily life ?

It is Primary Lymphedema, I had right leg swelling since age of 18 months and it was grown slowly with no clear cause or diagnosis, I did one surgery 16 years ago but result was not as expected, lately After I visited Prof.Håkan I am convinced that it was a congenital cause of lymphedema called ( PROS Syndrome ) which affect children due to genetic mutation and grows slowly over time .

How have you experienced the initial and continuous contact with Skåne Care as a care facilitator and Art Clinic as a care provider:

Initially I was redirected by Prof.Håkan to contact Skåne Care through their Official website , I registered my request and got first reply within two days by Eva Stattin (at Skåne Care), which she did all arrangements from reviewing and accepting the case , initial appointment date , date of surgery and the total cost for treatment plan, she was really helpful and professional in directing me through my treatment journey, case was accepted by Prof.Håkan earlier in 2020 but due to Corona lockdown the whole process was delayed 2 years till I had my surgery last September 2022 . I did my surgery in Art Clinic which is one of the best clinics and centers in Sweden, Starting from Physicians Dr.Liss and the team of lymph therapists Pia and Erika , and the amazing team of Nurses , they took good care of me during my admission for three days , and also Coordinators as well who arranged my visits afterwards. It was really nice and pleasant experience to meet such team which reassured and treated me in best way they can .

Tell us about the result you experienced directly after the surgery and after some time has passed.

After surgery I was happy all the way to see the immediate results and follow team instructions to walk as much as I could, also to took care of my leg in best possible way , I had to learn how to wear compression garments and to make sure that wounds are clean and no signs of infections there to avoid such complications, Initially I had difficult times but with the Art Clinic team they helped me to be walk again and result was satisfying so far. 

6 weeks after Surgery my leg was completely different, I can walk and I noticed that my edema was improving on weekly basis , I am now looking forward to wear what I like from clothes and shoes without noticing any difference between my two legs.

How is your life today compared with how it was before the surgery?

My life has started to change and I feel optimistic about the result so far , now I am trying to walk without a cane and Started to have new clothes and shoes that fits me well , this surgery also has psychological impact on me as well , finally I found a treatment that helped me to regain my life and restore my confidence, I am looking to continue follow up and follow medical team advice, within the next year I am sure the result will be more than expected.   

Are there things in your life that you can accomplish today that wasn´t possible before the surgery?

Absolutely, I am planning to join the gym near my home , Also will have a world tour with my husband after one year from now, I am able to wear clothes and shoes that I couldn’t wear before surgery, and my activity with my kids definitely increased as I am more active now than before.

Using compression garments is a required part of this treatment. How are you experiencing this?

 At the beginning It was hard for me to wear compression garments as it was new experience with different materials , but with time and help of Lymph therapists Pia and Erika I can wear garments now by my self with no help , it is getting easy with time and its effect showed up 4 weeks post surgery. 

Anything else that you would like to tell us?

I would like to appreciate the professional team efforts from physician, therapists , coordinators and nurses who made my dream true and facilitated my journey and surgery during my presence in Sweden , I am really grateful to Prof.Håkan , Dr.Liss , Eva Stattin , Pia Gunnarsson and Erica Swedberg and the whole nurses in Art Clinic Uppsala , 

I am really excited to continue my recovery and follow up to achieve my treatment goal in the next years.

A.T
Saudi Arabia
September 2022

I developed lymphedema when I was 24 out of the blue.  I used to run and my ankle swelled during a race.  It was subsequently identified as primary lymphedema and the prognosis I got was ”there is no treatment for it and it will get worse”.

In Ireland there were no specialist that dealt with lymphedema so my only option was to visit a vascular surgeon.  Even he had limited information on the condition and was unable to provide me with answers to the many questions I had at the time.  My main questions were how do I treat this condition and what is the cure for it ?

For the first few years I managed to keep it under control, but after my daughter was born it became much larger and I was measured for a compression stocking and given a pump to help reduce the size.   Needless to say the older I got the bigger it got and I struggled to get medical information on the condition. My GP relied on me to keep her up to date on any developments with the treatment of the disease.  At this stage I also had problems with my achilles tendon and my back because of the excess weight I was carrying. 

I tried a number of alternative things but nothing worked.  I was at stage where I could not even buy trousers in my own size and all my clothes were big and baggyy to cover the size of it.  I got more and more conscious about my leg and it became a huge issue for me personally.

I constantly researched the subject and came across Doctor  Brorson in one of these searches.  I sent him an email looking for more information and he replied almost instantaneously.  I had also spoken with my therapist in Ireland and was lucky enough to meet with Dr. Peter Mortimer who spoke highly of Dr. Broson’s treatment and thought I would be a good candidate for it.

My first visit to Sweden was in April, 2016 to meet with Dr. Brorson and the team.  I had a list of questions ranging from the mechanics of the operation to the distance between Ireland and Sweden.  All these questions and more were addressed and I was very comfortable after this vist to proceed with the operation. The hospital and the staff were superb and looked after my every need.  The post op care provided by Dr. Brorson and his team was excellent. 

The quality of my life has improved – my leg is lighter and is practically the same size as my right leg.  Most important for me I can wear jeans and trousers my own size and not two sizes bigger as I had been doing.  I can also wear long boots which I was unable to do prior to the operation.

I would recommend this treatment for anyone with lymphodema – it has made such a difference to me.

To Dr. Brorson and his team I can only say “Go raibh maith agaibh agus bail ó Dhia ar an obair” (which means in our Irish language thank you all so much and keep up the good work).  I appreciate everything they have done for me and I am extremely grateful.

Teresa Coveney 
Cork, Ireland 
26^th June 2019