With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the conversation at the Lymphedema Patient Roundtable focused on the intersections of mental, emotional, and physical health when living with lymphedema. Both panelists and attendees spoke candidly about their experiences and shared different coping strategies, including how they reframe treatment time into moments of positive self-care.

The conversation was a much-needed tonic for many in the chat: “I am feeling better as this discussion has gone on,” wrote attendee Christine R. “I feel hopeful.”

At the end of the hour, certified lymphedema therapist Karen Ashforth led the group in an exercise in diaphragmatic breathing for stress relief and lymphatic well-being — the perfect way to close the evening.

A warm thank-you to our panelists this month:

• Karen Ashforth, MS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA (⁠@karenashforth_cltlana⁠)
• Alexa Ercolano, Lymphedema Patient and Lympha Press Marketing and Communications Associate (⁠⁠@lymphielife⁠⁠)
• Angela Jones, Lipolymphedema Patient and Health Coach (⁠⁠@2018gethealthy⁠⁠)
• Catherine Rosenberg, Lymphedema Patient (⁠⁠@crosenberg1982⁠⁠)
• Nasreen Starner, OTR/L, CLT (⁠@nasreenstarner⁠)

Links and resources mentioned in this video:

• The Lymphatic Education & Research Network Resource Center: https://lymphaticnetwork.org/resource-center
• Breath Work and Mindfulness: Adding to Your Self-Care Toolbox: https://youtu.be/UUcB3e7Yd-M
• Living with Lymphedema: Mental Health Management: https://www.lymphapress.com/blog/lymphedema-mental-health/

Thanks for listening to the Lymphedema Patient Roundtable podcast! You can watch the video recording of this Roundtable on ⁠the Lymphedema Channel on YouTube⁠, and on ⁠Instagram at @lympha_press⁠.

Lympha Press is proud to offer these ⁠monthly Lymphedema Patient Roundtables⁠ and support the lymphedema community. The Roundtables are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 PM EST. Sign up to attend any of our live webinars at ⁠https://linktr.ee/LymphaPress⁠.

Learn how our easy-to-use compression therapy can help you manage your condition by visiting ⁠www.lymphapress.com⁠.