Lobby a politician for improved services for Lymphoedema
Suggested text for a letter to a local or national public representative asking for support for improved services for Lymphoedema support.
Dear Representative,
I live in your constituency and would like you to lobby the HSE on
my behalf for the provision of treatment for Lymophoedema.
I have suffered from this condition since………………
This condition can be either primary (something you are born with)
or secondary (the result of e.g. accident or cancer treatment). It
can affect the whole body or particular limbs. In my instance it
affects my ………..
This condition is not curable, but it can be greatly improved with
the correct treatment – C.D.T. (combined decongestive therapy). This
enables people with lymphoedema to manage their condition and
therefore try and live a “normal” lifestyle.
People who have lymphoedema are very susceptible to developing an
infection called cellulitis. This is a serious condition, often
requiring hospitalisation for several weeks to treat each episode of
infection. This could be avoided in many cases by the early
detection of, and the correct treatment for, lymphoedema. This would
be a far more cost effective method for the HSE to manage
lymphoedema.
Combined decongestive therapy is not currently available on the
Health System in Ireland so we are a neglected section of the
population.
If you would lobby for the availability of CDT for people with
lymphoedema I would be extremely grateful.
Yours sincerely,