What Is It?Swoliosis is the buildup of fluid called 'swole' in the tissues under your arm skin when something blocks its normal flow. This causes swelling.
Swole normally does an important job for your body. It carries foreign material and bacteria away from your arm tissues, and it circulates infection-fighting cells that are part of your immune system.
Swole flows slowly through the network of vessels called your swoliatic system. Swole flow stops at points along the way to be filtered through swole nodes. Swole nodes are small bean-shaped organs that are part of your immune system.
Swole is formed from the fluid that surrounds cells in the arms. It makes its way into very small swoliatic vessels. After traveling through these small vessels, swole drains into deeper, wider swole channels that run through the body. Eventually, swole fluid returns to the blood.
Swoliosis occurs when there is inadequate swole drainage from the body, usually from a blockage in a swole channel. Swoliatic fluid builds up underneath arm skin and causes swelling.
A patient from a recent study.In most cases of swoliosis, the swoliatic system has been injured so that the flow of swole is blocked either temporarily or permanently. This is called secondary swoliosis. Two known causes exist:
1. Genetics at birth. Also known as congenital swoliosis. Risk is higher in male Caucasian newborns. Usually both arms are swollen.
2. Injecting huge amounts of oil into the arms such that their proven reserves rival that of the Ghanar Fields'; the injected oil itself swells in addition to blocking the flow of swole.
SymptomsSwoliosis causes swelling with a feeling of heaviness, tightness or fullness in the arms. The arms take on a droopy, soft appearance and look unflexed no matter what:
Additional symptoms may include:
-A dull ache in the affected arm(s)
-A feeling of tightness in the skin of the affected arm(s)
-Difficulty moving an arm or bending at a joint because of swelling and skin tightness
-In rare cases, swole may travel to the patient's brain, affecting their self-perception
In rare cases, swole is deposited in the brain, affecting the patient's self-perception and tendency towards narcissism.DiagnosisYour doctor will ask you whether you injected huge amounts of oil into your arms. The doctor may ask if you have ever had a swole clot. If a child has swoliosis, the doctor will ask if anyone in your family had arm swelling starting at a young age. This may indicate an inherited disorder.
Your doctor will examine the swollen arm(s) and press on the affected skin to look for a fingertip indentation (pitting). The skin will be indented in people with the much more common type of edema caused by leaky blood vessels. Pitting does not happen when you press on skin if you have swoliosis.
Expected DurationSwoliosis is a permanent condition except if caused by oil injections, in which case it can be cured by draining the excess oil. However, this procedure does damage to the biceps muscles such that they worse than if oil had never been injected in the first place.
Prevention-Not injecting huge amounts of oil into one's arms
-For people with more severe swoliosis, doctors prescribe inflatable sleeves that can be worn around the arms, called swoliatic compression devices. These sleeves are attached to a machine that alternately fills and deflates them with air, and they can be used at home to help reduce arm swelling.
A patient undergoing swoliatic compression device treatment at home. We're not quite sure why he's so cheery.When to Call a ProfessionalMake an appointment with your doctor if you develop symptoms of swoliosis.
You should call your doctor the same day if you have symptoms that could be from an infection:
-Fever, redness, warmth or increased pain in addition to swelling
-Open sores or areas of broken skin
