Question about preventing LE

SofieKatz

Hi,

 I had a bilateral mastectomy with removal of lymph nodes in my dominant (right) arm a year ago.  I was fitted for a compression sleeve/glove but never wore it.

 I had reconstruction 3 weeks ago and am back to work.  Physically I feel that workis impeding my recovery - I am hurt and sore in my right arm every night.  I don't favor that arm so I do stress it.

 Should I be wearing my compression sleeve and glove since I am so active at work and am 3 weeks post TE? 

  

GottaloveNED

Somebody else may reply with more advice, but here's what I have... What you're looking for are signs of swelling, The best way to know absolutely is to measure against a baseline measurement. When they fitted you for the sleeve, if you have those measurements you could re-measure now and compare. If you don't have any original measurements you could do your own... Use a soft measuring tape, the official ones are in centimeters, but in a pinch, I've used a sewing measurement tape. Start at the wrist and mark up the arm with a pen at intervals (my therapist uses every 10 centimeters.) At each pen mark, measure around that part of the arm and record it. A second person to help can be really helpful with this. You can remeasure daily or every couple of days to watch it.

I can tell if I'm swollen by watching to see if I can see the "usual" veins, a feeling of aching or fullness, or by putting my arms side by side and visually comparing. I would say read up on the lymphedema discussion board to get some more detailed help. As far as wearing the sleeve, I don't know that it would hurt to do it, especially as it was prescribed, but a poorly fitted sleeve can block drainage, so if you wear it, be aware of how it feels and how your arm looks.

Good luck... Hopefully it's just muscle soreness, but it's good you're aware of LE as a possibility. Caught early, it's much easier to treat.

SofieKatz

the last few days my fingers went numb and my arm hurt in the middle of the night.  really hurt bad.  typing w/ my left hand now bc if i used my right it hurts up the arm into the armpit.  don't know who to see.  wish it werent saturday. 

Marple

SofieKatz, somehow your post must have slipped under the Binney/Kira radar.  First off though I will post a link to a web site that have very good information on it.

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

You may need to see a qualified lymphedema therapist and meanwhile try not to stress your arm so much.  Drink lots of water and elevate it when you can.  At night prop it up on pillows.  Deep breathing is good too.

Good luck and gentle hugs.

kira66715

SofieKatz, often the first signs of lymphedema--before there is measurable swelling--is pain, aching, tingling in the arm.  However, those signs can also indicate just a strained arm, so evaluation is necessary to figure out what's going on. We can hold up to 30% more fluid in the tissues before we swell. It's called stage zero LE: latent LE.

We're all at risk, but I always think there are periods of increased risk, like right after surgery, rads, chemo--when there's more inflammation and/or disruption of the lymphatics.

If your sleeve/glove fit well, you can definitely try wearing them, and see how you feel.

The best thing to do, I think, is to find a good LE therapist and get evaluated and learn how to do some self-management--there's a big push right now to diagnose LE at the earliest--latent--stage, and the treatment would be compression garments and the manual lymph drainage massage.

Here's a link for how to find a qualified LE therapist, and you'd need a referral from one of your doctors:

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

Right now, while you're sore, I'd suggest giving the compression garments a try for a brief period of time, and otherwise, while you're resting, raise the arm on a pillow, stay well hydrated, take deep breathes and please let us know if we can help.

Kira

Binney4

Sofie, when we're hurting, weekends rot! Just wondering if you're on Arimidex or other AI, as arm/finger/wrist problems seem to affect some women with those meds.

And my other thought, since the pain extends clear up your arm, is Axillary Web Syndrome (cording). Here's information about it so you can check it out:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Cording_and_Axillary_Web_Syndrome.htm

Looking forward with you to some relief over the weekend, and good answers and a quick fix next week! Please keep us posted.
Binney