swelling of left arm (mastectomy left side)

dlcp

Hi girls,

 I never thought I would  complain about lymphedem only now, after surgey two years ago I already have this symnptoms, but my husband told me who is a surgeon that is normal for those who has undergone mastectomy and removal of lymph nodes.  Right now my left arm is significantly a bit bigger than my right arm, and its quite painful but manageable, I havent seen a therapist, and I simply wrapped it with compression stockings which I bought from a sport accessory shops. Deep sigh, I still do aerobics and resistance training with 3 lbs weights to at least maintain my weight, since I gained weight during my chemo treatment. But I did not wear any compression bandage while exercising, plus carrying my heavy weight baby girl, maybe triggered the LE thing!   May I know how you were you able to cope up with this lymphedema thing.  Im rather worried!  Thanks.

Binney4

Hello, dlcp!

I'm so sorry you're dealiing with this new worry. There's a lot to learn about lymphedema in order to deal with it well, and I hope we can help you get the information and treatment you need. 

First of all, here is a website that has information about how to deal with lymphedema. There are pages about treatment, garments, and coping with it:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org

It is very common for all of our surgeons not to know much about lymphedema, because it is not often taught in medical schools. Here is some information for your husband, written by a doctor with lymphedema so that other doctors can learn about it:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/essential%20informat%20for%20healthcare%20providers.htm
(for some reason I can't get this link to work, so copy and paste it into your browser -- sorry!)

I've checked the resources I have here for finding well-trained lymphedema therapists all over the world, and haven't located any in the Philippines, but I'll keep checking and let you know what I find. Without professional help, though, we'll all do what we can to help you learn the self-care you need to stay well. One of the dangers of having the swelling of lymphedema is that it's very easy to get a serious infection. Learning to clear the extra swelling out of your arm will help to keep you well. When you have time, look over the website, then come here and ask about any questions you have and we'll all try to help.

Unfortunately we're all together with this, so welcome to our Sisterhood of Swell--sorry you had to join us, but glad you found us!

Gentle hugs,
Binney

dlcp

Thank you Binney : )   Its a great help I will update you of my improvement.  Thanks also for welcoming me, I greatly appreciate your efforts. 

Hugs too,

Dinah