Swollen Area Size of an Orange Under Left Arm

Strike_Two

And it hurts!  I can't find a comfortable position to hold my arm.   It certainly doesn't just rest normally against my side.

Could this be lymphedema?  I have something quite similar on the other side, but not nearly as large and painful.

hugz4u

You want to make sure that it is not just post surgical swelling. Looks like you have just had TE work done and seeing that it is swollen on both sides then maybe this is due to surgery. Get to the doc for a look at it. He may not know much about Lymphedema ( they only spend very little time on it in med sch) so you want to google the site below. 

You don't say if you have had nodes out. Some here have not had any out, only radiation or maybe a node taken  (not knowingly) from the breast area during masectomy. This can cause it sometimes. 

Irregardless you want to be educated about Lymphedema so an excellent place to begin is by googling www.stepup-speakout.org. It may even answer some of your questions.

If you can, without pain, try to elevate your arms on a pillow when your resting or sleeping and see if your swelling goes down after a few hours or feels better. Start with the bad arm first. Drink lots of water daily. 8-10 glasses would be good, Add deep belly breaths several times a day to stimulate your lymph system. NO heavy lifting. Even if you don't have LE this would be good to do while you are healing.

It would be best if your swelling dosen't resolve to be seen by a QUALIFIED Lymphedema therapist. That site I gave you can show you who is good in the area you live in.  Make sure they are certified so they can diagnose you properly. Im just not 100 percent sure you have LE. Hopefully our experts will come on soon to help you.

kira66715

Strike Two, from what I was reading on your posts, you just had BMX with wound infections: personally I think you need to let a physician check this out.

Sometimes, women develop seromas (collections of lymphatic fluid) after a surgery, and it can happen up into the armpit and especially with your infection, I would strongly advise you call your physician if you have swelling and pain.

Please let us know how you're doing.

Kira