Lymphedema and hot tubs

cowgal

My hubby wants a hot tub to relax in.  I told him that I thought from everything that I heard that I would not be able to use it because of the heat's possible effects on lymphedema.  I have a friend who has a sister that is a breast cancer survivor and does not have lymphedema who bought an oversized hot tub and is using it so that she can do water aerobics in it.  I would love to be able to use one for that.  I wondered if there was a way to safely do this or if it is just better left not to use.  I know that you have to be pretty careful to maintain a good hot tub environment so that you don't get things like legionnaire's disease and didn't know if a salt water one would make any difference over a normal one.  Thanks!

cooka

Hi Cowgal,

I went to a famous spa in santa fe for new year's and had a private soaking area (the spa has a wonderful reputation)...and although I kept my upper body out of the water (I already have LE), I got cellulitis/folliculitis on my leg and had to go on Bactrim. I think hot tubs are totally a crapshoot no matter how clean people try to keep them and I personally don't think I will ever go in one again.  Just my thoughts on it but I'm sure other people have had better experiences.

carol57

I love a good soak in a hot tub too, but sadly, I think it's more risk than I should take. A while back, I hosted a weight lifting workshop for a group of personal trainers and LE therapists, and the trainers were learning about LE from our workshop facilitator and from the therapists who attended. One trainer asked if hot tubs or simply a super hot bath could be used to help with muscle soreness for someone with LE, and well...it was like a Greek chorus from the LE therapists: 'No!' --I asked if I couldn't just keep my LE arm out of the water, and then there was a universal shaking of heads, because the entire quadrant where we have LE (or are at risk of LE) is susceptible to infection as well as the extra creation of lymphatic fluid (lymph) when the body gets overheated. That extra lymph means swelling. The quatrant means from waist to neck, front and back, on the side where lymph nodes were taken.  Even if we have LE only in an arm, the whole quadrant's drainage has been compromised. 

I'll bet some women have done nice long soaks with no boomerang effect, but as Cooka says, it's a crapshoot--same as one cut on your finger won't send you for antibiotics for cellulitis, but another time, a barely noticeable scratch just might.  I've taken hot baths and hot tubs out off my list of to-do activities.  Sigh.  Sigh again. Whine. 

Carol

Moiralf

This post really interests me as I have the same question.

I have moderate lymphedema in me right arm and it is proving resistant to compression and wrapping. I have a massage with a LEist once a week and do MLD daily. 

One of my latest attempts to help is aqua jogging. It's been quite a challenge for me as I have a real fear of water but I am doing over an hour a time in a swimming pool and doing lots of arm movements as I go and doing lymp node massage two or three times during the hour. At the pool complex there is a big spa pool and a few times I have used it and the bubbling water to massage the arm and node areas plus doing more arm movements. It's lovely and warm too and feels good to relax in briefly after the jogging. I only stay about 10 mins and get out but lately I have not done it as I remember that my old LEist once said warm and hot on the arm is not good. My thought is that it should warm up the fluid and encourage it to flow and the bubbles should massage the area just like hand massage does. But I'm thinking that wrong now.

The aqua jogging isn't making a huge difference to my arm but at lest it is not going up any more and since the sleeve doesn't seem to help I can feel ok about leaving it off over the heat of the summer. And it's good exercise for the rest of me.

Will look forward to what others might say about this.

Moira