Mild Lymphedema

Mariett

Hi all, I had a bilateral mastectomy and 11 nodes removed in Dec 2018. I finished chemo and radiation last summer. I noticed a very slight swelling in my wrist. I went to see a lymphedema therepist and she thought it was very mild and gave me some massage and excercises to do. I also got a prescription for a sleeve and was told I could just use it when flying. I just wanted to know if I keep up with the massage and excercise and also some dry brushing will this keep the lymphedema from progressing. Is it something I can handle myself or do I need to keep seeing a therapist.

Yogatyme

I had mild lymphedema post surgery and massage took care of it (this was 6 mo ago) and I’ve had no other problems with it. However, my understanding is that we are vulnerable to lymphedema for the rest of our lives. I had a virus in the fall and my armpit swelled significantly but resolved once the virus was gone. It scared me and was told this may happen every time I get sick....oh, yay!

MinusTwo

Mariett - I had mild breast & truncal LE on the left side from just SNB after a double mastectomy. I saw a therapist around 5x to make sure I was doing the massage correctly & understood the sleeves. Then 2 years later I had ALND on the right (18 nodes) and now have mild breast & truncal LE on the right. Unfortunately radiation made it worse. After rads, I went to an LEPT once a week for 6 months of massage & treatment and then went back a couple of times a year just for an update/check.

So far after 8 years I have had no progression. I consider myself lucky, but I'm definitely obsessive about prevention. I wear sleeves & gauntlets to fly. I exercise & pump my arms regularly. Occasionally I'll allow quick manual BP on the arm less involved, but for longer times (like during a colonoscopy) I make them use my leg. I never let anyone stick my arms - shots like flu have to be in my hip & blood draws have to be from my ankle. If I get bitten by a mosquito or snagged by a rose thorn, I immediately clean the wound and cover with antibiotic ointment & a band aid. I carry antibiotics with me when I travel in case of cellulitis. I do lift some light weights regularly, but I worked back up gradually from 1 lb.

There are some really good threads on the BCO site. Also below is a good link with some basic information.

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