Running and workout after Mast/node removal

Calam - has your doctor said that you cannot run?  Because I see no reason why you cannot begin running again as soon as you fully recover from your surgery, at least as far as LE prevention is concerned. Also, sit ups and ab exercises should be no issue as well.  I had a bmx with full ALND and DIEP flap recon in 2008, and while I'm not a runner, I regularly use an elliptical, do mountain hiking, Pilates and yoga. None of them affects my LE, except that after a day of hiking in warmer weather, my hands tend to swell (which they did before b/c).  So now I wear my compression garments when hiking in warm weather just to prevent a flare.  

Since you are at risk for LE, you will want to educate yourself about LE and monitor yourself.  You will need to watch for heaviness and swelling after working out. If you do weight bearing exercises, you need to start with very low weights and reps, and build up very slowly.    

Check out the LE thread - there are some excellent resources listed there, including The National Lymphedema Network at: http://www.lymphnet.org/ and an excellent all around site about LE including prevention tips: Step Up Speak Out at http://www.stepup-speakout.org/  

Good luck with your recovery - hopefully you can get those drains out soon!  Walking is the perfect exercise for you now so soon after surgery.  

If you had nodes out you are at risk for LE, so you do need to be aware of good preventative practices, but like your doctor said, no need to change lifestyles.  What you probably saw on line was that things like weight training can cause or exacerbate LE if the person doesn't build up slowly.  Other women have gotten LE from overdoing it with the at risk arm, for instance, painting a room or shoveling a lot of snow.  Even something like a bug bite that gets infected can be a problem.  That's why it's important for you to become familiar with good LE preventative techniques, and to monitor your arm, and know when to stop doing an activity that might stress it. 

The  LE section of this board is extremely helpful with some women who have become nationally known experts posting on it regularly.

One word of caution - don't rely too much on what your doctor or surgeon might say, as unfortunately the medical community as a whole is very dismissive of LE risks and prevention, something that many of us have found out the hard way.    Educating yourself using reputable websites is the best way to know that you're getting good accurate information about LE prevention.

It takes a while to recover from surgery - the surgery, the anesthesia, the drugs, and the healing process all take a lot out of your body. Be good to yourself and don't get too discouraged if you don't bounce back as quickly as you like.  You will get there, but it's going to take time.  Good luck!