Finished chemo

Katy, we all live with mixed feelings, especially the fear after active treatment, but it's very important not to allow it to consume our lives. I am five month post treatment and still can't get rid of the fear. I think the key letting the fear go gradually, is good regular scans and  feeling healthy. As for LE , I am lucky not to have it, but I have learned from the threads, that it is possible to have any time, even after years. Hope you and no one will ever have to suffer from it!!!

Congrats on finishing chemo. Rads were absolutely SE free for me, just the hassle of daily trips to hospital. Now try to relax, be good to yourself and do the right things to recover. Good luck. 

And one more thing, this thread is a shelter for all of us. This is where you can ask anything, share your worries. Ladies here always support each other through thick and thin. So stick to it!!!! 

Katy,

Congrats on finishing chemo! I'm glad you tolerated it well with minimum SE's and hope you breeze through the radiation! 

NancyD is right about taking early preventive measures to reduce your risk of developing Lymphedema (LE)  While you will always be at a lifetime risk for developing LE and it could happen many years later, the risk tends to be higher during and following your active treatment period. Radiation can also increase that risk further.  Any inflammatory process in the body puts a heavy load on our lymphatic system. Some people seem to have very hardy systems that can withstand the extra burden put on it, while others may develop LE with minimal node removal and no radiation.

I would highly recommend that you be evaluated by a qualified lymphedema therapist during this brief period of "downtime" before you start your radiation treatments.  The therapist should take baseline measurements of both your arms.  She should educate you on the early signs of LE developing, (feelings of heaviness, ache in the arms as NancyD stated), and also give you the tools for risk reduction. 

If you haven't already, please stop over at the Lymphedema forum here on breastcancer.org where you will find tons of great information from very knowledgeable ladies experienced at dealing with LE.

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/64

Also take a look at the StepUp-SpeakOut website which can help you find a therapist in your area in addition to providing you specific risk reduction information.

Home Page: http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

Reducing your Risk:  http://www.stepup-speakout.org/riskreduction_for_lymphedema.htm

Finding a Therapist:  http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

You will need a referral to the therapist which you can request from any of your physicians.  Your medical oncologist is usually the one most involved in the LE concerns of their patients but not always.  Try your surgeon, primary MD or even the radiation oncologist if necessary.  The script should include request for evaluation, education and early treatment if needed for lymphedema. Most insurances will cover an evaluation visit for persons at risk for LE.

Personally if it were me, knowing what I do now, I would schedule periodic visits with the therapist throughout my radiation treatments so I could have professional MLD sessions to support my lymphatic system and keep it at its optimum health.  Without a diagnosis of active LE however, this would most likely not be covered by insurance.  You can learn to do versions of self-MLD at home along with deep breathing and other exercises designed to help keep your lymphatic system functioning at a higher level.

It is definitely worth the effort now to take the steps that will give you the best odds of avoiding ever having to deal with active LE.  I wish you the best in finishing all your treatments and hope for you a healthy, cancer-free future!

Congratulations Katy!  I'm so happy you were able to finish chemo with no major problems, it does go by faster than you think it is going to.  It should be down hill from here, radiation was much easier to me, even though I burnt a bit and some fatigue.  I have not developed LE or major LE that is.  I have had isolated swelling that has appeared out of no where and was gone with in the same day.  I had 3 different times that areas on my arm got puffy but then went away.  Twice on the side of my elbow and once around my wrist, if it has happened anymore I've not seen it.  I did see a LE specialist who measured and tested and said I was fine but it can happen anytime she said.  That arm does ache from time to time but even that is getting better with time.  I hope you don't have any problems either and best wishes with rads.

Congratulations! A great day for you! 

I have not developed LE, and I did have rads.  A physical therapist can give you some massage tips for keeping the lymph fluid moving.  Also, you might want to get the sleeve and gauntlet for use when you fly or during exercise.

Wishing you the best in your next steps!

Katy, good luck.  I did see a lymphedema therapist before treatment to learn the massage (manual lymphatic drainage), did it through radiation.  I first noticed my lymphedema about 3-1/2 months after finishing radiation.  I jumped on treating it very early and have kept it well-controlled.  It does not affect my life very much at all.  I'm active and athletic, with 2 little kids.

Like LindaLou said, the lymphedema forum here is great.  I hope you don't need it, but if you do there are very knowledgeable and supportive women there for you. 

The one thing I wish I'd known about lymphedema before I developed it is that the sleeves shouldn't be worn at night. 

Congratulations on getting through chemo.