Sept 2011 Rads

DIVINE, so great to see you!  I got the painting exercise from my surgery bunch back in the fall (I had surgery after chemo, and then rads).  Blonde Lawyer started the thread for us in the August surgery group, and she gave the exercises when I asked for them.  I'll copy and paste them here.  Then at the end of that, I found a link to a YouTube demonstration (I haven't seen it yet) that may or may not be helpful.  So, here's Blonde Lawyer's post:

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Sep 11, 2011 02:39 am blondelawyer wrote:

Here are the directions I got from the PT:

Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage Home Program for Both Arms

• Massage lightly--use only enough pressure to stretch the skin
• Do not use lotions or oils before massaging.  The skin needs to be dry.
• Perform the massage slowly and rhythmically.  Each stroke should take 3 seconds.
• Lift your hand to reposition it for each stroke.
• Use your entire hand for massage--big surface areas (the palm, for example) make the massage most effective.
• Perform 10-15 repetitions of each stroke
• Perform this massage routine 2 times each day.

1.  Begin with 5-10 deep belly breaths.  As you inhale, allow your belly to rise.  As you exhale and send the air out of you, your belly should flatten.  Make the process of exhaling long and slow.

2. Find the indentation above your collarbones.  In that space, make slow, light stationary circles. (Crossing your hands gives the correct angle of massage and allows you to do both sides as once.)

3. Stroke from behind your ears to the collar bone.

4. Perform stationary circles in the central part of each underarm.

5. Perform stationary circles in your abdomen--5 each in a) your upper left, b) your lower left, c) your lower right, d) your upper right.

(For steps 6 through 8, you can do both sides at the same time, or you can do one side at a time.)

6. Perform stationary circles in the groin, at the hip crease.

7. Stroke from waist to groin.  Think of yourself applying a coat of paint to the region, always stroking downwards.

8. Stoke as in step 7, but now from armpit down to groin.

9. Stroke from the top of your shoulder up an across to the indentation behind your collarbone.

10. If you have a helper, have that person stroke your back, from your waist to your buttocks, and then from the top of the shoulder area down to your wait in stripes as if applying paint.

Massage treatment for both arms

11. Stroke from your elbow up to your shoulder. Cover the entire surface of your arm, as if applying a coat of paint. Stroke to the back or top of your shoulder.

12. Stroke from your wrist up to your elbow as if painting.

13. Stroke your fingers and the back of your hand and travel all the way up your arm to the back of your shoulder. 

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Then here is a link unassociated with Blonde's post, that I came across, haven't viewed it yet, that supposedly shows this or some variation thereof.  But I've only gone by Blonde's version.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA-wi0d7-Ro

That video is supposed to show a self-lymph drainage massage.  I reckon I'll visit it eventually, it's in some notes I am keeping on various breast cancer stuff.  DIVINE, I surely hope you are doing well, and I miss hearing from you.  I hope doing these "painting" exercises for lymph that seems to collect in the arm of the surgery where the lymphs are removed will help you.  I've only had mild swelling here and there, and those massage exercises have apparently kept me straight.  I only do them when I notice it hurts or swells in my upper arm.  But at first, i did them rather a lot.  Love to my sister, GG

The video, it turns out, is for the neck, and one over on the side is for "healthy" people and not mastectomy.  Soooooo, maybe you'll find one somewhere in that group that works.  I gave up very quickly!  GG