Deep breathing question for LE

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hugz4u
hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

I know that deep breathing helps move fluid but I was in a website called Lymphedema therapy and a MA,PT,CLT Lana therapist said that "deep breathing enhances the pumping in the thoraic duct ( the major lymphatic vessel draining in the lower body and left upper trunk/arm/hand) " 

Does this mean that it does not benefit us LE girls with Right arm LE? 

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited March 2013

    What an interesting question, Hugz! No, it benefits the whole body by stimulating the movement of fluid, period. It's all one system, even if there are two places where it re-enters circulation.

    My therapist suggested that when we do our deep breathing we do a couple of breaths upright, then a couple leaning to the left, and a couple leaning to the right. That helps to clear the deeper abdomen, which is a great place to "dump" excess fluid.

    Keep on breathing!Laughing
    Binney

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited March 2013

    Thanks Binney, I felt kinda stupidEmbarassed asking that question but felt justified seeing that I did quote it from a knowledgable source.

    This LE is so confusing, Sometimes I think if I am not doing my lebeds exactly how Sherry Lebed does it then I have ruined it.  Which brings to mind. I read the other day about your above post on side bend breathing and found that interesting.

    While I was Lebed opening, they have the one exercise where you blow out your candles bending over, I thought. Why can't do what Binney suggested and side bend over as I blow out. So I bent forward over blowing out then came back up and bentover left sideways compressing the obliques while blowing out then repeated on Rightside with that sidebend.

    What do you think?  Am I Ok to do this? 

    Also with Sherry's first tai chi type breath( the one like you are hugging beachball) I add a bit of "incredible hulk" move when I bring the arms to the beach ball hug. I try to push the breath out as much as I can while bending over. Is that OK?

    I am not sure if I am messing around too much with those exercises. Any input? I just want to get as much out of the exercise that I can?Cool

    As for stupid questions, I think for LE there is no stupid question. It is such a different bag of cats! Fire away the questions LE'ers

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  • OneBadBoob
    OneBadBoob Member Posts: 1,386
    edited March 2013

    hugz, the Su-So site has a great article on breathing:  http://www.stepup-speakout.org/other_treatments_for_lymphedema.htm

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited March 2013

    Thanks, OneBadBoobSmile! Hugz, I think you can safely consider all those deep-breathing parts of the Lebed video as just that--deep breathing. Whether it's blowing bubbles or hugging a gigantic beach ball, they're all just different ways to get those abdominal breaths in. Some are suitable for one situation (sitting in an airplane, say), and some are more suitable for home or at the beach. Using side bends or hulk moves is just an enhancement, but I think the point of all those different approaches is to make sure we all have a variety of ways to do it, and that we remember to stop often and breathe. Onward!Cool
    Binney

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  • purple32
    purple32 Member Posts: 3,188
    edited March 2013

    Hugz

    I dont find these questions stupid at all!

    I have wondered if my shallow breathing might have contributed to me  getting LE actually!  You see, my diaphragm is 'flattened' due to hyperinflated lungs ( x ray) because of COPD. Many/ most ? ppl. have shallow breathing as a habit. But, some of us breathe that way due to impaired lung fx and find the abdominal breathing to be more of a challenge. You basically ask about ' modifying' the Lebeds breathing. I think you are doing just fine.

    In that same vein,  sometimes , when I do MLD, I  move my head  just a bit to the right and then  after, a bit to the left while  very gently stretching the skin as it were with the  lt. massage.  I think of Lebeds when doing this. NOT saying it is correct, but  they do that sort of   slight ' neck bend' type stretching of the skin, and I feel this subtle movement when doing the MLD may help to move the skin W/OUT applying add'l  pressure, as we are sometimes tempted to do.

    I dunno'  ...

    I suppose we need to be careful not to modify things so much they become something else Surprised  but I personally think these are good moves!

    JMO

    *EDITED to add:  make no mistake about it. The more important breath is the exhale.  I learned this in pulmonary rehab.  Lebeds calls it blowing bubbles, COPD'ers call it pursed lip breathing. With copd, it's the exhalation that is actually impaired.  Whatever suits your fancy - It's one in the same. Blow all that air OUT and then you will naturally take in air.

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