LE Prevention for Arm Amputee

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armamp95
armamp95 Member Posts: 44
edited December 2014 in Lymphedema

i am a left arm amputee, who had my first MX (right) 9 years ago, and now a left MX in September. While I do think that the overall LE risk is higher in my stump than in my arm (more recent SX, more nodes taken), the impact of LE in my arm would be far worse. I have now persuaded my MO to do shots and BP readings in my stump, and do sticks for glucose readings in stump or thigh ... but am trying to get them to do blood draws from the stump. Does anyone have any ideas or advice?

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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited December 2014

    You can also get blood draws and BP done on your foot.

    Best of luck.

    Leah

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited December 2014

    I have blood drawn from my foot. I go to the hospital lab for it because most ordinary labs won' t do it. I was so mad that the ordinary lab had no one on staff to do it that I said "So what if I was a double amputee, where would you draw blood". Lab girl just looks at me blankly and said, sorry its policy. we don't do them". ugh dang.Never went to them again for nothin!

    Anyway. First ask for the most experienced person to do the prick. Also if they are having a hard time finding vein get them to put a hot moist towel on your foot for a few minutes and then rub the vein fast to get it to come up. I always lay down on the bed and try to relax. Ask for smallest needle even though it may take longer to fill up the tubes. You will be fine!

    By the way you can even get them in your neck but I would reserve this as a last resort if you are nervous. Not many staff will know how to do it though.

    Do ask us any other questions and welcome to the boards if you are new. Make sure you visit stepup-speakout.org where you can have most of your LE education. Some girls here wrote the site and they are so LE smart.

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  • armamp95
    armamp95 Member Posts: 44
    edited December 2014

    i would worry about blood draws from the foot because I am diabetic ... I think I need to have more detailed conversations with my docs about this!

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited December 2014

    armamp, hello, and welcome!

    Yep, a clearer understanding of all the options from a medical point of view would definitely be helpful. I can sure understand your rationale about lymphedema in your stump being less of an impairment than in your good arm. But lymphedema is not just about swelling and difficulty using the affected area. It's also about the risks that go beyond functional impairment. Whether the LE is in a stump or an intact arm, the risk for things like cellulitis, fibrosis, abnormal skin changes, ulcerations, weeping, and non-healing wounds are the same both in the intact arm and stump of the amputated arm.

    For that reason it would make sense to have BP, blood draws and IVs done elsewhere and leave BOTH arms alone. And for that, it would be helpful to talk to not only your doctors but a well-trained and experienced lymphedema therapist. S/he could also help you assess your risk and work out other risk reducing strategies. Here's how to find a well-qualified lymphedema therapist near you:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified...

    And here are some more suggestions for reducing your risk:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/riskreduction_for_l...

    Do let us know what you discover. Hoping you never have to deal with this "swell" condition!

    Gentle hugs,
    Binney


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