Lymphedema from blood pressure cuff?

It's hard to say what the chances are that this would be the "final trigger" for lymphedema for you. My strong impression (but I am not an expert) is that lymphedema is the result of cumulative injuries to the lymphatic system. What it takes for any one person depends on your anatomy before you start and on what additional insults/injuries you've had.

There is a manual massage/drainage video "here" that might be helpful. But NAYY, YMMV. I haven't been trained in lymphatic drainage techniques.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

Try not to worry about it. I did the same thing with an onc nurse when she forgot to ask me and I let her do bp on my left arm. I'm left handed so my automatic is to give my left arm/hand. I was stressed to after it and it didn't do harm.

What might help you remember to tell providers don't touch the arm(s) that have had nodes removed is to get a medical bracelet and have it engraved on there or they have lymphedema bracelets you can get too. I got mine online. I just forgot to wear it that day. This way too if God forbid you are unconscious people will see the bracelet read it and not bother the arm(s).

I have engraved:

Breast Cancer, No blood draws, IV or bp cuffs on left arm. Something like that. I listed the 3 and got it to be in the limited characters you have when engraving on a medical alert bracelet.

Best to be safe than sorry no matter what reports may now say. Don't allow people to use the affected arm. Once you get LE there is no undoing it, and from what I've read, it's no fun at all. Wear a bracelet if you have to remember. I went to an LE class before sx and you also don't want to wear tight fitted sleeves. It's hard to say who gets it and who doesn't. Some folks with 1 node out get it and others with 10 don't. Just like bc, who knows.

I would advise not to use the word lymphedema if you engrave a bracelet, but rather no IV/BP/needles - not all first responders, or ER personnel, know what lymphedema is. My son is a firefighter/paramedic and I had him take a poll around the firehouse before I decided what to put on my bracelet. I had bi-lat nodes removed at BMX, but had a later ALND on the cancer side due to a positive SNB not seen until later in the lab. I have bi-lat arm lymphedema, worse on the ALND side, and breast LE on the non-cancer SNB-only side. I have also made the BP error once in pre-op when I was distracted - didn't cause any additional harm.

I have also had a BP cuff on the ankle - particularly during surgery when BP is checked regularly throughout the procedure. I also find the manual cuff arrangement to be far less constricting. I participated in a clinical trial for a Her2+ recurrence prevention vaccine and had to have vitals taken every fifteen minutes for an hour following the injections - they used a manual cuff because all of us were BC patients.

I agree with SpecialK about not putting the word "lymphedema" on your alert jewelry, but for a different reason. There are a lot of medical personnel who think they DO know what lymphedema is, and they pooh-pooh the idea that we should be careful of our at-risk arms. If they see the word, they won't think twice about doing IVs or BPs on our arms. Better just to say no BP, IV or needles and leave it at that.

The recent studies that seem to indicate blood pressure is not a factor in lymphedema risk don't actually say it never happens. What they say is that the percentage of people who develop it within a certain time frame after blood pressure is taken is very low. That's good news, unless you're one of the people in that very low percentage. In that case, lymphedema is 100% real, and it's for life. So I also agree that safe beats sorry.

That said, in a real emergency, where your life might be at risk, either arm will do, and you can deal with the lymphedema risk later.

Be well!
Binney

Artista, I'd like to know where that information came from. I've been told exactly the opposite: That you can get LE anytime, but the risk is greatly reduced after the first year - unless you gain weight. I was specifically told (by my LANA-certified PT) to maintain my normal weight if I want to avoid LE.

I'd like to see the actual statistics.