Another breast lymphedema question

I go see a specialist for the breast lymphedema cellulitis tomorrow. I pray they can help this go away. I can't begin chemo till it is gone.

Juniper, see someone sooner--LE therapists tend to be at a med. ctr.’s OT/PT dept.; a physical rehab medicine MD might also be a good place to start. (My LE doc, Joseph Feldman--who founded LANA--is officially listed as a Physiatrist in both the Rehab medicine and Neurology depts.). But out of left field....do you have osteoarthritis (either age-related or from joint trauma)? Reason I ask is if you have an arthritic elbow, that egg-shaped lump could be a Baker’s Cyst (you normally see them in the crook of the leg, behind an arthritic knee). It is fluid from inflammation that has migrated from the front articulating surface of the joint itself to the tissues behind it, on the back of that limb. Though a Baker’s Cyst is filled with lymph fluid, it’s not LE. It usually resolves on its own, especially with NSAIDs--but sometimes needs to be drained (in which case, take infection precautions and have an LE therapist wrap your arm immediately after the procedure.. LE would probably cause your arm to swell over a much larger area.

I had Baker’s Cysts behind both knees until the joints were replaced.

You can also inflame a joint just by extreme impact--say, bumping your elbow hard. The body sends fluid rushing to the site to immobilize it, and if there’s either too vigorous a fluid response or not enough room in the joint capsule and between articulating surfaces, the fluid migrates to behind the joint--voilá: Baker’s Cyst.

See a lymph specialist pronto. If it is LE, you want to get a jump on it. Or you could see an orthopedist who can verify whether it’s a Baker’s Cyst. Either way, see someone before you see your MO (that isn’t in the latter’s wheelhouse anyway).

@PatRN, My visits to the LEPT have been for new issues only. At the beginning I went 2x a week for 6 weeks to learn how to do MLD and again when my arm started to show signs of developing LE to learn how to cope with it and where to get LE supplies. I am confused by what seems to be ongoing MLD by a therapist that is mentioned in some LE Lit and by some woman that post here. It would concern me but I'm doing OK so I'm guessing it's an individual thing?

It seems that the standards in LE care aren't very standard.

@Juniper, Catching LE early, can make a difference in living with and dealing with LE. Some of the symptoms of LE can be managed and even avoided by early diagnosis. To often Doctors are slow to diagnose (or admit) that a person has LE, patients are sometimes poorly educated on LE and don't recognize what's happening, and some patients don't have access to a Dr. that is well informed and go to long without proper treatment. It can take months or even years to deal with the problems caused by an incorrect diagnoses. Those of us "lucky" enough to be diagnosed early have a better chance of avoiding some of the worse symptoms.

This is a great site: http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

Hi, Pat and Susan. Thank you so much for responding to my post. I will ask my BS next month what she thinks. It's so odd, I'm not sure that it is LE because I'm not experiencing pain or discomfort. It recedes during the night and becomes apparent during the day and at its largest it is like an egg shaped lump. I consulted Dr. Google (I know, I know....not wise) and now I'm wondering if it is a lipoma, though I don't know if a lipoma changes like that. When you first noticed your symptoms did you experience anything like this? Many thanks for your thoughts! Hugs

I just read the article and this jumped out:

"The most common type of lymphedema is painless and may slowly develop 18 to 24 months or more after surgery."

That really surprised me.

yikes...the gift that keeps on giving

Hi everyone - I found this thread through a search and have been reading through the posts - very interesting and I'm also going to check out the links you have provided to others.

My story is that I had my right mastectomy almost 4 years ago with 27 lymph nodes removed. I had six months of chemo, continued on Herceptin until Oct. 2013, I also had radiation. I was provided with a lymphedema sleeve and glove for traveling. I've had no problems with lymphedema and not sure that this is what is going on now but this morning when I was showering I noticed that there was a lot of fluid pooling in my right elbow region. My arm feels kind of heavy and achy but no other swelling and no fever. I wore my sleeve and glove today - I will remove tonight and see if it helped. Any other advice for me?

Thanks

websister, that sounds like lymphedema. If it's better in the morn but swells as the day progresses thats a sign. If treated ASAP you will have better control down the road.sure hope you get it looked at. Google stepupspeakout.org to learn all you can and to find a qualified therapist to check you out.

Hi, again. I am wondering if LE symptoms are constant or if they come and go. For instance, this lump in the crease of my BC side elbow is always there, however, it is hardly noticeable at night and quite prominent during the day. Thank you for thoughts and insights!!

Symptoms of breast pain, redness, sensitivity, swelling, "peau d'orange" etc. sound like "breast lymphedema", a common result of removal of lymph nodes for diagnosis and/or treatment of breast cancer. This condition is also called "breast edema" or "delayed breast cellulitis" in the literature, because it often does not exhibit until years after the surgery and/or breast irradiation. Contrary to what your oncologist may tell you, removal of as few as 1-3 "sentinel lymph nodes" can cause this condition if those nodes are in the upper-outer segment of the breast, since the majority of the breast lymphatic drainage takes that route. Treatment is primarily manual lymph drainage by a qualified lymphedema therapist and to a lesser extent than with arm lymphedema, compression. See "Breast and Truncal Lymphedema -- Its Nature and Treatment" on my LymphActivist's Site at http://www.lymphactivist.org/breast_lymphedema_for_therapists.pdf