Lymphedema & heart surgery?

amanda6 · September 2016

I wonder if anyone with lymphedema out there has gone through heart surgery & if so did it make your lymphedema act up. I have had stage 1 for 7 years but asidje from when I was going thru cancer treatment have had very little problem with it. Now I'm looking at open heart surgery & it occurred to me that this might affect it negatively- in the past I could get swelling on my breast ( left) & trunk as well. I have not been able to find any info on this. I see my Dr. this week & will ask but I am prepared that he will not have a clue about it.

Binney4 · September 2016

Amanda, hello,

I haven't had heart surgery since my lymphedema diagnosis, but there are "Guidelines for Surgery" in an area with lymphedema at the very bottom of this page:

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

One of the suggestions there is to make sure the doctors involved are familiar with issues surrounding this condition, so here's information you can copy for your team, written for professionals by a doctor with lymphedema:

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/essential%20informa...

Please do keep us posted! Gentle hugs,
Binney

amanda6 · September 2016

Thank you Binney, that's helpful

Lymphedema & heart surgery?

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