Can a drain that has been clamped for 3 days cause lymphedema?

My story - I had my bilateral mastectomy February 2016.  Following the surgery the drain in the left of my chest had a small amount of fluid immediately following surgery and did not drain any more - while the right drain was flowing well.  By day 3 my left shoulder, chest and back was very swollen and stiff and my neck painful on the left side.  Because the drain was supposed to be draining an assumption was made that it was not necessary and a decision was made to remove the drain.  The doctor who came to remove it immediately noticed that it was clamped.  (Note - this drain was checked 2-3 times a day and no-one else noticed it was clamped). A large amount of fluid squirted out once the drain was open however the new drain kept clogging up and eventually on the fourth day was removed.

I was sent home on day 5 and woke the next morning to the sound of sloshing in my left armpit - as I walked around.  I had to wait another day then began the bi-weekly trips into the hospital for manual drainage for a few weeks after that. They were still draining up to 150mls when the draining stopped.   I kept reporting to the nurses that the left side of my chest and shoulder felt 'full and heavy' but the nurses assured me it was 'just me'.  I am overweight but know my body well and it felt to me (and still does) that I am carrying a vest full of water with me all the time - a feeling I have never experienced before. 

By May the fluid was gathering in my stomach causing distension, shortness of breath, fatigue and discomfort.  Cellulitis developed in my chest and I was hospitalized.  I was hospitalized a second time due to shortness of breath.  This time they diagnosed faecal impaction -  15 lax sachets later changed their minds and said there was no impaction after all and never had been - so they sent me home !!  At this point my oxygen levels would drop from 98 to 93 after a short walk (100 yards). Quite frankly I was a mess until I discovered Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) in October 2016.

 Fast forward - a year later my left shoulder and stomach are still blown up - I am 12 kilograms heavier and just seem to be getting bigger and bigger.   I cannot sleep lying down as the fluid moves into my head - blows up my face, closes my eyes and causes my speech to become slurred. I am having to have MLD sessions 2-3 times a week to keep functioning semi-normally.  I applied for Accident Compenstion to help with MLD costs (up to $300 a week)  but was declined because the hospital (surgeon and breast-care nurses) believe that what I am experiencing has nothing to do with drain being clamped.   I personally cannot see how it does not have everything to do with the clamping - it started a year ago on the left side of my body with the clamping and has not gone away.  I wonder if anyone else has heard of such a thing.