Flying and lymphedemia

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Wiegp22
Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
edited March 2017 in Lymphedema

hi,

I am trying to find out if I can get this from flying without ever having surgery, I will be flying to Florida in less than a week for my daughters wedding, since being D.C. With stage 4 bc, I have been terrified of everthing, if it wasn't for some great ladies, I don't know if I could handle this, I was told I had stage 3 bc but after having a pet scan it revealed that I had stage 4 to bones and liver, just had my 5th thx of taxotere, h and p and have had problems with neuropathy, pain, lot of wired side effects, my pa only did a abdominal cat scan said liver met shrunk said nothing about bc or bones. I am terrified to fly as it will be when my white count is low, can anyone please offer me some help like am I at risk for lymphedemia? Ect. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I only have you girls to turn t

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited March 2017

    Welcome hete

    Not the expert flyer here and hope Binney comes to the rescue but if you have had surgery that took at least one node or disturbed its function you could get LE. Sounds like your safe to enjoy your big day with daughter!

    What I really wonder about is if you have cancer in your lymph nodes due to being stage 4 then it might impede the flow causing Le but I really am not sure. I hope others come to clarify


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  • Wiegp22
    Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
    edited March 2017

    hugs4u,

    Thank you for the info, I hope others come to help me as well.

    Paula

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited March 2017

    Your welcome. Knowledge is power and your on the right track. Educate educate educate

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  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited March 2017

    Sounds like you have never had any surgery at all, so I too think you will be OK. Hope the wedding is wonderful.

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  • Wiegp22
    Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
    edited March 2017

    thank you minus two, I hope so to just nervous as I will be flying when my count is down.

    I just need to breathe, Paula

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  • ElaineTherese
    ElaineTherese Member Posts: 3,328
    edited March 2017

    If your white blood cell count is down, could you do Neulasta or Neupogen before you go? By the way, I had all of my Levels 1 and 2 lymph nodes removed (20 in all), and I don't have lymphedema despite flying multiple times.

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  • Wiegp22
    Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
    edited March 2017

    Elaine Therese,

    Thanks for the boost of confidence but my pa said I didn't need Neupogen before chemo cause my counts were ok, she doesn't believe in it unless you absolutely need it. I really don't understand it myself. So you don't think I need to wear a sleeve on the plane? What other precautions do you take when you fly?

    Paula

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited March 2017

    weipg search flying on our threads for wearing a sleeve with hand protection. Some get le flying and some don't. It's a gamble. If I'm right you had no nodes out though so you should be safe.

    I still wonder about mets if they have affected the nodes though. They may not be functioning a hundred percent which could impair the lymph system I'm guessing though on that as I said before. Hum you got me stuck on this one.

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  • Wiegp22
    Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
    edited March 2017

    Thank you hugs2, I have no knowledge of le, do you know where can I get a sleeve just in case?


    Thanks again,

    Paula

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  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited March 2017

    LympheDivas.com sells sleeves, with a guide as to how & where to measure and a corresponding size chart. Don’t wear a sleeve without a glove or gauntlet, or else your fingers will swell.

    If you had no surgery, not even lymph node biopsy or dissection, you needn’t worry about LE. But even if you did, most LE specialists consider compression wear unnecessary on flights shorter than 3 or 4 hours.

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  • Wiegp22
    Wiegp22 Member Posts: 268
    edited March 2017

    chiSandy,

    Thank you so much for that information, I feel much better now.

    Paula

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