Pregnancy

alrz - yes lets hope someone will chime in on this for you. There's some pretty knowledgeable ladies here!

alrz, I'd bet there are no studies of pregnancy and upper extremity LE. There's more information about women with leg LE and pregnancy, but those are usually women with primary LE. They do have a bit of a bumpy road with pregnancy, but staying alert to it and on top of self-care makes it possible to manage the nine months with good control.

If it's any comfort, there have been many women on the bc.org boards over the years who have had babies after breast cancer treatment (many were pregnant when diagnosed, in fact, and since they were young their bc was treated agressively), and not one of them has ever shown up here on the LE board. If they had, we'd have welcomed them warmly, empathized with their diagnosis, and then helped them find their way back to mothering with joy. LE is a bummer, but it's not a deal breaker.

If you are concerned about developing LE with pregnancy, I'd suggest finding a really well-trained, experienced LE therapist and working with her/him to make that very special time both successful and comfortable. LE caught early is much less of an issue than when there's a delay in diagnosis or treatment, so it's win-win. Here's how to find one near you:
http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified_Lymphedema_Therapist.htm

Be well!
Binney

Hi!

The following thread

Coming off tamoxifen earlier to have a baby has been quite useful for me. It is about tamoxifen but the were some posts regarding lymphedema. Maybe other threads in that forum. Is something I will need to research as well. Had 24 nodes removed and 4 "infected". I actually use homeopathy. Anything I find I will post it!



http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/27/topic/763924



Cyber hugs!

Yeah a cute baby coming. Congrats! And welcome here.

If you are diagnosed and told toward a sleeve and hand garments then I would even if it's mild because it can progress if not looked after. Especially if your not use to holding something all day long like a heavy baby with LE arm. Lifting something your not use to can put stress on the le arm and send le fluid to your arm in defense causing swelling and we don't have normal lymph system to drain it outeasily. But don't be discouraged!

Now is the time to build up slowly (yes slowly)by weight training your le arm so your able to load car seats,heavy formula grocery bags and Baby equipment without ill effects. As baby grows you will be increasing your ability to sustain the new weight which will be good and your le arm will get use to the gradual weight change.

If your in top physical condition and le arm is use to hauling heavy stuff then you will do fine.

We are here to help and of course we want baby updates.

Hey all we're having a baby on the le threads! Yeah hoo!