What are the symptoms of truncal LE?

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kdholt
kdholt Member Posts: 229
edited January 2018 in Lymphedema

Hi everyone!

I am wondering what truncal LE feels like. I have been dealing with mild LE in my hand and arm for nine years and am now wondering if I’m dealing with truncal LE as well. Let me start by saying I’ve noticed changes in both breasts in the last year as I’m going through menopause and periods are becoming less and less frequent so I know hormones are involved to a certain extent. Radiated breast has always been hard but is beginning to sag some and feels much firmer/tight. A week ago my breast itches like crazy (which it has done since rads almost 10 yrs ago). I scratched it a lot. Next day breast and nipple were sore and now I’m still dealing with tenderness in nipple and tightness/hardness of breast in radiated area. Could this be LE? I have no rash, no discharge, no pitting of skin but so worried cancer is back. Could scratching my breast cause an LE flare or is itching also a symptom of LE? I’m really hoping someone can shed some light on the matter and help alleviate some anxiety. Thanks

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  • kdholt
    kdholt Member Posts: 229
    edited January 2018

    I’ve been reading more info on the site and now I’m panicky. If this is truncal LE I think I’ve had some form of it for years and did not no it and so nothing has been done. Now I have hard fibrous breast tissue. Why didn’t anyone tell me this could happen? Can anything be done to improve it? What do I do

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  • xxyzed
    xxyzed Member Posts: 230
    edited January 2018

    I see a Lymphedema physiotherapist. I have lymphedema in my arm which recently spread to my back after my last surgery. It just feels like it is swollen and a bit achy and feels better when I wear a compression camisole. The therapist massages it and I do self massage but it is harder to reach myself than my arm and chest.

    It doesn’t sound like Lymphedema to me but more like fibrosis most likely from your radiation but of course I’m no specialist. As far as I know it is treated pretty much the same way and you would be best seeing a therapist who can assess you and teach you how to care for what ever the problem turns out to be.

    With the itchy skin moisturise more and see if it resolves the problem until you get in to see a therapist.


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  • kdholt
    kdholt Member Posts: 229
    edited January 2018

    bump

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  • Jennie93
    Jennie93 Member Posts: 1,018
    edited January 2018

    Mine just feels like a puffy area, soft, tender.

    Have you seen this? Lots of good info here:

    http://stepup-speakout.org/breast_chest_trunckal_lymphedema.htm

    .


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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited January 2018

    Well my trunkal feels like someone put a boiled rubbery egg behind my pit and my back of shoulder blade some times lightly aches a bit. The Breast feels and a bit stingy especially if I wear a to tight band jogger bra. The band less Cami is best. Absolutely no tight bras. It causes lymph backup. If I move and breathe deep belly breaths it gets rid of aches. Or exercise my arm or shoulder is helpful. Breast le sucks! Hard to get full compression even with compression Cami around boob as it’s not flat but it doesn’t help.

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