Surgical treatment for lymphedema

I have had Stage 1 lymphedema in my upper arm and trunk since my double mastectomy and ALND in November 2016, but it's never progressed until now. Out of the blue a few weeks ago, my lower arm became swollen and my hand to a lesser degree. I'm now at Stage 2 and freaking out!

I have a fantastic PT who is going to work with me to treat this flare up. But in the meantime, I saw a surgeon at USC (Dr. Ketan Patel) who specializes in surgical treatments for lymphedema. I wasn't expecting to follow through with surgery, but I wanted to know my options.

But after meeting with him, I'm seriously considering it. What I'm probably looking at is a lymphovenous bypass. It's for earlier stage cases where the lymphatic vessels are still there and partially functioning but blocked (he described it as the 101 with traffic). What they'd do is go in at around 4 different places in the arm and connect lymph vessels to a nearby vein. Basically, they're rerouting the lymph flow in my arm from backed up lymphatic system into the cardiovascular system (which is where lymph fluid drains eventually anyway). It's considered "super microsurgery," because lymphatic vessels are 10 times smaller than veins.

It's a much less invasive procedure than a lymph node transfer, which is what they do for later-stage cases. But still, there are risks and it's not a cure—although it can make a huge difference in functioning and quality of life.

Am I nuts? Has anyone had this surgery for lymphedema? Either lymphovenous bypass or lymph node transfer? Was it successful? Are you glad you did it?

I would appreciate any and all input!