My arm

[Pinapapple]

I'm lucky my sleeves fit well and are comfortable to wear they are like my second skin. My arm is 54% bigger than the other one I find it heavy ache to carry around. I get a fizzy sensation in it and sometimes nerve pain. Has any one used a lymphatic massage machine successfully. I borrowed one for 6 weeks and enjoyed using it but am not sure if the cost of buying one £2000 will give me enough benefit to make it cost affective.

[yorkshireuk]

By a lymphatic massage machine do you mean a flowtron where you wear a sleeve which inflates one section then the next and so on. If you do I used these years ago and do actually still have it. I wouldnt recommend it. If it is used without the before and after MLD all it does is spread the swelling. I now have groin swelling and the nurse blame my flowtron machine.

[Pinapapple in reply to yorkshireuk]

Hmm Yes i did mean a flowtron 12. My murse says the new machines are much better but I'm in two minds afterA six week trial I had no real problems sometimes it moved Fluid to my boob but I was always able to massage it out after. I did always do a little before and after massage my self which is ment to help it flow away and not collect else where. If the fluid moved to my back it would have been a problem. I'm seeing my nurse again this week and will discuss it further with her I am really into mind. Just one more question how long did u use the machine for before swelling moved per mentally to other area.

[yorkshireuk]

Hi pineapple I was on the machine daily for six weeks and then used it at home for approx a year before I stopped using it. I still have the swelling today it has never gone away. The new machines may be better but I wouldnt go there again. But if you are finding it successfull then you should stick at what is good for you x

[starfish1952]

Hi I was considering buying this machine but hadnt been impressed with a trial I had of it last year. I recently did some research online and found that there is a system called Juxtafit which is now available for arms as well. As I have recently paid for bandaging and MLD privately my therapist thought this would be of benefit to me and contacted the company who confirmed that it is available on the NHS. It is currently on order. My therapist feels that if I use the sleeve and also a glove which you can get for one hour a day I will achieve a further reduction in the size of the arm. I was dx nearly five years ago after breast cancer and my arm reached 65% with little help from NHS therapists until I moved hospital and got a course of bandaging and MLD which reduced it to 26% and removed the fibrosis which was beginning. The juxtafit sleeves are about £200 by the way.