Introduction

[JohnRVA]

Greetings. My wife has stage 3 melanoma. She had the lymph nodes removed from her leg which has caused lymphadema. I perform LMD massage nightly, but seem to get little relief. She is a couple months away from the end of a Keytruda drug trial. I am interested in additional ways to help reduce swelling. She has tried compression stockings, but they are very uncomfortable. I recently purchased a vibration plate as I read that it can help with lymphatic drainage and blood circulation.

Thanks for hosting this support group.

[Crycleo]

My son had the same problem and went to a lymphadema massage specialist. You can get a referral from your oncologist or from a physical therapy practice. This is a medical specialty and it has nothing to do with a massage. The therapist can also show your wife how to wrap the leg in special bandages to prevent swelling. My son would wear it at night and be fine during the day. I don't know where you live, but you may have to travel, but you can be taught how to do the massage and wrap after a few sessions. It's worth the trip.

[missyrand Ambassador]

Welcome JohnRVA.

My husband had a lymph node bioposy 2.5 years ago, but did not have widely removed nodes, so I'm not sure what to suggest. Have you contacted the nurse support at the oncologist? I have found them to usually be very helpful in managing side effects. They may be able to provide guidance on an progressive exercise program that could be explored. I am more familiar with lymphedema resources regarding breast cancer and here is a 2015 reference from the National Cancer Institute: cancer.gov/about-cancer/tre...

The Mayo Clinic also had a small reference that made me wonder if a specialty compression leg sleeve has been considered with your wife? This is what my friends with breast cancer use for arm lymphedema: mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

Missy