Reduce your swelling; important tips

[seiler]

Very important. 1. when "massaging {light stroke upward}" your arm (leg, etc.) begin closest to your shoulder. Stroke upward about 3-4 inches at a time. Then work on the next 3-4 inches. The objective is to give some place for the fluid to go to. If you start the stroke farther toward your hand you will only push more fluid into an area that is already swollen. My exit line goes over my shoulder and down to my groin area. When working on your back, you need to I began stroking from there, Stroke downward toward the lymph nodes in your groin area. 2. I highly recommend that you wrap your arm with the wraps you received during treatment instead of trying to get rid of swelling by using a sleeve. Use your special bandages the rest of your life at the first sign of swelling. NEVER, EVER use an Ace Bandage-type wrap. I used Jost bandages and was trained exactly how to use them. I've had flare-ups over the years but by wrapping with my bandages, the swelling has always gone away in just a couple days. Do a search for Jost bandages.

[MyMiracle13]

Thanks so much! I don’t suffer from swelling (yet) but I experience a lot of tingling in my arm where I had my mastectomy. I don’t know if this is neuropathy or lymphedema. Any thoughts?

[seiler in reply to MyMiracle13]

I am not a doctor but have been through nearly everything having to do with cancer and lymphedema, so nothing I say is a guarantee. Do everything you can for the next 100 years (!) to NOT get lymphedema swelling. Too hard to get rid of it. I doubt very much that the tingling in your arm has to do with lymphedema. It sounds more like your nerves are struggling to get back to normal. I used to have tingling and tiny electric shocks which I could hear, and even I could HEAR the molecules in my upper arm whirling around. Really!

[MyMiracle13 in reply to seiler]

Thanks for the reply. Yes it’s probably the nerves. I noticed it came about a few months after I stopped taking Vit B12 which my onc prescribed since I was first diagnosed in 2012 to counter neuropathy. When I had a blood test to check vitamin levels recently, it turned out my Vit B12 level was quite way above the limit so I stopped taking the tablets. I have started taking them again so I hope the tingling will soon stop.

[seiler in reply to MyMiracle13]

Interesting that you took Vit. to prevent Neuropathy. I have it in my feet and, especially in my toes but got nothing for it. It's not bad. I also have cramps in both legs at night kind of often. My nodes in my right armpit were 13 positive. I guess I am rather typical having the breast cancer met to my uterus.

[Julie2233]

I was diagnosed with lymphoedma I my left arm in September 2016. I used to get a fizzing/tingling sensation in my upper arm when the lymph was clearing.

I really recommend seeing a specialist lymphoedema specialist to teach you how to do the self massage, it’s a really important part of the management and is a completely different technique to normal massage. Importantly never let anyone other than a trained lymphoedema therapist massage the affected limb - it can do a lot of damage.

Also get made to measure compression garments. In the U.K. these are available on the nhs and you are allowed 2 sets every 6 months. Compression garments that are too lose won’t work and too tight will do permanent damage. You need to wear the compression consistently during the day and take them off at night. Correctly fitting garments are a little uncomfortable when you start wearing them but not uncomfortable enough to be painful. A bit like a well fitting bra, it should be nice to take them off at the end of the day.

I was lucky enough to be able to have the LVA operation in July 2017. It’s an expensive operation but for me it was done early enough and now I have just a little fluid in my hand and don’t need to wear compression and my body copes well with infections.

There is a really good book written on the subject by Prof Mortimer a leading consultant in the field. There is also a lot of uninformed rubbish written in the condition so beware. Another good source of information is the lymphoedema Support network, a U.K. charity. There website gives a lot of good information on management and massage.

[123048 in reply to Julie2233]

Hi Julie, thank you for the information, so helpful. I have lymphodema of the left breast after axillary clearance following chemo and radiotherapy. Find it quite a struggle in hot weather, I will get in touch with the support network. Best wishes Helen

[Hidden]

Thanks so much for sharing this valuable information! I really love the specific, practical advice on this site!

[AuntyJane]

Just curious do you use any daytime compression arm sleeve? Or you just use the arm bandages/wrapping at night? My swelling never goes away...I use Mediven arm sleeve and at night Jobst arm garment but always looking for alternatives. I've had multipke episodes of cellulitis in my arm and have had lymphedema for 10 years....it does suck! Ps I'm from HNL aloha