Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Lymphedema : what is it? what to watch for, and how to treat it.

 when i had my thyroid surgery, specifically, a total thyroidectomy to remove a 2 centimeter tumor on the right lobe, a 0.2 centimeter tumor  on the left lobe, two parathyroid glands which were also cancer, and eleven lymph nodes, i was not that familiar with lymphedema. five years after this surgery, almost to the day, i had bilateral mastectomies along with 3 more lymph nodes removed. i had no idea that my lymph node system was compromised. why does that matter? well, i will explain...

the lymph node system in our bodies filter the fluid running through them, trapping bacteria, viruses, etc. so that our  hungry little lymphocytes( a type of white blood cell) can gobble them up. my physical therapist explained it this way: pretend your body is a ten lane highway full of busy cars. all of a sudden, these ten lanes become two lanes and things get backed up. ( probably road rage occurs, also). because of this lane closure, or blockage, you have swelling in your arms and/or legs. along with surgery to remove lymph nodes, radiation, injury or even the medication tamoxifen can cause lymphedema. i am focusing on cancer treatment/surgery for this discussion. lymphedema can also occur on it's own, but i am not going to discuss this.

swelling is of course a symptom of lymphedema. i will be using myself , as usual, for an example. i noticed that my left arm was slightly bigger than my right arm. i did not recognize this fact until a few months after chemotherapy. lymphedema can occur months or even years after chemotherapy or surgery. it is important to recognize the symptoms, and get adequate treatment just as soon as possible. there is no cure for lymphedema, but the condition can be managed and the patient can be more comfortable. along with swelling, you may notice a feeling of fullness in the arms or legs, and less flexibility in wrists, hands and ankles.

back to me. when i noticed the swelling in my left arm, i contacted my physician and asked for a physical therapist referral. the physical therapist, and this is important, in my opinion, i chose is a CLT which stands for "Certified Lymphedema Therapist". a CLT has advanced training in manual lymph node drainage on top of the required  physical therapist degree. the first thing that my CLT did was to take several measurements of both arms- from my wrists to my shoulders. she verified the diagnosis of lymphedema, and my treatment began. for several weeks, twice weekly, i learned certain exercises to do, along with receiving the manual lymph drainage massage. does this sound painful? well, it was not! in fact, it felt wonderful, and i am convinced that i felt better afterward. it was interesting that the massage did not just include my affected arm. she also did massage on my abdomen- we have lymph nodes literally everywhere in our bodies. what she was doing was re-directing the fluid from my arm into my abdomen. just think of it as a detour- the ten lanes of angry traffic now have another route to travel.

another important part of lymphedema treatment is to get measured for a compression garment. and of course you have to wear it ( i am trying to be better about this, i will admit). if you are planning on taking an airplane trip, you will definitely want to wear your compression garment. i got a few garments  so that i could wash one while having one to wear. i am  not sure about every one's insurance, but my insurance plan  paid for these. i was very surprised, but i recommend asking your physician to write an order for the compression garment ( and it has to be fairly specific- right or left arm,diagnosis,etc). i went to a store that had board certified fitters who were able to bill to the  insurance companies. this is important because these garments are sort of pricey- but well worth it in my opinion.

a few other things to note: if you have lymphedema, you should not have blood pressure taken or blood drawn from  that particular arm. gentle exercise ( i recommend seeing a CLT for help with this) and  elevation of the involved limb may also help with the lymphedema. you also need to be careful of cuts or insect bites on the affected arm or leg. it is important to also wear sunscreen( which is a great idea for everyone) to prevent sunburn on the area. some people also wear lymphedema alert bracelets.

so, lymphedema is a condition that can not be cured, but can be managed. the sooner the detection and treatment, as in most things, the better the outcome. let's keep those cars moving down the highway!

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