Tips for Managing Lymphedema After Breast Surgery

Lymphedema develops after lymph nodes in the armpit are removed to look for cancer and the flow of lymph is disturbed. Lymphedema is an uncomfortable condition that can have a huge impact on quality of life. Women with lymphedema experience tightness and heaviness in the arm and, sometimes, aching pain. Some people with lymphedema experience additional symptoms such as pain in the joints similar to arthritis, skin thickening, tingling, numbness, weakness, and skin and temperature changes. The arm appears swollen. Lymphedema is not curable, but it can be reduced with several kinds of treatments. Here are some useful tips as you cope with lymphedema after breast cancer surgery.

Skin Care

Even after you've developed lymphedema, it's important to take care of the skin on the affected arm. As abarrier to infection the skin must be kept free of injury and irritants. Your skin care regimen should include using an electric razor instead of a regular one, protecting the arms from sunburn with sunblock, and avoiding medical procedures on the affected arm such as blood pressure readings and injections.

Call your doctor at the first sign of a rash, blistering, redness, warmth, increase in swelling, tenderness, and changes in the nailbed of the hand (the soft tissue underneath the nail).

Compression Bandaging

This is a method of using short-stretch bandages, wrapped carefully around the affected arm. This provides low compression when the arm is resting and helps clear lymphatic fluid from the arm during muscular activity. Compression bandaging should be performed by a licensed physical or occupational therapist who is trained in this method.

Compression Garments for lymphedema

These highly elastic garments should be tailored to your body and fit from the wrist to the shoulder. Also, if you have swelling in the hands and fingers, a gauntlet can be fitted to control the edema. These garments work by putting pressure on the arm to maintain movement in the lymph fluid, preventing it from collecting in one area. Long-term, regular use of these garments will result in improvement in the swelling of the affected limb. Garments should remain tight fitting and be replaced every 6 months as they lose their elasticity or if swelling increases.

Manual Lymph Drainage

Manual lymph drainage applies light pressure to the outside of the skin to increase circulation and open the lymph channels, providing a place for excessive lymph fluid to drain. This treatment will move fluid from the shoulder and upper arm, if it has accumulated there from a bandage or compression garment.

Complex Physical Therapy

Sometimes referred to as complete decongestive therapy, this treatment includes compression bandaging, compression garments and manual lymph drainage. Exercise, meticulous skin hygiene, and patient education are usually included as part of this therapy. Depending on the program, there are multiple sessions per week for 4 to 8 weeks, and it may be at least partially covered by insurance.

Pneumatic Pumps

These devices apply gentle pressure on the arm with the lymphedema when worn for treatment of lymphedema. The pressure starts at the hand and slowly moves up the arm, in the direction the lymphatic fluid should flow to relieve the edema. Physical therapists can make recommendations for home pumps and teach proper use of the pump. Vendors set up patients with home pumps, which can be used for an hour twice daily. The use of this pump lasts from a few days to months, and the amount of compression must be prescribed by a physician.

Treatment of Pain

Reducing the lymphedema itself through the treatments described in this tool may help you manage pain. In cases where pain has increased from mild to moderate, talk to your doctor about what medications might help. Your doctor should also look for other problems masked by the swelling, such as infection, or a recurrence of the breast cancer in the armpit, also called the axilla.