Leg lymphedema in cancer patients

[Selkie]

Sending you lots of good karma and hugs.

[redrhodie]

(((mudmucker))) I'm so sorry. Sending healing thoughts your way.

[Aquila]

/comfort Mudmucker. I hope the surgery and all goes as well as it can.

And wow, KnottedYet, what a great resource you are!

[ny biker]

Try contacting livestrong.org. They have access to lots of information and resources for cancer patients. Although I don't know if anyone can provide more info than Knot!

Best of luck with the surgery, and I hope you're back on the bike soon.

[Crankin]

I am thinking of you and hoping your surgery goes well. You are right, you are on the "A" team with Dana Farber.
I was amazed that Knott could give you such a detailed answer. We are lucky to have such a resource!

[Wahine]

Knott - thank you so much. You always have great information to contribute to this forum and we are very lucky to have you as an active participant.

To add a bit to what Knott said, I have had patients with lower extremity lymphedema and it is manageable. Knott's advice is fantastic. I would second the use of compression tights during and after activity. There are also massage therapists out there with very specific training in lymphatic massage. It might be good to find someone with certification in this type of massage and develop a relationship with them. If it was me, I'd try to go for regular lymphatic massage before and after the surgery. I don't know that it will help prevent lyphmedema but it can help boost your immune response which you'll need to fight off the cancer. And finally, believe it or not, acupuncture can be very helpful.

Good health and healing vibes heading your way.

[KnottedYet]

A really good massage therapist who is certified in MLD will teach you a simplified version of the "massage" that you can do yourself twice a day.

My only caveat there is to be sure the massage therapist knows the correct pressures and patterns to use on someone who has had nodes taken out. What is often taught through massage schools is meant to be used on folks with intact systems.

To prevent or control lymphedema when the larger deeper ducts are absent or damaged you must use very very light strokes. The intact portion of the system is the surface system, whose ducts are hair thin. You don't want to pinch them shut or collapse them, or direct too much lymph toward the deeper (dead end) ducts where it will stagnate.