Medical Questions » Breasts, Female Questions » Question No. 176
| Question: | I have had a mastectomy (breast removal) for cancer, and found that I avoided many complications of restricted arm movement and swelling of my arm by keeping the arm above my head on a pillow, and moving it as much as possible, starting immediately after the operation. This advice may be useful to your readers. |
| Answer: | Arm movement restrictions and lymphoedema (swelling) of the arm are common complications of breast surgery when the glands in the armpit are removed to prevent the further spread of breast cancer.
Lymph is the waste products of the cells, and lymph returns from every cell through a complex network of fine tubes, rather like thin veins. These lymph ducts pass through the lymph glands that concentrate in the armpit, groin, neck and along the inside of your backbone. The glands act to remove any germs that may be attempting to penetrate deeper into the body. Eventually the lymph, having being cleaned by the glands, drains into a major vein near the heart.
The complication of lymphoedema (lymph accumulation) after breast cancer surgery varies dramatically from one patient to another, with only partial relationship to the severity of the surgery. Those who suffer severely may have an arm that is rock hard and three times its normal size. Elevation and pressure bandages are the normal treatments, but a plastic sleeve that envelopes the arm and is rhythmically inflated by a machine is the most successful treatment.
Patients requiring further help with this problem should contact the Lymphoedema Association in their state. |
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