[Westcoastgirl]

Hi Skip,
It sounds like things are going better for the both of you. You will soon be an old hand at it and then before you know it you are done. We look ahead at diagnosis and think we cannot handle it but then almost in the blink of the eye it is three weeks and then three weeks again and then you are done. The book, "Lymphedema; A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing" by Jeannie Burt and Gwen White is excellent. It educates, helps put things in perspective and also helps you understand the seriousness of what might happen so you can take precautions where necessary. I wear my sleeve to work out with wts. I am careful when cleaning house not to be too repetitive with my arm and I am careful when carrying bags of groceries. I avoid bug bites and sunburn as well. The steroids during the first sessions of chemo can cause some water retention so I got in the habit of taking off my rings for the first week after treatment. It upset me at first as I thought it was lymphedema. In the book they give you instructions to do self or partner lymphatic massage. It helps. You can also go to a website found in the book (http://www.vodderschool.com/find_a_therapist) to find qualified Massage Therapists in your area that have been trained in lymphatic massage. Even if your wife does develop lymphedema there is much than can be done for her so look at prevention and hope for the best. Carolyn