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StephN · 11-01-2005, 12:22 PM

Dear Lia -
You will not regret having taken the bull by the horns. Your docors are very ignorant about lymphodema, and you are right to be proactive.

I know a couple of women who were misguided that same way your docs are trying to misguide you. They now have terrible lymphodmea and have to massage and wrap their arm every day - this takes a LONG time to do. Then they have to get up at night and do it all over again if their pinky fiinger goes numb or anything else is not quite right. A really royal pain!

One nurse I know caught it early and mostly wears the sleeve and sometimes the glove. But she can't use the glove all the time as she needs to use the sterile gloves constantly for her work at the hospital. She measures her arm every day and keeps track of the size in millimeters!
Another nurse I know had no trouble with it for 6 years after her mastectomy. She was on a hike and fell and after that she has had to mess with her arm - all from a bad bruise!

11-01-2005, 12:22 PM	#4
StephN Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Misty woods of WA State Posts: 4,128	Bull by the horns! Dear Lia - You will not regret having taken the bull by the horns. Your docors are very ignorant about lymphodema, and you are right to be proactive. I know a couple of women who were misguided that same way your docs are trying to misguide you. They now have terrible lymphodmea and have to massage and wrap their arm every day - this takes a LONG time to do. Then they have to get up at night and do it all over again if their pinky fiinger goes numb or anything else is not quite right. A really royal pain! One nurse I know caught it early and mostly wears the sleeve and sometimes the glove. But she can't use the glove all the time as she needs to use the sterile gloves constantly for her work at the hospital. She measures her arm every day and keeps track of the size in millimeters! Another nurse I know had no trouble with it for 6 years after her mastectomy. She was on a hike and fell and after that she has had to mess with her arm - all from a bad bruise!