i will admit that i had my doubts about lymphedema massage. i really, really like my physical therapist though, and i trust her, so i thought that i would give it a try. first,to be sure of what we were dealing with, she measured both of my arms- from my wrists to my shoulders. the measurements on the " lymphedema side" were significantly larger, from my elbow to my shoulder, than the other side. i had already noticed the swelling, as i mentioned in a previous blog, so it really did not come as a shock.
since my other shoulder is doing pretty well now, my PT visits will focus on a little bit more work on my neck, with the majority of time to be used for the lymphedema massage. what is lymphedema massage you might be saying at this point? as you may recall, my PT compared lymphedema swelling to ten lanes of highway abruptly changing into two lanes. another analogy would be the ride one has if a person is traveling in a car on highway 321 from just outside of blowing rock to boone. delays, congestion, over-heated cars and brakes, just to name a few things that happen .will the company doing the road work ever finish?
so, we have this backup or congestion of the lymphatic fluid with no place to go. the channels or nodes have been either removed or damaged by surgery. bummer. what the physical therapist does is create a detour, you might say, by massaging the tissue and hopefully moving the fluid into other lymph nodes so it can go happily on it's way. i also have swelling in my chest and under my arm. this is a pretty sore area, but actually the massage felt good overall. interestingly enough, our lymph nodes follow the intestinal tract. so my massage today was in my abdomen and under my arm. the physical therapist will get to my actual arm in the next session or two.
i was told today to watch the amount of sodium that i have in my diet. not that it contributes directly to lymphedema, but if you have swelling of any kind, you sure do not want to add onto it by retaining more fluid. also, i am doing deep breathing exercises. this surprised me, but i have been doing them for a while now, and they seem to be helping some. i think that sometimes we forget the fact that the different parts of our body try to work together. for the same common goal of good health and keeping us alive. i am not sure about you, but i think that this is a pretty good idea.
so, i am wearing my compression sleeve from the time i get up until i go to bed at night. i am breathing deeply, and doing my other exercises. i am hoping that this lymphedema massage will tip the scales in my favor, and i can get rid of some of this swelling. i can certainly recommend that anyone with lymphedema make haste to see a physical therapist who is certified in lymphedema massage and treatment. the sooner a patient gets started on this, the sooner one can get on the road to feeling better.
