Lymph Edema and heat?

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skipper54
skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
Just curious about something. We just got home from a week in St. Louis where we dealt with their heat wave. (That seems to happen wherever we go!) I've never dealt well with heat but it seems to be worse now. And I definatly felt puffier in my right arm (right mastectomy in Dec.) while dealing with the heat and humidity. Has anyone else experienced this? Does the heat etc. really matter?

Thanks for any input!

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  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #2
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    I think it's another case of
    I think it's another case of each of us is different. They said to stay away from hot tubs because of the heat and I mentioned to my physical therapist that I'd never be able too move back to Texas because of the heat. She said lots of ladies in Texas have lymph nodes removed and a few years later I did move to Texas. For me it hasn't made a difference. Knock on wood. We can have trouble at any point in time so the best thing is to try and prevent lymphedema.
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    #3
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    YES!!
    Skipper - That's my part of the country and for me, heat is one of my biggest triggers. My only option is to stay out of it ... which means being a recluse! :( I feel a vampire because I try only to get out at night.

    So, yes ... heat and humidity can trigger and make LE worse. It's a trigger for a lot of women ... so you're not alone.

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/riskreduction_for_lymphedema.htm
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #4
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    Dawne.Hope said:

    YES!!
    Skipper - That's my part of the country and for me, heat is one of my biggest triggers. My only option is to stay out of it ... which means being a recluse! :( I feel a vampire because I try only to get out at night.

    So, yes ... heat and humidity can trigger and make LE worse. It's a trigger for a lot of women ... so you're not alone.

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/riskreduction_for_lymphedema.htm

    Well, living in Phoenix--I can't get away from the heat
    For me, some days are worst than others. However, I noticed even more of a change when I went to visit my mom in upstate NY for 2 weeks recently and there were several fronts which came through with differences in barometric pressure--I noticed way more of a problem at that time.

    Everyone is different and different things affect different people. I guess we just have to know individually what is best and worst for each of us.

    Hugs, Renee
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    #5
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    missrenee said:

    Well, living in Phoenix--I can't get away from the heat
    For me, some days are worst than others. However, I noticed even more of a change when I went to visit my mom in upstate NY for 2 weeks recently and there were several fronts which came through with differences in barometric pressure--I noticed way more of a problem at that time.

    Everyone is different and different things affect different people. I guess we just have to know individually what is best and worst for each of us.

    Hugs, Renee

    Humidity
    Women in the dry heat tend to do better than ladies who live in high humidity areas. I try to stay in air conditioning whenever possible and like I said above ... if I have to get out and run errands, etc., I try to do it in the evening or early morning.

    But, it is true that one triggers a flare in one won't necessarily do it another.

    Totally agree with Renee ... we have to know what our individual flares are and how best to treat them when do they occur.
  • cavediver
    cavediver Member Posts: 607
    #6
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    Florida heat and humidity....then Mexico
    The research published suggests that heat 'can' cause more lymph fluid....and if it is not managed (moved out)whether manually or whatever..... well, you get the picture. Agree we are all different. I do find that I do manual massage and use the pump more time in the hot months in Florida and when I am in Mexico. It sounds crazy at first...but we all do have to see what our bodies do and manage from there. Geez, who said life was simple :-)
    Good luck..........enjoy yourself wherever you live...and you can learn to manage this in the way your body needs. Hugs
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #7
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    Barometric Pressure
    For me - I don't see much if any difference realated to heat but pressure makes a big differentce. Nice sunny high pressure days are much better than dreary/rainy/snowy low pressure days no matter what the temp is.

    Susan
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #8
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    Rague said:

    Barometric Pressure
    For me - I don't see much if any difference realated to heat but pressure makes a big differentce. Nice sunny high pressure days are much better than dreary/rainy/snowy low pressure days no matter what the temp is.

    Susan

    THANKS
    for all the input! At first I thought it was just my imagination. Massage helped and cooling off helped. Now to figure out how to handle those family reunion picnics! Why do we always do that in July?! We're in PA so in a heat wave right now (figures, we couldn't leave it in St. Louis) and humidity is also high.

    Does drinking more or less have any impact? I haven't really had a problem except for these hot humid days.
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #9
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    skipper54 said:

    THANKS
    for all the input! At first I thought it was just my imagination. Massage helped and cooling off helped. Now to figure out how to handle those family reunion picnics! Why do we always do that in July?! We're in PA so in a heat wave right now (figures, we couldn't leave it in St. Louis) and humidity is also high.

    Does drinking more or less have any impact? I haven't really had a problem except for these hot humid days.

    I don't have lumphedema,
    I don't have lumphedema, but, I know many that say the heat and especially the humidity affects them. And you are right, why have reunions in July? Fall would be so much better!


    Good luck skipper!

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