Fly with compression sleeve - Lymphedema

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  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #22
    Whoknowz said:

    Forever I was told
    My surgeon told me about the no blood pressure, no blood draws in the arm where she was doing the sentinel node biopsy when we talked just before the surgery. The nurses hammered the message in. They said some doctors would ask how long it had been and would say it was ok after a certain period, but not to let them use the arm.

    They didn't mention flying, but a book they gave me before I left the hospital did. I ended up having 4 nodes removed and that seems very small potatoes compared to many on here but better safe than sorry.

    You have to be extra careful
    You have to be extra careful with that arm even if you don't have lymphedema. You shouldn't have your blood pressure taken in it, no shots, no blood draws, no needles at all in that arm. Something else too, a lot of women said they got bracelets stating lymphedema. Most hospitals anymore will not allow you to wear them in the operating room. They have their own color coded plastic bracelets they use. Just be sure and tell them.
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #23
    survivorbc09 said:

    You have to be extra careful
    You have to be extra careful with that arm even if you don't have lymphedema. You shouldn't have your blood pressure taken in it, no shots, no blood draws, no needles at all in that arm. Something else too, a lot of women said they got bracelets stating lymphedema. Most hospitals anymore will not allow you to wear them in the operating room. They have their own color coded plastic bracelets they use. Just be sure and tell them.

    it is now our responsibilities
    to be protective of our arm(s).
    Even medical professionals do not know about lymphedema or how to avoid risks and prevention.
    Unfortunately they have not been trained to deal with lymphatic system.
    Pleas be your own advocate and do what is right for your arm
  • Dot53
    Dot53 Member Posts: 239 Member
    #24
    New Flower said:

    it is now our responsibilities
    to be protective of our arm(s).
    Even medical professionals do not know about lymphedema or how to avoid risks and prevention.
    Unfortunately they have not been trained to deal with lymphatic system.
    Pleas be your own advocate and do what is right for your arm

    when you have a double
    when you have a double mastectomy do they take nodes out of both arms? If so, does that mean no blood draws or blood pressure taking from either arm?

    If so, how would they do it then??
    Dot
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #25
    Dot53 said:

    when you have a double
    when you have a double mastectomy do they take nodes out of both arms? If so, does that mean no blood draws or blood pressure taking from either arm?

    If so, how would they do it then??
    Dot

    I had a friend tell me that
    I had a friend tell me that she uses the arm where they took the least amount of nodes and she requests they use a pediatric needle. Some offices have blood pressure cuffs for the legs particularly for this situation. Good luck! Pitt
  • susie09
    susie09 Member Posts: 2,930
    #26
    pitt said:

    I had a friend tell me that
    I had a friend tell me that she uses the arm where they took the least amount of nodes and she requests they use a pediatric needle. Some offices have blood pressure cuffs for the legs particularly for this situation. Good luck! Pitt

    If they can't use either
    If they can't use either arm, they use your thigh for blood pressure.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #27
    A short discussion of the lymph system......
    The lymph system is actually another circulatory system in the human body. The veinous and the arterial are well known, and pretty dynamic, since they interact with the heart. Their eb and flow are controlled by, to varying degrees, the pumping action of the heart.

    But the lymph system is a bit different. It takes care of providing the cushioning fluid between the cells, and the nodes have the behavior of a traffic round...more of a directional system, than a suction/pressure system like the other two. For instance, when you scrape yourself without drawing blood, and a fluid appears, that's lymph at work! The lymph system eventually empties into the veins.

    Once this sytem is compromised, like the sentinel node removal most of we lumpectomy/mastectomy patients have likely had (ask your surgeon), the 'traffic round' is removed, and so it is even harder for the fluid to get to and from the area around the cells. These removed sentinel nodes are special in that they are the first nodes connected to the breast, so it is a great indicator of cancer spread and determines treatment options. The next set of nodes removed receive more fluid from the upper arm than the sentinels, and so, if removed, are a bit more likely to cause blockage and swelling of the arm. There are other pathways in the arm that do not use this, and will, to some extent, shoulder the burden left by removal of nodes.

    The idea of the 'special arm' is because it is hard to determine whose lymph system will continue to work, and whose won't, as a result of the surgery and the radiation to the area. As others have said, you need to be cautious with the arm...limit blood draws, do not have blood pressure cuff useage, etc...just to cut down on the chance of this trouble appearing. Just like people wearing seat belts in their car. BUT, that said, ask your doctor for exercises, etc that ARE ok...or ask for a referral to a special therapist to keep the arm as good as it can get.

    Hugs, Kathi

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