“Across the board, women with breast cancer had more disability and lower function of the arms and lower quality of life.” In the breast cancer group, the participants — who were from 30 to 69 years of age — underwent their initial cancer treatment anywhere from one to 15 years ago.
Fisher estimates anywhere from 12 percent to 30 percent of breast cancer patients will develop secondary lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a buildup of lymph fluid in the fatty tissues just under the skin, according to Dr. Melissa Roelle, medical director for the High Risk Breast Center at Miami Valley Hospital South. This buildup causes swelling (or edema) most often in the arms for breast cancer patients. Lymphedema can result from surgery or radiation therapy to treat the cancer.
“It can be mild, which in most cases it is,” Roelle added, or so severe there is limited mobility in the wrist, fingers and elbow because the arm is so tight.
Fisher added the extent of the breast cancer surgery, the number of lymph nodes involved and a high Body Mass Index increase the risk of a woman developing lymphedema.
Weightlifting may play a key role in preventing lymphedema, according to research last year from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Overall, the investigators found that a slowly progressive weightlifting regimen did not increase the women’s chances of getting lymphedema.
In fact, weightlifting cut the risk of developing the condition during the yearlong study by 35 percent: Eleven percent of women in the weightlifting treatment group developed lymphedema, compared to 17 percent of those in the control group, who did not change their normal physical activity level.
Leatha Boone, 65, knows firsthand the limitations lymphedema can pose since her 1999 modified radical mastectomy during which she had 23 lymph nodes removed. Since her right arm is bigger than her left arm – along with the added bulk of the compression sleeve and glove she wears – finding clothes that fit well is a challenge. She turns to her trusty sewing machine to craft garments that are flattering.
“Sometimes my arm gets tight, and it feels like my skin is going to pop,” said the Riverside resident, who participated in the UD study. “My lymphedema isn’t painful, but it is an inconvenience.”
“Lymphedema can develop anywhere during the person’s whole spectrum of treatment. It could be during radiation or chemotherapy or it could develop 10 or 20 years later,” explained Theresa Walchner, a physical therapist and Lymphology Association of North America-certified lymphedema specialist at Good Samaritan Hospital.
She said the condition is chronic, but it can be managed through a healthy lifestyle, including exercise, a sensible diet and maintaining ideal weight.
In addition to exercise, other components of treatment for lymphedema include proper skin hygiene to eliminate bacterial and fungal growth; manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) to allow the limb to return to near normal size; and bandaging and compression to help maintain the size of the arm.
Life adjustments
Gail Counts, an area physical therapist who is certified in MLD and complete decongestive therapy, said it is essential that patients understand lymphedema and make the necessary lifestyle adjustments.
To maintain her lymphedema, Boone exercises daily and wears a compression sleeve and glove during the day. At night, she switches to a JoViPak arm sleeve. Three times a week, Boone uses the Flexitouch system, which is essentially a programmable pneumatic compression device that mimics MLD and mobilizes the lymphatics to remove excess fluid from the compromised regions of the body and into the functioning vascular system.
“I am pretty much able to do what I could do before the breast cancer,” said Boone, who also attends a lymphedema support group the second Monday of each month in Beavercreek.
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