Today I started Physical Therapy. I am seeing a Physical Therapist named Shelly. I liked her right away. Not only is she a Physical Therapist but she is a Lymphedema Specialist and the owner of her Physical Therapy business. Women who have had mastectomies come from all over the area to see her and I can see why. She is exactly what I would want in a Physical Therapist: kind and friendly yet gets right down to business and has high expectations. Exactly what I need.
First, she evaluated my range of motion in my arms. It is better than she expected at 3.5 weeks post-surgery. Hooray! I will take that as a win. My left arm continues to be better than my right arm because Dr. Lisa took out the lymph tissue on my right side, so it has more healing to do than my left.
My arms have come a long way. For about 10 days, maybe even 2 weeks, after surgery, Chris and the boys told me I had "T-Rex arms."
These days, I can shampoo my own hair, blow dry it, and pull it into a pony tail by myself. I know that doesn't sound like much, but if you have been through this, you know it is a BIG DEAL!
I still can't scoop my own ice cream (Coconut Bliss! I will talk more about my diet later) or open a bottle of wine or vacuum...all things I would like to do, but I am getting there. I also can't carry full laundry baskets, but I am going to milk that one as long as I can!
After my arms, Shelly evaluated my shoulders. My shoulders are not in the best shape. They are supposed to sit down and back and mine are up and forward, common among women who have had mastectomies. We want to hunch forward and in because it hurts to put our shoulders down and back. If we don't work on this, it can become a significant problem.
We did several stretched for both my arms and my shoulders and I am very sore afterwards. I will continue to work on the exercises at home and see her again next week.
Finally, she evaluated me for lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a life-long condition where the lymph fluid doesn't drain properly and creates swelling - in this case - of the arms. The swelling can be moderate or very severe and can come and go as "flares."
People who have mastectomies are at risk of developing Lymphedema in their arms. If they have lymph nodes or lymph tissue removed, the risk increases. The more lymph nodes that are removed, the greater the risk. If one has radiation on top of that, the risk is even greater because radiation can further damage the lymph system.
The good news for me is that I only had lymph tissue removed on my right side. I do not need radiation or chemo so my risk is slightly lower, however it is there. Shelly said I will continue to have a slight risk on my left side as the tissue was slightly disrupted, but for sure the risk on my right side is much higher.
Shelly scared me just a little bit when she measured my arms and found my right arm to be slightly bigger than my left arm.
Also- she asked me if I had any swelling in my hands or fingers and I actually have had swelling in my right hand. It happened twice when I was walking around the loop in my neighborhood (I just started back to walking & it feels great). Both times, the swelling was significant enough for my ring not to come off. I didn't think much of it at the time, but hand swelling is definitely not normal for me. It was not something I had prior to surgery.
I am reminding myself that it could also be swelling because of my kidneys which I know are not great right now - post surgery.
I am not overly concerned about my right arm being slightly bigger than my left as I am right handed and do much more with my right arm, so maybe that arm is stronger?
She was not overly concerned, but she did say it was something to watch.
I ordered my first "sleeve" which is a compression sleeve for my right arm.
I would have needed one anyways, despite the "red flags," as a preventative measure. I ordered a pink one. I should have it by my next appointment next week.
She said to wear it when I am walking, running, gardening, and/or doing anything more strenuous than usual.
Here's hoping I don't develop lymphedema.
First, she evaluated my range of motion in my arms. It is better than she expected at 3.5 weeks post-surgery. Hooray! I will take that as a win. My left arm continues to be better than my right arm because Dr. Lisa took out the lymph tissue on my right side, so it has more healing to do than my left.
My arms have come a long way. For about 10 days, maybe even 2 weeks, after surgery, Chris and the boys told me I had "T-Rex arms."
These days, I can shampoo my own hair, blow dry it, and pull it into a pony tail by myself. I know that doesn't sound like much, but if you have been through this, you know it is a BIG DEAL!
I still can't scoop my own ice cream (Coconut Bliss! I will talk more about my diet later) or open a bottle of wine or vacuum...all things I would like to do, but I am getting there. I also can't carry full laundry baskets, but I am going to milk that one as long as I can!
After my arms, Shelly evaluated my shoulders. My shoulders are not in the best shape. They are supposed to sit down and back and mine are up and forward, common among women who have had mastectomies. We want to hunch forward and in because it hurts to put our shoulders down and back. If we don't work on this, it can become a significant problem.
We did several stretched for both my arms and my shoulders and I am very sore afterwards. I will continue to work on the exercises at home and see her again next week.
Finally, she evaluated me for lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a life-long condition where the lymph fluid doesn't drain properly and creates swelling - in this case - of the arms. The swelling can be moderate or very severe and can come and go as "flares."
People who have mastectomies are at risk of developing Lymphedema in their arms. If they have lymph nodes or lymph tissue removed, the risk increases. The more lymph nodes that are removed, the greater the risk. If one has radiation on top of that, the risk is even greater because radiation can further damage the lymph system.
The good news for me is that I only had lymph tissue removed on my right side. I do not need radiation or chemo so my risk is slightly lower, however it is there. Shelly said I will continue to have a slight risk on my left side as the tissue was slightly disrupted, but for sure the risk on my right side is much higher.
Shelly scared me just a little bit when she measured my arms and found my right arm to be slightly bigger than my left arm.
Also- she asked me if I had any swelling in my hands or fingers and I actually have had swelling in my right hand. It happened twice when I was walking around the loop in my neighborhood (I just started back to walking & it feels great). Both times, the swelling was significant enough for my ring not to come off. I didn't think much of it at the time, but hand swelling is definitely not normal for me. It was not something I had prior to surgery.
I am reminding myself that it could also be swelling because of my kidneys which I know are not great right now - post surgery.
I am not overly concerned about my right arm being slightly bigger than my left as I am right handed and do much more with my right arm, so maybe that arm is stronger?
She was not overly concerned, but she did say it was something to watch.
I ordered my first "sleeve" which is a compression sleeve for my right arm.
I would have needed one anyways, despite the "red flags," as a preventative measure. I ordered a pink one. I should have it by my next appointment next week.
She said to wear it when I am walking, running, gardening, and/or doing anything more strenuous than usual.
Here's hoping I don't develop lymphedema.
You should ask for lymphedema massage! When I had my Cat Scratch Fever and my arm was so swollen I had PT for lymphedema. I also I had a sleeve for several months. The massage really helped and it felt good too. The sleeve helped too! Mine was flesh brown like nylons but pink is awesome! Hugs my friend!! <3
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