From the first moment my wife
discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…“It appears that the next event is breast reconstruction!”
discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…“It appears that the next event is breast reconstruction!”
Strangely, there
doesn’t SEEM to be much to comment on – except the elusiveness of lymphedema.
On occasion, the
area around my wife’s right implant swells. This is the side where the lymph
nodes were removed, so while it’s not surprising, how it comes and goes is
puzzling.
I did a bit of
research (now THERE’S a big surprise!) and found out that there’s nothing out
there that’s helpful…
The two subjects
– lymphedema and breast reconstruction after mastectomy – are well-covered. But
no one seems to have done any research into intermittent lymphedema. “About 7%
of women who have had lymph nodes removed will develop some swelling of the arm
after surgery, which is usually mild and goes away. Transient or temporary
lymphedema can also show up years after surgery. It can be caused by infection
or other reasons. This lymphedema is of more concern because it may become
permanent. Most women who develop permanent lymphedema do so within 4 years of
their breast cancer treatment, but it can also appear many years after surgery…Most
women don’t get lymphedema. The majority of women who develop arm lymphedema do
so within 4 years of breast cancer treatment. Lymphedema is likely to be
permanent, and only a few women will have temporary lymphedema.” (http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/PPI/TypesofCancer/Breast/Rehabilitation/default.htm)
While the
MECHANISM of lymphedema is well understood: transport of lymph from an
extremity back into the lymphatic system is interrupted the cause of extended
lymphedema is virtually unstudied. The interruption of transport has many
causes such as injury, infection, disease, or actual removal as in breast
cancer surgery.
What is called “temporary
lymphedema” when it is disconnected from an immediate injury, is not understood
at all. Lymphedema itself is the subject of numerous mythic treatments ranging
from taking diuretic pulls (believing that lymphedema is called by water
retention); using benzopyrones (which poison the liver) to making ultrasound work
NOT as a diagnostic tool but as a special usage that might be likened to the
use of “laetrile” during the 1930s through the 1970s: snake oil pure and
simple!
Why this
craziness?
Because
lymphedema – which only happens in 7% of breast cancer mastectomy and axillary
dissection patients – doesn’t happen to EVERYONE and so is fairly low on the
research grant list.
For those it
does happen to – the options are few, though one has held out some sense of
promise: lymphatic venous anastomosis. Keep an eye on the Breast Cancer
Research RIGHT NOW! posts for the latest news.
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