Clarification needed…
[QUOTE=homeagain]This is a Breast Cancer site that is good, and while it focusses on the arms/hands, it gets down to the whys and wherefores.
My own ‘edema’ is in my feet, and not due to diabetes, rather another autoimmune issue. That issue ‘presented’ itself 6 months after my CIDP onset and 12 months after the CIDP onset a BC lump was found. Fortuneately, I’d not had any lymph glands affected yet.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Don’t fall asleep with the heating pad on your feet! That didn’t help w/my own swelling! In fact for a while I HAD to llive with blue toes just to keep the swelling down! I now have what I believe is permanent damage due to that ‘falling asleep’ issue. I’ve found ‘Bed Buddy’ things that you heat in the microwave work well [providing that you use a lite towell between you and the ‘heater’ at first] and just using your hair dryer on lo blowing on really cold feet. These are safer in the long run, as you are like a diabetic in that you likely won’t know if you’re burning yourself!
Hoping this helps…. Take special care please.[/QUOTE]
Homeagain, I am confused :confused: — this isn’t a breast CA site, it is a GBS/CIDP site. Perhaps you meant to put a link or website in your post and forgot?
FYI, the lymphedema from breast CA, typically occurs when a large number (sometimes just a few) of lymph nodes in the armpit area are removed due to the cancer surgery. A compression garment can be worn on the arm to help keep this down, but some people still have severe problems with the swelling anyway. I work with a lady in that condition. She has been in a compression garment for at least a year and one can tell that her arm is almost twice the size of the other arm.
Great reminder regarding the heating pad! It seems like no matter HOW many times people are reminded of this fact, it still happens 🙁 .
Always, always have a protectant between a heating pad and the skin and also a heating pad that has an automatic shut off (like after 1/2 hour) is an excellent idea and worth the extra minimal cost for safety 🙂 .