Lymphedema Treatment After Cancer

Going through cancer is a traumatic experience. If you have survived a battle with this disease, the first thing on your mind was probably survival, not the side effects of your surgery. With many breast cancer surgeries however, there are serious side effects such as Lymphedema. This serious problem causes a holding of fluids in the region where a surgery or radiation was done. If after your surgery or radiation you are having skin infections and constant swelling, you might be a good candidate for therapy that could help your condition.

There is a Lymphedema treatment available for you. One who is having this difficulty might have therapy that includes compression, a pneumatic pump, lymphatic drainage that is done manually, and bandages. There is another Lymphedema treatment that can be used as well. This more drastic way of dealing with the problem is called Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer. This surgery removes a lymph node as well as the surrounding fat, veins, and arteries from another area and puts them in the area that needs the Lymphedema treatment.

If you have tried some of the simpler therapies to no avail then you might consider finding a surgeon that offers Vascularized Lymph Node Transfer. Although it is more surgery and likely has a set of risks of its own, it will likely be worth it to get rid of the discomfort you are currently experiencing.

As you look for a specialist to help you with Lymphedema treatment, make sure that you find one that has helped other cancer patients. You might be able to get some contacts from your cancer center or other patients that you have become close to.

If you have not found recommendations here, you can also look on the internet for a variety of specialists. Make sure that if you go this route that you look at a few different specialists. You will want to take the time to meet with each in person and discuss your situation. It is important that you will find one that will have the same goals for helping you as you have for your healing. You will also want to make sure that they have the compassion as well as professionalism that you need to feel comfortable and confident. You might also want to try to find a specialist that your insurance might cover. Since it is not cosmetic, they may cover it, so it is wise to at least check into this.

Hopefully you will find a specialist that will offer the Lymphedema treatment that you need. Hopefully they will offer you the emotional support that you need as well.