Suggest Treatment For Lymphedema In Left Arm

Posted on Fri, 2 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 2 Oct 2015 Answered on

Tue, 20 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have lymphodema in my left arm due to mastectomy surgery 5 years ago. It is more swollen and more painful than usual and is displaying blotchy red spots through the skin of my upper arm.

Answered by Dr. Sassen S Kwasa (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Compression bandages are mainstay therapy

Detailed Answer:
Welcome to HCM. As you may already know the lymphedema will always persist, there are surgical microsurgical methods that you will need to discuss with your regular doctor, but for now, massaging the area will facilitate flow (drainage). Then you can have a sleeve that acts like a compression bandage to push the lymph and prevent it from pooling in the affected area. I hope this helps, remember the more the lymph pools, the more sore your skin will be and at times it will ooze from the surface of the skin. Good luck

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T