Once the breast cancer is over, life is not always a rose path. Many survivors of this type of tumors face lymphedema, a side effect of their little known but devastating treatment.
It consists of a difficult complication that may appear after treating breast cancer, causing certain parts of the body to inflame, especially arms. This inflammation or swelling happens because the lympic system, which normally drains the liquid of the body, It may not work well after cancer treatment.
The problem is that, more all of the physical symptoms, the lymphedema also affects how women feel with respect to their body.
Cancer can be treated with xito, but sometimes new complications arise
Concerned about their consequences, a group of researchers from the European University decided to conduct a study to understand how the lymphede changes change the way these women see their bodies and how they affect them in the day. The conclusions were published recently in Breast Cancer Research .
To better understand the problem, the researchers carried out a study with twenty women who went through this experience. We also include the opinion of doctors with deep knowledge on the subject. We collect all this information through interviews, notes and letters of those affected.
The study led to two main conclusions. First, that the lymphedema after a breast cancer surgery is considered by these women as a new disease. And second, to deal with this new situation can lead to DRSTICAL CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE. Women learn to take care of themselves differently see their bodies differently.
Look in the mirror and not recognize
Although medicine has advanced a lot, living with lymphedema is a great challenge. On the one hand it affects the ability to properly drain the lymphatic liquid of the area causing swelling, tightening of the skin, being able to cause recurrent infections.
But not only affects the body, but also how these women feel, being able to affect their personal, social and work sphere.
It is very hard to look in the mirror and see you mutilated and not recognize you, or feel that your body limits you in things as simple as cleaning or dressing, it declines an affected.
You feel inflated like a bale, when I see myself in a photo I do not recognize or I am obsessed with sleeping with my high arm so that I do not swell more are other of the testimonies of these women. They are situations that can be extremely hard.
The study has also concluded that these women normally learn to take care of new ways showing a great adaptation capacity. In the new situation that the lymphedema poses, it is necessary to adapt, seek help and find ways to feel better.
But more than personal resilience, it is important to publicize the lymphedema and its possible treatments to both health professionals and affected women. Today in DA, complex decongestant therapy, based on manual lymphatic drainage, content measures, hyginic-dietic measures and exercise, is considered the most adequate treatment and with greater scientific support.
That is why it is so necessary that people know about the existence of lymphedema, to better support women who face the continuous disassembly of living with him.