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Watching Out for Lymphedema Apr 21, 2023 | By Angie Murad, Patient Educator (@muradangie)Comment receiving replies
Hi. Maybe you have seen my question about lymphedema in the breast cancer section. I developed lymphedema 2 years ago and at that time, I had lymph nodes involved after breast cancer diagnosis but no surgery. As of today, I had a unilateral mastectomy but still no lymph nodes were removed. My question is can I get in a wet sauna? I have read so much research and it seems to be split down the middle but everyone seems to say, be cautious. This sauna will cost me over $5000 and that's not a chance I want to take if it will cause lymphedema to he worse. What's your thoughts? Thanks
Replies to "Hi. Maybe you have seen my question about lymphedema in the breast cancer section. I developed..."
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Research that has been published included people who had lymph nodes resected, so your situation sounds different from what was specifically observed in those studies. You could trial a sauna before purchasing one for yourself, to see if that causes any swelling. Keep in mind that anytime you try something to see how the arm reacts, make sure to be ready to use any lymphedema management techniques you have used in the past to return the arm/body part to its usual size.