Lymphedema in the chest wall

Let me make clear that this has not been a constant problem for 7 years ! Initially right after I finished radiation it got pretty bad and very painful. After I did lymphedema clinic it got much better very quickly. I have flare ups especially when I over use my arm as in yard work etc. I would say that I go weeks w/o any problems at all and then there will be a spell of discomfort but nothing like I experienced at first. Have learned to notice symptoms early on and get back to self massage and using my lymphepress machine. Usually clears up again in a day or so. BTW my insurance covered most of the expense for my machine. BCBS You might look in to that. Has been a life saver for me. Takes about an hour and I usually go to sleep, lol

I haven't had treatment yet, but I had a visit with a lymphedema OT/PT to learn about lymphedema and how to control it before I have a bilateral mastectomy. They also did LDEX reading and took baseline measurements on my arms - and my thorax/chest. There's does seem to be a focus on our arms because our breast tissue extends into the axilla (armpit) but since it all drains back to the thorax, it makes sense that we could get lymphedema there too. That's probably why they took a measurement of my chest. The pre-surgery exercises I was given seem to focus on the arms but they also gave me a couple of neck ones to move lymph toward the chest and some abdominal ones to move fluid toward my center/belly button. I would be interested to know more about treatment for lymphedema as well.

I'm curious, and if you don't mind answering, were you given an lymphedema exercises to do before your procedures?

@anatomary how to figure if you have a lymphedema massage therapist who is doing the right job?