Auxiliary Clearance
Having to make a decision on having an Auxiliary Clearance. Any experiences greatly appreciated
Forum Discussion
Hi @stujai - no need to be sorry - only Team Chirpy over here! :wink:
So far so good with no side effects - it's only 5 weeks today though. I was back at work 2 weeks after my double mastectomy and axillary clearance and also driving - but I only started driving my usual car, which is a manual Tarago about a week ago - for the first couple of weeks I drove an auto because I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable changing gears with my left arm. Having no issues with anything at this stage, I can't extended my left arm 100% completely straight up but nearly there. I can easily wash my hair, reach up to get things from shelves and carry my laptop, shopping bags (not really heavy ones) etc. I guess also because it's my left arm and I'm right-handed it made no difference to tasks like chopping veges, which I was doing the day I came home from hospital - 9 days after surgery.
In a couple of weeks I'm going for an L- Dex Measurement. An L-Dex device measures extracellular fluid to detect signs of lymphedema. It determines whether or not you're building up excess fluid. My Breast Care Nurse took a baseline L-Dex reading before my surgery and subsequent readings will see whether or not there's a significant increase in fluid. I'll also ask about lymphatic massage to minimise the risk of lymphedema in the future.
They couldn't use my left arm to take my blood pressure in hospital and they don't like to take blood or give chemo in the limb that has had a full axillary clearance because it increases the risk of cellulitis, which then can lead to lymphedema.
Hope that helps! Please ask anything an all. xxxx
So far so good with no side effects - it's only 5 weeks today though. I was back at work 2 weeks after my double mastectomy and axillary clearance and also driving - but I only started driving my usual car, which is a manual Tarago about a week ago - for the first couple of weeks I drove an auto because I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable changing gears with my left arm. Having no issues with anything at this stage, I can't extended my left arm 100% completely straight up but nearly there. I can easily wash my hair, reach up to get things from shelves and carry my laptop, shopping bags (not really heavy ones) etc. I guess also because it's my left arm and I'm right-handed it made no difference to tasks like chopping veges, which I was doing the day I came home from hospital - 9 days after surgery.
In a couple of weeks I'm going for an L- Dex Measurement. An L-Dex device measures extracellular fluid to detect signs of lymphedema. It determines whether or not you're building up excess fluid. My Breast Care Nurse took a baseline L-Dex reading before my surgery and subsequent readings will see whether or not there's a significant increase in fluid. I'll also ask about lymphatic massage to minimise the risk of lymphedema in the future.
They couldn't use my left arm to take my blood pressure in hospital and they don't like to take blood or give chemo in the limb that has had a full axillary clearance because it increases the risk of cellulitis, which then can lead to lymphedema.
Hope that helps! Please ask anything an all. xxxx