Grade 3 breast cancer

You will hear it said a lot on here (but that is because it really does help you through), just take it one step at a time. This is a marathon not a sprint but you do get little recovery breaks along the way. You will not feel bad all the time and there will be times when you feel ok, maybe even good! I had massage, laser and taping (using sports tape) for excess fluid on my chest after my mastectomy. This went on for a couple of months until things settled. All was good and I thought I had a low risk of having any more trouble (only 8 nodes removed) until a few weeks ago when my arm and fingers had some swelling develop. I have treated this with massage, compression sleeve and exercise (water aerobics is VERY good for lymphedema control). I am now about to have a week of intensive treatment (at a Lympedema Clinic at Icon Cancer Care in Chermside, Qld) and am told that if I follow their instructions regarding long term maintenance there is an excellent chance that I will not have any more trouble. That gives me hope that lymphedema will not be something that interferes with my life for long! If I have learnt anything out of all this it is that once you start to tackle the challenges of this situation things get more manageable. Keep looking forward but just to the next step. The time just keeps progressing once you are involved in treatment and it actually goes pretty fast. This network is a wonderful place to get support from others who really know how you feel. Take care and keep in touch. Deanne xxx