Lymphoedema

@judys Yes, the French health system is excellent in many ways in what it offers free (for the time being) .
Do go ahead and ask specific medical questions here. There are people on this network with the skills to answer them. 

There is a kind group of volunteers nearby but they won't offer any medical advice. Which was just what I needed at the time.. I have the " my journey " kit.
I travel 40 km by paid taxi for treatment. My local taxi firm is great.  Friends are excellent. I live in a rural hamlet with cows for neighbours half way between Brive and Limoges. Cheers judys

Thanks @kmakm . Salut, @judys . I'm a francophile. Have spent lots of time in France over 40 years. Used to live in Paris 4ème. I spent 4.5 months there again early last year. Was diagnosed 30 November 2017. Left mastectomy, 12 cm lobular tumour removed and three papillomas excised on right. I have a saline expander and shall have changeover surgery for implant in about April 2019. After surgery, had five months of chemo then 25 days of radiation. Now on Letrozole. I developed lymphoedema a couple of months ago, and have a temporary constriction tube sleeve; shall get my proper sleeve next week. I hope it fits ok. As @Afraser said, not everybody gets it and her advice about trying to ward it off is very sound of course.

My French obsession saved my sanity during chemo - watching BFM TV online (Affaire Benalla etc. !) - I forgot about cancer for hours on end. I had intended to go to France again in April-May this year, but of course cancer changed that. My French friends rallied with parcels of books, magazines etc. and constant loving emails. 

I'm so glad you're on this forum; it will be a goldmine of information and support for you. I haven't heard about an online support network in France, though I assume one exists. What town/village are you in? Will you have to travel far for other treatments? I imagine you have a network of friends there; accept all the loving help they will offer.

You should be able to receive an electronic version of the "My Journey" kit from BCNA to download.

Bises,

Fran

About 4 hours south by train or car from Paris. In the Correze - rural France. Cheers judys

@judys I'm glad your daughter steered you here and that you've found it helpful. Whereabouts in France are you?

I hope you keep healing well. K xox

@Flaneuse See above  :)

Many thanks for the advice from all you souls in Oz. I live in France and I worked in Australia for over 30 years. My daughter who lives in Melbourne put me in contact with bcna. The system here is different but FREE. I don't have a breast cancer care nurse but just out of surgery  after a double mastectomy   I have a district nurse to visit daily and change dresssings etc. And a good GP.
 Also some hours of home help for a couple of weeks as I live on my own.
Your advice and help has been invaluable throughout 6 months of chemo and now the ROAD to RECOVERY. Radiation yet to come . Keep on keeping on and again thanks for clear and honest advice which is hard to find here even if I do speak quite good French. judys

Indeed @judys...everybody is different. I had six months of chemo before my bilateral mastectomy with node clearance on the left and sentinal node on the right. During chemo, I got every symptom listed, and some not even listed, but one thing I never had was nausea. I bought a plastic bucket for puking in, and it remains a virgin. Following my surgery, I've had no sign of lymphodema in either arm at all. I was expecting both and got neither...got plenty of other crap, but not those two common ones. 

@judys There's no certainty that you will get lymphoedema just be cautious about looking after yourself.  And do the exercises.  There is one that is recommended to keep the lymphatic system moving but you may have difficulty at the moment so please check with your bc nurse.  Stand up straight with your elbows out and you hand in front of your chest.  On a slow count of 5, breathing out, extend your arms straight out from your sides.  Hold that position and your breath for a sow 5.  Again, for 5, return you hands to the original position.  Do this 3-5 times.  Heard it from the president of the SA Lymphoedema Assoc.  Apparently, the key is to do it slowly.  

Hi @judys

Lymphoedema isn't automatic, you might have no problem. Keep up your exercises, may help it not occur. The thing I find hardest is that it can occur up to 15 years after surgery. I am almost grateful (not quite!) that I got it after 7 months, the tension could be killing! It can be temporary, it can be occasional or it might be with you for ever (as far as we know now, but that may change). I have the latter. I wear a compression sleeve. It sounds horrid, but I can choose to hate it or accept it and I find accepting it much easier all round. It took me a while to find the right one so if in that position my best advice is do not accept something that makes your life a misery - one of mine was badly fitted and like a good little soldier I persevered with it, making myself miserable (one of the few times I got in that state during treatment). It was all wrong and I should have got rid of it much earlier than I did.Most people with lymphoedema find the right balance of exercise, elevation, massage, compression etc for them - it can vary. Advice from a qualified and registered lymphoedema therapist at the outset is usually very helpful. Many of the old tales (you can't use your arm much, mustn't lift things etc) are now out of fashion but the impact may still vary a lot. I have no discomfort or heaviness at all, exercise (lift weights - not huge ones!), travel etc. Getting treatment as soon as you think something may be wrong is wise - don't put it off in the hope it may go away by itself - it may do so, but in that case you have lost nothing by getting early advice. Prevention is better than cure, so best wishes for staying free of it.