General Points :
- Learn again to use your arm on the operated side.
- Learn to treat your body carefully.
- Learn again to live a normal life.
- Don't let it limit your life through restrictions, instead feel your body and try all that makes you feel good.
Especially:
- Please avoid from the beginning over exertion as well as extensive heat or cold and especially injuries by engaging all kind of activities.
Preventive measures for your prosthesis:
- Be careful in regard to injuries, (kitchen knife) or
- Burn or extreme heat (from hot oven, iron, hot water, cigarettes and so forth)
- Scratches (caused from gardening, animal scratches etc.)
Clothing:
- Light clothing, which are not tight or restricting around your shoulder or the operated breast side.
- Please wear a light breast prosthesis and a brassiere with wide straps.
Personal hygiene:
- When preparing your nail hygiene, do not cut into the cuticle or push it back. Please use well tolerated cosmetics.
- Start slowly with sauna activities.
- Please don't take long sunbathes and ensure to cover your arm.
- Do not wear your wrist-watch as well as strangle rings or bangles on the operated side.
- Please do not have kneading massage on your arms.
- Protect your shoulder and arm against the influence of heat (hairdryer) when being at the hairdresser.
Sports:
- Avoid overexertion.
- Start slowly with playing tennis.
- Start again with skiing if you enjoy it, but protect yourself against frost damages.
- Be careful with any kind of sports bearing injury risks.
Food (Nutrition):
- Strive for your optimum weight.
- Balanced Nutrition (eat mainly no animal products).
- Try to stop smoking.
- Complete your healthy nutrition through abound physical movement at fresh air.
Holidays:
- When travelling to areas, infected with insects, protect your arm by wearing long-sleeved blouses or through insect-repellent.
- Avoid overexertion of your arm at a great heat.
At the doctor:
- Please do not take blood pressure measurements, injections, blood sample as well as acupuncture treatments on your arm at the operated side.
Measures when injured:
- Please clean and disinfect (sterilise) the wound and put on a sterile bandage.
- Call a doctor immediately in case of reddening or inflammation.
- Visit immediately a doctor in case of appearance of reddish-blue, bruise changing skin without injuring.
What else can you do avoiding a lymph node?
- Special preventive gymnastics (take a rubber ball in your hand and push it repeatedly daily 3 minutes with the hand of the operated side for training your musculature - thereby you can support the removal of the lymph).
- In between times take your arm in a higher position (when watching TV or having a walk).
What can you do if you have a lymph node?
- Advice through a experienced doctor.
- Special physical therapy (lymphatic drainage, circulatory restrictions).
- Wear the prescribed arm sleeve and carry out the prescribed special gymnastics regularly.
ARTICLE SOURCE: ANITA CARE
