Mammary lymphostasis

If swelling occurs during a malfunction of the lymph flow, doctors diagnose lymphostasis of the mammary gland, that is, a difficult outflow of lymph from the chest area.

Particularly severe forms of this disease are popularly referred to as elephantiasis.

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Causes mammary lymphostasis

As a rule, one of the problems that befalls a patient diagnosed with breast cancer is lymphostasis. This pathology occurs due to a violation in the natural selection of lymphatic fluid from the tissue intercellular space. Doctors have established two types of pathology: acquired and congenital. At the same time, the causes of lymphostasis of the mammary gland are different.

• Any injury, whether mechanical (bruise, fracture) or thermal (burns), can become a catalyst for the progression of the disease.
• Postoperative complications.
• A parasitic infection can be the cause of lymphostasis of the mammary gland.
• The pathology can develop against the background of cardiovascular diseases and kidney dysfunction.
• Various chronic diseases.
• As a result of treatment of malignant neoplasms by means of radiation therapy.
• Excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle may well be the reason that pushes the body to failure.
• If a woman has visited tropical countries, she may become infected with lymphatic filariasis, which is carried by local mosquitoes.
• Poor nutrition and stressful situations.
• Erysipelas.

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Symptoms mammary lymphostasis

This pathology is quite visual, and it is not very difficult to suspect its presence, since the symptoms of lymphostasis of the mammary gland are quite obvious.

• The swelling of the upper limb located on the side of the pathological area gradually increases.
• There is a disruption in the nutrition of the epidermis, as a result of which trophic ulcers of the skin may appear.
• Impaired lymph flow can lead to a deterioration in performance, both physical and mental.
• Headaches and a feeling of heaviness may occur.
• Aching pain in the joints, especially large ones.
• Problems with appetite appear. At the same time, a predisposition to evening overeating may develop.
• There are disruptions in the functioning of the digestive tract.
• The desire to cough up mucus increases.
• Chills appear.
• Metabolic processes in the patient's body slow down, which can lead to obesity, thyroid dysfunction (goiter), and diabetes. This pathology can provoke the development of neoplasms.
• Microcirculation of lymph is disrupted, which leads to fibrosis (pathological compaction), as well as trophic ulcers.

Forms

Lymphostasis in breast cancer

A malignant tumor affecting a woman's breast almost certainly requires surgical intervention, and the doctor excises not only the tumor itself, but also removes nearby tissues along with nearby lymph nodes to avoid further relapses and metastasis. Hence, lymphostasis in breast cancer is more a pattern than a rare exception. After removal of the lymph nodes, a completely expected failure in lymph flow occurs. About 90% of patients who have undergone this operation observe lymphostasis during the first month after radical therapy, and only the remaining ten percent are lucky enough to avoid it.

At an early stage of the pathology, the swelling is insignificant and does not bother its owner so much. Therefore, a woman rarely goes to see a doctor, for which she can pay with her health in the future. Often, such a delay in diagnosis and treatment can lead to disability, and in especially severe cases, to death. A more severe stage of the disease, lymphostasis of the mammary gland, is caused by the manifestation of elephantiasis of the limbs - this is the transition to the chronic stage of the disease. At this stage, the body's immune defense falls, making its owner more susceptible to infectious diseases, and the patient's psyche is also disturbed. At the same time, there is tension of the skin, which provokes the appearance of pain.

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Lymphostasis after mastectomy

Mastectomy is a radical method of stopping the problem of malignant neoplasms, which is caused by surgical excision of the pathological mammary gland. Complications often occur after the operation. One of the most common deviations can be called swelling of the upper limb, which is located on the side of the operation. The cause of this complication is lymphostasis after removal of the mammary gland.

Early postmastectomy edema is observed by doctors immediately after the operation. The reason for its occurrence lies in complications that arose immediately after the surgical intervention. For example, it can be lymphorrhea - this is when, as a result of the operation, the lymph node was damaged, and the lymph got into the interstitial space.

Late postmastectomy edema is mainly caused by lymph flow failures that occurred in the subclavian or axillary veins. In this case, the risk of skin lesions with erysipelas, the formation of trophic ulcers and edema, which leads to elephantiasis of the limb, rapidly increases. There is an almost direct dependence of the occurrence and progression of lymphostasis after mammary gland removal on the amount of lymphatic system that has undergone lymphadenectomy. The larger this volume, the higher the likelihood of complications. But there is no direct relationship between the amount of resected material and the volume of lymphostasis.

Diagnostics mammary lymphostasis

Quite a large percentage of women who had to face this problem, it is especially large in the case when a representative of the fair sex had to undergo a mastectomy. After such an operation, up to 90% of patients face this complication. Therefore, early diagnosis of lymphostasis of the mammary gland is one of the advantageous factors that are guaranteed to lead to an excellent health prognosis for the future.

• Initially, the specialist interviews the patient, trying to create a complete picture of the pathology.
• The second step is to examine the swelling.
• Conducts pulse diagnostics - a fairly simple, but nevertheless very informative diagnostic method that allows a qualified doctor to determine pathology based on the patient's pulse.
• Biochemical and clinical tests of the patient's blood are prescribed.
• Ultrasound examination of the venous system of the limb.
• Chest X-ray.
• Lymphography is a method of diagnosing the state of the human lymphatic system using a contrast agent and an X-ray machine.

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Treatment mammary lymphostasis

Modern medicine practices complex treatment of lymphostasis of the mammary gland, which is quite long, so a woman will have to be patient, going through this difficult path. In this case, doctors are inclined to conduct compression therapy, since surgical intervention is not effective in this situation. After all, lymphostasis of the mammary gland is a consequence, not a cause of pathology. Removing it will not solve the problem, adequate action on the root cause is necessary. Therefore, doctors practice:

• Upper limb bandage.
• The patient is prescribed the use of special compression underwear and hosiery.
• The doctor may prescribe a manual massage to the patient, draining the lymph flow. Lymphatic drainage is a method of removing stagnant fluid, in this case lymph, from the intercellular space of the human body.
• They use hardware variable pneumatic compression, which is a medical device consisting of a pump and special inflatable sleeves, boots and gloves. Such equipment is used to activate venous circulation in the limbs of patients.
• Laser therapy is the use of light energy from laser radiation that affects pathological areas in order to stop the disease.
• Magnetic therapy is a natural biological method based on the properties of magnets, which can reduce pain and activate wound healing processes.
• Acupuncture is the impact on certain biologically active points using special needles.
• Hirudotherapy (use of leeches in treatment) has proven itself not only in the rheology of blood properties and strengthening of blood vessel walls. It effectively works to restore the elasticity and resilience of the lymphatic system vessels, activates the outflow of lymph, normalizing its flow.

Other therapeutic methods are also used, but they all have their pros and cons and cannot definitely guarantee a favorable outcome. There is also no effective pharmacological agent capable of ensuring complete recovery from lymphostasis of the mammary gland.

• The doctor adjusts the patient's diet.
• Provides lifestyle recommendations.
• The need to avoid various stressful situations is discussed.
• Phytotherapy and drugs that support the digestive, immune, and lymphatic systems are included.

Sambru-5 is mainly prescribed to support digestion. Tablets (three pieces together) in a dosage of 500 mg are taken in the morning with hot water.

Ulchu-18 is a Tibetan herbal mixture that works to activate blood and lymph flow, cleanses the blood and lymphatic systems. The drug is taken as prescribed by a doctor in the amount of two to three grams, taken on an empty stomach together with wine, vodka or boiled water.

To relieve swelling, the doctor may prescribe diuretics, both medicinal and herbal infusions used in folk medicine.

Hypothiazide is an active diuretic. The drug is used orally before meals in a dosage of 25-50 mg per day. In case of a severe clinical picture, the amount of the drug can be increased and brought to 200 mg per day. The duration of administration is from three to seven days. If necessary, the attending physician can prescribe a repeat course of treatment in three to four days.

It is not recommended to prescribe hypothiazide to patients suffering from severe renal failure, as well as in the presence of gout or diabetes.

Apo-Hydro. Depending on the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of the patient's response to this drug, Apo-Hydro is taken once a day (in the morning) or twice in the first half of the day. The daily dosage is from 0.025 to 1 gram of the drug. The duration of administration is from three to five days. If medically necessary, the course of taking the drug can be repeated after three to four days.

Contraindications to the use of the drug: hypersensitivity to the components of the drug, gout, kidney disease, epilepsy, diabetes, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Decoctions of herbs such as parsley, fennel, honeysuckle, eggplant, burdock root, nettle, goldenrod, horsetail, oats, as well as many other herbs and infusions from them are excellent as diuretics.

Prevention

The basic principle on which the prevention of lymphostasis of the mammary gland is based is anti-edematous therapy. Its requirements:

• In the postoperative period, it is worth reducing the load on the arms: in the first year after excision, the weight should not exceed one kilogram, the next four years - the maximum load should be no more than two kilograms, and later - up to four kilograms.
• Try to protect the affected shoulder and upper limb from tension as much as possible.
• Minimize the duration of work performed with arms hanging down or when the body is in a bent position for a long time.
• Clothing should be loose and comfortable. Avoid tight clothing that constricts and squeezes the chest, shoulder, and upper limb.
• Avoid excessive overheating of the affected area and the hand as a whole.
• Avoid any physical damage: injuries, burns, cuts, punctures. Since with reduced immunity there is a high probability of infection.
• Try to control the position in which the patient rests: it is advisable to sleep on the back or on the side on the side of the healthy mammary gland.
• Necessary injections and other medical manipulations should be performed only in the healthy arm.
• If a woman notices changes in the color of her skin, an increase in temperature, or begins to feel pain, she must urgently consult her doctor.
• The doctor may recommend a special set of exercises that will help partially or completely cope with the problem.

There are several such preventive complexes, one of them is offered below. All exercises should be done without much strain, doing from four to ten approaches. If the patient feels that discomfort and unpleasant sensations have appeared during the performance of the treatment complex, the exercise should be stopped and go to the next stage or, after a short rest, continue the interrupted one.

• Sit comfortably and place your palms on your knees. Start rotating your hands in the wrist joint, trying not to strain the phalanges.
• The starting position of this exercise is similar to the first one. We begin to clench and unclench the phalanges of the fingers into a fist and back.
• We fix the left palm on the left shoulder, and the right on the right. Smoothly raise the elbows in front of us and just as slowly lower them.
• Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Tilt your body toward the pathological area. The "sick" arm should hang freely. Smoothly swing it back and forth.
• Raise the "sick" arm up and hold it in this position for five to ten seconds. If the exercise is difficult, you can help a little with your healthy arm at first.
• While inhaling, lift your upper limb (from the operated side) in front of you until your arm is parallel to the floor. Holding your breath, move it to the side, and only then lower it down, exhaling.
• Let's focus our attention on the shoulder joints. We begin smooth rotations, first forward, then in the opposite direction.
• Lock your hands behind your back and straighten them as much as possible at the elbow joint. Try to raise your straight arms, bringing your shoulder blades together. Return to the starting position.

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Forecast

The effectiveness of the treatment depends largely on the clinical picture, the severity of the pathology, the patient's age, and her general health. Therefore, the prognosis for breast lymphostasis is more favorable, the milder the pathology itself, as well as the time of the patient's visit to the doctor. The earlier a woman is diagnosed with the disease - breast lymphostasis, the sooner the treatment is started, the faster and more favorable the result awaits the woman in the future. Do not forget that this disease is classified as a chronic progressive pathology. And if adequate measures are not taken in time to stop it, the complications will only worsen, moving from one phase to another, more severe stage. If lymphostasis is caught at the stage of inception and the necessary treatment is carried out, there is a high probability of obtaining long-term remission and a progressive decrease in swelling.

Today, breast cancer in women, as sad as it may sound, has firmly taken the first place among this pathology of various localizations. And most patients who have undergone surgery, to a greater or lesser extent, face such a postoperative complication as lymphostasis of the mammary gland. No woman is immune from this, but it depends only on her how soon the correct diagnosis will be made and adequate measures taken to quickly stop this problem. At the same time, it is worth remembering that it is impossible to completely cure this disease, but it is quite possible to drive it into a long-term remission. To do this, you just need to be a little more attentive to yourself and your health, and at the first signs of a complication, immediately seek help from a specialist. Do not forget that lymphostasis of the mammary gland can manifest itself even several years after the operation, so you should not weaken your vigilance in the future.

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