All breast cancer treatments have pros and cons that patients must consider in their choosing of the interventions to take. Breast surgery involves removing either part of the entire breast to manage cancers or any other issues. Usually, the treatment results from side effects like lymph edema. Patients and professionals must understand what causes the edema, how to treat it and diagnose it (Jørgensen et al., 2021). The information is also necessary for nursing because it helps in the planning and care for patients who develop it after breast surgeries.
The origin of post-surgery lymph edema is the destruction or disruption of lymph vessels during the surgery. The procedure involves surgeries cutting through lymph nodes and vessels. Therefore, the disrupted vessels release lymphatic fluids that do not drain away. Hence, the fluid accumulates in the breast and other areas like arms (Abouelazayem et al., 2021). Therefore, the primary cause is the fluid accumulation that causes the physical attributes of the condition. Usually, the condition comes with several symptoms. They include tight arms and full arms in the chest and armpits. Usually, clothing like bras and dresses that must fit the chest area do not appropriately fit. Patients also experience atypical pain in their arms. Movements may also be troublesome, and people may also develop weakness. It is also necessary to remember that even though it is usually post-surgery, it does not always develop immediately after surgery. Sometimes, it takes months and may start when least expected. Usually, the risk of having it remains active in the future post-surgery.
The condition limits people’s lives and, therefore, reduces their quality of life. For instance, the various symptoms that cause reduce people’s ability to work with their hands. The issues include hand-in pain, weakness, and reduced motion (Abouelazayem et al., 2021). Therefore, people whose work depends on their arms may be very affected. Lifting people and moving objects may be problematic if the symptoms become severe. Hence, people may be rendered unable to provide for their families. Also, the swelling causes heaviness (Jørgensen et al., 2021). Hence, they may not easily move or participate in social events. Therefore, it is important to treat patients proactively to reduce edema chances.
Understanding the condition may help improve nursing for patients. For instance, it may help guide their patient education. It is necessary to give information about what people should anticipate after their surgery. The condition remains possible any time after surgery. Hence, nurses who understand it can inform people that it may happen to them and advise them on what they should do. It may also help in diagnosis. Because the risk of getting it is usually high post-surgery, knowing the chances helps professionals to narrow down the diagnosis quickly (Jørgensen et al., 2021). Also, knowing the symptoms is necessary for diagnosis because it may help determine what to look for and the tests necessary to ascertain the diagnosis when it happens.
Lymph edema post-breast surgery is a common condition, especially for cancer patients after mastectomy. It causes pain and limits what patients can do because of their reduced hand movement. Nurses need to know it because people remain at risk of it any time after surgery. Therefore, they must remain prepared. Knowing about the edema and its causes simplifies nurses’ education when caring for post-surgery patients. Professionals must also inform patients before and after surgery to ensure that they remain prepared if it happens. Information also helps in its diagnosis and care to improve results.
References
Abouelazayem, M., Elkorety, M., & Monib, S. (2021). Breast lymphedema after conservative breast surgery: an up-to-date systematic review. Clinical Breast Cancer, 21(3), 156-161.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2020.11.017
Jørgensen, M. G., Toyserkani, N. M., Hansen, F. G., Bygum, A., & Sørensen, J. A. (2021). The impact of lymphedema on health-related quality of life up to 10 years after breast cancer treatment. NPJ breast cancer, 7(1), 70.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41523-021-00276-y
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