Re: Lympho drainage massage to reduce swelling

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara,

My surgeon didn't know anything about manual lymph drainage therapy,

and most everything I mentioned to him (like the homeopathic

remedies) he just shrugged and was really indifferent about it. He'd

had patients who did homeopathics and had no problems whatsoever, but

suggested I talk to the anaesthesiologist about it (which I did, 20

minutes before my surgery!!).

I referred a friend who had surgery recently for breast cancer to the

same therapist I saw, and she was very relieved and delighted with

the results. I also have a friend in our yacht club who was having

pain over a year after her chemo/radiation therapy for breast cancer

surgery, I referred her to the same therapist as well, and she said

it really made a big difference for her - she was having pain and a

lot of swelling in her hands doing simple things like playing a

musical keyboard or tennis. She is quite upset that her surgeon never

told her anything about it.

I think it's like many alternative therapies, if one doesn't study it

during one's professional studies (and perhaps if there's no $$$ in

it for you), it doesn't get any attention. I once had a general

physician who, hearing about my sleep problems, prescribed me

sleeping pills and told me not to come back. He admitted to having

only studied sleep problems for 10 minutes in medical school. Anyway,

I eventually saw a specialist and had a sleep study and was properly

diagnosed.

That's a lot more than you asked, I know! but I'm glad to talk to

someone who also takes advantage of these types of therapies.

As for the body, no, I think the therapy was limited to the face,

neck and shoulders. According to the drawings my therapist gave me

(they're posted in the files section on OSS2), the facial lymph

network drains through the neck into the collarbone area and then to

the heart. So what she taught me and practiced on me did the trick. I

do have a friend (also a referral from me, you'd think I'd get a cut

on this!) who saw her after knee surgery, good results as well. One

session, she even told me she was rushing out afterwards to tend to a

young child who'd had a bee sting.

Myself, I'm just amazed at what can be done without drug therapy.

> Thanks for this .

>

> I think the problem is that my technician didn't really understand

> what exact type of procedure I was having (although she said she

was

> also a nurse) so didn't think that I could have my face touched too

> much right after surgery. I guess I will have to ask my surgeon. I

> plan to do a session the day before my surgery and then hopefully

one

> just over a week later. I'm really glad to see that lymphatic

> drainage technique is finally coming over to North America. I used

it

> in Italy after I had nose surgery a few years back and it really

> helped reduce the swelling in record time as well as regenerate my

> numb nerves.

>

> One last question - were all the sessions that you did post-surgery

> just to the face or did you also do whole body?

>

> Thanks,

> Sara