I had masectomy and lymph node clearance 3 years ago. I have recently developed lymphedema in my left arm.
I think i must had had mild swelling in my arm but not realised it until it began to feel uncomfortable.
I like to have a drink in the evening, however i have found i cannot tolerate more than one drink. With two beers and a small glass of wine i can get an awful hangover. I wake up ok feeling not too bad, but by midday i am nauseaus, have a throbbing headache and feeling exhausted to the point of having to lie down.
I was wondering if maybe my body is having problems dealing with the toxins in alcohol due to the lymph building up in my arm.
Otherwise i am very active, do gym twice a week, swim, cook and eat healthy food, i am slimā¦
I shouldnāt be drinking as a breast cancer survivor, i think i will have to stop completely since it doesnāt seem worth it to be honest. I get such terrible reactions from my body and it will only make the lymphedema worse.
I wonder if anyone else is experiencing similar intolerance to alcohol as a lymphedema sufferer.
Hi there,
Itās really interesting to read your post. I had a mastectomy and lymph clearance 8/22,finished chemo a year ago, just developed lymphodema. Since finishing my treatment I have developed intolerances to all sorts, mainly artificial sweeteners, have a headache just like you. Youāre the first person to have something similar so although itās not entirely the same, thought it may make you feel a little comforted, it has me xx
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Thanks. Strange about the sweeteners. Maybe they are difficult to process with a compromised lymphatic system. It seems to be such a mysterious condition. Why some people get it and others donāt.
Do you have to wear a compression sleeve for the lymphedema? I am wearing a mobyderm autofit (not all the time), feels a bit hit and miss at the moment. My arm swells up and down. Have only had two sessions with a physical therapist, she just does the massage but no advice, apart from getting the mobyderm.
I took it badly for a few days. I had completely put the cancer and treatment behind me and got on with my life. Such a shock to see my arm all swollen and realise it is chronic, messed up for life. Then decided just have to deal with it and make the most of it. Will force me to look after myself more.
I have an appointment with another specialist in next week. Hope it will be more helpful.
I was referred to a nutritionist but tbh, was no help. I got more info from doing a hair sensitivity test, wonder if that may help you? It breaks down actual ingredients rather than just āalcoholā.
Like you, I was gutted to be diagnosed with lymphodema, apparently quite common to feel like that, I wear a compression sleeve, think it helps, was shown simple lymphatic drainage massage but there was so much info all at once, I couldnāt take it all in, have contacted the clinic and been told 4 different things so Iāve not done anything as soooo confused! Got an appointment in may so Iāll write the sequence down then.
Have you got a local clinic you could approach for more help? X
Yes i feel confused as well. And the swelling seems very random, it goes into my foerarm, then my elbow, then in upper armā¦ sometimes when i wear the compression sleeve it seems to get better, sometimes not.
Self massages help, sometimes it is painful and tight and i get it back to feeling ok. Takes ages though.
Have a an appointment next week with a local phisiotherapist. Hope she will be more helpful.
Trying to stay positive and think this will make me take extra care of myself.
Hope you are coping well and managing swelling.
Hi,
pre node clearance I had reduced alcohol intake during chemotherapy, initially due to sore mouth then particularly throughout the 12 paclitaxel weeks as my alt measurement (liver) rose quite a lot out of the āGreenā range. Oncologist was relaxed about it, but I thought Iād just have a go at bringing into line. It worked and that plus my usual 2 coffees and plenty blueberries an broccoli kept it ok.
So now post node clearance with abemaciclib and letrozole, I find I canāt drink much at all without feeling tipsy, then horrid next day.
I donāt think I have lymphodoema but if I get a cold or have an immunisation things go a bit tight and I massage vaguely so that fluid can get over to the nodes which are between breasts and up in neck. I had radiotherapy to the ones above my collarbone and Iām unclear as to whether they have been permanently or temporarily disabledā¦
Iād only had 18 nodes in my armpit, 3 sentinel ones removed at first surgery (2 showing spread) and the remaining 15 were all clear. Many people including my sister in law had around 30 of them. I donāt know whether that means the surgery had to cut away a smaller amount of tissue to get them all 
Radiotherapy was late Feb to end March 2024 and node clearance was mid December 2023, chemo had finished mid November ā¦
Anyway I canāt drink and rarely do, but can enjoy a small glass of wine successfully. If people were having a cocktail, I used to just have a glass of wine anyway, but now have been enjoying āmocktailsā. I brew kombucha and often drink that 50/50 with fizzy water.
PS - husband has had to take a bit more care, as finishing a bottle of wine means heās had nearly all of it! 