I have just returned from a cholesterol blood test at my GP surgery, We were chatting and the nurse was taking blood when she asked which side my surgery had been. When I told her she said that she shouldn’t have taken blood from that side because I had had some nodes removed. Neither can I have blood pressure taken on that arm because of the risk of lymphoedema. She advised me to buy a special wrist band. Thought this information would be useful to you all because it had never been mentioned to me. Just ordered one from Amazon.
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Such a good idea-thank you x
The phlebotomist at my hospital said as long as it’s been over a year it’s fine to take blood from the side the lymph nodes had been removed. He said we can take out but we can’t put anything in.
The charity Lymphodema Support Network will send out free medical alert wristbands on request. They also provide excellent advice and support x
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Arghhh just bought one xx
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If there is an alternative, avoid blood pressure measurements, injections, infusions or blood samples in the ‘at risk’ quadrant. While robust evidence is lacking that these things cause swelling, they reflect a common sense approach.
This is advice from the Lymphoedema Support Network.
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I was given some cards with the information written on it by my breast care team. Have one in each purse or handbag 
Great advice. I’ve had a bilateral lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy. So neither side recommended! However been told risk is lower for sentinel node that complete clearance, esp after a couple of years.