Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing [Paperback]

Jeannie Burt (Author), Gwen White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2005

Women who undergo surgery for breast cancer may end up with lymphedema, a painful, visible swelling, usually of the arm. Coming to their aid, Lymphedema lays out the many options for preventing and treating the condition. The book provides information on reducing lymphedema through professional therapy as well as exercise and self-massage, plus helpful illustrations and additional resources. It also tells encouraging stories of women who have dealt with lymphedema successfully. With updates throughout on the latest research, products, and techniques, this new edition features expanded nutrition and exercise sections and covers naturopathy, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine, as well as potential future therapies being tested.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Lymphedema is a swelling caused by an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in tissues and is common among women who have undergone breast cancer surgery with axillary node dissection and/or radiation. Yet prior to surgery, most women are unaware of this condition and the heartache it can bring. Burt, a human resources consultant and breast cancer patient who has been affected by lymphedema, and White, a physical therapist, have put together an informative little book that should help all women suffering from the condition, at least to some degree. In the past, many women were told they would have to live with the swollen arm and lack of mobility that appeared after their surgery. Burt and White present treatment plans, massage therapies (professional and self-administered), and exercise regimens to alleviate or diminish this surgical aftermath. Though the authors advise vigilance to keep the skin and affected arm as healthy as possible, unfortunately, lymphedema can strike many years after surgery. Their useful guide will help women remain active and, one hopes, less obsessed with the "other" results of breast cancer. Recommended for patient health collections.
-Bette-Lee Fox, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

In 2004, 275,000 women in the U.S. were diagnosed with breast cancer. For any of them who have surgery or are treated with radiotherapy, lymphedema — a disfiguring, painful swelling, usually of the arm — is a possible side-effect. About 25% of breast cancer surgery patients, or 50,000 women annually, experience lymphedema.

Most doctors suggest that little can be done, but the authors of Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient’s Guide to Prevention and Healing believe that, on the contrary, something can be done. By Gwen White P.T., and Jeannie Burt, this book explains what a woman can do to prevent or minimize the condition. It provides extensive information on reducing lymphedema through professional therapy as well as exercise and self-massage. It also covers compression garments and pumps, diet, the effects of environmental chemicals, and the benefits of relaxation.

Complete with more than 60 illustrations, Lymphedema also shows patients how to find emotional support and resources for additional help. Personal stories of women who have successfully dealt with lymphedema highlight practical issues and give patients hope for the future.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Hunter House; 2nd edition (September 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089793458X
• ISBN-13: 978-0897934589
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Cancer > Lymphatic
  • #54 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Cancer > Breast Cancer

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Helps Person in Small Town, May 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing (Paperback)

I have had lymphedema for several years. I live outside a very small town which does not have a person who knows how to treat lymphedema. I found this book on Amazon.com and it gave me information that helped find a therpist in another city.

I must travel nearly two hundred miles to reach my therapist, but with her help and with the information in this book, the swelling has gone down and my arm is almost back to normal. In another couple of weeks I should not need to see the therapist any longer. Because of the detailed information in this book, and because of the therapist's instructions I know how to bandage my arm, what kind of sleeve to wear on it, exercises I should and should not do, even what kind of breathing helps my arm not swell.

I don't know what I would have done if this book had not been available. I wish it had been written years ago when my swelling began. I recommend it very highly.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important, life-saving reading for women at risk., March 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing (Paperback)

Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide To Prevention And Healing describes the many options women have. It emphasizes active self-help and provides extensive information on preventing lymphedema; reducing lymphedema through professional therapy; reducing lymphedema through exercise and self-massage; selecting and using wraps and compression garments; eating right to manage lymphedema; finding emotional support; and locating resources for additional help. Jeannie Burt (a former lymphedema sufferer) and Gwen White (a practicing physical therapist specializing in the treatment of women with lymphedema) have collaborated to write an informative, "reader friendly" text, enhanced with more than fifty illustrations and encouraging stories of women who have dealt with lymphedema successfully using the methods described. Lymphedema is highly recommended reading for anyone suffering from or at risk for breast cancer.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Help, November 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lymphedema: A Breast Cancer Patient's Guide to Prevention and Healing (Paperback)

I found this book very informative and comforting. It not only tells about lymphedema, about why it starts and what can be done about it, but the book has the stories of other women with lymphedema and shows what they are doing for their condition. It helped make me aware that I am not the only person to have had problems after I was treated for breast cancer. Since my therapy for lymphedema I have used this book to maintain my arm's shape. I think the book is a wonderful guide. It was a real relief for me to find this book.