Experiences of living with non-cancer-related lymphedema: implications for clinical practice
- PMID: 17220392
- DOI: 10.1177/1049732306297660
Experiences of living with non-cancer-related lymphedema: implications for clinical practice
Abstract
Lymphedema is a chronic medical condition caused by lymphatic insufficiency that can lead to extreme swelling and susceptibility to infection. Physical and psychosocial effects of the condition can have a significant impact on an individual's life and level of participation. Research about experiences of individuals living with lymphedema has focused primarily on women with breast cancer, yet individuals with non-cancer-related lymphedema are a distinct group. In this study, the authors used qualitative description to explore the experience of 7 individuals living with advanced and complicated cases of lymphedema who had been treated in an inpatient setting. Findings reveal the extensive impact lymphedema has on those who live with it. Participants spoke of difficulty finding a correct diagnosis and effective treatment, the importance of their inpatient experiences, and the challenges of daily self-management. The authors make recommendations to increase lymphedema awareness, promote inpatient treatment programs, and create effective self-management techniques.
Similar articles
-
Women's experiences of lymphedema.Oncol Nurs Forum. 1997 Jun;24(5):875-82. Oncol Nurs Forum. 1997. PMID: 9201739
-
The experience of lower limb lymphedema for women after treatment for gynecologic cancer.Oncol Nurs Forum. 2003 May-Jun;30(3):417-23. doi: 10.1188/03.ONF.417-423. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2003. PMID: 12719742
-
Home-based lymphedema treatment in patients with cancer-related lymphedema or noncancer-related lymphedema.Oncol Nurs Forum. 2008 Jul;35(4):671-80. doi: 10.1188/08.ONF.671-680. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2008. PMID: 18591171
-
[Lymphedema in patients with breast cancer--a consensus regarding diagnostics and therapy in patients with postoperative lymphedema after primary breast cancer].Rehabilitation (Stuttg). 2007 Dec;46(6):340-8. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-985170. Rehabilitation (Stuttg). 2007. PMID: 18188805 German.
-
Lymphedema: a primer on the identification and management of a chronic condition in oncologic treatment.CA Cancer J Clin. 2009 Jan-Feb;59(1):8-24. doi: 10.3322/caac.20001. CA Cancer J Clin. 2009. PMID: 19147865 Review.
Cited by
-
LIMPRINT: The UK Experience-Subjective Control of Swelling in Patients Attending Specialist Lymphedema Services.Lymphat Res Biol. 2019 Apr;17(2):211-220. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2019.0020. Lymphat Res Biol. 2019. PMID: 30995196 Free PMC article.
-
A qualitative systematic review and meta-aggregation of the experiences of men diagnosed with chronic lymphoedema.J Res Nurs. 2022 Dec;27(8):704-732. doi: 10.1177/17449871221088791. Epub 2022 Sep 20. J Res Nurs. 2022. PMID: 36530746 Free PMC article.
-
Worldwide assessment of healthcare personnel dealing with lymphoedema.Health Econ Rev. 2018 Apr 16;8(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s13561-018-0194-6. Health Econ Rev. 2018. PMID: 29663122 Free PMC article.
-
Comparing the experience of individuals with primary and secondary lymphoedema: A qualitative study.Braz J Phys Ther. 2021 Mar-Apr;25(2):203-213. doi: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2020.05.009. Epub 2020 Jun 1. Braz J Phys Ther. 2021. PMID: 32518025 Free PMC article.
-
Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS, version 1) in breast cancer patients.Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2018 Jun 28;16(1):132. doi: 10.1186/s12955-018-0958-z. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2018. PMID: 29954381 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
