TO LIFE

About 90 PERCENT OF WOMEN who will develop lymphedema do so within three years of breast cancer treatment. It occurs in about 20 PERCENT OF WOMEN who undergo axillary lymph node dissection.

A Survivor

JourneyLymphovenous Bypass Surgery

PINK YOUR RIDE

BY JENNY ENSLEN STUBBS

After six infections in 20 years, Joy to Life Foundation Co-founder Joy Blondheim is no stranger to the detrimental effects of lymphedema. When the last infection left her hospitalized for a week, she elected to undergo an innovative, cutting-edge surgery known as Lymphovenous Bypass Surgery.

What is Lymphedema?

Lymphedema is a condition affecting the body’s lymphatic system. When excess lymphatic fluid surrounds tissue cells, it causes excessive swelling in different areas of the body, most noticeably the arms and legs.

Swelling caused by lymphedema can be so minimal that changes are hardly noticed. But it can also cause swelling so significant that the use of your arms or legs becomes difficult. The symptoms of lymphedema caused by cancer treatment may not occur until months or even years after treatment.

In Joy’s case, a series of treatments due to her battle with breast cancer in the mid-1990s resulted in a decades-long struggle with the condition. And while lymphedema can sometimes develop after a trauma or infection, cancer patients who have lymph nodes removed or “stripped” oftentimes experience an increased risk for lymphedema.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LYMPHEDEMA AND THE LYMPHOVENOUS BYPASS SURGERY, VISIT MDANDERSON.ORG.

Good Onlyvibes

Read on for more on Joy's story and how a positive outlook has helped her.

What are lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes are small glands all around your body that are part of your immune system. Everyone has them, and they play an important role in keeping our bodies healthy.

WE’VE GOT MORE!

LISTEN UP! Find links to two highly informative podcasts from MD Anderson explaining in greater detail what lymphedema is and the amazing work being done to fight it and fix it on our website at joytolifemagazine.org.

MD Anderson, where Joy traveled to undergo breast cancer treatment, is at the center of many state-of-theart cancer treatments, including Lymphovenous Bypass Surgery, a procedure involving the removal of a patient’s lymph nodes to relocate them to other areas of the body affected by lymphedema.

What prompted you to move forward with Lymphovenous Bypass Surgery?

PICTURE of HEALTH

I’d experienced six infections in the last 20 years. Each infection got worse and worse, harder and harder to control. The last infection put me in the hospital for a week. One day, I heard on NPR the story of a woman who had gone through lympovenous bypass surgery and said it absolutely changed her life. I knew at that point I needed to strongly consider the surgery.

What measures were taken in preparation for your surgery?

“I decided early on in my battle with cancer and lymphedema to be as happy as I can each and every day. We all have trouble, but we must be grateful despite those challenges. It makes a difference.”

What has your recovery from the surgery been like?

-JOY BLONDHEIM

What was very interesting about my own lymphedema experience is when MD Anderson did the testing in preparation for my surgery, they estimated I was a Stage 2. But once they proceeded with the bypass surgery, they discovered I was actually a Stage 4, the most advanced stage of lymphedema. The doctors were astounded I did not suffer more than I had. They determined I must have been very dedicated to caring for myself during my time with lymphedema or, otherwise, I would not have been in nearly the shape I was. In fact, I decided early on in my battle with cancer and lymphedema to be as happy as I can each and every day. We all have trouble, but we must be grateful despite those challenges. It makes a difference. I would encourage anyone with lymphedema who is considering the surgery to consult with his or her physician.

The procedure required harvesting my lymph nodes from my abdomen and then transplanting those lymph nodes into my arm. Not surprisingly, that involves a big recovery. The entire lymph node transfer and by-pass surgery took about 9 hours and involved three doctors, with Dr. Schavarian being the lead surgeon. An additional six to eight weeks for recovery was also needed, as well as a two-week stay requiring I be near the hospital post-surgery.

Now that you’ve made it to this point post-surgery, what other precautions are needed for recovery?

I will wear a compression sleeve for up to six months, since compression is such an important element of the recovery process when it comes to lymphedema.

more joy

READ MORE ABOUT JOY’S LYMPHEDEMA JOURNEY PRE-SURGERY IN OUR FALL 2017 ISSUE AT JOYTOLIFE.ORG.