My fat arm: living with lymphoedema following treatment for breast cancer

Abstract

Lymphoedema of the arm is a common side effect of breast cancer and its treatment. Until recently there has been little recognition of the condition among health professionals. Most of the professional literature on the topic comes from a scientific perspective. This study adds another dimension. The foremost concern here is the 'lived experience' of arm lymphoedema for six Otago women who have had breast cancer treatment. Their stories were shared and analyzed using phenomenological hermeneutic methodology (van Manen 1990) and informed by post-modern feminism (Lather 1991). Three predominant themes emerged from the women's stories: (1) The experience of lymphoedema cannot be separated from the larger experience of breast cancer, (2) each woman had difficulty getting health professionals to take her concerns about her swollen arm seriously and therefore had trouble getting both information and treatment and (3) each woman discussed the on-going adjustment necessary to cope with the day to day reality of a large arm. These themes have important implications for practitioners who work with women with breast cancer and with lymphoedema. Several of these implications are explored, including development of service provisions.