Getting a massage marks another milestone in recovery: I can lie on my front!
At 7 months post mastectomy I received my first full massage and know for sure I can lie on my front without discomfort. I didn't try before as I have been sleeping on my back since the mastectomy.
There are a couple of things to be aware of:
1. The fascia of the pectoralis muscles was removed during surgery. Thus deep tissue or trigger point massage is not a good idea on the chest! Lighter strokes and going deeper within the comfort level feels wonderful.
2. It is nice to have someone else do a scar massage. After initially worrying about it, I stopped doing anything special (other than acupuncture). My scars
are healing very well. The scars are almost gone under the arms,
where weightlifting training activates muscles. On the right side (where the lymph nodes were taken) it looks even better. This is the side where I regularly do self lymph drainage massage.
3. Seven months marks also the time when the edema on the right has resolved, or a fluid accumulation occurs rarely. The first 6 months post mastectomy I had edema almost all the time, during the 7th month it was less frequent, and hopefully it has disappeared now at 8 months. This was a considerable worry and annoyance as general guidelines point to weeks instead of months. But then again I was always hypersensitive about it ("excessively worried").
Looking forward to my next massage!
No comments:
Post a Comment