1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:05,250 --> 00:00:07,719 So the swelling I noticed more in my 3 00:00:07,730 --> 00:00:10,149 right hand and it was starting to 4 00:00:10,159 --> 00:00:13,159 become tight . A lot of work we do as 5 00:00:13,170 --> 00:00:15,114 nurses are with our hands and then 6 00:00:15,114 --> 00:00:17,226 running a clinic . I'm doing a lot of 7 00:00:17,226 --> 00:00:19,448 administrative . So the tightness in my 8 00:00:19,448 --> 00:00:21,670 hand would start to kind of impact some 9 00:00:21,670 --> 00:00:23,829 of that from that tightness . Then I 10 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,079 sought out treatment that brought me 11 00:00:26,174 --> 00:00:28,795 down to the occupational therapy clinic 12 00:00:28,805 --> 00:00:31,215 to where they started to teach me 13 00:00:31,225 --> 00:00:33,904 manual drainage of my lymphatic system 14 00:00:34,215 --> 00:00:37,755 and then how to compress my arm also to 15 00:00:37,764 --> 00:00:39,542 push the swelling back into the 16 00:00:39,542 --> 00:00:42,194 lymphatic system to get circulated back 17 00:00:42,205 --> 00:00:44,094 through the body . I'm Brandy and 18 00:00:44,094 --> 00:00:46,205 Michelle Spencer . I'm a major in the 19 00:00:46,205 --> 00:00:48,985 US Army and I'm a per operative nurse 20 00:00:48,994 --> 00:00:51,259 here at Tripler who is currently 21 00:00:51,270 --> 00:00:53,750 fighting breast cancer . My name is 22 00:00:53,759 --> 00:00:55,970 Eileen Yamoto Gaza . I am an 23 00:00:55,979 --> 00:00:58,409 occupational therapist . I work in the 24 00:00:58,419 --> 00:01:00,830 occupational therapy clinic here at CHR 25 00:01:01,209 --> 00:01:03,360 and I provide the specialty area of 26 00:01:03,369 --> 00:01:06,440 lymphoedema rehabilitation . So what is 27 00:01:06,449 --> 00:01:08,940 lymphoedema ? Lymphoedema is basically 28 00:01:08,949 --> 00:01:11,171 a trauma caused to the lymphatic system 29 00:01:11,171 --> 00:01:13,339 or the lymph nodes . Um It's usually 30 00:01:13,349 --> 00:01:17,250 characterized by a slow chronic 31 00:01:17,569 --> 00:01:20,900 ongoing type of swelling that usually 32 00:01:20,910 --> 00:01:23,709 doesn't respond to things like 33 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,010 elevation doesn't respond to icing or 34 00:01:27,019 --> 00:01:30,080 even rest if left untreated , that 35 00:01:30,089 --> 00:01:33,139 swelling can possibly be at risk for 36 00:01:33,150 --> 00:01:35,372 infection . In which case , people seek 37 00:01:35,379 --> 00:01:37,889 more medical help for that . I was 38 00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:39,956 diagnosed with breast cancer back in 39 00:01:39,956 --> 00:01:42,319 July of 22 . And through that , I 40 00:01:42,330 --> 00:01:44,569 started out with surgery to remove the 41 00:01:44,580 --> 00:01:47,599 lumpectomy and then they also removed a 42 00:01:47,610 --> 00:01:50,889 sentinel node from my right side . From 43 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:54,430 that , I did radiation for about 16 44 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,629 treatments . And due to my breast 45 00:01:56,639 --> 00:01:59,209 cancer , it's hormone positive . So I'm 46 00:01:59,220 --> 00:02:02,029 also doing hormone therapy currently . 47 00:02:02,650 --> 00:02:05,059 So through all this , about a year 48 00:02:05,069 --> 00:02:07,989 later , I started to notice swelling on 49 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,509 my right side . So this swelling is 50 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:12,409 what brought me into occupational 51 00:02:12,409 --> 00:02:15,070 therapy to get looked at for lymphedema . 52 00:02:15,550 --> 00:02:17,772 My role as an occupational therapist is 53 00:02:17,772 --> 00:02:19,990 to basically uh return people back to 54 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,509 the activities they usually en enjoy . 55 00:02:22,860 --> 00:02:24,990 Um usually in cases with lymphoedema 56 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,339 people stop doing or they stop 57 00:02:27,350 --> 00:02:29,970 participating in activities that 58 00:02:29,979 --> 00:02:32,929 they're used to like uh maybe say like 59 00:02:33,050 --> 00:02:36,100 they stop hiking , they stop um playing 60 00:02:36,110 --> 00:02:38,166 with their grandchildren , they stop 61 00:02:38,166 --> 00:02:41,089 swimming . And so my my role is to 62 00:02:41,100 --> 00:02:43,690 return patients back to doing these 63 00:02:43,699 --> 00:02:46,289 activities that they love through my 64 00:02:46,300 --> 00:02:48,189 treatment with Miss Eileen . I've 65 00:02:48,189 --> 00:02:50,467 learned more about my lymphatic system . 66 00:02:51,050 --> 00:02:53,217 And then from that , I've also learned 67 00:02:53,217 --> 00:02:55,460 that radiation can impact your 68 00:02:55,470 --> 00:02:57,740 lymphatic system more than patients 69 00:02:57,750 --> 00:03:00,949 realize . So even though I only had a 70 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,820 sentinel node removed and not several 71 00:03:03,830 --> 00:03:06,869 lymph nodes , the radiation is what 72 00:03:07,070 --> 00:03:09,529 impacted my system more to cause the 73 00:03:09,539 --> 00:03:12,429 swelling . So I've learned about scar 74 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,039 tissue inflammation and then how this 75 00:03:15,050 --> 00:03:17,339 all leads to the swelling in my right 76 00:03:17,350 --> 00:03:20,229 arm . So with manual drainage that I 77 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,100 come in every day for several weeks to 78 00:03:23,110 --> 00:03:25,679 kind of have conducted through that , 79 00:03:25,690 --> 00:03:28,429 I'm learning to manually drain myself 80 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,630 at home . So once treatment's done , I 81 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:32,806 still have care throughout the rest of 82 00:03:32,806 --> 00:03:34,806 my life . I know how to drain it to 83 00:03:34,806 --> 00:03:37,083 kind of stay prevented of measurements . 84 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:39,194 The long story short is I'm also a 85 00:03:39,194 --> 00:03:42,470 breast cancer rehab survivor . Um , of 86 00:03:42,479 --> 00:03:45,289 12 years , I had my own little bout of 87 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:47,750 lymphoedema back then . And at that 88 00:03:47,759 --> 00:03:49,926 time , there wasn't anybody to help me 89 00:03:49,926 --> 00:03:52,029 treat it . So I sort of learned , I 90 00:03:52,039 --> 00:03:55,440 read a lot and I treated myself and I 91 00:03:55,449 --> 00:03:57,227 kind of thought well , if I'm a 92 00:03:57,227 --> 00:03:59,449 therapist and I can't figure out how to 93 00:03:59,449 --> 00:04:01,560 treat this . How is anyone else gonna 94 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,893 figure that out if you have lymphoedema ? 95 00:04:03,893 --> 00:04:06,116 These are very important things to kind 96 00:04:06,116 --> 00:04:08,227 of look into because even though mine 97 00:04:08,227 --> 00:04:10,060 is mild at the moment , it could 98 00:04:10,060 --> 00:04:12,005 potentially be worse , impact your 99 00:04:12,005 --> 00:04:14,116 nerves , it could lead to blood clots 100 00:04:14,116 --> 00:04:16,227 and stuff . So it's very important to 101 00:04:16,227 --> 00:04:19,820 seek treatment just in case to prevent 102 00:04:19,829 --> 00:04:21,820 what could further happen down the road .