My name is Irene Marr and I live in Hamilton. It was at the regular breast screening that
they discovered I had breast cancer in the right breast. I had the breast removed and
it wasn't until sometime after that I found that my sleeves were very tight. I went to
the doctor and they discovered I had lymphoedema. My name is Betty Clarke and I live in Glasgow.
They have a programme where when you turn 50 you go for breast screening. I went for
the breast screening and they wrote back, two weeks later, that something had shown
up on the breast screen and when I went back I was told they were 70% sure I had breast
cancer. The reason I have the lymphoedema, I was told that they'd taken about 11 lymph
nodes to test, to see if the cancer had spread. It had spread to at least three lymph nodes.
Later on I didn't realise that I was kind of protecting my arm quite a lot and my sister-in-law
said to the doctor and then they mentioned lymphoedema. So I think it's because they'd
taken so many lymph nodes away, that this can cause the lymphoedema.
I've been living with lymphoedema for 16 years. It doesn't really have a great impact on my
life because I wear the sleeve to keep the arm down. It keeps it under control. The only
difficult part is sometimes getting garments to fit you, because the one arm is much bigger
than the other. But you can get around that by wearing things that stretch. It only causes
me discomfort the week before I go into the clinic to have it bandaged because by then
it's slightly swollen and the sleeve is quite tight.
Throughout the day I don't really notice it's there, it doesn't hamper me in any way at
all. It just becomes a part of you. I go to a special lymphoedema clinic at least twice
a year and if the nurse thinks that everything's fine, she'll say to me, 'well maybe I won't
have to see you for another six months, but if there's any problems you've got a phone
number and just call me and you can come back any time'. I've been given exercises that
I can do and wear the sleeve every day and that stops it from swelling up, and if I'm
doing any gardening or anything you're supposed to wear gardening gloves because you're quite
prone to infection if that hand or arm gets cut. Also, you have to wear it because if
you take ill in the street and you're unconscious you're not supposed to get your blood pressure
taken or take blood tests, you obviously tell them to take it in the good arm.
Even though I wear this garment all the time, it doesn't really remind me of cancer because
after 16 years you're used to it. If I'm going out, I mean all my friends know I've got lymphoedema,
I sometimes, because the garment is showing, I put sequins on it or may be a brooch or
something just to add a bit of glamour. It doesn't have too much impact on my life
as long as I wear a sleeve and do as I've been instructed and if I'm going out, on a
night out, I can take the sleeve off so I'm not self-conscious about wearing it.
It doesn't have an emotional effect on me, having lymphoedema; it's just like putting
on your shoes every morning. You know you put the sleeve on, get dressed, it's just
a part of me after 16 years and I'm very grateful that they can keep it under control at the lymphoedema clinic.
For information, help, or if you just want to chat,
call the Macmillan support line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk.