A cure for lymphedema?



A French doctor has pioneered the transfer of lymph nodes from the groin or other body area to the underarm in order to put a stop to lymphedema, which is the painful swelling of the arm after breast-cancer surgery. It's caused by the removal of lymph nodes, which, according to some research, isn't even necessary. Doctors are performing the surgery experimentally here. You can read more about autologous vascularized lymph node transfer here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/health/21lymph.html?ref=health




Note: This is not lymphoma we're talking about, which is cancer. This is "dema," as in swelling.

[Photos from mysassysleeve.com, which sells these covers to put over medically-necessary compression sleeves.]