There’s been a bit of discussion about lymphatic drainage massages and I would just like to offer my cents.

I would suggest not to be in a hurry to start any kind of lymphatic massages until the patient has got an NED (no evidence of disease) from the medical team after all the treatments have been completed. Like we often say on this forum, everyone is different, so, check with your doctors before you start anything.

The lymphatic fluid build-up in the neck will slowly improve over time whether one does anything or not. It’s annoying, I know. There is, however, a possibility that if some cancer cells are still lurking In the body, moving lymphatic fluid around may cause the cancer cells to move to other parts of the body. It is also a kind of massage that one has to qualify for, this is true at least in the US.

My husband did some lymphatic massages after his radiation and chemo treatment, and not long after that, we got the news that the cancer had metastasized to his right lung. Of course, there may be a millions reasons why the metastasis happened, but I can never shake off the suspicion that maybe it was due to the massages. I may well be clutching at straws but it’s a genuine worry of mine when I hear others getting lymphatic massages. The scientific community, it seems still hasn’t been able to determine how effective lymphatic massages are. The data I have come across Is skimpy and is for breast cancer.

Below are threads from this forum from 2007 and 2015, please take a look at the discussions or do a quick search and read thru hundreds of posts about this topic..

Lympathic Massage Thread
Old Thread... Lymphatic Massage




Gloria
She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails... Elizabeth Edwards

Wife to John,dx 10/2012, BOT, HPV+, T3N2MO, RAD 70 gy,Cisplatinx2 , PEG in Dec 6, 2012, dx dvt in both legs after second chemo session, Apr 03/13 NED, July 2013 met to lungs, Phase 1 immunotherapy trial Jan 18/14 to July/14. Taxol/carboplatin July/14. Esophagus re-opened Oct 14. PEG out April 8, 2015. Phase 2 trial of Selinexor April to July 2015. At peace Jan 15, 2016.