Well, today I had to wring out some clothes by hand because my washing machine stopped working and now my forearms are swollen, my small and ring finger are tingling and my arms feel like they weigh 50 pounds each.. I was ready to just throw the clothes out which I probley should have done.. The pain was the worst..
This includes my surgical side too... I hope I didn't do myself in..
I was just curious if anyone else has had swelling similar to this..
Thanks
Dawn

I tend to get swelling in my forearms as well. It varies - some days are worse then others but there is always some swelling - I can tell this by how tight my shirt sleeves are, etc. I aslo find when I fly my arm swells quite a bit. I also get bruising, and don't remember running into or hitting anything.

Hope your arms are feeling better. I hate ringing stuff out...I have now come to beleive things that say 'hand wash' can handle the washing machine or I just don't buy them!

Dawn,
My thoughts shared from my neuroligist were these; when there is compression, the blood flows into the arms, but the compression lacks the ability to make it flow out well. SO it stays there until it is able, if able to come out.....

Other thought too, some have lumph drainage problems and the fluid builds up.

But, between, compressions and tissue damgae that holds fluids, with increased activity and blood flow it could build up. Since my TOS, I had to have my wedding band set resized twice, two hole sizes bigger!

maybe there are ideas to help drain out the sweeling, I do take a mild diauritic, I avoid overhead work or using my arms the next day, like no laundry or ironing, hanging clothes, etc.
Avoid sleeping with your arms over head. If you have to think of a contraption to keep them from going up, do it.
Nite,
Di

I have the swelling too. It depends on how much I do also.

I made the mistake of washing just a few things by hand and wringing them out and was in agony the next day. Major swelling and pain!! Never again!

I try to pace myself with things that will cause swelling, I take breaks here and there.

And if I can, I gently massage my arms starting at my forearm and going in a gentle circular motion up to and under my arm pit and towards my chest.
A girlfriend with lymphodema from breast cancer recc. this. Better yet is when hubby or Mom can do it.

I also put lidoderm 5% patches on. They help with the pain.

Hope this helps!!
G~

Dawn, I get swelling, opposite reations on my hands cold, produces a white hot burning feeling and I am losing the hair on my forearms... one doc says it relates to CRPS/Aldonyia and another Fibromyalgia... all in all sounds as though mush more than TOS going on with you.... Mar-n-Goober wish you the best

[All the Lymphatic Drainage strokes are based on one principle motion. Research has found that the initial lymphatics open up and the lymph angions are stimulated by a straight stretch, but even more so with a little lateral motion. After these 2 motions, we need to release completely to allow the initial lymphatics to close and the lymph to be sucked down the channels. In this zero pressure phase don’t completely disconnect from the skin, just return your pressure to nothing. Also don’t pull the skin back with you as you return, let it spring back by itself.

This basic motion may resemble a circle, and is called stationary circles. All motions are based on this principle.

In orienting this motion, we always want to push the lymph towards the correct nodes, so the last, lateral stretch motion should be going towards the nodes.

Think about moving water. Visualize those initial lymphatics just in the skin, stretch, opening them up, then release and wait for the lymph angions to pump the lymph down the vessel. Remember how superficial this is. If you are feeling muscle, or other tissue under the skin, you are pushing too hard. ]

more info at the link -- http://deeptissue.com/learn/modal/lymph.htm

It was all so helpful.. Today my arms feel like a truck ran over them but the swelling has gone down.. I guess I just learned a lesson .. Don't wring out clothes Cause it causes a day from H***..
Thanks again for the advise and information.. It helped Soooo much..
((Hugs)) Dawn

Dawn, and anybody else who has this problem- if the swelling continues and you think it might be due to poor lymphatic drainage, you might check into a massage therapist who's trained in the lymphatic drainage technique (with the accent on TRAINED). I went to mt school with a man who went on to study it and went to either Switzerland or Austria to learn it (can't remember which one) from someone who was supposed to be the best in that field.