My Working Day: Meadbh McSweeney, manual lymphatic drainage therapist, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork, says the therapy can dramatically improve the quality of lives
I have over two decades of nursing experience under my belt, but I have always been interested in integrative medicine. The Health Lodge is a centre for holistic and integrative therapies, located in the grounds of the Bon Secours Hospital, Cork.
I work as a manual lymph drainage (MLD) therapist and am also involved in training new therapists. MLD is a specialised therapy designed to improve the functioning of the lymphatic system, thus enhancing the overall status of the immune system. There are just 25 MLD therapists in the country.
Lymphodema is a condition whereby the lymphatic drainage system of the body is not functioning properly and causes substantial fluid build-up in limbs.
Primary lymphodema is where someone is born with either a smaller quantity of vessels or less-effective vessels and secondary lymphodema can occur in reaction to cancer treatment such as mastectomy, prostatectomy or radiotherapy to the prostate.
Of women who have had a mastectomy and ancillary node clearance, one in four will suffer from lymphodema.
Complex decongestive therapy is the cornerstone of lymphodema treatment and has four parts: manual lymph drainage, plus bandaging, exercise and skin care.
I see six to eight patients each day, which works out as a 10-hour working day for me. Patients might be referred to me by GPs or consultants, but they might just be here by tenacity, having found out there is a mechanical way to relieve swollen limbs.
When I see a patient for the first time, I spend the first session doing a full assessment. I take measurements and photographs, write down a very detailed medical history and just assess if they are in fact suitable for the treatment, as not all swollen limbs are lymphodema. I then write to their doctor for medical consensus.
Each intensive treatment would last about an hour. It works by diverting the normal flow of lymph to an area where it can flow into. Then I do layered compression bandaging and discuss exercises with the patient, particularly abdominal deep breathing.
Depending on the severity of the patient and where the lymphodema is, I might see them for five or 10 working days. I've just finished working with a 30-year-old and an 80-year-old, and we've reduced both legs by three litres in each.
I also carry out reflexology, aromatherapy and various types of massage, but there's no doubt that MLD is the one therapy that links me back into the medical system because it can dramatically change the quality of lives; it is an amazing therapy. A lot of people also use MLD for sinusitis or pregnancy, it's not only cancer-related.
Not only is it effective, it is also measurable. I love to do it and patients love to receive it as it is very gentle and relaxing. The difference to their quality of life is not just anecdotal; the improvement is clearly visible. That is the beauty of the therapy.
For further information, see www.mldireland.com
In conversation with Danielle Barron