Swelling

I had my radical Mastectomy 4 weeks ago and still have a LOT of swelling under my arm where my drainage tube was. The tube has been out almost a week now--The surgeon said to call him if I thought I had a problem--Is this swelling normal for a while or should I have it checked--I start my chemo this week my tumor was 4.5 also had some lymph nodes removed--just wanted to know if someone else had swelling for a while Thanks Caroline

Hi Caroline, I really think the swelling is normal. I had a double mastectomy last year and I was swollen for quite a long time. For me, I just did not take it easy (three young sons) and I found that the more I did, the more I was swollen. Tylenol helps and I used ice packs (the kind you buy at a pharmacy and you can use hot or cold-made out of rubber w/screw on lid ) I used crushed ice and really kept the ice on 24 seven for many weeks and that really helped me more than anything. If you are not sure about the swelling, by all means go see the doctor to ease your fears. Take care! Christina