At UW Medical Center pre-op center with the awesome heated air blanket! This is what is on tap for me later today if all goes well.
“In the first procedure, called lymphovenous bypass, surgeons peer through a microscope and use minute instruments to connect blocked lymphatic vessels as small as 0.3 millimeters in diameter to a nearby vein. The bypass allows excess lymph fluid to flow more freely.
“In the second procedure, called lymph node transfer, surgeons microsurgically transplant healthy lymph nodes that have a rich blood supply to an area of lymphatic injury to re-establish lymphatic connections.”
UPDATE: NO lymph node transfer. Just LVA.
Copy and paste of Mike’s note to family last night:
Nelligan removed scar tissue from around the vein in her left arm pit increasing blood flow from 17 to 70 milliliters.
He made five lymph-to-blood vessel connections, two-three more than he’d planned.
He abandoned the lymph node move from right neck/collarbone due to its showing use. {He’s seen that only once. Kathy is a one-off – out of 150 surgeries of that type. }
Since lymph nodes weren’t moved, she got to go home. She’s a little nauseous (Jello would not stay down). Very light headed/wobbly.