There's a conversation we have with breast cancer patients all the time, and after hearing some version of it again and again, we think it is worth talking about. Usually, the patient has already done all the things she was supposed to do. Surgery is behind her. She may have finished radiation. Reconstruction might be complete or at least well underway. She's been to physical therapy or occupational therapy, sometimes with an excellent therapist who helped tremendously with range of motion,...

If you've caught yourself looking down at your ankles after a long day and wondering why they suddenly seem puffier than usual, it's not your imagination. Maybe your rings are harder to take off by bedtime. Or your favorite sandals feel tighter than they did in June. You wake up after a fun weekend away expecting to feel refreshed, but instead your body feels heavy, achy, and sluggish. By late July, we hear versions of these same concerns almost every day in the clinic. "I've actually been...

After a lumpectomy, mastectomy, reconstruction, or flat closure, many women hear some version of: “Everything looks great.” And often, surgically, it does. But that does not always mean the body feels recovered. Breast cancer surgery can affect far more than the incision site. Survivors may experience chest wall tightness, scar restriction, shoulder stiffness, swelling, axillary cording, pain, fatigue, capsular contracture, sleep disruption, chemo-induced neuropathy, anxiety, or a sense that...