During Melissa Price’s check up, nurse practitioner Mindy Anderson suggested that Melissa get a mammogram after reviewing Melissa’s family history of breast cancer on both sides of her family. Melissa is grateful that Mindy recommended it because her mammogram showed white spots covering her entire left breast.

Luckily, it was in the very early stages, and it hadn’t spread so she had surgery to remove her left breast.

After surgery, Melissa had a lot of fluid build up, so they put a drain in for eight weeks to remove the excess fluid. Even though they sent her home with recommended exercises, she couldn’t do anything for two months.

While recovering, Melissa was in a great deal of pain and found it difficult to do most things, let alone stretch or exercise.

“I couldn’t raise my arm, wash my hair, or hold a glass. I couldn’t do anything. We have 300 trees on our 10 acres which I water all summer long. I haul heavy buckets, and I was getting worried that I wouldn’t be able to do it when summer came. And I’m like, ‘how am I supposed to do these exercises?’ It felt like it was going to start bleeding, and I got really nervous to try anything,” she said.

She called Mindy to tell her what was happening and Mindy recommended physical therapy.

Physical Therapy As The Next Step

Breast cancer treatment and surgery can be a very stressful and complex time in patients’ lives. Everyone comes out of treatments and surgeries differently with different symptoms and different priorities. It is important to have a physical therapist that specializes in breast cancer therapy. Perham Health’s Rehabilitation Services has several therapists that specialize in cancer therapy. Melissa was first paired with physical therapist Nissa Kvidt, DPT, CLT.

“Melissa came to us because she was experiencing significant weakness, pain when lifting her arm overhead and swelling. Her scar was very sensitive and she was afraid to move for fear of pain. It was important to reassure and educate her on what she can do so that she has a better overall recovery,” said Nissa.

Nissa asked Melissa what her goals were, and she shared that she would like to be able to wash her own hair and be able to carry a five gallon bucket of water by summer.

“Melissa came to us because she was experiencing significant weakness, pain when lifting her arm overhead and swelling. Her scar was very sensitive and she was afraid to move for fear of pain. It was important to reassure and educate her on what she can do so that she has a better overall recovery,” said Nissa.

Nissa asked Melissa what her goals were, and she shared that she would like to be able to wash her own hair and be able to carry a five gallon bucket of water by summer.

When Melissa started, she could only raise her arm high enough to touch the top of her head. They got to work focusing on strengthening Melissa’s shoulder and upper back to improve her range of motion. Nissa also taught Melissa ways to decrease her swelling and how to work with her scar to decrease sensitivity and improve mobility.

They started off with small goals like washing her hair, and they continued to build upon that with bigger goals.

“Nissa was great. She always asked me how I was feeling throughout the treatment, and when I would progress and do something that I couldn’t do the last time, she would cheer me on. It gave me

encouragement, and I would try extra hard at home so I could show her how much I can do,” said Melissa.

Nissa also helped Melissa with daily life things like how to lay down and get back up or how to wrap herself properly to reduce swelling. Because Melissa’s chest was so sensitive and she would be wearing a prosthetic breast, bras were no longer comfortable or easy to wear. Together they looked at Melissa’s current bras picking out the ones with material and straps that would cause her the least amount of irritation. They also researched the best place to buy new bras.

Even though Melissa got most of her strength and mobility back, she was still having pain in her chest and scar tissue.

Sometimes after surgery, the scar tissue can stick to the bone making it painful and difficult to move. “No matter how much I stretched or gained strength, the scar tissue wasn’t lifting off the fascia. My surgeon did such a good job removing the breast tissue that my skin and my fascia were adhering to my bone because I had no tissue left where my breast was,” said Melissa.

Patients, like Melissa, can benefit from a therapy called myofascial release. Nissa felt like it was time for Melissa to see Theresa Howe, a physical therapist who specializes in myofascial release. Theresa and Nissa work closely together and often share patients to provide comprehensive care for better outcomes.

Myofascial Release Supporting Recovery

Myofascial release is a hands on therapy technique where Theresa would put light pressure on the scar tissue and would slowly pull it a little bit away from wherever it’s sticking. It’s a gentle approach, and over time, it would decrease the pain and tightness which would improve her ability to move.

Theresa said, “Along with improving her motion and strength, we were able to decrease her overall pain and sensitivity in her scar. This allowed her to return to things that were important to her in her daily life, such as working in her yard without pain.”

Melissa says another important part of her recovery was the mental part of it. “I was down on myself thinking I couldn’t do anything, and I’d never be normal again. Theresa and Nissa would encourage me and cheer me on. They would tell me that I can do this. And so the mental and emotional side is also so important,” said Melissa.

All three of them are pleased with Melissa’s results. She accomplished her goals of washing her own hair and carrying a five gallon bucket of water.

“I feel really good. I have full motion and I can do all the things I wanted to do. My strength is not a hundred percent yet, but each day I feel stronger and stronger. I’m already thinking about winter and what I will do to stay active. I’m very happy with where I am,” Melissa said.

“It’s always our goal to have patients improve to the point that they no longer need us. We work hard to educate them in home programs so they can continue to improve on their own,” explained Theresa.

“If I didn’t have Mindy, Nissa and Theresa, I don’t know where I would be. I would probably still be sitting in my chair if I didn’t go to physical therapy. I’m so thankful,” says Melissa.

Visit our website to learn more about: Mindy Anderson, Nissa Kvidt, and Theresa Howe.