Here at Cornwall Hospice Care, we have three highly skilled Lymphoedema Specialist Practitioners out of five in the whole of Cornwall. They are highly trained and experienced to provide reassurance and help you to manage this chronic condition and to live your life as well as possible.
We understand that it may feel scary and a little confusing for you to find that once your cancer treatment is complete, you may get asked to visit our hospices. It does not necessarily mean that your illness is terminal or your care is now palliative.
We’re fortunate to have three Lymphoedema specialists working for our Cornish charity, so please don’t worry – being referred to our Lymphoedema Clinics means you will be in the best hands possible. Our team run outpatient clinics at our two hospices – Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell and St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle – you’ll be asked to visit the clinic most convenient to you.
It’s a chronic, long-term condition that causes swelling in your body’s tissues. It can affect any part of your body, but most often in the arms or legs and usually occurs following treatment and surgery for cancer.
You may experience an aching, heavy feeling in the affected limb. Lymphoedema is caused by a problem with the lymphatic system – a network of vessels and glands distributed throughout your body. It’s there to help fight infection and drain excess fluid from tissues. Abnormal development of your lymphatic system, damage to it and/or increased fluid in the body tissues can all lead to Lymphoedema.
Watch our short film below, where Chris, one of our Lymphoedema specialists, explains what Lymphoedema is, what you might experience and how we help alleviate your symptoms at our Lymphoedema Clinics.
Referral to our specialist Lymphoedema Clinics could be your NHS GP, district nurse, clinical nurse specialists or hospital consultant involved in your cancer treatment. We are not part of the NHS, but we work closely with them to ensure the best care for you.
Once you have been referred, one of our specialists will contact you to arrange an initial appointment to come to our Lymphoedema Clinics. This initial appointment can be longer than usual as we take the time to get to know you and find out about your journey to us before deciding on the most appropriate treatment plan.
All your treatment is free of charge, thanks to the generosity of those who support our charity.
Our three Lymphoedema Specialists, Helen Treleaven, Chris Jones and Lianne Best, are dedicated to caring for and supporting people suffering from Lymphoedema.
As one of their patients, you will visit them for outpatient Lymphoedema Clinic appointments at Mount Edgcumbe and St Julia’s Hospices. In many cases, patients say their work allows them to continue living as well as possible despite the condition.
Helen, Chris and Lianne employ specialist lymphatic drainage massage, use compression hosiery/garments and special Kinesio tape, and provide advice on skincare and exercises.
They can show you self-massage techniques, how to correctly apply your compression garments, and help loved ones with simple massage techniques at home.
Watch our short film to learn more about some of the new techniques Lymphoedema specialist Helen uses to treat patients she was not able to before. This is thanks to training she undertook, which was paid for by one of our corporate sponsors Ann’s Cottage Surf Shops.
Patient Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through 2 surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The treatment left Amanda with scarring and swelling, diagnosed as Lymphoedema. Amanda was referred to specialist Helen Treleaven’s clinics and saw a great improvement in her condition.
When new team member Lianne Best joined us, Amanda generously offered to help Lianne with her practical training on her way to qualifying as a Lymphoedema Specialist Practitioner.
Watch Amanda and Lianne as they talk about how both felt about working together for mutual benefit.
In 2017 Simon was diagnosed with cancer of the throat and spent most of 2018 having chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The radiotherapy in particular, left Simon with trauma to the scar tissue and lymphatic system, so in 2019 he was referred to one of Cornwall Hospice Care’s Lymphoedema Specialist Practitioners, Helen Treleaven.
Watch Simon and Helen as they talk about Simon’s journey to a better quality of life, post-cancer.
Helen talks about her cancer diagnosis, treatment for breast cancer and her subsequent referral to our Lymphoedema outpatients service after some persistent symptoms of swelling in her hand and arm.
Watch as Helen and our St Julia’s Lymphoedema Clinical Specialist, Chris Jones talk about the types of treatment we offer at our Lymphoedema Clinics, how it has helped Helen and improved her quality of life, after her initial cancer treatments.
Listen to our podcast episode entitled “A Horse Whisperer for my breast” where our hosts chat with one of Cornwall Hospice Care’s experts Helen and patient Sarah. Helen highlights how this debilitating condition can affect someone when not treated and the incredible difference it can make to the quality of life of those on their post-cancer journey.
Patient Sarah has been having routine outpatient appointments at our Lymphoedema Clinics for 12 months and gives her first hand experience of breast cancer, surviving it and living life now.
Becca’s diagnosis of breast cancer turned everything upside down for her, including a move home to Cornwall to be near family during treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
A few months after finishing radiotherapy Becca was experiencing almost constant, dull yet heavy pain in the area she’d had surgery. Thankfully this was picked up in a review with the surgical consultant and she was referred to Chris Jones, one of our Lymphoedema Specialists.
Read the blog about her journey to our clinics here.
The Lymphoedema Support Network is the UK’s national patient support organisation for those living with or affected by Lymphoedema. It is a charity run by people with lymphoedema, so it has a real understanding of the lived experience of the condition which it uses to inform its work.
As well as raising awareness of the condition, they provide a wide range of resources including information and support for those with the condition and advice to healthcare professionals.
The British Lymphology Society are the body that supports those involved in the care and treatment of people with lymphoedema and related lymphatic disorders, including lipoedema. The Society aims to ensure high standards of care and equitable access to treatment across the UK and promotes early detection and intervention.
They offer a wide range of information and support, including Lymphoedema and Covid-19. They also have self-help resources on their website and organise Lymphoedema Awareness Week each year in early March, which Cornwall Hospice Care takes part in through our website and social media channels.
Lymphoedema Awareness Week usually runs in early March each year.
In 2024 we launched the week (4th-8th March) with the release of a new Hospice Story film – Amanda & Lianne’s Story. You can see this above in our Stories section on this page.
For Lymphoedema Awareness Wee 2023 we launched the week with a Facebook Live Broadcast in which our Lymphoedema Specialists, Helen and Chris answered questions sent to us from the public via social media and email.
You have given me a lot of confidence.
Coming here was the best thing I ever did; it really was. The relationship is based completely on the fact that I do trust in what Helen does.
Chris took the time to understand the different sorts of pain I was experiencing, and we talked about wider health issues; sleep, exercise and ongoing medication. I have regular appointments to keep the Lymphoedema under control and I really appreciate Chris’ long-term and holistic approach to treatment.
Referral to our Lymphoedema Specialists could be your NHS GP, district nurse, clinical nurse specialists or hospital consultant involved in your cancer treatment. We are not part of the NHS, but we work closely with them to ensure the best care for you.
Once you have been referred, one of our specialists will contact you to arrange an initial appointment to attend one of our Lymphoedema Clinics. This appointment can be longer than usual as we take the time to get to know you and find out about your journey to us before deciding on the most appropriate treatment plan.
All your treatment is free of charge, thanks to the generosity of those who support our charity.
Healthcare professionals can download our Lymphoedema Referral form.
