The examination of the difficulties for the women with breast cancer due to lymphedema

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the difficulties the women with cancer encounter due to lymphedema.Method: The sample of this descriptive study consists of 100 women who had lymphedema following the treatment for breast cancer. A descriptive characteristics questionnaire and a questionnaire to determine the difficulties caused by lymphedema were used to collect data. This questionnaire consists of three sections, 29 items and an open-ended question. Maximum point to be obtained from the questionnaire is 58. The higher point means that the difficulty encountered is higher. Data was collected through face to face and telephone interview methods. In the analysis of the data t-test, Man Whitney U test, Anova and Kruskal Wallis were used analysis in the independent groups.Results and Conclusion: Women due to lymphedema, physiological, social and psychological difficulties that women with the highest average scores were the most physiological difficulties. A statistically significant difference between the average of the points for difficulties which women encountered in respect of the status of age, marriage, body mass index, having children, active use of arm lymphedema development status and being informed by the health professional from lymphedema wasn?t found. A statistically significant difference between the average of the points for difficulties which women encountered in respect of the status of education, working, severity of lymphedema and being informed as for the lymphedema was found.Key Words: Breast Cancer, Lymphedema, Nursing, The Examinition of The Diffuculties