If you, or someone you know, has undergone surgery to remove lymph nodes, you really owe it to yourself to find someone trained in lymphatic drainage. It has reduced my pain to where most days, I don't have any. And my practitioner is at an approved physical therapy place, so insurance pays for a lot of it.
Please tell folks who may not know. You don't have to put up with painful, swollen areas that are backed up with lymph. And once they help you get that swelling down, there are things you can do at home by yourself that will help keep it down.
I'm yelling about this now because only one of the 4 doctors on my "team" thought about mentioning this to me. So I don't know how many other folks who have had surgery like I have, and are not getting referred (or even told that lymphatic drainage nurses/therapists exist).
Tell everyone. There is help. It can get (a lot) better.