Sun Yuanlu, Armer Jane M
Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
Work. 2019;63(1):21-31. doi: 10.3233/WOR-192904.
Lymphedema is one of the major complications following breast cancer treatment. The majority of women who develop breast cancer are in their years of employment. Occupational functioning and employment are issues of significant concern among women with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). We present a single-case study of a nurse living with BCRL for more than two decades in the Midwestern United States, as an exemplar to explore the 'return-to-work' phenomenon.
A sixty-minute, semi-structured interview was conducted with a selected single case ("Linda"), following a pre-interview survey. Themes and sub-concepts were generated through constant-comparison of evidence within the case.
Themes included: the feeling of being lost, functional impairments related to BCRL and bandaging, being limited yet not being limited, and experiencing different challenges with different jobs. Overall, returning to work with BCRL was a complex phenomenon involving interactions of the disease process, the work activity, the individual, and an array of contextual factors.
Linda's struggles, efforts, and adaptations at different career points were revealing and exemplified how individuals navigate the journey of returning to work with BCRL.
淋巴水肿是乳腺癌治疗后的主要并发症之一。大多数患乳腺癌的女性正处于工作年龄。职业功能和就业是患有乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿（BCRL）的女性极为关注的问题。我们呈现一项针对美国中西部一位患有BCRL超过二十年的护士的单病例研究，作为探索“重返工作岗位”现象的范例。
在进行预访谈调查后，对选定的单病例（“琳达”）进行了一次六十分钟的半结构化访谈。通过对病例内证据的持续比较得出主题和子概念。
主题包括：迷失感、与BCRL和包扎相关的功能障碍、受限但又未完全受限，以及在不同工作中面临不同挑战。总体而言，带着BCRL重返工作岗位是一个复杂的现象，涉及疾病过程、工作活动、个体以及一系列背景因素的相互作用。
琳达在不同职业阶段的挣扎、努力和适应具有启发性，例证了个体如何在带着BCRL重返工作岗位的过程中前行。
