# ‘Balancing Challenges and Personal Resources’: A Qualitative Study of Women's Experiences of Arm Impairment After Axillary Surgery for Breast Cancer

## TL;DR

This study explores how women experience arm impairment after breast cancer surgery and how they manage daily life challenges.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new understanding of how women balance personal resources and challenges after axillary surgery.

## Key findings

- Women with more severe arm impairment reported difficulties in daily life and inadequate support.
- Participants used a process of balancing challenges and personal resources from diagnosis onward.
- Sense-making, daily life adaptations, and driving forces were key categories in managing impairment.

## Abstract

To explore how women previously treated for breast cancer experience living with arm impairment after axillary surgery.

Descriptive qualitative study. The inductive starting point for the analysis was followed by a deductive approach as the categories were related to the components of the sense of coherence framework.

Twenty‐eight relapse‐free Swedish‐speaking females participated in six focus group discussions conducted between September and December 2022. All participants had undergone sentinel lymph node biopsy with or without completion axillary dissection 4 years earlier. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Three categories and an overall theme were identified. The categories ‘Sense‐making’, ‘Daily life’ and ‘Driving force’ reflect actions to understand and prevent arm symptoms, adaptations made in daily life and the empowering resources adopted to meet challenges. The overall theme, ‘Balancing challenges and personal resources’, comprised a process that began at diagnosis and remained ongoing for some participants. Most participants considered their new life situations manageable. However, those with more pronounced arm impairment reported that they did not always receive adequate aid, and that their daily lives were negatively affected.

Returning to everyday life after axillary surgery for breast cancer is associated with varying degrees of challenges. Individuals with persistent arm impairment find returning to normal life more challenging. Therefore, further improvements in person‐centred care are of utmost importance.

Members of the Swedish Breast Cancer Association were involved in the creation of the interview guide.

This study emphasises the requirement for providing further individualised support to those living with more severe arm impairment after axillary surgery.

This study was reported in accordance with the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.