Topic: pain after sentinel lymphnode biopsy

Hate to tell you ladies but my SNB was far worse than my bilateral mastectomy :(

My surgical oncologist said it can take up to 18 months to heal. I had mine June 2008 (almost 17 months ago) and I am just now getting back full range of motion. Still have numbness and occasional sharp pain. 

I had my sentinel lymph node on Nov 6 during my lumpectomy, that pain is still unbearable a week later. My girlfriend had a bilateral mastectomy and she told me the sentinel lymph node was more painful than the bmx.  She is doing better, but its taken her six months to get there.

The painkillers get me through the night, but I feel so restricted because it was done on the side I write with. I guess if all we had was a lumpectomy, we should be grateful.

If I knew though that it was going to be this bad, I might have passed on the procedure.

Sorry no solutions on this end, just ranting alongside you. 

I agree that the SNB was worse than anything else. I hate to tell y'all, but I'm almost a year out and still have numbness and when I reach a certain way I get the "tug and pinch" feeling....still! I have areas that I can't feel when I put lotion on or shave. It's weird, because when I get that tug I think "Oh yah, the surgery" but it's been a year!

The shooting pain at the beginning is mostly the nerves beginning to regenerate, and it does go away for everyone that I've seen post, but I didn't believe the numbness would stay. Maybe it'll leave eventually....

I cannot imagine what ladies who got a full set of nodes out must feel like!

I hear women use sports bras too, as they have wider side bands and don't have the wires either. How are you doing?

Thanks ladies for the words of encouragement and for your stories.  Isn't amazing how much our surgeons don't bother to tell us about what may not happen to us from our surgery post op?  WordDoctor - I hope that your surgeon can advise you more than mine did about how to deal with the dysthesia (I believe you called it?).  I saw my surgeon on Nov. 12 and told him about some of the issues I have been having and he told me that my underarm wasn't to swollen and that sometimes the numbness would or would not go away, but to remember that I was only 2 weeks post op.  I still have some numbness in the early morning when I get up and increased swelling and like fleecewood I gently massage the back part of my upper and underarm and get the lymph moving and the swelling and numbness goes away.  The numbness does seem to be getting  better everyday though.  I still have some pain at the lumpectomy site and sharp shooting sensations and the raw feeling under my arm, which is good first thing in the morning and worsens usually by about 2:30-3:00 p.m. in the evening and I am so ready to pull my skin off by then.

I can only tell you that I am ready to be normal again.  I'm tired of BC and my journey is only 1/2 over.  I am still waiting on the Med. Onc to call for an appt to eval the need for Chemo and then Rads.   Then it's back to see the surgeon in 3 mos.  My GYN doc is not willing to give me any meds for my low libido and vag atrophy, and hot flashes. I had just started on Estratest x 3 wks then was dx with BC and had to stop.  It totally stinks!!  I have been in menopause since 2002 when i had a total hysterectomy.  O.k. this wasn't to be a rant and I'm sorry.  I'm just really frustrated right now.