Hi all, after my lumpectomy & node sampling i went back for my results this week to be told that 2 of the 4 nodes removed had cancerous cells 
I have now got to have an axillary clearance to take the rest out & also some more tissue being scraped out of breast as they didn’t get completely clear margins. Also got to have chemo now, god i’m having a bad week.
Anyway, i was just wondering how much worse an axillary clearance is compared to them taking a few nodes. My arm is still quite painful from the op nearly 2 weeks ago & my next op will be in the next week or so. Will it be more painful & for longer & will i have more scars or will they just open the (not quite healed) underarm scar again.
thanks love Heather x
Hi Heather so sorry to hear this
bumping it up for you not had node clearance but several here have hopefully one will be along soon to advice you
hopefully you’ll feel a bit better once this 2nd op is out the way & you know about the treatment plan, can totally understand how gutted you must be feeling
sending you a BIG hug
Mekala x
Hi Heather. Sorry to hear you have to go back for more. I was the same as you - initially told I’d just have surgery and rads, but after my SNB and WLE in Dec,I had to go back for a full ANC in Jan as it had spread to my lymph nodes.
I was fully expecting the second op to be horrendous. I had never stayed O/N in hospital before (the first op was a day one) and was dreading it. While I hated being in there (was in for 5 days as I had an allergic reaction), the actual op recovery wasn’t nearly as bad I was expecting.
I did more of the physio exercises second time round and that REALLY helped, so I would definitely recommend doing them (10 reps, 3 times a day as soon as you are allowed to). I got movement back in my arm much faster after the full ANC, despite having a drain in for 5 days and it being a bigger op. I do still have numbness in my armpit and upper arm but it doesn’t affect movement of my arm at all. The effects of chemo on my other arm (veins) was much worse! You do have to be careful with sun, insect bites, burns etc as you have a greater risk of lymphodema without having lymph nodes.
Having a drain isn’t the most pleasant thing, but at my hospital they gave you a little floral bag to carry it around in so you didn’t have to look at the delightful fluids sloshing around inside it.
They used the same scar for my second op (I think they generally do go in the same place for the ANC so you only have one scar instead of two in your armpit) and it is still a pretty small scar despite being cut open a second time. So if you have a good surgeon, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Good luck with your surgery and chemo - you will get through it. I have finished my chemo and only a couple of weeks of rads left! Phew!
Al xx
Mekala, thanks, it was quite upsetting as they weren’t expecting it to be in my nodes hence why they didn’t think i’d need chemo. But im getting my head around this next hurdle & i think ur right, i will feel better when i know what the treatment plan is.
Al, that’s good to know that im not going to have another scar, this wound is painful enough, it feels like it’s badly sunburnt & so sensitive to the touch. I will do the exercises religiously, i do think they’ll help. I didn’t have a drain with the last op but guess i might with a full clearance, i hope i get a floral bag,lol.
At what stage do they do CT scans etc, im a bit worried about the possibility of it having spread beyond the nodes.
Love Heather x