I saw my consultant on Monday and he has offered me two surgery options.
Full node clearance plus lumpectomy (they can only see that one node is affected from my scans)- Bigger operation. There will be a higher risk of lymphodema, they will only give radiotherapy to the breast, and it seems I will get chemo too.
Remove a few nodes and test them to make sure there is no cancer in any of the others plus lumpectomy. (Smaller operation) Risk of a second operation… which I may have to have anyway as they may need to take more breast tissue. Radiotherapy to armpit and breast - risk of stiffness to the arm due to radiotherapy less of a risk of lymphodema! Still get chemo too.
I understand the the consultants aim is to get rid of the cancer cells, I am trying to lessen permanent damage to me and my ability to do things. I want to still race my motorbike… play golf
Hello there, tricky one eh? I can only tell you how I see things now, 14 months post ops and 7 months post end of treatment. I was initially offered a lumpectomy and partial node removal, as they could see 2 cancerous nodes from the start. They took 15 nodes. IN the end I had to have mx too, but they didn’t have to go back into the armpit.
Yes I was sore after the op, had to do exercises gingerly and then more assertively and do them everyday, still do, but I am lucky enough to have no lymphodema.
I could have had and am still a threoretical risk for lymphodema so take good care but mostly I think its just the luck of the draw. Reading the lymphodema thread cos friends of mine have been on it - I think that has a longer term and larger impact than the surgery/post surgery/physio …
for example I write this just back from swimming 25 lenghts including back stroke…
just my view, bw with it all, Nicola
I had my lymph nodes removed on Monday no breast removal as they cant find my primary but just been told by the district nurse to stop doing so much and not to throw my arm around lol… no pain just leaky drain because ive done a bit to much. I was worried sick and given the opportunity to have my breast off, but as they couldnt find a tumour i said no but yes to nodes as they have cancer. Not easy making the choice its sometimes easier if you have no choice. Good luck what ever you decide its very personal.
Please feel free to call our helpline to talk your options through with someone in confidence, it may help. The lines are open 9-5 during the week and 9-2 Sat on 0808 800 6000.
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Hi, Just a quickie from me, had lumpectomy and 13 nodes removed in Jan, only the one showed cancer that we already knew about. Was back at work after two weeks , i spoke to lymphodema physio at hospital as i also ride a motorbike and she said it would not cause me any problems.
Have just done my 5th chemo, very doable, have rads to come but got back on my bike a month ago and no problems with my arm at all!!
Difficult decision but as moorcow says i believe it too is the luck of the draw!
I had WLE and SNB in an effort to reduce the risk of lymphodeama. But it turned out I needed a second surgery for clear margins and a full node clearance anyway, so second op was unavoidable.
I do think it’s worth trying to avoid a full node clearance if you can. Having said that, 18 months on I have had no problems with that arm - even after 35 rads and Cyberknife to a tumour in the shoulder.
Hi there - I had an mx and full node clearance in November - and did discuss the risks with my surgeon. One thing that stuck with me is that she told me the risk is considerably lower now for lymphedema than it was even a few years ago - because they now know which lymph nodes are ‘fed’ from the breast, and just remove those, rather than every single node in your armpit, which used to be the case.
The risk is still there, though, and in all honesty, if I’d been offered an SNB, I think I would have taken it.
How much you do after is really up to you - there are women who take the greatest care, and end up with lymphedema, and there are women who carry on exactly as before… and don’t. Luck of the draw in many ways - and it also seems that an infection in the arm, through a scratch or graze, particularly soon after surgery, can be a bigger trigger than ‘over-exertion’.
I ride a bike (don’t race though!), and still will. I show my dogs - dobermanns, using my left arm, and you need a fair bit of strength there to hang onto a male when there are in-season females about. I am going back to work in a kitchen, lugging pans of water around - and I am going to gradually increase the weights I can work out with. For me, sensible rebuilding of strength is the way to go - if you don’t use the arm, it will get progressively weaker, and you’ll be more likely to do it some damage doing everyday stuff.
If you’re being offered a SNB, chances are hopeful that the consultant thinks that will be sufficient - I’d definitely go for it. Just my opinion though…
Another thing that just occurred to me - I know that some surgeons will remove the sentinel nodes during the op, have them tested, and if they prove all positive, will remove the rest under the same operation - I’m not sure if anyone here has had that option? Got to be worth asking… I know it’s quite common place in the US, so may well be an option here?
As mentioned by some of the other ladies the SNB can be a good option as the surgery is a smaller procedure (less time and everything else to heal) and once checked can be reassuring to know that the rest of nodes can stay intact. It seems encouraging news that they have offered you this. This was the option I had and it was carried out 10 days before my mx, which gave me time to recover and then the mx was straightforward with no more nodes coming out. Hope this helps.
