Hello,
I have been diagnosed with grade 2 stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, 1 of 2 lymph nodes positive with macromet of 6mm. HER2 negative, ER positive , ONCO DX of 17. Have have been offered the option of radiation or full clearance, I’ve now decided to go with the surgical option.
I’m just feeling scared and worried, re the possible pain and side effects, can anyone offer any advice and positivity - that it isn’t as bad as I think it is going to be………
Thank you 
It’s entirely do-able. The first maybe 1-2 days I’ll admit I was like what the f*ck have I done here but do the exercises they give you & give it 2 x weeks you’ll start to feel more normal, 6 x weeks my arms were back above my head. I remember a time when I thought I would never lift weights again but fast forward 3.5 months & I can (well I have issues now in my other arm as I have a PICC line in so that’s a separate story but you get the idea). I’m guessing recovery is age dependant to a point, I was 39 when I had my surgery. Everyone is different so only you know what is right (and my pathway sounds different as I’m grade 3 & currently having chemo). But I am glad I had it done.
Hello lovely!!
I had this done about 4 weeks ago and I promise it will be fine! When you first have it done it is quite sore and you struggle to move or use your arm in a “normal” way until it starts to heal but they give you some good pain relief to go home with! A tip also is if you feel like codeine isn’t enough always ask for Oramorph which they should be able to prescribe for you. In this whole journey I’ve realised that if you don’t ask you don’t get! lol.
Anyway - I’m 4 weeks on and I am almost back to normal aside from some numbing under my arm and armpit. Like the previous poster advised just do the exercises they tell you to do when you should do (mine are 3 times a day) and take the pain relief. 
Hi @ginnylizzy
Please try not to worry. The op is not that bad, nor too painful after. As the replies above had said, do your exercises and you’ll be back to full(ish) mobility before you know it. I say ish as you never know and I’d hate to say 100% you’ll get full mobility back. You should though.
I had nearly 50 nodes taken out (my team have never known so many) with my full removal alongside a mastectomy nearly 4 years ago (huge grade 3). I only had paracetamol for a few days after the op. I do still have numbness in my armpit. I have developed lymphoedema (my radiotherapy area was HUGE so that didn’t help one little bit) but it’s totally manageable.
I do light or the lowest weights on the arm and shoulder machines at the gym. I went back to the gym floor after years of swimming last year as I find front crawl and back stroke a problem - that’s the lymphoedema rather than the node removal.
Good luck with everything. As with all things BC, it’s the waiting and fear of the unknown that’s the worst bit of all of this.
AnGELa x
Thanks for the advice 
Thanks for your advice xx
In 2017 i had full mode clearance at the age of 67.
I also did the exercise as advised. I’ve had no problems. However although 7 years ago i still don’t carry anything heavy with that arm. I also take care to cream into it after a shower. Good luck
Thank you for the message , can I ask did you have any further positive lymph nodes x
I had 23 removed all had cancer in them x
I had 3 positive lymph nodes from 34 removed and unfortunately, developed lymphoedema in my right arm/hand and chest area where I had the mastectomy so yeah you have to weigh the pros and cons. I have to have regular check ups and wear a compression garment and a glove.
Ginnylinny, I hear you! Me too. Got my post surgery results today, 2 nodes removed one with cancer in it and around it. The other clear.
I’ve been offered extra radiation in the armpit or auxiliary clearance. I will also have the Oncotype test. Even though I have read that full node clearance generally isn’t necessary and doesn’t change outcome, my gut says get them out. And quick! I sailed through lumpectomy (actually loved the general anaesthetic sleep -lush) but this one seems trickier. I am booked in for surgery on Tuesday. Obviously I’m not happy with sentinel node involvement, but see it as just an annoying extra step on this cancer journey that will ultimately arrive at the same destination. Sending you loads of positive energy for you next steps xxx
Hi
I had it in two nodes then had clearance so got that lush second sleep, it wasn’t in anymore they removed and onco came back at 11, went onto to have 5 days radiotherapy.
They went in through the same scar as the initial snlb and apart from a small seroma that came up it wasn’t much different than the first operation, it took a bit longer to recover and drive, just keep on with the exercises as they really do help.
Good luck for Tuesday
Xx
Chillout365 thank you SO much for your reply. I am signing out from this forum now on a very positive note, having read your message! It really helps hearing such relevant and positive stories so thank you again xxxx
I had this surgery 3 weeks ago. Pain wise it wasn’t any worse that the initial lumpectomy and SLNB, but I was shocked at how concave my armpit was afterwards. I’d formed a mental image of the surgeon plucking individual lymph nodes, which he laughed at when I told him. He said that once they’ve identified the blood vessels and nerves they remove everything else between the muscles. I also assumed that he would just reuse the incision from my SLNB, which he did, but extended it significantly, which was another surprise. I mention these things so that you can be better prepared about what to expect than I was. Physio was hard to start with but improved quickly. I have gone on to develop a seroma despite having a drain for five days. This will be drained for the third time today, which is a painless experience. The seroma itself is a nuisance, but nothing more. Please feel free to send me a message if you have any questions I can help answer.
Hi flower,
Thanks for your message , can I ask about the drain , is this normal procedure to wake up with a drain ?
Have you received any results yet ?
Thanks so much x
I think different surgeons have different views on the matter, they are shown to reduce the risk of seroma, but it obviously didn’t help much in my case. My surgeon uses them as standard for this operation. I must admit that I didn’t much like having to carry it around and was glad to see the back of it on day five. Again, removal was painless. I do have my results, in my SLNB 3/3 nodes were positive. The ALND removed a further 17 nodes, of which 1 was positive, so 4/20 overall.
Oh ok , so have they decided what your treatment is going forward ?
Thanks again x
Chemo, radio, and hormone therapy. Chemo was justified by the RxPONDER trial, which shows benefits for premenopausal women with HER- BC and positive nodes (I’m 42).
Hi
I had clearance level 3 and I didn’t have a drain
Xx
I had total lymph node clearance in July. The pain after the op was okay and so was my arm movement. I can’t say that ache wise anything has improved but my arms are fine. Just have to be careful with lifting anything heavy. It is do-able and doing the exercises 3 x per day does help. If you have an Active Against Cancer service near by, go to their exercise classes. Godsend.