i really mustnt complain as my histology report was good under the circumstances. I had a lumpectomy on the 19th November (some 3 weeks ago). I also had the nuclear blue dye, the wire and 13 lymph nodes removed during my op. the results were adequate surgical margins, hormone status ER+ HER2 status - HER2-. Grade 1 and no cancer cells in the network of blood vessels and no lymph nodes involved.
I have 5 weeks of radiotherapy and a few years of Tamoxafen. All in all I am relieved.
Just wanted to ask other ladies if they after lymph node removal - do you have this painful sensation on the back of the affected arm and under ther armpit? It feels like someone has punched me in that area. Apart from that I have full movement in my arm.
I had my nodes removed a month ago at the same time as my MX and I had exactly the same problem. My BC nurse and the surgeon told me that it’s completely normal because the nerves in that area have been disturbed and it takes a while for them to recover. The pain will diminish - mine is much better now than it was even a week ago.
It’s good news that you’re Grade 1 with no lymph involvement (I’m *so* jealous! :-D) but even so it will take your body a while to get over the surgery. Make sure that you keep up with your post-op exercises, it takes a while but they really do help.
Meanwhile don’t put up with the pain and discomfort - that’s what painkillers are for, and if you are really worried give your BC nurse a call as they are usually super helpful with things like this.
Yes I know I am lucky with my histology results. You didnt mention what yours were. I hope you are doing well and staying positive.
Thank you very much for the advice and yes I am doing the exercises sent to me by Bcc on a CD. I know the nerve ends are probably trying to recover hence the discomfort. I mustnt be so impatient. I suppose we dont realise what a shock both to out body and our emotions this journey is.
Yes I know I am lucky with my histology results. You didnt mention what yours were. I hope you are doing well and staying positive.
Thank you very much for the advice and yes I am doing the exercises sent to me by Bcc on a CD. I know the nerve ends are probably trying to recover hence the discomfort. I mustnt be so impatient. I suppose we dont realise what a shock both to out body and our emotions this journey is.
This is the pits, isn’t it, Springblossom and Nymeria?
I’m still hurting weeks later as well. I had a seroma which had to be drained a number of times; that isn’t so big now (at least I can put my arm at my side), but my underarm and part of my arm still hurt. It feels like a fresh cut much of the time, despite taking ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Have you tried using an ice pack (well wrapped)? That seems to give some temporary relief. I’m also trying to pad underarm seams with hankies or anything smooth I can find to reduce the amount of irritation.
I had to have a clearance following the initial lymph node biopsy, but fortunately only the one node had a few cancer cells, so I know things could be a lot worse.
It’s tough, though, if you’ve got things to do, or even if you’re home on sick leave this time of year, when we could be keeping busy rather than thinking about what comes next, because so many things really need two arms and pain can be very draining.
springblossom - I had an mx and node clearance on 12th November, and yes, I still have pain/irritation in my arm. Some days it feels like it’s burning, others like I’ve been punched, and at other times I swear I can feel water running down my arm - though there isn’t!
My armpit is numb but not sore, but then I have no ‘wound’ under the pit as the nodes were removed through the mx scar lower down. I have maybe 60% movement in my arm, which is a big improvement - I can actually raise my elbow up above shoulder level now, but only in this last week. I think the poor nerves must take one hell of a battering.
I did get advised by a friend on here to try a tubigrip on the affected arm - and it is instant relief from the burning/prickling. I only wear it when I need to, but I’m so glad I got told that. The sensation should fade, and poss just end up numb, but we are really early days yet!
springblossom - i had full node clearance at the beginning of September and it did take a while to settle down. I felt at times that those sensations were never going to go away, but just to give you some reassurance, I now have almost full extension of that arm although some numbness remains (maybe always will?) So dont worry, just give it time and keep doing the exercises.
Hi springblossom
After the BC surgery I had buzzing and stinging type sensations around where the lymph nodes had been removed, bad enough that it kept me awake at night. My GP prescribed Amitriptyline (an old-fashioned anti-depressant) at a much lower dose per day (20mg) than would be used for depression. It worked a treat, and also helped deal with the night sweats caused by hormone therapy. I am now about 5 months after the BC surgery and recently tried reducing the Amitriptyline because I don’t want to take any pills I don’t need, and found that the nerve pain around the armpit had gone, but the night sweats returned.
I’ve also exercised my arm and shoulder vigorously and regularly from very soon after the surgery so regained full movement within a couple of weeks.
Sarah x
Hi there
I wish they had told me fully about the se of lymph node removal when I agreed to it, had 23 removed when I had my WLE as a precaution. I was very fortunate that they were all clear, but didn’t realise what would be left.
My hospital physio is doing deep massage on me at the moment and that helps and I massage the affected areas myself but that combined with a haematoma that refuses to go away and I keep having to have drained makes for me being very p****d off atm - chemo is enough to deal with, without all of this!
I’ve had some relief by using one of those flexible freezer packs that are sometimes part of first aid kits, but I always worried that even when well wrapped they might do some damage. So today I wet a flannel, put it in a sandwich bag and left in in the fridge to get really cold but not frozen. Tucked under my arm and under my clothes, this really did seem to help relieve the pain. The cool sensation persists a while afterwards, and I might try alternating two flannels later in the day, when the pain tends to be worse.
The drawback is that the whole lot falls on the floor if you forget it’s there and try to do something active, but it works while reading, using the computer and so forth. It might be possible to use bra straps and tape to hold it in place better. Obviously there needs to be some care for hygiene, but I don’t think any of us would want a smelly flannel under an arm in any case.
At least the seroma is smaller and more localised now, but my nerve endings don’t know this yet.
Hi Springblossom I too have the same good results as you, I had my op on the 1st Decmber and got my results on the 16th and have to have 3 weeks of radiotherapy and 5 years of tablets .
I also have the same feelings in my arm and are doing my exercises religiously , but I forgot to ask how long will it be before I can drive again does anyone know ?
Anyway hope everyone on here enjoys Christmas and has a happy and healthy New Year xx
Kenzil everyone is different it depends when you feel comfortable to drive without pain or discomfort but you also have to be able to do an emergency stop without it hurting you I managed to drive 2 weeks after op but others have had to wait 4-6 weeks or longer .Julie
Kenzil - my consultant said two weeks - and two weeks to the day I hopped in my little automatic and was fine. However, it took me much longer to try to drive the Galaxy - I had anc and left mx, and just knew that the gears/hand brake would be too much. I think it was prob. a month before I tried driving it, and it has been ok, but I wouldn’t want to spend much more than half an hour behind the wheel of that one.
hi girls, i had all nodes removed 8 out of 18 positive. its 6wks since op and i can move my arm ,it is 95% recovered now , still sore on inside of wrist and numb on back of top of arm. i started taxotere chemo 3wks ago, going for 2nd tax 2moro and last one on 20th jan will begin radio therapy in feb and hormone injections. rach x
hi cheryl i finished 6xfec in oct before starting 3xtax.i hope all goes well for you and you get a routine pattern going like i did. i felt tierd days 5 to 9 and felt ok again by day 10. xxxrach
hi girls, is there anyone else out there with positive lymph nodes and what treatment r u having?
i,m having a wobble and feeling alone.
3 nodes were still positive and growing after 6xfec chemo so had all nodes out and started 3 tax chemo.
will it work ? does being extreemley hormone sensitive mean hormone therepy will work better than chemo.?