hello ladis , hope today is a good day for you all . well yesterday i had my pre op and lumpectomy and lymph node removal booked for fri morning - at biopsy results i had a 1cm x2cm tubular carcinoma , eostrogen receptive , scared out of my wits again and feel like going mad at times , mon night i sat up till 5am tues morning so anxious it was awful - and that was only the pre op !!! dissapointed yesterday that my partner is not allowed to stay with me , drop off and pick up , guess i`ll take a book in ,what can anyone tell me about the blue dye procedure ? does it hurt , how long does it take ? i forgot to ask and also how long after lymph node removal can i start doing normal things like shopping etc ?
Hi Trish
Whilst you await replies I thought you may find the BCC publication ‘Your operation and recovery’ useful to read, you can order or read a copy via this link:
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Lucy
hi Trish
if the blue dye thing your having is the same as me, then you know nothing about it as they do it while you are under… all you know is after when you have a blue boob, blue wee, and a slight blue tint all over (which went in about a day). Good luck
beginning to think i may turn into smurf lol , i have been told they do the dye an hour before surgery ? thats why panicking , just think its going to be painful but if its no more than the local anaesthetic then that will be ok , its just the fear of the unknown again and then wait another week for results , just gets bit much sometimes, but thank you for your replies ladies and hope your day is a happy one xxxx
hi trish, ihad my wle and snb in april. had the radioactive injection bout hr b4 surgery. didnt feel a thing!! the rest was injected under anaestetic. best of luck. u will be fine!!! love alex xxx
hi Trish
I had my wle and snb really 2 weeks ago and really it is fine.They took me to the ultra sound place where they mark the lunp and then inject some stuff that will pick up the dye during surgery but it really doesn’t hurt. They then take you to xray where you lie around while they mark the lymph nodes. Then you get sent up to surgery where I had to wait around for about 3 hours before they do the procedure!!I was home that evening, rested up for a few days and was driving the car etc. by the end of the week.I’d take a good book or some mags 'cos it’s a long day but definitely do-able
Jane x
I had the dye injection on Monday of this week. Had to go to the nuclear medicine department at Preston Royal. The injection didn’t hurt much. I was then told to massage my boob! Had to go away for an hour then come back without wearing my bra but was allowed to go for the scans fully dressed. Scan was not what I expected. Had to lie down on my back with my arms folded above my head, the xray plates move around and across you, very close but not touching. I had to go through the process twice as the first time she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. All in all I was on the table for just over 30 mins. I got offered a choice of music and chose ABBA. Made me chuckle afterwards!
I had the sentinel node biopsy on Tuesday morning. Went to the hospital at just before 8 - hubby wanted to stay but I said I would let him know when I was out of theatre. Saw the anaesthetist, saw the doctor, got changed into surgical gown, got measured for surgical stockings, put them on - very nice! Got ready to settle down with my book and the nurse came and said I was first on the list so off we went. Walked down to theatre, laid on the bed. Needle into the back of my hand - hardly felt a thing. Anaesthetist said see you later and that’s the last thing I remember. Woke up all wired up to everything, was monitored for about 10 mins before being wheeled back to the ward. Monitored every 15 mins, automatic blood pressure thing. Oxygen mask on (I had to have 6 litres) I felt okay, they gradually raised the back of the bed and let me come off the oxygen. They were worried that my temperature was a bit high but then realised that someone had put a blue heat blanket under my blankets. I ate a tuna sandwich, drank copious amounts of water, asked to go to the loo and they took the drip out of my arm as it had finished. Wee was blue - and when I say blue, it was the colour that the water goes when you put a fresh “blueloo” tablet in the water cystern. And it is still blue today. Boob is blue too. I am waiting for the nurse to come and change my dressings. It’s sore. and the underneath of my upper arm is numb but I am told that is normal. Plus side - can’t do any ironing but can raise a glass to my lips. Down side - can’t drive and the pain is a very tangible reminder of what I am going through. Keep calm and carry on I guess and keep posting, it helps to take my mind off the situation.
Deb
hi deb , i go in tomorrow morning for same as you had , on scale of 1-10 what was pain like and what pain relief did you take ? thank you - trish xxxx
Hi, I had my WLE & SNB 3 weeks ago - the blue dye was done when I was under anaesthetic but I went to nuclear medicine the day before for the injections and scan and they marked it all out. The op went well and you will be amazed at the blue wee (my kids thought it was hysterical, I less so!!). The pain can be managed with painkillers and you’ll be strapped up in a corset thing for a few days before you can get into a bra again. To be honest, the pain of the op was far less than the trauma going round in my brain from the diagnosis and having to deal with the emotional side. It is good to think that the op is being done and you are on your way to getting rid of all this. I think everyone recovers differently; I hope all goes well. My love to all of you going through this. x
good morning ladies, well i hab my wle and snb yesterday , went in at 7.30am and got home at 8.30pm !! didnt go down to theatre till 2.15 after being told one of the early ones but never mind , after surgery saw me come round real quick , very sore but ok , however the pain relief they gave me completely knocked me out hence the late time home , so much better this morning , doing little bits in house but being sensible , even managed to sleep on op side last night so cant be too bad , blue wee, blue breast , even my face went grey - a side effect of dye apparently , looked awful lol but glad to say bit healthier looking today , so off to christening later i think ,so long as i take it easy should be ok xxxx
Glad all went well yesterday,like you I felt really good the day after my op, up and about entertaining visitors but then the next day … wow I was so tired could hardly get out of bed, so be prepared and be kind to yourself, rest when your body tells you to. Have fun at the christening
Jane x
This is me on going for the Op and Blue dye injection - Friday 1sy July, some posts especially the blue wee made me laugh, thanks XX
I am having a snb tomorrow. Does it hurt? It’s the nuclear bit I’m worried about. I googled! I know I shouldn’t have done. How many injections? Do they numb the breast first? I cried when I hade a wire put in my breast before a wle, so I’m worried. Can anyone reassure me?
Hi min the dye is usually given once you are put under ( I had it this way) but from those I know who had it done before hand say it doesn’t hurt
hope someone comes along to reassure you soon
Mekala x
hi, I have such a huge needle phobia that i had to be sedated at the very idea of them injecting radiactive markers into my nipple. I only needed one injection, some people need more. I had read horrendous stories on the american sites (dont google!) I tell you the needle itself does not hurt and then there is a short sensation a bit like a wasp sting. I did not find it a problem at all. some people dont like machines and having to lay in odd positions but that sort of thing did not worry me.
Before they had this proceedure they had to take bigger nodes out and send them away for analysis. Bit with a SNB you know very early, sometimes on the day of your op if your nodes are clear without having to take them out–makes surgery much quicker and easier to recover from so its worth the bee sting.
hi min, i had the radioactive injection about a hour before my snb. can honestly say i didnt feel a thing. shut my eyes and the nurse told me it was done! good luck tomorrow. alex xx ps, just the one injection
Hi Min, I had the injection the day before the SNB and as OAL says, it’s just like a wasp sting and didn’t hurt afterwards. I went to a party that night. You do have a blue patch on your boob for quite a while afterwards - quite pretty!
Hope all goes well.
Loula
This is my first time posting a comment! I am having a snb next week and am getting a bit worried about what I will be able to do afterwards as my breast care nurse said no driving for a few days. I was hoping to go out over the bank holiday weekend! What did anyone else manage to do and in what timescale?
Hi, I had a lumpectomy and SNB last wed and I am feeling fine and almost back to normal. However I am not driving, mainly because some insurance companies won’t cover you if you have been advised not to drive. The op itself was fine, nothing to worry about really.
Good luck x
yes thats right, you should contact your insurance company about driving. Mine said i could not drive until the doctor said it was ok to do so. The test is could you do a sudden emergency manouver. The doc would not let me drive for two weeks, evan though i have an automatic and power steering.
also depends where your scars are, your seat belt might hurt them