Surgery

Hi mummap

i had my lumpectomy 6 days ago. The morning of op I got the dye put in to go to sentinel node. This was a 2 min job. Didn’t feel it. Then the node was removed during surgery. Hope this helps x 

I had exactly this operation on 23rd March with the sentinel node scan performed on the morning of surgery.  My surgery was scheduled as a day case in the afternoon surgery, so I had to go in in the morning for some preparatory procedures. The first was to put a wire into the tumour (some hospitals use Magseeds for the same purpose). The procedure was performed in the ultrasound room under local anaesthetic. Other than the usual bit of stinging from the local anaesthetic, it didn’t hurt. The wire was taped to me on the outside and they wrote a lot of info on my boob in blue marker pen. It was then checked in the mammogram using very light pressure. 

The sentinel node scan was done in the department of nuclear medicine. I was positioned in a CT scanner. They only used the cameras on the end, I didn’t have to go fully in. They injected the radioactive tracer into my boob. This was a slow injection taking around 15 seconds and was uncomfortable, a bit like a bee sting. I then had to wait under the camera with my arms in particular positions until it lit up on the screen. It didn’t take long and this was perfectly fine. More writing was added to my boob.

I then met the surgeon who went back through the procedure she planned to do. In my case the plan was to make a single incision around the outside of the boob (just inside where a bra underwire would sit) and tunnel from there in both directions. She was also going to put blue dye in and take 1-3 additional nodes depending on how they were arranged. I then met the anaesthetist. The operation passed without incident. A bit sore afterwards but I had good arm movement. 

I am still wearing a sports bra as my day bra through choice (a 36H problem). I needed to wear one at night for about 3 weeks. 

all the best. 

Hi MummaP - I had wide local decision  & first lymph node removal in 8th March. I had dye injected to my breast in the morning which I hardly noticed and only took about 30 seconds. Had the opportunity at around 4.30pm & woke up a couple of hours later feeling pretty good! Stayed in over-night and didn't have any particular problems. I'm not sure about a lymph node scan though. When home I did have some stiffness in the arm, but they give you exercises to do to help with that ( it's called cording, and does feel like a cord running down your upper arm) but it's fine now! I've seen the Oncologist yesterday & am waiting for appointment at my local hospital to start chemo. Good luck with it all. X

Hello. I had a lumpectomy yesterday, went in at 8.00am, home by 4.00pm and feeling fine. I have hardly any pain and I’m just feeling a bit tired. I had the mag seed put in last Thursday  and the injection for the sentinel node scan on Monday, both were fine and not painful.  I am a worrier, but have found that taking things day by day and just focusing on the next steps has worked for me. I wish you well, let us know how you get on. 

Thanks Army. I hope you are recovering well from the surgery.

Thank you Coddfish, good to hear from someone who's been there. All the best for a speedy recovery. 

Hi bookbird - thank you, glad it all went well. I wish you well for a quick recovery

I saw my consultant surgeon yesterday and she explained using diagrams what she was going to do during the surgery. She booked it for 26th May. This morning I had a phone call from the imaging department and they have booked me in for next Thursday afternoon to have the magseeds put in. She told me it would be similar to the biopsy I had on my first appointment.

I have to isolate from Monday 23rd May but I will also have to attend for my covid test when they contact me about other aspects of the surgery. It's 27 years since I last had a general anaesthetic and I didn't react well to it so I'm hoping there have been big improvements in the intervening years.

I have been today and had the sentinel lymph node scan this morning and it was fine, not painful as I had expected. I've got to be on the ward at 7.30 in the morning. I'm glad the waiting is over.

I hope all goes well for you on 23rd. 

Thanks and hope all goes well for your operation.