Nuclear medicine/contrast dye prior to lumpectomy

Hi Doria

I had the dye before my lumpectomy.  It's painless as they numb the area before they inject the dye.  When you go the bathroom don't be alarmed if you see blue dye in the toilet bowl as it's just the dye leaving your body.

Best of luck again with the surgery.

Best wishes

Daisy53

Hi Doria

I had the radioactive injection a few hours before my operation. I didn't find the injection painful, it just stung a little. Blue dye injection administered during surgery. I needed to pass urine twice while on the recovery bed, nurse told me it was a "lovely blue colour" when she removed the bowl from under me! My breast didn't have the blue tinge, think I must have pee'd it all out!

Best wishes x 

I had blue dye and the radioactive one which I think are different. The radioactive one they did just before my surgery - she said it would sting but it was fine I didn't really feel it.

I think they inject the blue dye when they operate. The blue dye turns your skin blue too and it fades in about 6 months or so. It slowly fades over that time so by 4 or 5 months it starts to look more like mild bruising.

Yes, had mine done on morning of lumpectomy. Was worried, stung a bit, nothing to worry about. No blue dye on boob, but coloured wee was odd  also had s very strange pallor after surgery when looked in mirror. Looked like a ghost! Nurses said it was the dye. Not an issue. You can do this! Jo. X

Thank you everyone, that´s really helpful. XX

Hi Doria , i had mine inserted they called it a radioactive seed 3 days before the surgery has my surgery was on a monday. The procedure was painless as they had to put a local aneathesia on the spot. Just like a biopsy and they insert the seed which was more like a dye because i could see a darker ring where the seed was inserted after like a day. I Was told this is to locate the exact position of the tumor and i think also shows the path of the sentinel nodes. Good luck

Hi Hope71, the radioactive seed is different from the radioactive injection. The seed is to help locate the tumour for the operation whereas the injection and dyes are to help locate the first lymph nodes that the tumour drains to so that they can remove those.

I had the radioactive seed inserted a few days before, then on the day, radioactive injection into breast and then during operation, blue contrast dye.The full works!