Query re after care sentinel node biopsy

I can relate to what you are saying. My armpit still feels tacky. I think it's a sensation caused by numb skin rubbing against numb skin. I also had a strange smell that wasn't body odour. My husband could never smell it and fortunately it didn't last more than a few weeks. My lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy were in January of this year, followed by a lymph node clearance 4 weeks later in February. I had really bad bruising following the first operation. I was literally black and blue, all over the breast under the armpit and around to my back. The one thing I can say is that the exercises really helped and I recommend persevering with them. You'll be really glad you did.

All the best x

Hi. Yes I'm the same in terms of sleeping. It's hard going trying to stay in your back and definitely interferes with the quality of sleep. 

The carpet burn is a good way of describing the pain actually. It feels like someone's holding a match to my underarm sometimes. 

Big hug to you too xx

Bless you. It's hard isn't it. I'm all the colours if the rainbow. I also have a cracking deep blue bruise on my right hand where they struggled to insert the cannula. Awful. 

I've not noticed a strange smell (yet) but let's see what the next week or so brings. I've just dosed myself up on some painkillers so hoping I get a decent night's sleep tonight and hopefully the breast care nurse will get back to me tomorrow. 

Big hugs xx

Hi, I used my heart shaped pillow to stop the chaffing under my arm.  I also noticed my armpit smelled odd for a while, but thankfully that has gone now.  

Yes the heart shaped pillow is great. So comforting and warm ️

Hi I had the same operation 19 days ago and am still experiencing strange numbness and pain in my arm pit.  Both wounds are healing well though.  I’m really struggling to raise my arm still but doing the exercises the best I can. 
I feel really cross that all of this wasn’t explained clearly and the breast care nurse didn’t seem to know what I was explaining.  It’s obviously quite common as several people are commenting. 
I have to sleep with a complex arrangement of pillows and cushions to get comfortable! 
I was told to remove the dressing after 48 hours and the steristrips have gradually fallen off over the last 2 weeks 

Hi Janey25 - am in my 7th month since operation and only really just moving the arm and shoulder relatively freely. My shoulder still hurts and I have pains in the armpit plus in my breast as well at time. Saw the surgeon just a few days ago as I was concerned - he did a physical check on everything and told me what I was feeling (or not) is normal due to the severed nerves during surgery, which was news to me.  I know everyone is different but I just wished that they would give us the whole picture from the beginning (or at least at every stage of the process) as we have nothing to compare things with. I still get some numbness, it seems to come and go for me x

Hi thank you so much for your reply - it’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one but I’m sorry that you’ve had pains for such a long time and glad it’s easing for you now.  I’m the sort of person that reads every word of all the literature they give you before the op and I’m sure none of this was explained properly.  It certainly feels that the lymph node biopsy was a bigger op than the lumpectomy! 

I appreciate your post was several months ago, but I’m 6 days post the same surgery (lumpectomy & sentinel node biopsy), the nurse removed my dressing today and left the wound under my arm bare. I experienced th same ‘tacky’ feeling - bizarrely it was easier with the dressing on! 
I then realised I had some ‘sweat guard’ products in my drawer, it’s basically a pad you can stick to the inside of a t-shirt - it helped me deal with the tacky feeling so thought I’d suggest it on here - go to sweatguard.co.uk and look for underarm sweat pads. I put one on my tshirt tonight and it helped.

Mumpsy - I appreciate this may no longer be needed for you, but your post helped me a lot, so wanted to share for others