Side effects of Chemo

frenchielover

I am currently undergoing chemotherapy and have had some side effects including a lump underneath my left armpit.  I am not sure if this is cancer or just a side effect.  Prior to chemo, the doctors performed a bilateral mastectomy and sentinel lymph node dissection on the right side where they found cancer in 19 lymph nodes as well as a 4.3 cm tumor on my right breast.  Since my left breast did not indicate any cancer, they did not check to see if the lymph nodes underneath the left armpit had cancer.  I am not sure why they did not check to make sure, but now I am worried that the lumps underneath the left armpit could indicate cancer.  I also just had another surgery to resuture the wound area as it appeared to be opened and infected.  Any input is greatly appreciated! 

pickle

Hi Frenchi, Wow, dealiing with chemo, infection and resuturing is alot on your plate. How long ago did you have mastectomies?  The lump may be due to your infection even though it's a different side. . Lymphnodes can get swollen anywhere in our bodies if we have infection but to be on the safe side, I would get it checked by your oncologist. Are you on anything for the infection?

frenchielover

Hi Pickle!

Thanks for getting back to me!  The swollen lymph nodes due to the infection sounds really reasonable, and I am scheduled to see my oncologist next week. 

I am taking Clindamycin for 10 days.  Hopefully that will help!  I think, but not sure, that the infection might have had to do with the fact that the plastic surgeon was overexpanding me too much (I have tissue expanders in now), and one of the wounds might have opened up.  Of course, I didn't know this, and I am an avid swimmer (granted I waited a good 8 weeks after my bilateral mastecomy til swimmiing), and probably contracted the infection this way.  I had my bilateral masectomy August 17th.