Sentinel node biopsy

Hi Michelle:  Just had the sentinel node mapping yesterday (4-8). The day before I had to go to radiology and have radioactive material put into my breast then come back in about 3 hours and take more pictures (they had me on a table sort of like the MRI where they can move you up and down and then move these "plates" around you to take all sorts of pictures).  My surgery was outpatient.  I am sore today under my arm and my arm tingled yesterday and a little today, sort of like it's asleep.  I'm told this is normal.  You will have to take precautions for the arm to reduce your risk of developing lymphodema such as not doing anything heavy duty and trying not to do anything to develop infection.  My surgeon was able to freeze the section and tell me preliminarily that my nodes were clear although I will have to wait until Tuesday for the final report.  I too, have been diagnosed with ILC as will as LCIS.  I am planning on doing bilateral masectomies soon.  My surgeon wanted to do the nodes first.  Best of luck to you.  It was not a hard surgery and the pain isn't bad--just hard to take it easy and not be anal about using the arm at all!  Tabby

Michele,

The number of sentinel nodes varies by individual.  The sentinel node is the node that is the "guard" of the lymph node system.  It's the first node - the one that everything that enters the lymphatic system enters through.  When the dye is injected into the breast prior to the SNB, it's intentionally put into several different locations.  The objective is to see which node the dye moves to as it travels through the breast and then moves into the lymph nodes.  If the dye from all the injections move to the same node, then there is one clear sentinel node - one guard that receives everything that enters the nodal system.  Sometimes the dye moves to a couple of different nodes, in which case it's considered that there are two sentinel nodes.  In a small number of cases, each of the injections moves to a completely different node; this means that there is no sentinel node.  Once the sentinel node(s) is identified, some surgeons choose to remove only that node while other surgeons choose to removed the sentinel node(s) and the one or two nodes that line up right behind the sentinel node.  In those few cases where no sentinel node can be identified, the surgeon cannot do an SNB and instead has to do an axillary node dissection, removing all of the nodes in the first line of nodes and possibly some in the second line.

So the number of nodes removed during an SNB can range from 1 node to 4 or 5 nodes, depending on the dye and depending on the surgeon. 

Hi Michele,

Glad to hear your tumors are shrinking. I have to agree with idaho.  My SNB incision did bother me more than the lumpectomy.  I'm allergic to anything narcotic so I got by on just Tylenol.  Be careful about the third day.  I was doing so well that I kind of overdid it so I had more pain on the third day but after slowing down, I did fine.  Best wishes to you.

Nancy