Poll on Sentinel Node Biopsy Pain

Excruciating pain is what I had with the shot.  They had not scheduled time for any numbing so I told them to just do it I could take it.  (thinking numbing the skin probably wouldn't help anyway) What a huge mistake, that was the worst pain I have ever experienced and I've had 2 children.  I started by yelling and ended up sobbing before it was done. 

I don't understand why it hurt me so badly and not others, but am glad for you who didn't have to endure it.  I also can't have morphine, and the demoral didn't touch that after surgery pain, after hours I finally got two percocet and was able to get up out of the bed before they kicked me out of the hospital.  I was out of surgery at 7 pm and was released just after 9 am the next day before my pain was under control.  My surgeon said well you knew there would be some pain.  I thought If I could get out of this bed I'd show you pain!  LOL

I am almost 3 weeks out from the dmx and am just now beginning to get back to anyform of life.  It must just be me, at 53 it's hard to bounce back like I used to.  Thank god we don't remember pain for to very long and this anger I feel will pass.

I go for my first fill Thurs and I'm taking a lortab befor leaving the house.  What a wus I've become.

Hi all - I have to say, the SNB injections caused some of the worst pain I've ever had in my life.  I had no idea what to expect and thought okay, a little needle stick - holy cow!  I came up off the table and actually cried a little.  Then - three more to go...it was awful.  Thank goodness the pain was short-lived, but it was awful.  The second worst pain of the day came from the needle localization,  Four sticks with the needle before final placement.  I was so anxious and then thankful to go off to surgery (all this was done on 6/7/10). 

 Take care all.

They should offier local anesthesia w/needle, or lidocaine cream which should be applied 1-2 hrs beforehand.

My needle US-guided needle biopsy of a lymph node wasn't too uncomfortable compared with the rest. 

Frankly my stereotx biopsies and lymph node tracing felt like torture. Being immobilized and having painful things done to your intimate parts by strangers of another gender -- NOT "patient-centered" care. Even dentists wait until the anesthesia kicks in. The interventional radiologists just injected lido and immediately tried to biopsy. For one I started yelling and told them to stop and give me more anesthesia.

We should refuse to have procedures done to us unless we have proper anesthesia. 

 I'm sure men getting prostate biopsies get more anesthesia than we do. And I bet they get pain meds afterwards and not just ibuprofen.

Thank you everyone for your posts about the SNB shot.  I saw my surgeon today that will be doing my Bilat MX and because of your posts  I knew exactly what questions to ask.   At Johns Hopkins they just started putting Lidocaine in with the tracer and they only give you one shot.  I was so relieved!  I'm also going to use something topical like you all suggested.  I went in armed with about 3 or 4 research papers that I found on the web stating that the lidicaine DOES NOT interfere with the radioactive tracer.  I encourage all the new people out there to ask their surgeons to follow this protocol.    I don't have a surgery date yet (I see the PS this Thurs) but I will let you know how much pain I was in when I had the shot.   Thanks again everybody!

My experience with SNB was that it was basically a painless procedure. I felt a little tad of stinging when they injected the dye but no worse then any needle I've had. The only issue I had was that my arm hurt from having to hold it above my head. The tracer took a long time . . . longer than normal and holding my arm in that position was really beginning to cause shoulder pain.

I had bmx with sentinel node biopsy on july 8.  i asked about getting lidocaine in the tracer shot the week before and was told that was how nuclear medicine did it.  When i went to nuclear medicine on the day of the surgery the doctor did use lidocaine topically and in the shot and it was only a small sting.  He said he just started using lidocaine two months ago after attending a conference.  I am so sorry for anyone who has to go through this without pain medication.

God, you guys.I think its just barbaric what they do.  I am on the West Coast (San Francisco) and never had to go thru this--all this was done while I was under anesthesia during the lumpectomy.  I didn't have a clue.  Zenith, I can't believe it took attendance at a conference to get lidocaine.  Suzanne, I would refuse until they told me why you can't have lidocain--that its the 'protocol' is rediculous.  Good luck.

I had a lumpectomy on July 16. The nurse rubbed the "numbing" lidocaine cream on my breast and said it should be an hour before the tracer injections. About 35 minutes later, the radiologist came in and started the procedure. When the isotope material was going in, it felt like liquid fire and I did a lot of whimpering. I asked the radiologist why they didn't inject the lidocaine and she said, "this is how we do it"!  I complained to the BS before surgery, and she said "Yeah, it hurts!".

The surgeon inserted the guide wires after I was anesthesized, so I didn't have to go through that. Luckily, she only had to remove one node as she told my daughter "they all drained into that one". It tested negative on the preliminary. I hope there isn't a repeat.

I wouldn't quite compare it to birth, but it was comparable to bad dental surgery, for sure.

When I had this done. I said never again would I let them do something so painful. I can't understand why they can't do the shots when we are OR???

Karen, I hear you and just FYI. they gave me ice (right) and some numbing spray. The first needle hurt but when the doc injected it, I thought my boob was on fire!. I never had pain that bad. While my boob felt like burning oil was being poured all over it, they got the other 3 injections done and I didn't feel anything (other than the burning oil, which lasted for 10 min.)

What is WRONG with these people? Lidocaine is necessary.

I had 4 shots in the areola area....

Barbara A,  I had my lumpectomy in right breast and that's when surgeon removed 25 nodes and one was positive.That was in 2003.  I was completely under for it all so maybe that is when he did the Sentinal thing. It was all these other procedures they did to me 'AFTER" the surgery on later dates everytime they "thought" they saw something suspicious in either breast which gave me so much pain because they insisted I had to be awake for them.  Those Stereo Core biopsy things were a nightmare for me but thank goodness the results were negative.  If I have any more tortures coming, I will insist on an anesthetic.  I have high blood pressure and I can't afford to get that upset.

had 4 shots..was told before hand that I could not have anything for the pain. I was warned by my BS that it would be painful and he apologized in advance (Love that man)

IT WAS THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER FELT

I cried..the tech held my hand, the nuclear tech rubbed my head..they felt bad. I told everyone I could that this procedure SUCKS and their must be a better way.

The Nuc Med Tech told me it would be like a bee sting and OMG was sh ever wrong.  I too have had a child(18 hours hard labor) and I have an extremely high pain tolerance.  The SNB injection was by far the worst pain I have ever had in my whole life.  I sailed through my core biopsy, but this was horrible  They didn't use anything for numbing on me either. The BS even said he never does this without numbing agents, but this particular hospital does it the morning of surgery and the lidocaine or whatever could interfere with surgery.  I actually started sobbing and couldn't catch my breath.  The girl adinistering it clearly felt bad too.  She was hugging me and everything.  I think it should be mandatory that they numb you first.

I just got back from my pre-op stuff today (for surgery tomorrow) and I insisted on speaking to someone from Nuclear Medicine.  The nice young lady tried to tell me that they use tiny needles, that it would be like having a tb test, and that they used a numbing agent in the injections.  Then I asked her if she would have this test without having the injection area numbed with Emla cream and all of a sudden, she was speechless...LOL!  I asked everyone I saw after that until the nurse called my surgeon and got the OK for Emla. 

 It is ludicrous that this procedure would be done without the use of anything to make the patient more comfortable.  One nurse actually tried to tell me that "the nipple doesn't have many nerves in it and you probably wouldn't feel it".   I honestly could not believe what I was hearing!  Somehow I doubt they stick needles in men's private parts without painkillers!!! 

I'll report back in the next few days on my experience.  Bottom line - it's your body, it's your choice.  There's no reason to endure any procedure without something to make you as comfortable as is reasonably possible.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

 Michelle