Radioactive Injection into Nipple NOT TERRIBLE

I had the same experience too.  After reading posts on this site I was prepared for the worst.  I thought it wasn't any worse than them poking you for an IV.  Granted, my doc prescribed a "numbing cream" to put around the areola about 3 hours prior.  Maybe that helped? 

I was absolutely terrified! But I hardly felt anything...and any sensation I did have lasted only a few minutes.  I almost said "THAT'S IT?" when it was over!  My guess is, since I had it done at the breast center of the hospital, rather than in the nuclear department...it was a much better and easier experience. 

I am having the dye first, then go across the street for the wire placement, then have surgery. I am having lumpectomy after 4 months of chemo, Why is it done this way? I was hoping to be asleep for the whole procedure. Any input would be great.

Thanks, Sherry

Not trying to scare anyone here, but the injection of the radioactive material was the worst experience of my BC journey. The numbing cream was applied ONLY about 15 minutes before the injection.  I was in sobbing all through it and have made sure to never see that doctor again. This was in the Breast Health Center, not Nuclear Medicine.

Nearly a year later, I am still occasionally having burning sensations in the nerves in my nipple as a reminder.

I believe that if I have a recurrence in the other breast I will opt for complete removal instead of the lumpectomy.

It was awful for me too. I wasn't told that I would have any type of injection before the surgery (I had surmised it was going to be during the surgery when I'd be asleep). I had 4 injections done around the nipple with no numbing cream or any kind of anesthetic and each and every one of them hurt horrendously, like someone was stabbing me with a red-hot poker.

Reading the posts here - as well as other posts on another thread that was about this injection - I am wondering if the amount of pain has anything to do with the size of the tumor, as it seems that ladies who had Stage 0/I/IIa didn't have much pain while stage IIb and up complain of bad pain. Maybe the serum that contains the dye pushes on the tumor, or maybe just the needle itself pokes the tumor. Maybe also about where the tumor is located and how close to the nipple/areola it is?

I had mine done right before surgery and I also thought it was going to be done while I was asleep.  This was the most horrible pain I have ever experienced in my life.  There was no numbing before either.  My tumor was 2.5 cm and half way to the nipple.  I have had no pain with the removal of my boobs.  I could have come home that evening but they kept me until 9:30 the next morning.

Although it may be true that some of us are more sensitive than others, I don't think that is all of it.  3 of my injections were no big deal at all.  The 4th (and fortunately last one) was excruciating.  I have no idea why one would be different but it most definitely was!

Oh my goodness! I am due to have a blue die injected into my nipple before my lumpectomy to find the sential node. They know I have a needle phobia and discussed the possibility of my not doing it, bit it improves the chances of them finding it so much that I said "go for it". They did not mention painkillers but said they would give me Valium.



I am now really worried, imwill talk to my breast nurse about it.

ok, so in the past i have had two core biopsies on by breast with anasthetic and with my needle problems these were traumatic but not painful, i had a needle biopsy on a node without anasthetic and that was painful, very traumatic, but i coped better than the radiologist did. he could not stand the screams. Can someone tell me how this die thing compares to those? Also my surgeon mentioned one injection, others here mention 4. I have a intracystal carceanoma just above the nipple, and the node they are targetting is just above that. Is the pain the needle or the burning of the die? Does it stop as soon as the needle comes out or carry on? I was told the needle is the same as a insulin needle, very small

The radioactive dye is not blue.  It sometimes moves slowly to the sentinel node.  That's why it is typically done hours before or even the day before surgery.  Obviously, they don't want to give the patient anesthesia for those extra hours.  Sometimes they take pictures in Nuclear Medicine, sometimes they don't.  That varies with the surgeon - if he/she feels comfortable finding the node with the radiation detection probe they may not need or want images or to have the Nuclear Medicine doctor mark the skin where they believe the sentinel node lives.  Some facilities inject around the tumor site, but studies have shown that injecting AROUND the nipple (not INTO the nipple) shows the same drainage pattern as injecting around the tumor.  Much easier for the injecting doc to always just inject around the nipple than to have to request and review mammo films to localize the tumor.  The number of injections can vary by institution.  Doesn't matter - the same drainage pattern and sentinel node or nodes should light up regardless of injection technique.

Blue dye is not radioactive and is injected by the breast surgeon at the time of surgery USUALLY after the patient is already under anesthesia.

Some surgeons like either the radioactive dye or the blue dye.  Some use both.

I had four injections with no numbing cream or lidocaine.  It was uncomfortable (like a hornet sting), but very briefly, and I did fine.

My radioactive shot hurt.  I had it day of surgery and that was the worst part that I was awake for.  Needles do not bother me, but the burning!!!  I let out an involuntary "Ooooowwwwwwww!  They did mine near, but not on, the nipple, and it lasted about twenty (long) seconds.  Mine felt like "hornet sting" to the third power.

Besides individual threshholds of pain, I am pretty sure that location plays a big part.  Nearer to the nipple, more of a chance to get close to a nerve.  waynesgirl50, I wish I had your luck.

p.s.  I only got one and no numbing cream was offered.

I had a sentinal node biopsy last Monday as part of my mastectomy and reconstruction, and as promised by my breast surgeon, everything was done while I was "under" and I felt absolutely nothing.

The pain for mine (only the last one of 4 hurt) was not at the surface but deep inside the breast, so I can't imagine how numbing cream would help as it only numbs the skin.

I had a needle loc first while in the Mammogram machine and then the radioactive shots.  The surgeon had prescribed Emla cream covered with Tegaderm 3 hours before the procedure.  It barely hurt for the radioactive shots.  I had three radioactive shots.  All of us tolerate pain differently and I'm usually not good with pain! During surgery the doctor inserted the dye for the sentinel node biopsy...only warning for this was to expect BRIGHT BLUE urine  that may last a week! My husband forgot to tell me that they had told him about this and the morning after the surgery was a major shock!