Please bump SN biopsy thread!

Had mine done same time as surgery. It is a staging tool. I don't know why if you are having a MX they wouldn't do it at the same time.

I had a SNB right before my BMX surgery. They scheduled the SNB procedure at 7 am with the injections of dye and pictures....then at time of BMX surgery, they remove those node(s) that the dye goes into to test for malignancy.

I went for the dye injection the day before surgery. Then I had the SNB done at the time of mx. They sent it to the lab while still doing my mx. SN was clear so they didn't need to do an auxilliary dissection

Beth

I had my lumpectomy and SNB at the same time.  I was injected with dye and scanned, then taken into surgery where both were done.  It was not painful at all...a non event.  I recovered quickly.

I imagine your surgeon is doing the bilateral SNB as a precaution.  It never hurts to be absolutely sure.

I had both my lumpectomy and the SNB as part of the same surgery.  It was an in-and-out procedure; I checked into the day ward around 9:00 am, had the dye injected; had the surgery; and was home for dinner.  No stitches, no drain, no pain.  Within 24 hours, I ditched the bandage and wore a gauze pad in my bra; much more comfortable.  Didn't need any "down time" at all, was back to hiking, biking, and doing my regular activities within a few days.

I had dinner out with my husband to celebrate that "... cancer was gone...".  The next day, I was bandageless; just had a gauze pad in my bra.  Three days later, I went on a 20 mile bicycle ride.  Ironically, the "cancer" part was easy; it was treatment that was HARD.

I think Pickle, above, may have given the reason it's being done this way. If the SNB is done before surgery the doc can find out in advance whether an axillary node dissection will be necessary. That is, if no cancer is found in the SN, they'll leave the rest of the nodes alone when you have your BMX. 

While some testing of the nodes can be done during surgery, my understanding is that the during-surgery testing is sort of an educated guess. Sometimes the nodes appear to be clear during surgery, but when pathology is complete it turns out there was an invasion. (And then you get to go back for another surgery! Hurrah! -- not.)

I think the surgeon is doing you a kindness by trying to avoid removing all the axillary nodes. And yes, while the SNB recovery isn't the easiest part of the process, I didn't think it was THAT bad.