So many lymph nodes

pretty much within a month of surgery. it was subtle for a long time, months, but i could tell. i would try to show it to them, but they said it would probably go down, just normal swelling. i did excercises  lymphedema therapist gave me, and really, i did follow all precautions, i think, but still it happened. how i could reall tell, is the back part of my fore arm, if i bent it up, i couldnt see my normally bony elbow1 and that crease that is between the muscle and bone, and the bottom of my bicep felt heavy. i think that i really need to increase my activity, and hope those nodes get better, i hate em.

Shelly56, I'm very happy with my DIEP.  But I've noticed there seems to be a difference between women who lived with a flat chest for a while and then had delayed recon, and women who had recon, at least with TEs placed, at the time of their mx.  I had to wait 9 months with a lumpy, misshaped mx scar before I could have the DIEP surgery, while the radiation damage cooled off.  My girls aren't twins, more like sisters...they don't match exactly but I'm OK with them, every with the franken-booby scars.  I figure my days of making my living as a stripper were over a long time ago.

How "unidentical" are yours?  You can always see another PS, get another opinion, and go for a revision. 

Sbelizabeth:  I expected too much I guess from the DIEP.  I did have 2 years between mast surgery and diep reconstruction, however, I did have just one tissue expander all that time on the non-cancer side.  The surgeon would not put a TE in at the mast surgery on the one side because we knew I would have to do radiation on that side.  I was one of these women with identical size boobs or as close to perfect as one could get.  I insisted on perfection and sadly it just wasn't going to be.  I am a whole cup size different between the two, but my loved ones say it is not noticeable, but it's hard to wear some tops that are too fitted.  

Tessy:  My onc said to count five years ahead of the date of diagnosis.  I'm going with that too !  

shelly

You can count either DX day or end of TX or both.  Different ones do different.  Me - I choose to go with DX day.

Genny, I can relate, although my sequence of events was a little different than yours.  My original ultrasound and mammo found a lump, 0.8 cm, right below the skin.  So small no one could even feel it.  Everyone was confident it would be no big deal when I went in for the lumpectomy--and woke up with an axillary dissection because the sentinel node was positive.  Five days later I was in my surgeon's office to get the drain removed, not knowing she had my path report back, and I was alone--hadn't brought my husband with me.  Lots of nodes.  Stage III. 

Shocking, dismaying...what words are there?  I don't even remember how I managed to drive home after that appointment.  My heart was weeping, my mind was numb.

That was almost three years ago, and I'm doing fine.  Better than fine.  Still working full time, I have baby granddaughter, my health is great, and I feel wonderful.  Yes, the cancer "elephant in the room" is still there, but it's shrunk down to a little cockroach, and it doesn't bother me frequently.  I have a life to live.

Blessings to you.  You'll get through this.  Take the Xanax when you need to!

So when they say 4/28 lymph nodes they actually removed 28. Can't they test nodes without removal? And if you get a certain number positive can't they stop and do radiation or a chemo treatment? It seems so many nodes would needlessly cause someone to suffer lymphedema(sp?)

I was confused about my 0/2 I thought they just tested like a sample not the whole node. Finding the sentinnel node was what they dye was for, I am I right in assuming the took or looked enough nodes.

I did have an extensive MRI prior to my surgery. Under my arm is still tight after 3 years.

I had a sentinel node biopsy along with my lumpectomy but my BS saw a lot of not good looking nodes so took 7. When I woke up she said something like several nodes looked blue and pearly~~later I realized that was not good news. 6/7 positive and some extra nodal. Original ultrasound did not show any bad looking nodes. After chemo when I had my mastectomy and full axillary dissection she took 7 more nodes and even after dose dense chemo there was still another positive node. 

Wouldn´t fat transfer deal with the one cup difference in size?  You could maybe also get rid of some fat elsewhere you didn´t want at the same time if you have any of course!!!! I am still a uni but know that I would not be happy with a one cup difference at the end of everything, its a lot and makes buying and wearing bras difficult for sure!!

Hi all.  I don't post often but I thought I would weigh in on the "nodes".  I am a nurse and my husband is a specialist physician but we were even confused about how many nodes? and what if they left a node in? and how come I only had 8 total nodes and other women have 43? etc.  

My breast surgeon gave me the very best answer.  She told me it was like blueberries in a blueberry muffin.  Sometimes you get a lot and sometimes your muffin only has a few.  When they do a total dissection they remove the entire area where the lymph nodes would be.  The lymph nodes are in a sort of fatty like tissue (not like the other fat we have...but similar).  They send the entire section to the lab/pathologist where the fatty tissue is kind of melted away and they see how many nodes (blueberries) they have.  

This made sense to me!

also, there are levels 1,2, and three. all of which they might take. they usually dont take more than the 1 level, unless there is extravascular or extra-nodal invasion. it should say on the surgery report what levels they had to go to. mine was in all 3.

on my report anyway, from the surgery is where i found it in greater detail. then on the pathology report from the surgery it is there, in much less detail. You can always ask them, they will tell you. And then if you have a lymphedema therapist, she can show you where the different levels are. Im sorry you will be in the hospital, thats no way to spend the day!! i am only going to physical therapy, and a follow up survivor study meeting. then back home, waiting for the day to cool down so i can get some things done. hope you are ok? hopefully, they will boot you out of there quickly!