Completion axillary lymph node dissection

CKSANDIEGO
CKSANDIEGO Member Posts: 2
edited August 2018 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

my first post... I received neoadjunct chemo and had 1 positive node. IDC and DCIS in the right right breast and DCIS in left. Neoadjunct chemo shrunk the tumor and cleared the lymph node. Ended up having double masectomy with SLN removal. Path report came back with micromets in 1 out of 4 nodes and now the surgeon wants to do a cALND!!! Pathology was not done during surgery. Is anyone else having a similar recommendation from their surgeon? I am scared of lymphodema and the thought of another surgery is freaking me out

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited August 2018

    Welcome, CKSANDIEGO! We can't really help with your question, so we're just bumping your topic so hopefully someone can can offer some advice/experience.

    Please, let us know how you're doing, We are thinking of you, and sending you gentle hugs.

    The Mods


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  • Cpeachymom
    Cpeachymom Member Posts: 518
    edited August 2018

    ck- I didn't have chemo, but had similar post op surprise. My surgeon was on the fence about going back in, and she suggested I get a second opinion. So I did. I ended up doing rads instead.

    Sounds like a second opinion at a top treatment center might be useful to you to help you decide.

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  • LeesaD
    LeesaD Member Posts: 383
    edited August 2018
    During my surgery, 1 of 4 sentinel nodes showed micromets. Final pathology post surgery showed it was actually 2 of 4 with micromets. I wanted to go back in for ALND and I actually pushed my surgeon and he agreed to do so. He took out 14 more nodes in ALND and 2 of the 14 were fully positive more so than the sentinel nodes. I’m glad I went back in as my Oncotype came back a 3 and I would’ve skipped chemo and radiation and still had the positive nodes. I ended up having chemo and radiation. With the 18 nodes removed I was/am concerned a little about lymphedema. I get checked every four months by a lymphedema specialist and so far so good. I do yoga (planks, down dogs etc.) do weight training and so far so good and no swelling at all. The ALND surgery was not as bad as mastectomy. I had requested no drain after ALND as I had just gotten my BMX drains out so I just had to have some fluid drained from under my arm in surgeons office every week for three weeks. Best of Luck in whatever you decide!
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  • CKSANDIEGO
    CKSANDIEGO Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2018

    Thank you LeesaD. You made me feel sooo much better after reading your post. Peachymom - I did go in to the radiation oncologist to get her opinion too... she said no rads and told me to get the surgery. They get nervous about metastic spread if you have had chemo already, so surgery is scheduled for the 7th of Sept. Thanx ladies.

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