Anyone Else only have One Node Removed/Tested?

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kec1972
kec1972 Member Posts: 269
edited April 2019 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

Back when I had my lumpectomy, my surgeon only removed one node for testing. He did inject the dye/tracer pre-surgery. I guess I’m worried because I’m seeing here that a lot of people had at least 2, usually up to 4, removed. I’d feel better if he removed at least 2. Do you know how they determine how many nodes to test? Thanks a bunch everyone

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  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited April 2019

    One sentinel node is common, particularly if ultrasound doesn’t show any issues. I know my BS was prepared to take more if anything looked hinky but he wasn’t expecting to find any involvement based on US and he didn’t.

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  • kec1972
    kec1972 Member Posts: 269
    edited April 2019

    Thanks for the reply Inger! I know on US all mynodes looked OK, not enlarged, maybe that is why... I guess I just get nervous because it seems as if a lot of ladies on here had at least 2-4 tested

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  • letsgogolf
    letsgogolf Member Posts: 263
    edited April 2019

    My surgeon told me that they don't know how many nodes they are taking at the time of surgery. They remove a pad of tissue that registers within a certain range of the blue node on a gamma detector sort of like a geiger counter. Some people have several nodes imbedded within the pad, others only a few or even just one. Some doctors may just remove the blue node if they don't use the gamma detector method.

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  • Ingerp
    Ingerp Member Posts: 2,624
    edited April 2019

    I was super happy to only lose one (and told them not to take any with the DCIS in 2016). Lymphedema scares ne

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  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited April 2019

    I just had the sentinal node removed. It turned out to have a micromet, but I don't see the point of worrying about it. They took that into account when planning my radiology treatments and gave me a thorough zapping to clean up any crumbs.

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  • Beesy_The_Other_One
    Beesy_The_Other_One Member Posts: 274
    edited April 2019

    I had only one sentinel node and it was clear. My surgeon explained that we each have a different number of sentinel nodes, between one and six (they don't know why), and they only take the one(s) that "light up."

    I don't spend much time thinking about this because the chemo and targeted therapies decimated my tumor and I'm not a worrier by nature. But I am not foolish to think that the cancer couldn't have gotten past the sentinel node--I just hope chemo, etc., did its job systemically. I met a gal in radiation that had one sentinel node and it was clear. She was Triple Negative, but the original tumor was "tiny" so she didn't qualify for radiation three years ago. She had a recurrence in her armpit the same week of my diagnosis---obviously a few cells got past that first node that was clear. So this time, she did surgery to remove nodes, chemo and she qualified for radiation. Our RO told her she believed that had she had radiation the first time, it would have taken care of those cells. And for what it's worth, there's a lot of negative commentary on radiation on this site, but I found it to be a walk in the park compared to chemo. I am Irish, English and Scottish, and have the skin of a redhead. My skin did fine. I finished a week ago yesterday and am just lightly pink now. My treatment field was large because of the size of my tumor. I could have rejected radiation but my doctors definitely wanted to do it for that reason, and I'm glad I did. I wanted to do everything I could and then let it go.



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