Numbness in hand after axillary node dissection

Hello @pinky, I am glad that you had a successful surgery and hopefully you are convalescing well. The tingling and numbness that you are feeling on your hand is termed as Post Surgical Neuropathy. The development of post surgical neuropathies is typically attributed to compression or stretching of nerves during surgery. Lie down and raise your affected arm above the level of your heart for 20-30 minutes about 2 or 3 times a day. Put your arm on pillows so that your hand is higher than your wrist and your elbow is a little higher than your shoulder. This helps to decrease the swelling that occur after the surgery and subsequently the tingling sensation and numbness of your hand would go away. Moreover, do not forget to take the meds prescribed by doctor which would further be helpful to take down the swelling and you will be relived of the numbness sooner than later.

@pinky24, I am glad that the suggestions helped you in battling the numbness. Take complete rest and have a happy time getting well. Keep us updated about your health . Good luck and God bless

Shoshiana - You're surgery was pretty recent, just 3 weeks ago. Did you have a post-op appointment yet? Have you talked to your surgeon? I still had lots of interior healing going on 3 weeks post ALND & was pretty uncomfortable.

But still I would get a referral to a certified & trained lymphadema PT for an evaluation. It may be too soon to start active treatment, but never too soon to be assessed. Many docs don't know much about LE, so you may need to be persistent. Hopefully they did baseline measurements before your surgery?

Here is a site that may give you lots of help - including trained personnel in your area.

https://www.stepup-speakout.org/

Shoshiana, I definitely think you should discuss with you doctor about your symptoms as soon as possible. If there was any nerve damage during surgery (and I have no idea if there was or how much, of course) it may resolve, partly resolve, or be partly permanent. I had multiple surgeries and I do have some permanent numbness, tingling, and nerve pain on my index finger and part of my right hand. As MinusTwo points out though, there can also be lymphedema issues involved as well, so I agree that you should discuss with your doctor, and get a referral to a certified lymphedema therapist for an evaluation.

(As an aside, if you have the option, it might be good to opt for a certified lymphedema therapist who is also a Physical Therapist. Sometimes OTs are also CLTs, but I have found PTs are much more helpful when you might have more going on than just lymphedema. But the most important thing is to get to someone who is certified.)