life goes on

Hi Linda, it is good news that no more nodes were involved. I remember saying this same thing to the breast care nurse. I had a clear sentinel node biopsy, but they only retrieved one node. Because of this 5 % chance of cancer jumping the node, in the case of aggressive pathology, the Dr wanted to make sure the next nodes in my lower levels were ok. I said to the nurse, " if I have a mastectomy and 10 more nodes removed, and there is no cancer there, I will feel like this wasn't necessary and I might regret it." Her response was, that if it was her, and she received back clear pathology, then she would be delighted. In the end, my breast was removed and a level one clearance performed, (10 nodes ), and everything was clear. My surgeon told me this on Christmas day, 2010, and it was the best news ever. I have never felt regret about this decision, only enormous relief. I think the protocol for one node involved, is full node clearance. They need to know what they are dealing with, so they ca sort out the best treatment plan. Your arm will get better. Mine improved so much, when I gave up on the exercises and just started to use my arm normally. I had full movement back in about 6 to 8 weeks. Good luck with everything. Love Chris xx