Lumpectomy and Lymph Node Clearance

Wonderful news.  Unfortunately the discomfort from surgery can take a while.  I had all lymph nodes out plus lumpectomy and my drain site caused the most pain even after removal.  As the ladies have advised, is important to keep up the exercises.  I lapsed in early chemo as too sick and ended up with cording and now  have to work hard at that as having radiation in March and can't stretch my arm up enough.  I was concerned with numbness and odd nerve pain but reading comments on this site helped.  The numbness has improved but still numb under arm, side of breast and shoulder.  Best wishes.  Sue P

Wonderful results @tanyal
yes am also having some pain and itching at drain site and itching underarm 12 days post op. Good advice to get it checked especially if red around areas. God idea to keep an eye on your temperature too. Also good to keep up pain meds if needed. Does take time for healing to occur and every symptom can be worrying but better to check it out if concerned. Good luck with your recovery.

Yay! Wonderful results  :) :) :)

Thanks ladies, Ive started taking painkillers to manage the pain. Hopefully it settles down over the next week. It is reassuring to know others experienced pain as well.

Ccasper I have my fingers crossed that you will have a similar outcome with the chemo. Such a relief not to go through a mastectomy and recon.

Thanks again ladies.

What amazing news! Can't comment on surgery as I am yet to have mine but very much hoping for the same outcome as you! X

Wonderful news! Its a bit of a catch 22, you need to exercise the arm to avoid cording but it hurts. Just stay on the pain meds until its not as bad. It does take a few months to really settle properly. All the little nerves take a long time to reroute and re-establish themselves. Some never do and you end up with numb patches.

Hi Tanyal, I too had a lot of pain and had two drain sites very close to my suture line. The area where the lymph nodes were taken felt as though someone had attacked it with a food grater. I was wearing my mastectomy bra and found that the pressure from the banding under the cups added to my discomfort. Thankfully my wonderful breast care nurse suggested that I use a dressing folded over and used as a buffer between my bra and my drain site and that made a huge difference. So I just bought some thicker dressings from the chemist. Some of the ladies here have been prescribed Lyrica tablets to help with the pain - you would of course have to see your surgeon, or gp to get these and make sure they are suitable for you to take. The pain can make you miserable but once you have it under control it makes it so very much easier. Wishing you pain free days ahead. Xx Cath

Tanyal, thats wonderdful news!! I found I had more pain from the drain site than I did the surgery, it lasted for quite some time even after the drain came out. Im 18 months on from that but still have numbness in the back of the arm near the armpit and a little of the armpit, but nothing that worries me at all. The lumpectomy was easy compared to that! It will get better, just have some pain management until you heal a little more. Hugs Melinda xo

Hi Tanyal, what wonderful news - so happy for you! 
I had a left mastectomy almost 6 months ago with 3 lymph nodes removed (all clear).  About a week post op I had a lot of pain and sensitivity inside my arm from elbow up.  It felt like severe sunburn but not hot.  Lots of nerves were damaged during the lymph node removal and it takes a long time for them to start repairing.
I found a super soft horseshoe shaped cushion held under my arm helped - just keeping a barrier between my arm and body.
6 months on some of the numbness is going so I can now feel a few prickles and tingles, but more of an awareness really.
The drain site was really painful for a couple of months, it felt bruised and lumpy and pulled when I did stretching exercises.
Huge improvement about 5 months in, everything seemed to soften up and settle in.
But if you are concerned about your pain please check with your doctor in case there is an infection.
Hope your recovery continues well, after your great results I'm sure you will have the best Australia Day ever!  Let us know how you are doing.  Jane xx

Hi Tanyal,
I am so happy for you had wonderful news from the pathology results. I had lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy 4 weeks ago. I had 2 lymph nodes removed. I was proactive with managing my pain. I took pain medications the surgeon prescribed regularly for the first couple of days, then gradually weaned everything off over one week. I was pain free for all this time. Everyone responds to pain differently.  Have you been taking any pain medications? Maybe call your breast nurse and ask her opinion. She might check the wound and drain site for you. 
Good luck with everything and hope you will get rid of that pain very soon. 

Lots of love and hugs for you!