How do I know the surgeon took enough lymph nodes during my surgery?

I sound similar to you. I had two lymph nodes removed, one was pos and one negative. My tumor was about 7mm. I am having full breast radiation treatment now but they want to do 28 treatments and an additional 5 boosts. Seems like a lot to me. I am on Letrozole to. I’m 62. Left breast. My surgery was May 29, 2024. How big was your tumor? Jane

I remember the injections into the aureole around my right breast nipple as being one of the most painful things about my breast cancer treatment--although each shot was brief and the pain was off the charts. I don't have any idea how many lymph nodes they took, but I think I was told that the shots of a radioactive substance were to determine which lymph node my right breast "drained" into the most and that one was to be removed. There was no sign of involvement, which was positive. My tumor was 11 mm and 95% estrogen positive and the surgeon got good margins. I had had a stereotactic biopsy in 2018, which was benign. I still wonder if sticking that 3-foot long needle into my right breast stirred up the monster that became my tumor and I also wonder why the doctors didn't target me for an MRI in the years 2019 and 2020, since I had this "close call" of calcification in 2018. I still have calcification in both breasts, it is in a straight line (not good, I'm told) and I have had 2 major infections in my breasts, one after breastfeeding my first child in 1968 and one after my lumpectomy (seroma) in January of 2022.

I did not have any lymphodema from the removal of the lymph node, fortunately, and I had 33 radiation treatments thereafter. I took both Anastrozole and Tamoxifen for a full year (total) but could not tolerate either one and quit when the Anastrozole put me in a wheelchair for 6 months. I am now going on 3 years out and hoping that there is some sort of test to help determine whether cancer is recurring, because I have a 35% chance of a recurrence according to my onco score of 29, which I did not get until 2023 from a Texas doctor.

In your situation I’d suggest you send the radiologist a message 2 days before the upcoming scans reminding them that your original mammogram was inconclusive, that the type of cancer cells you had were not clear on that scan.
And then at the beginning of the mammogram/ultrasound tell the technician the same thing.

It doesn’t hurt to politely alert them that extra attention may be needed in your case. The mammogram technician at my follow up scan thanked me for the info and told me I should always share anything that might help them - at the beginning of the scan!

My original scans were also inconclusive (they wanted me to come back in 6 months). My intermediate grade DCIS did not have many/any calcifications which is what a mammogram is good at detecting. A couple of months before my year and a half mammogram I received notice through the message app that a MRI was added. Which actually scared me because I thought they found something that was missed.
I messaged the radiologist and she said she remembered our conversation about no calcifications and decided to add the MRI.
Depending on the facility, and your insurance, the follow up protocol may be a mammogram. They may need to justify a MRI to get it paid for, and an ultrasound may trigger that. So even if you don’t have a MRI scheduled now, it may be part of what’s next.

I just wanted to comment on the dye. If i was told that would happen, I did not remember. I was wheeled from the prep unit down the hall and into another room I had never been in. Two men in the room and one injected the dye in the same place. As i believe i asked what it was for, they said to light up the lymph nodes that feed onto the tumor site. I did not feel the dreadful pain. Needles do not bother me.

My cancer was found by me. It was in the lower left breast where it attaches to the chest. When I went to the mammogram I told them where I felt something and to be sure and get it in view. Mammograms did not have that in view in earlier years. I now tell everyone when you go for a mammogram tell them to be sure and get the entire breast. My sister had 25% more in view after she told them that at her mammogram.

I had an ER positive cancer so slow growing and it had spread to my lymph nodes and mammary glands. The cancer had obviously been there for more than a year to have spread when I found it. They do not do surgery on mammary glands so radiation and chemo as well as the Letrozole pill is the treatment. I was aware of the potential problems with lymphoedema when all lymph nodes are removed. After research decided that I was comfortable with treating the lymph nodes as the mammary glands were being treated with radiation, chemo and the Letrozole pill to avoid lymphoedema.

I knew there was cancer in the sentinel lymph node. I told the surgeon to remove the first three lymph nodes but no more no matter if cancer showed in all of them. The sentinel was infected as I knew before surgery. There were smaller amounts of cancer in the other two. My cancer was grade 2 stage 3 due to the mammary glands.

I was diagnosed in 2015 and treated in 2016. Cancer free since then. If you are having radiation, I think there is no reason to remove a lot of lymph nodes.

Thank you for your response. I do remember having those injections before my surgery.
They took two lymph nodes which both showed a small amount of cancerous tissue. They did not know the pathology until after my surgery so I'm wondering if more should have come out?
I will see the oncologist this Friday so I will ask him. My tumor was ER/PR positive and it was in the nipple area.

I would have thought you would have an MRI. I have had two since they found out about the cancer. Next month will be a year and I have things which pop up that scare me. I now have a small hard knot in the fatty tissue of my arm which could be nothing but a lipoma. My underarm is hard and swollen so I need to get that checked out.

I went thru weeks of radiation and no chemo. My onco score was and I am years old. I was put on Anastrozole, and I couldn't take that at all. I still have my female reproductive organs, so I was not a candidate for Tamoxifen. If I had continued on the Anastrozole I could see myself not walking. It has horrible side effects. I'm currently taking Letrozole which I have done well with it. None of the complications I had with Anastrozole.

If I was you, I would ask for an MRI just to check for reoccurrence.

Thank you so much. I will do that....

Hi traci999, I also have some small lumps popping up in the fatty tissue of my skin in the area of my radiation treatment. On my back and under my arm near the axilla. I asked the oncologists what it is, is it scar tissue and he says yes but his tone is hesitant, so I don’t feel reassured. It does itch quite a bit??? Any thoughts ???

TBH I really don't know but one thing I do know is if I feel like something isn't right I won't stop until I get an answer. I never received any lumps after radiation. If I were you I would definitely get a second opinion. Maybe see your PCP or OBGYN. One of my lumps I'm concerned about is near the axilla. I am going to ask for an MRI or biopsy. I want to know for sure.

I did have both my underarms break out and I was told it was a fungal infection and it itched but yours does not sound like that. I would get any lumps checked out. Please keep me posted and I wish you the best. My email is tracimoore1@yahoo.com if you'd like to email me any further.

Thanks Traci, I had a ct scan and nothing definite shows up, just”indeterminate tissue” . I’m starting physio soon and I’m thinking they may have some experience with this sort of results from radiation treatment!?!?