Expectations for Sentinel Node Injection

I had two, so I feel like I am qualified to answer this in the club you never wanted to join. I had the radioactive isotope injected first. This took a little while because they had to bring it in after they had me in radiology. Then the machine to track it was broken so they gave me a shot of the blue dye, which resulted in my husband calling me Smurfette for months. Lol. These were both injected directly to the spot of the tumor, so that they could track where it drained to and find the sentinel node. It was not painful at all, but it did take a while. When is your surgery?💜

I had a sentinel node biopsy done the same day as a lumpectomy. I was very reluctant to do it but am now very glad that I did. It wasn't painful at all and the reassurance from having a clear sentinel node biopsy, along with low recurrence risk from an OncotypeDX test, is worth a lot in terms of peace of mind.

The more data that your oncologist can gather about your personal situation, the better. And can help lead to a more finely-tuned treatment plan specific for your needs.

The scar from the sentinel node excision, a year later, is barely visible and looks like a kitten scratch. Please remember to have all blood pressure readings and vaccinations in your other arm after the lymph node removal and otherwise keep excess stress off of that shoulder while healing, etc.

I had both sides injected in an exam room by my surgeon. She thought she removed both sentinel nodes. Reading the report showed 1 sentinel and 3 lymphs taken on one side. Seven on the other but no sentinel node. All were negative. I do all my shots and bp on the side where the least number of lymph nodes were removed. Wishing you the best outcome.

I had a different experience. I had two ( two tumors) radioactive injections into the nipple the day before unilateral mastectomy. It was used to trace the path of the cancer. They use a mini pen size Geiger counter to trace. I had one known positive sentinel node ( biopsy) before surgery and one micro invasion in another discovered at time of surgery. 5 next layer nodes were removed and were negative.

The nipple injections were the single most painful experiences I have ever had … but very quick recover and a great diagnostic tool.

Thank you for your reply! My surgery is Wednesday, October 5th with Dr Johnson And Dr Fahradyan (plastics).

Was your injection in the Nipple (and perhaps more painful there) because of the location of tumor or I wonder if all these injections are in the nipple?

My understanding ( which I have not confirmed) is that the injection is in the nipple … at least for IDC.
I have heard reports from others about this excruciating ( but VERY short lived ) experience of the nipple injection. I had two tumors and neither were in close proximity to the nipple ( relatively speaking).

@janisbrede
The tech explained to me that it is a thick emulsion and that is why it is so painful. She stopped halfway through to let me get my bearings. My daughter was with me and I think I nearly broke her hand as she held mine, but it was over quickly. Just try to remember doing meditative breathing which helps.

They injected mine into the tumor area high on the chest wall, this might be an outdated way as mine was almost 18 years ago.
Didn’t they put some local anesthetic in for these shots in the nipple!? YEOW!

Hello Anjalima. My surgeon told me that if she finds a positive sentinel node, then she will remove all my axillary lymph nodes. Is it a normal procedure?