Did the lymph node removal effect how you feel now ? I was told, that the arm swells up and you can have infections . Was there pain involved in the removal of lymph nodes ? How long did it take to heal ?
elvandi

I am a breast cancer survivor. Was dx with triple negative ductal carcinoma, had chemo, surgergical removal of right breast and lymph nodes, then radiation. Also, am positive for BRACA2 so had left breast removal. The lymph nodes were removed at the same time as mastectomy. Not everyone who has lymph nodes removed gets lymphodema, the swelling you referred to. My sister had hers removed and she didn't but i did. It's very treatable, i do massages to drain the lymph, wear a sleeve and wrap it as needed. FYI i was in a research on sential nodes, they know much more about it now than when i had mine done, ask your surgeon about it. The inconvenience of my lymphedema is a 1 on my scale of 1 to 10. Just a part of my daily routine, like brushing my teeth. Everyones journey is different. You asked where we went for treatment. I live in Texas so i went to MDANDERSON in Houston. I live 5 hrs away so for chemo MDAnderson formulated my chemo, administered my first 2 infusions, then sent the prescription to my local cancer center where i received the other ones. I went to MDAnderson for checkup to evaluate the chemo. I had all surgeries and radiation at MDAnderson. I love MDAnderson and credit them with saving my life however i believe Mayo Clinic is top notch world leader also, don't know anything about Moffit. Go where you feel confident about their cancer treatment. God bless you and a safe and peaceful journey.

Welcome to Connect, @barbarah,

Thank you so much for such insightful information and for sharing your story. It is indeed amazing to learn how quickly the world of medicine has evolved. Keep in touch, and let us know if the Connect community can help answer any questions, too.