Re: Sentinel Node Injections - My Experience & Recommendations - BRADLEY

[Guest guest]

-Frances:

I agree, that Bradley breathing can get you through anything (even

scarey rollercoaster rides!). With y SNB, it was done same day as my

surgery, but AFTER I'd been to the Imaging dept, where they inserted

a wire into my breast to mark the tumor (it was deep). Then I went

to Nuclear Medicine for the radioactive injection, and could not

move around, massage my breast in order to help the 'stuff' move

through my system...just laid on a table in a cold room. I asked

for extra blankets (they warm them there!) and that helped, but they

still had to inject me a second time, under nipple to get things

going. I asked if that's the norm, it was, I asked why they didn't

just start out under the nipple OR due Nuclear Medicine first, if

the wire negated movement that would have helped the 'stuff'

move??? It makes sense to the nurses, but the doctors or protocal

just don't work that way!

Suzanne

Suzanne

>

> Hello group!

> My surgery is bright and early tomorrow morning. My doctor

does the

> sentinel node injections the day before, which is today. I had

mine

> done a couple of hours ago.

> Now, I know there has been a lot of discussion here on the

pain

> involved. I do not want to take away from that, because it IS

painful.

> For me, however, it wasn't nearly as bad as labor and delivery.

Funny

> thing is that before I had the injections I compared the

experience to a

> particular rollercoaster ride at a theme park in northern Ohio.

I'd

> been told that the pain for each injection lasts about five

seconds.

> Well, five seconds times four injections equals 20 seconds of

agony,

> which also happens to be the same total time of the Top Thrill

Dragster

> at Cedar Point. That is one ride I would NEVER want to ride, yet

is

> over in 20 seconds. I had sentinel node injections in each

breast, so,

> in my mind, I had to ride that ride twice. Now, on to my

experience...

> First, the radiology department didn't have my script. So, I

had to

> wait an additional 30 minutes. Then they only had a script for

one

> breast. I found out Friday that I was getting both breasts done.

So,

> the masochist that I am, I told them that I need to have both

breasts

> done. More phone calls, and voila, the right script. For some

reason

> we were near the end of some half life measurement, so had to get

the

> injections in " soon. "

> If you remember I asked about using Lidoderm patches to help

with

> the pain. I did an experiment. Last night I put a patch on one

breast

> and none on the other. I found that the pain in the breast that

had had

> the patch was a LITTLE less than the other one. I won't be doing

this

> again, but if I had to do it again I would use the patches.

> The radiologist wanted to " count " to prepare me for each

injection.

> I don't do well with " counting, " so I told him not to do so.

The

> breast care specialist (head of support group) was there to hold

my

> hands. I did my Bradley breathing (deep, slow, belly breathing)

and had

> a conversation with those present. I got through it. Sure it was

no

> fun, but, for me, the risk and setup of sedation would not have

been

> worth it. A few minutes after sitting up I was good to go.

> One thing that about SNI that hasn't been mentioned here is

that of

> breast massage afterwards. I need to massage the front of my

breasts

> every hour until bedtime. It's supposed to help get the

radioactive

> stuff into the lymph system better.

> -Frances

> --

> -Frances Bartels *** ki0dz@... (((#))) ^ ^

> http://www.qsl.net/ki0dz Central Ohio | ^ - ^

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