MY ARM IS NUMB AFTER HAVING LIMPH NODS REMOVED

ppurdin
ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
hello everyone,i have had my limph nods removed almost 3 weeks ago and my arm feels numb.will this go away,should i call my dr.are their other side effects.thanks and God bless you all.
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Comments

  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #2
    Numbness
    My arm is numb too. I don't know if it's getting better, or if I'm just getting used to it. When I saw the surgeon this past Monday, she was very pleased with my range of motion [although I thought it wasn't that great]. She said the numbness might improve, or it could stay the same. Sleeping is the hardest, but I found a great deal of comfort resting my arm on a pillow. Soft T-shirts and sports bras are the most comfortable clothing for me right now. I like the bras that open in the front. I've been massaging my underarm with unscented lotion. Whether it will help restore feeling, I don't know, but it can't hurt.
    BTW, thanks for putting me on your friends list.
  • ppurdin
    ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181
    #3
    m_azingrace said:

    Numbness
    My arm is numb too. I don't know if it's getting better, or if I'm just getting used to it. When I saw the surgeon this past Monday, she was very pleased with my range of motion [although I thought it wasn't that great]. She said the numbness might improve, or it could stay the same. Sleeping is the hardest, but I found a great deal of comfort resting my arm on a pillow. Soft T-shirts and sports bras are the most comfortable clothing for me right now. I like the bras that open in the front. I've been massaging my underarm with unscented lotion. Whether it will help restore feeling, I don't know, but it can't hurt.
    BTW, thanks for putting me on your friends list.

    HELLO
    THE PILLOW ,SPORT BRA AND SOFT TSHIRTS IS A GOD SCENT.AND LIKE YOU I SLEEP WITH A PILLOW FOR MY ARM.ANYTHING TO HELP.I APPRIATTE YOU WRITTING ME BACK.WE CAN NOT HAVE TO MANY FRIENDS TO TALK TO .THIS WEB SIGHT IS GREAT.I DON,T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I DON,T HAVE MANY FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY CANCER.I THINK THEY DEAL WITH IT THAT WAY.i DON,T BRING IT UP MUCH EITHER,BUT SOMETIMES I WISH THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT IT SOME.I HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO SLEEP BETTER THEN I HAVE BEEN.I HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING TO HELP ME SLEEP. WELL KEEP IN TOUCH.I AM PRAYING FOR YOU AND EVERYONE ON THIS SIGHT.GOD BLESS.
  • cats_toy
    cats_toy Member Posts: 1,462 Member
    #4
    ppurdin
    the numbness is from the surgery, and for some people it does go away completely, others will vary in the amount of numbness. Mine is still pretty numb up into my armpit and my surger was 3/22/07. Others I have talked to have regained all feeling.
    Hope it gets better for you, and always have your doc check and make sure all is well regarfding your healing process
    take care
    Cat
  • cathlinberreth01
    cathlinberreth01 Member Posts: 38
    #5
    m_azingrace said:

    Numbness
    My arm is numb too. I don't know if it's getting better, or if I'm just getting used to it. When I saw the surgeon this past Monday, she was very pleased with my range of motion [although I thought it wasn't that great]. She said the numbness might improve, or it could stay the same. Sleeping is the hardest, but I found a great deal of comfort resting my arm on a pillow. Soft T-shirts and sports bras are the most comfortable clothing for me right now. I like the bras that open in the front. I've been massaging my underarm with unscented lotion. Whether it will help restore feeling, I don't know, but it can't hurt.
    BTW, thanks for putting me on your friends list.

    armpit
    I had a sentinel lymph node biopsy july 8th and am still tender. My arm was numb in places for weeks-especially the back of my arm. I had lymph fluid collecting at the surgery site in my armpit and had to have fluid drained out of it 2x. I don't know if you ladies had that problem or not. But I put a pair of clean socks in my armpit and wrapped myself in a giant ACE bandage to hold the socks in place. The pressure from the socks REALLY helped and as the swelling went down, then numbness left. The ACE bandage was similar to a sports bra for support. I was told to sleep with the surgery site elevated too.

    I asked my doctor and she said swelling actually pinches the nerves causing numbness in the arm...

    It SHOULD be reversable.
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #6
    ppurdin said:

    HELLO
    THE PILLOW ,SPORT BRA AND SOFT TSHIRTS IS A GOD SCENT.AND LIKE YOU I SLEEP WITH A PILLOW FOR MY ARM.ANYTHING TO HELP.I APPRIATTE YOU WRITTING ME BACK.WE CAN NOT HAVE TO MANY FRIENDS TO TALK TO .THIS WEB SIGHT IS GREAT.I DON,T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I DON,T HAVE MANY FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY CANCER.I THINK THEY DEAL WITH IT THAT WAY.i DON,T BRING IT UP MUCH EITHER,BUT SOMETIMES I WISH THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT IT SOME.I HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO SLEEP BETTER THEN I HAVE BEEN.I HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING TO HELP ME SLEEP. WELL KEEP IN TOUCH.I AM PRAYING FOR YOU AND EVERYONE ON THIS SIGHT.GOD BLESS.

    Sleeping
    The first few nights after surgery were the worst. Every little movement hurt. I guess even when I was asleep I must have moaned some. HubbyDearest would ask if I was okay. So sweet...he would get up and get me whatever I asked for. I stopped the heavy pain killers after the second day, though, and switched to tylenol to avoid the side effects of the oxycodone. Now I don't take the tylenol very much. Everyone's healing time is different, and probably depends on how much cutting was done. Dr took out 32 lymph nodes from the left armpit, and a lump from the same breast. Left a huge "dimple", so I suppose it's no wonder It's still very tender. It amazes me, the things that are uncomfortable. Simple things, like the seam of my sleeve, feels like sandpaper, or cactus needles. Maddening.
  • Alexis F
    Alexis F Member Posts: 3,598
    #7
    cats_toy said:

    ppurdin
    the numbness is from the surgery, and for some people it does go away completely, others will vary in the amount of numbness. Mine is still pretty numb up into my armpit and my surger was 3/22/07. Others I have talked to have regained all feeling.
    Hope it gets better for you, and always have your doc check and make sure all is well regarfding your healing process
    take care
    Cat

    It might go away and it
    It might go away and it might not. You are still pretty new from surgery. But, some get, and, sorry for the spelling if it is wrong, lymphedema. And, that is pretty much permanent. Talk with your doctor. But, also give yourself time to heal.

    Lex
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #8
    cathlinberreth01 said:

    armpit
    I had a sentinel lymph node biopsy july 8th and am still tender. My arm was numb in places for weeks-especially the back of my arm. I had lymph fluid collecting at the surgery site in my armpit and had to have fluid drained out of it 2x. I don't know if you ladies had that problem or not. But I put a pair of clean socks in my armpit and wrapped myself in a giant ACE bandage to hold the socks in place. The pressure from the socks REALLY helped and as the swelling went down, then numbness left. The ACE bandage was similar to a sports bra for support. I was told to sleep with the surgery site elevated too.

    I asked my doctor and she said swelling actually pinches the nerves causing numbness in the arm...

    It SHOULD be reversable.

    Cathlinberreth01, the
    Cathlinberreth01, the surgeon put a drain in during the surgery that had to be emptied 2x daily, and the fluid measured and logged. When I went for my followup 2 weeks later, by then there was hardly any fluid & she removed the drain. I was so happy to have that gone! I had not thought about the swelling. I am still quite swollen in the entire surgery site. So maybe there's hope for me.
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #9
    Numbness
    My lymphnodes were removed in 2003, and the feeling never came back...it is not that uncommon, sad to say!

    Hugs,
    Claudia
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #10
    My partial mastectomy with
    My partial mastectomy with lympth node removal was on June 9th.. almost two months ago.. and under my arm and part of under my arm is still numb.. when it isn't burning.. the burning has gotten better and is really only bothersome if I wear a short sleeve shirt that is tight around the arm.. I have heard that the numbness can last quite a while... hang in there.

    Hugs

    ~T
  • cathlinberreth01
    cathlinberreth01 Member Posts: 38
    #11
    m_azingrace said:

    Cathlinberreth01, the
    Cathlinberreth01, the surgeon put a drain in during the surgery that had to be emptied 2x daily, and the fluid measured and logged. When I went for my followup 2 weeks later, by then there was hardly any fluid & she removed the drain. I was so happy to have that gone! I had not thought about the swelling. I am still quite swollen in the entire surgery site. So maybe there's hope for me.

    32!
    Well mine was just a biopsy and they don't normally put a drain in for those. I will have a drain with my upcoming bilateral.

    I will have to have all my LEFT axillary lymph nodes removed when I have my bilateral because 2 of the 5 they took were positive. So I will probably have the numb arm again, huh?
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #12
    taleena said:

    My partial mastectomy with
    My partial mastectomy with lympth node removal was on June 9th.. almost two months ago.. and under my arm and part of under my arm is still numb.. when it isn't burning.. the burning has gotten better and is really only bothersome if I wear a short sleeve shirt that is tight around the arm.. I have heard that the numbness can last quite a while... hang in there.

    Hugs

    ~T

    Numbness forever is what can
    Numbness forever is what can happen with the removal of lymph nodes. Some get all of their feeling back, some get some feeling back, and, some never do. Just wait and see.

    Good luck to you!
  • DianeBC
    DianeBC Member Posts: 3,881 Member
    #13
    cathlinberreth01 said:

    32!
    Well mine was just a biopsy and they don't normally put a drain in for those. I will have a drain with my upcoming bilateral.

    I will have to have all my LEFT axillary lymph nodes removed when I have my bilateral because 2 of the 5 they took were positive. So I will probably have the numb arm again, huh?

    Good luck with your surgery
    Good luck with your surgery Cathlinberreth. When is it?
  • Kristin N
    Kristin N Member Posts: 1,968 Member
    #14
    DianeBC said:

    Numbness forever is what can
    Numbness forever is what can happen with the removal of lymph nodes. Some get all of their feeling back, some get some feeling back, and, some never do. Just wait and see.

    Good luck to you!

    I have been getting more
    I have been getting more feeling back. Mine wasn't all that numb to start with though.

    Hope yours is ok!
  • aurora2009
    aurora2009 Member Posts: 544 Member
    #15
    cats_toy said:

    ppurdin
    the numbness is from the surgery, and for some people it does go away completely, others will vary in the amount of numbness. Mine is still pretty numb up into my armpit and my surger was 3/22/07. Others I have talked to have regained all feeling.
    Hope it gets better for you, and always have your doc check and make sure all is well regarfding your healing process
    take care
    Cat

    Numbness
    I had my nodes removed in the first surgury, which was about 4 weeks ago now, At first I had numbness all along my rib cage up under my arm to my elbow, after about the first week alot of the nimbness went away, leaving me numb from the arm pit half way down to my elbow. I asked the doctor if it would go away, and she said maybe, maybe not, it all depends on the person. Since then I had a second surgury, extending the scar on my breast about 2 inches further towards my arm pit, so some of the numbness came back. It's been 2 weeks now from that surgury, and most of it has gone away too. The only part that's still numb is under my arm around the back side, if you know what I mean. Even though it's numb, it's still sore to the touch, so maybe it will go away eventually, but who knows. It just goes to show once again that we are all different.

    Aurora
  • lanie940
    lanie940 Member Posts: 490
    #16
    Numbness
    I had a lumpectomy and only the sentinel node removed, so, I'm ok on the side(right) arm where that was done. But, I had neurosurgery on my cervical spine in 2000, and they debulked tumors and took nerves with it, so my left arm was completely numb and pillow under my are did work great. Have they discussed physical therapy with you? Is it just your upper arm that is numb? My Oncology surgeon said that is always a possibllity depending on the number of nodes removed.
    In my case my left arm is still numb, but I believe yours will get better with some time and PT. It's my hand that feels numb like novacaine is in it all the time, but mine is neurological. When you feel able to wear bras again get front closures, or hook it and swaing it around, thats what I had to do. Trust me, it does improve.

    Take care, and I hope everything goes well for you.
  • lanie940
    lanie940 Member Posts: 490
    #17
    OH, I want to add, make sure
    OH, I want to add, make sure you keep your elbow on your numb side are soft and creamed up with unsented lotion, I found I had trouble with sheet burns on boney things like elbows. Keeping them lubricated should help some.
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #18
    lanie940 said:

    OH, I want to add, make sure
    OH, I want to add, make sure you keep your elbow on your numb side are soft and creamed up with unsented lotion, I found I had trouble with sheet burns on boney things like elbows. Keeping them lubricated should help some.

    HI, My surgery was back in
    HI, My surgery was back in June and I still have some arm pain. Numb and burning down the back of the arm to the elbow. It is getting better. You have to use your arm, but the more you do the more it hurts. My doctor told me it was nerve damage and we will have to wait and see how much goes away. I was tolds about a year from a friend who had this surgery and the numb arm pit never went away.
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #19
    Kat11 said:

    HI, My surgery was back in
    HI, My surgery was back in June and I still have some arm pain. Numb and burning down the back of the arm to the elbow. It is getting better. You have to use your arm, but the more you do the more it hurts. My doctor told me it was nerve damage and we will have to wait and see how much goes away. I was tolds about a year from a friend who had this surgery and the numb arm pit never went away.

    Your doctor might also
    Your doctor might also recommend a physical therapist or a specialtist in lymphedema, if the numbness doesn't go away.

    ♥Kylez♥
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #20
    Kylez said:

    Your doctor might also
    Your doctor might also recommend a physical therapist or a specialtist in lymphedema, if the numbness doesn't go away.

    ♥Kylez♥

    I didn't have the numbness.
    I didn't have the numbness. I hope your feeling returns.
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #21
    survivorbc09 said:

    I didn't have the numbness.
    I didn't have the numbness. I hope your feeling returns.

    There is another thread here
    There is another thread here that will help you and RE also has a lot of information about it. She has lymphedema pretty bad I think.

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