sentinal node questions

Mama G said:

I wish I'd seen this before I had mine done
by far the worst pain I've EVER had in my life. I even had crying spells for weeks afterward every time I thought about it. No one told me that I was NOT going to be given any numbing agent, and my sister was put out for hers. The surgery was a half hour later! Why couldn't they put me out??? Well I complained to the hospital, the surgeon, and everyone who would listen to me and now I understand they are using lidocaine. I hope all the horrendous pain was for that reason. NO ONE should have to go through that in this day and age!!!!! Make SURE you check this out first! Good luck! (p.s I'm in Vero Beach , Fl)

I know this is an old discussion, but I've been thinking about this ever since I had my sentinel node injections done the afternoon before my bilateral mastectomy.  I had the sentinel node injections of 99mTc (technesium) and it was the number one most painful thing that ever happened to me, worse than my broken ankle or the broken back I just had in March, worse than my hysterectomy, way worse than the bilateral mastectomy I just had Tuesday.  I had absolutely NO control at all - it was the only time I ever lost all composure and screamed and cursed, and after the first injection, I was really trying to prepare myself, but there was just no preparation for that level of pain.

Anyway, afterwards, I asked for the name of the injection so I could look it up online to see if anyone else has experienced anything like that (no one had told me that this might happen).  This is the only discussion I've found on the topic. 

So I just wanted to add my experience to this discussion.  If I ever have to have that injection again, I will ask for pain medicine or I will refuse to do it. 

When I read this discussion, right after I got home from having the injection, I was really happy that some people only had a bee sting feeling from it, or no pain at all, but I was also really angry about it.  :-)  I felt validated that there are other people who experienced the same awful pain that I did - not that they experienced the pain, but that I wasn't the only one being tortured, and that I wasn't just being a whiny baby.  I've never been a whiny baby about anything.

Anyway, if anyone reads this, thank you!