If more than 6 lymph nodes were removed, your surgeon will explain exercises at your post-op check. Please continue your “activities of daily living” with your operated arm but refrain from lifting more than 15 lbs. While the changes to your urine will resolve in 48 hours, any changes in the breast may take several weeks. Blue dye for the sentinel lymph node biopsy may cause some bluish discoloration of your breast and will turn your urine blue. Expect some swelling and bruising around your incisions, this will resolve over a few weeks. You may need a specialty garment depending on the location of your incision, and we will help you to obtain this. Some women find it comfortable to wear something at night. After your first shower, wear the binder, your regular bra, or a sports bra-whatever is most comfortable. The glue will begin to flake off 2-3 weeks after surgery. You may shower or bathe as soon as the first day after surgery. Under some circumstances, gauze will be placed over your incisions and may be held in place by a “breast binder” – a cotton tube top with a Velcro closure in front. Your incisions are closed with absorbable suture covered with a special glue that is waterproof. If necessary, you may take both the NARCOTIC and the ANTI-INFLAMMATORY together. We suggest you use this medication “around the clock” for the first 4-5 days, following the dosing guidelines listed on the over-the-counter bottle. These medications can be very effective for controlling your pain as long as you don’t have any sensitivities to these medications or any interactions between this class of medication and any of your current medications. Therefore, it is best to limit these medications, and as an alternative, we encourage you to use an ANTI-INFLAMMATORY (either Aleve, Naprosyn, Advil, Motrin or Ibuprofen). While this medication can be quite effective, it often causes unpleasant side effects including nausea, light-headedness, constipation, etc.

You will be prescribed a NARCOTIC pain medication to help control this pain (Vicodin, Norco, etc). It is not uncommon to have discomfort over the first 2-3 days after your operation.

Sentinel node biopsy side effects