Melanoma /Lymph Glands

As I have just had surgery to remove a Melanoma under my R arm,and they removed my Lymph glands as well I wonder if anyone on this site has had/ or knows someone who had a similar operation

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Hi Deylon Ive had my lymph nodes taken out from under my arm but it was for Breast Cancer....
Ive since developed lymphoedema in my left arm as a result ...Im managing it .

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Sorry to hear this Aysa,how do you cope ? Do you get pain/ swelling ? And what of your future ?

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

My symptoms are a slightly swollen arm from my elbow to my knuckles...my son calls it my "Mr Stay Pufft" (the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters) arm lol....it doesnt hurt but was painful before it actually swelled up....apparently now I have it I will always have it ,I do wear a compression sleeve sometimes if I feel I need to,this is a bright pink sleeve (I bought a nice coloured one) which fits snugly from my shoulder to wrist ,this really helps with reducing the swelling.
Apart from this I havnt experienced any other symptoms as yet.

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

I have also had lymph nodes removed but I was fortunate enough to escape the lymphoedema. They advised me to massage my arm upwards, because the lymph nodes get rid of your excess fluids and this massage helps. Ask your hospital about this because all the people I have known, that had lymph nodes moved were given the same advice and it worked for me.

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Thank you Twinks,I will ask on Thursday when I go to have my dressings changed.I am still uncomfortable ,my boob and upper arm quite swollen, I had a lot of fluid withdrawn last week , but the hospital say it will keep coming back for quite a while,as the body tries to make up for the lost glands

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

These things are always a worry, but I had a very aggressive cancer in 2011 and I am still here today. Operations to remove the Lymph nodes are done in many cases of cancer surgery, and the lymphoedema can be a problem, but your best option is to do exactly what they tell you to reduce the effects.
You must be going through a worrying time, but please stay positive and determined to beat it...... my oncologist told me that he thought my positive attitude considerably added to my recovery.
Feel free to send a pm if you have any worries.

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Thanks Twink,My problem at the moment is swelling of my breast & upper arm, & pain , a week ago a Dr syphoned off a lot of fluid as I was very 'tight & swollen' there ,apparently my wound is healing well , but nurse said there is 'redness' there. I think maybe from the plaster they use for dressings , it does irritate my skin, I still have dressings changed every few days even though its 3 weeks now,& it is getting me down , the Hospital say it will take several weeks for the swelling to go down, so presumably I have to put up with pain till then,I go to the skin clinic on Thursday for another dressing change but dont return to see the specialist till September.So it just seems a waiting game & swallowing more pain killer tablets

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Keep your Chin up Deylon , treat yourself to something nice it might give you the lift that you need right now .
Look at some holiday brochures and plan a holiday when all this is behind you ..

Re: Melanoma /Lymph Glands

Deylon, it isn't going to be an easy ride, but when I went through my Chemo, I really wondered if life was worth living...... and look at me now.! Look forward to the time that they tell you it is all clear, and when you feel down don't hesitate to ask your hospital for help and advice. Aysa, myself, and probably a few other ladies on here know what you are going through but we will all be here to give you support when you need it.
This time next year you will probably be wondering what all the fuss was about.