Good morning. Has anyone had a sentinel lymph node biopsy and had side effects? Have been offered it for stage 1b melanoma and I am in two minds whether to go for it or not. Any advice would be gratefully accepted.
I wasn't offered it (30 years ago) - I was Stage 1b but in those days consultants didn't push for it to be done. Sadly it returned 13 years later & I've been Stage 3b for the last 17 years.
Having said that, I know several patients who have been in your position & only a few have suffered a side effect, mainly mild lymphoedema. It depends how many nodes they remove - the odds rise with every node.
Every patient is different - do you have any existing health conditions that it could make worse, do you have a lifestyle or type of job that a side effect would compromise, are you the type of person that likes to know exactly what's happening internally so you can deal with it or you'd rather not know until something happens? Personally, looking back, if I'd been offered a SLNB I would have accepted it as I like to know what I'm facing & start treatment immediately if it's spread. To me, time is of the essence - why wait for it to spread before tackling it? But some prefer to weigh up the odds & decide to refuse it, especially if they can have regular ultrasounds instead (if your hospital would provide them).
Good luck with whatever you decide, there is no right or wrong decision - it's personal to you.
