NEW and frightened

One day at a time.

I do not think short term disability is needed  for WLND, but it may depend on the location. I had the lymph nodes removed under my left arm. I would think a week maybe more time off from work to relax. No heavy lifting because of the drain. PET and brain MRI should be performed before surgery. 

I was feeling good after 2 weeks and had my drain out. No getting the wound wet or dirty. Prep your home before hand with a good cleaning and disinfectant of bathrooms and door knobs. Bleach or Lysol.

You can't let it get you down. Follow your doctor's recommendations.

One day at a time.

I do not think short term disability is needed  for WLND, but it may depend on the location. I had the lymph nodes removed under my left arm. I would think a week maybe more time off from work to relax. No heavy lifting because of the drain. PET and brain MRI should be performed before surgery. 

I was feeling good after 2 weeks and had my drain out. No getting the wound wet or dirty. Prep your home before hand with a good cleaning and disinfectant of bathrooms and door knobs. Bleach or Lysol.

You can't let it get you down. Follow your doctor's recommendations.

One day at a time.

I do not think short term disability is needed  for WLND, but it may depend on the location. I had the lymph nodes removed under my left arm. I would think a week maybe more time off from work to relax. No heavy lifting because of the drain. PET and brain MRI should be performed before surgery. 

I was feeling good after 2 weeks and had my drain out. No getting the wound wet or dirty. Prep your home before hand with a good cleaning and disinfectant of bathrooms and door knobs. Bleach or Lysol.

You can't let it get you down. Follow your doctor's recommendations.

I had my SLNB in my groin, I assume yours was in your groin as well based on where your primary was located. I did not have a complete node dissection, I opted not to have that done. I have heard lymphedema is more likely when a CLND is done in the groin. I get swelling in my leg on the side I had just a few lymph nodes taken out from the SLNB when I travel or stand for a long time. Not full lymphedema but can get uncomfortable, I'm sure I would have ended up with it if I had all the nodes removed. 

I wouldn't worry about disability, maybe someone who has had a CLND in groin can chime in and say how long they were out of work for. Probably depends on what type of work you do and how flexible your employer is about being off and not being very mobile once back to work.

A PET scan is very much like a CT if you've ever had one. Same type of machine. Only difference is that you get injected with a radioactive sugar about an hour before your scan for PET. Then you will be in a room to relax and not move around a lot to let the stuff flow around your body before the scan. Scan takes about 45 minutes.

A brain MRI isn't my favorite thing.. the opening in an MRI is very small, and with brain imaging they have to make sure your head doesn't move so it can feel a bit confining with the pads around my head and the basket looking thing that goes over it as well. I get a prescription for anti anxiety meds before I get one of those done and it helps a ton. If you get easily claustrophobic then you should ask for those pills beforehand as well. PET and CT machines are much easier and I never feel claustrophobic with those. MRIs are also very noisy, they put ear plugs in your ears, and take about 30-40 minutes.

Sorry you have to be a part of our club, but this is a great place to be for info, hopefully we can help ease some of the anxiety this new diagnosis brings.

I had my SLNB in my groin, I assume yours was in your groin as well based on where your primary was located. I did not have a complete node dissection, I opted not to have that done. I have heard lymphedema is more likely when a CLND is done in the groin. I get swelling in my leg on the side I had just a few lymph nodes taken out from the SLNB when I travel or stand for a long time. Not full lymphedema but can get uncomfortable, I'm sure I would have ended up with it if I had all the nodes removed. 

I wouldn't worry about disability, maybe someone who has had a CLND in groin can chime in and say how long they were out of work for. Probably depends on what type of work you do and how flexible your employer is about being off and not being very mobile once back to work.

A PET scan is very much like a CT if you've ever had one. Same type of machine. Only difference is that you get injected with a radioactive sugar about an hour before your scan for PET. Then you will be in a room to relax and not move around a lot to let the stuff flow around your body before the scan. Scan takes about 45 minutes.

A brain MRI isn't my favorite thing.. the opening in an MRI is very small, and with brain imaging they have to make sure your head doesn't move so it can feel a bit confining with the pads around my head and the basket looking thing that goes over it as well. I get a prescription for anti anxiety meds before I get one of those done and it helps a ton. If you get easily claustrophobic then you should ask for those pills beforehand as well. PET and CT machines are much easier and I never feel claustrophobic with those. MRIs are also very noisy, they put ear plugs in your ears, and take about 30-40 minutes.

Sorry you have to be a part of our club, but this is a great place to be for info, hopefully we can help ease some of the anxiety this new diagnosis brings.

I had my SLNB in my groin, I assume yours was in your groin as well based on where your primary was located. I did not have a complete node dissection, I opted not to have that done. I have heard lymphedema is more likely when a CLND is done in the groin. I get swelling in my leg on the side I had just a few lymph nodes taken out from the SLNB when I travel or stand for a long time. Not full lymphedema but can get uncomfortable, I'm sure I would have ended up with it if I had all the nodes removed. 

I wouldn't worry about disability, maybe someone who has had a CLND in groin can chime in and say how long they were out of work for. Probably depends on what type of work you do and how flexible your employer is about being off and not being very mobile once back to work.

A PET scan is very much like a CT if you've ever had one. Same type of machine. Only difference is that you get injected with a radioactive sugar about an hour before your scan for PET. Then you will be in a room to relax and not move around a lot to let the stuff flow around your body before the scan. Scan takes about 45 minutes.

A brain MRI isn't my favorite thing.. the opening in an MRI is very small, and with brain imaging they have to make sure your head doesn't move so it can feel a bit confining with the pads around my head and the basket looking thing that goes over it as well. I get a prescription for anti anxiety meds before I get one of those done and it helps a ton. If you get easily claustrophobic then you should ask for those pills beforehand as well. PET and CT machines are much easier and I never feel claustrophobic with those. MRIs are also very noisy, they put ear plugs in your ears, and take about 30-40 minutes.

Sorry you have to be a part of our club, but this is a great place to be for info, hopefully we can help ease some of the anxiety this new diagnosis brings.

Hey there,

i am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, glad you found this site as it is a wealth of information. My father had a full neck dissection last year as his sentinel node was almost completely taken over by melanoma. He was lucky enough to not need a drain and we took him home later that night, he ended up taking a few days off of work but that was it. I think if you can plan to do the surgery towards the end of the week and take a few days off you could most likely avoid short term disability. Everyone is different but I wish you well and hope you recover quickly. 

Hey there,

i am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, glad you found this site as it is a wealth of information. My father had a full neck dissection last year as his sentinel node was almost completely taken over by melanoma. He was lucky enough to not need a drain and we took him home later that night, he ended up taking a few days off of work but that was it. I think if you can plan to do the surgery towards the end of the week and take a few days off you could most likely avoid short term disability. Everyone is different but I wish you well and hope you recover quickly. 

Hey there,

i am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, glad you found this site as it is a wealth of information. My father had a full neck dissection last year as his sentinel node was almost completely taken over by melanoma. He was lucky enough to not need a drain and we took him home later that night, he ended up taking a few days off of work but that was it. I think if you can plan to do the surgery towards the end of the week and take a few days off you could most likely avoid short term disability. Everyone is different but I wish you well and hope you recover quickly.