Women who have a lumpectomy usually experience little pain in the breast area, but often feel numbness and pinching or pulling in the underarm area. In some cases, this numbness gradually fades as nerve cells begin to regenerate. However, some patients will experience permanent numbness. Patients with this lack of sensation need to be cautious to avoid injuries such as burns. Daily inspection of a numb area can catch injuries early and avoid infection and other complications.

Other side effects sometimes associated with lumpectomies include:

• Infection
  
  
• Reaction to anesthesia
  
  
• Blood (hematoma) or fluid (seroma) collecting where the incision was made
  
  
• Swelling of the arm (lymphedema). This happens in about 10 to 30 percent of cases where multiple lymph nodes are removed, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients can be referred to physical or occupational therapy to learn techniques that reduce the swelling, such as compression bandaging of the arm, massage and exercises.