which arm?

I had a mastectomy in 1992 on the left breast with 18 lymph nodes out. Wednesday I'm having a mastectomy on the right side with sentinal node(s) out. Which arm will be used for the IV line during and after surgery???? Which arm do I use in the future for blood work?

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear Ellen, Good question.  I'm not sure which arm they would use during surgery most likely the left arm as they would be working more on the right side and the left side would be more accessible to the anesthesiologist.  In the future, rotate arms.  Make sure to let the people who are doing the blood draws or blood pressure checks know that you've had a mastectomy so they do not keep the pressure for undue lengths of time.  What you might find is you have one arm that they can always get blood from easily, have them use that side when possible, as they may not have to keep a tourniquet on as long.  Then rotate to have your blood pressure checked on the other side.  

For more comprehensive information about lymphedema prevention and treatment we have information on our Cleveland Clinic Website. Which is www.clevelandclinic.org once there, click on Health Information Center, then type in lymphedema.