Are my underarms and sides never going to feel the same again

samon

Does anyone else have strange feeling under their arms and part way down their sides.  I had bilat mast three years ago now (without recon) and I am tired of the strange feelings I get.  It's not my arms themselves that feel strange.  Just my under arm area and the area with my dog ears.  Yes, unfortunately, I have dog ears and on both sides I have these fat pads.  I guess whats stange to me is some days they feel fine and I don't notice them much and other days they feel stange....almost like there is extra material or something stuffed under my arm.  No one ever explained about the numbness and how all this would feel.  Even my chest area still feel numb.  I keep wondering if this is a forever thing or is it just me that it's happening to.

BethNY

Have you thought of having the dog ears corrected? If your breast surgeon doesn't do it, a simple visit with a plastic surgeon could change everything.  All it takes is a little lipo that can probably be done in the PS's office.  That could definitely change the comfort level for sure.

You may want to also post this in the women who chose not to reconstruct forum, right near this one on the main board, and maybe some of the women there can offer better advice.

hooptiedoo

Yes, even after five years, I still have some numbness and "strangness" as you described. For about six months after the mastectomy, I had a numb spot on the back of my right arm that drove me crazy. It would itch, but when I scratched, I couldn't feel it! Also if someone patted me on the arm, it was soooo painful. However, these feelings lessen over time and now I don't notice them much any more. A lot of the feeling has come back. They sure don't warn you about these things before surgery, do they?