lump then mammosite and now pain

helenap

it seemed the surgery didnt bother me as much, inserting the tube for mammosite radiation was painful, taking it out was worse.. almost as if the surgery incision was fresh once again but it seems where the lymp node scar is.. and it is a jagged crescent long scar (for only two lymph nodes)... is the most annoying, painful and hard to deal with is this normal. i am ready to call my surgeon,

icing seems to help with some relief.. i feel that i shouldnt be taken pain meds this far our. I had the tube removed last friday and here I am still stuggling ..

 help or comments.

puppyted

Hi helenap,

I had a lumpectomy, followed by the mammosite radiation in Dec. 2008. My surgery also seemed to not bother me as much as the mammosite insertion and removal. I knew that I was going to be my surgeon's first mammosite patient. In fact, I suggested the mammosite procedure to him after doing research online. The insertion was awful. He did it the day after my lumpectomy, so the wound was fresh, and he couldn't get it positioned right. Lots of pressure, and pushing. When it came time for the removal, that was also very painful. Afterwards, the nurse asked if it hurt, and I said, "YES". She then said she had thought it would, because she had never seen such a small hole for the tube before. The hole basically tore open when the tube was pulled out. OUCH. I did not have any lymph nodes removed, so I'm not sure how that should be healing. The ice does feel nice doesn't it. The pain meds I tried not to use to much, but it's not good for the body to stress it's self out over being in pain, and that can interfere with healing. Since we pay these doctors so much, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to check in with your surgeon. The main problem I have had is what I thought was a large area of very hard scar tissue, has turned out to be a fluid filled cyst in the surgical site. Having never had any surgery before my lumpectomy for DCIS, I didn't know how the area was suppose to feel after it healed. They've emptied the cyst twice now (sorry, that sounds gross), but it doesn't seem to go away. Worries me as to what is going to go on next. Hopefully, you have a surgeon that you can talk to. I would call, and just tell them your concerns. Maybe they will have something else to suggest to make you more comfortable. Let us know how you are doing. Take Care.

helenap

hmmm. your story sounds familiar.. i hurt both times in and out.. but still worth it. radiation for one week. each day i am stronger but still fuzzy in the brain. calling the dogs by their wrong names.. i did go to the doctor and it is a lump filled with blood and water. too late to drain so using inflammatory meds and ice to bring it down over time.. it is getting better today. not wearing a bra at work. SHHHHHH i dont want the bra to be pushing skin in that direction and think that wtthe long weekend, i will be ahead of this before coming back next week. it is still bothersome today.... but my problem is near the lymp node removal and I only had 2 taken.. cant imagine those who had many. thanks for responding. when no one did, i figured the best step was to drive the hour to the docs.

puppyted

Your welcome for the response. I was so happy when I found this site to talk to people, and get information. Glad you went back to the doctor, and got some help. Sorry that the lymph node area is bothering you. I often wonder if my surgeon should have checked those out, but he said it wasn't needed. Hope he was right. I'd be interested in hearing from you if you have any more issues with lumps, or cysts, in the mammosite area. When I found out that what I thought was scar tissue was really a cyst, I tried doing some more research online. It seems that a lot of woman that had the Mammosite procedure have problems with cysts developing. I was happy too that it only took a week, and I agree about the "fuzzy", except I keep calling my kids, and grandkids, by each others names. Best of Luck to You.

dwymore_mcneely@hotmail.com

helenap

it will rain all day today and tommorrow so trying to slow down and give myself a chance to heal. the incision from the tube is still hurting some and the bump seems to be going down.. I am using cold and hot and hoping that works.. it is still very sensitive. it seems to me that i am in less pain when in bed.. so I spent 12 hours in bed. not quite sleeping but  it seems to havehelped. i really want to be myself again.. it will be three weeks on tuesday from surgery..

1 week from gallbladder removal and I was running around and mowing the lawn.

not so with this..

puppyted

It does take a long time to heal. It's not just the outside wounds, but everything else that is going on inside. Women just don't tend to take the time to care for themselves. We are so use to caring for everyone besides us, that we don't know how to put ourselves first. I know that I had a hard time convincing me, and other family members, that I had to be put first for a change. I hope everyday finds you feeling stronger. Blessings.

dcchef

HI - hope you are feeling better.  I had my finished my HDR treatment 6/11/10.  I had a blood vessel leak while it was in.  It took a trip to the ER, since it happened over the weekend, to have it cuarterized with silver nitrate.  The good news was the leak stopped, the bad news was it caused some clots and the doctor had a hard time getting it out - ouch!  It does take longer to heal than I thought it would.  It will be a month tomorrow and it's looking much better.  I tried wearing a regular bra yesterday, instead of a sports bra, but had to change after a few hours.  The area is still sensitive.  I am getting there, I know you will too!  I healed very quickly from the lumpectomy too, this does take much longer.  Give yourself time.  There is a lot going on inside and it does take longer to heal.  Be well.

helenap

well i went to the doctor and apparently my hemotoma has lots of fluid so they drained 25 cc which made it feel so much better. i am back on antiobiotics and after taking off the strips on the wound. and now it is healing much better and I am much happier. thanks for the support