PAIN FROM NERVES MENDING OR SOMETHING ELSE?

mikita5

Ok, I'm one yr., 7 months out from a bilat mx w/immediate DIEP reconstruction.  I've read about nerves mending and having pain from a mx, but this pain happens to be in the one breast that had the bc.  It hurts, aches and has pain in the breast, underarm and down the arm. It's scary that the hurting's in the bc boob and the healthy one never has any pains. If both were mending, seems they both would hurt.

Anyone have the nerve mending pain? How do we know the difference? BTW, I've had one ultrasound since surgery and that was because of 2 lumps in the BC boob. Oncologist and radiologist said it was just fat neucrosis.

Just wondering. Anyone?

dlb823

mikita ~ I had a unilateral Diep, so can't comment on one breast feeling different than the other when both have been reconstructed.  But I definitely had noticeable pain at some point in my Diep reconstructed breast, and my PS assured me it was probably the nerves regenerating.   As I recall, it was right around the 1 yr. mark, and my PS said it can happen up to a year and a half or two years.  Mine didn't last very long -- maybe two or three weeks. How long has your pain been going on? 

Are you being followed up by your BS?  In addition to a mammo & u/s, my BS did a MRI as part of my 2-year followup.  If you're concerned, perhaps you could report your symptoms to your BS and see if they think some sort of screening is appropriate.

Good luck ~  Deanna

mikita5

Hi Deanna,

Thanks for your reply.  I've only had one ultrasound since my mx/reconstruction and that was because I had two lumps they wanted to check. That's where my pain is....it's just so worrisome when you have pain where the cancer was at.  I try to put it all behind me, but it's so hard sometime. I guess we'll always worry with every pain we have...

My bc was found on a routine mammo....But after surgery, report came back with two other cancers in same breast. They were high grade w/commedo neucrosis.  Those other two spots weren't caught by mammo, so I don't know how they're supposed to find bc if it returns.

Again, thanks for your response.   Hope you had a great Thanksgiving day!

sandilee

Yes, I definitely had nerve mending pain that sounds like what you're experiencing in the area of my mastectomy and down the arm on the same side.  It was disturnbing enough that I went in around Christmastime last year to have it checked out.  They told me it was nerve pain, and that it should go away in a couple of weeks.  It did!   But it really was different than anything I had felt until then, so I was concerned.  It hurt!  

   Is it better now for you?