severe pain 6 months after lumpectomy

doloresmc

Hi, my mom had lumpectomy + radiation (25) to her left breast for stage I grade 3 invasive breast cancer estrogen and progesterone+, HER2 -. Her lymph nodes (sentinel) were negative (3). She's been on tamoxifen since April and hating every day of it (bone/leg pain) Now she's been having severe left breast? rib? muscle? pain that is preventing her from sleeping or even driving. She had a cyst drained and awaiting results on tests, but was told it most likelywas fat necrosis.Her doctor prescribed antibiotics for mastitis and since she didn't get better they gave her a shot of anti inflammatories that helped the pain for 1 day. Is it common to have that sort of pain 9 months after treatment?. Should I be concerned she's not being treated adequately?. Any ideas on what to ask for, or be on the look out for?.

Thank you so much for any input or comment

Dolores

Racy

Your mom needs these issues followed until either they are resolved by themselves or diagnosed. Which specialist did she see: onc, BS or rad onc?  Did she have any scans? If she still has the antibiotics, and assuming the doctor hasn't advised otherwise, she should keep taking them until the pack is finished.

If the doctor whom your mom has already seen can't provide an answer, ask for another opinion, maybe from one of her other specialists. She should request breast scans if they haven't been done already.

Good luck to your mom. 

doloresmc

Thank you Racy!.

It's hard because she's in Argentina and I am in the States and I am seeing she's not a very good patient in that she'd rather sit at home in pain than seeing yet another doctor or getting another test..so frustrating. She's seen her BS, and the doctor that does the images or procedures for diagnosis (the only doctor she actually trusts!) It's been about 3 weeks of pain for her, she says she needs to hold her breast when coughing, bending, whatever, if not it's a searing pain.She's also set in that it's not her breast breast, but maybe muscles behind it.She's still taking her antibiotics but complaining because *she knows* it's not an infection or her breast.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it

Dolores