BM and second TE fill with persistent pain below right breast

jonella

Hi There. This is my first post. I was so happy to find this forum. Breast cancer with BM and TEs is a lonely experience. I was wholly unprepared for the enormity of the breast reconstruction. I had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction with tissue expanders. The first two weeks after surgery were a blur of pain. I had a small fill during surgery but I don't know how much. Week 2 post surgery I had drains removed and 30 cc's in each breast. I had muscle spasms and intermittent sharp pain under my right breast. I was still taking Percocet and Flexeril, so the pain seemed manageable. Week 3 I had another 30 cc's in each breast. I was feeling pretty good and more like myself before fill. By the evening of fill I had muscle spasms and the sharp pain beneath my right breast which got worse as time went on..I was able to control spams with Flexeril and pain to a degree with Percocet. It's day 4 post fill and I cannot stand or sit comfortably bc sharp constant pain below my right breast. I called PS and they prescribed lidocaine gel which I will start today. My question is, has anyone experienced this sharp constant pain and is it something to be concerned about. The other question is I am fearful of staying on Percocet every four hours this far out from surgery? Am I being silly? I cannon take NSAIDS bc I have two peptic ulcers and Tylenol alone does nothing for the pain under my right breast. I am feeling like I want to start moving and getting my life back but this pain is stopping me. Also, I have these bricks on my chest and nerve pain in my arms and back from aggravation of the nerves. This whole experience is overwhelming me and frustrating me. Guess I just need to know it will pass and my body will feel normal again. Please tell me the silicone implants will be comfortable. Thank you for listening.

Moderators

Hi jonella, and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

We're sorry you have to be here, but really glad you found us, too! Our community is full of super helpful, knowledgeable, and supportive members. You're sure to have some replies soon!

We look forward to hearing more from you, and we hope your pain gets better soon!

--The Mods

farmerlucy

Hi jonella - Sorry you are in so much pain. I remember those days well. It was not fun. Here are a few things that I did that helped. I saw a PT who happened to be a BC survivor, she helped me mentally and physically. She did a nerve cleanse that really helped my arms and she worked on my back and neck. I found my own PT, then asked for a referral. As far as the pain under the breast - I figured it was muscle pain and treated it like other muscle pain, I used those self heating charcoal pads like you use for period pain, and I stuck those on my skin at the mammary fold, my incisions were much higher so there was no risk of involving them. I also used a heating pad for my back and I even used heating rub in the mammary fold. PLEASE ask your PS about this though. Some say no heat. I did it but didn't ask permission. I felt like I had an extra hard time with the expansion because I was used to doing a lot of physical labor and my pecs were pretty strong. It is a good thing I didn't know how painful it would be because there is no way I would have done it. Day by day, week by week, things improved slowly. By the time I had the exchange, five months later it was bearable. Now I have no pain at all, just some tightness which I've become used to and is the new normal.

Hang in there. We're in your corner.