Phantom breast pain/feeling

tangandchris

I've been experiencing this daily for the last couple of weeks. I feel pains like almost a "let down" feeling similar to what I felt during breast feeding. It's bizarre and unsettling! I'm almost 3 years post mastectomy and this is just now happening....is this something to be worried about? I have other pains too, aches and such in my chest, but this is the most prominent. Anyone else?

Anonymous

Your surgery was much earlier than mine but I have this type of feeling every now and then. It feels like my breast is still there, even when I touch the scar area it feels like I'm touching what used to be my breast. Kind of like the area that I'm touching is "further away" from my chest than it actually is. I don't know if that makes sense. It's a really weird feeling that I've gotten used to that past few months. It's worth mentioning to your oncologist during the exam. But I notice a lot of doctors just say "Oh it's the nerve endings".

tangandchris

Yes, what you described makes sense. I figure that this is nerve related, but the let down feeling is so unnerving!

I will bring it up for sure with BS.

Keepongoing

When I am cold I feel like my nipples are sticking out and look down to see if they are showing through my shirt , then I remember I don't have any nipples. 😁I also have felt like I was engorged and tingly . I am 9 months out from BMX.

farmerlucy

Same here re: nipples sticking out feeling. Also I had nipple discharge for a few years pre-mx, and for a few years post mx I still had that feeling. To meet it was kind of comforting that my brain could recall a more innocent time in my life, before all hell broke loose. . Hi tang - me waving.

ravzari

I still occasionally (2 months out from my BMX) try to lift mine in the shower to wash underneath them before going, "...oh, wait...nevermind!", and prior to actually not having anything to grab and lift, my brain is thoroughly convinced I have big ol' breasts hanging there and can even feel the weight of them. Even if I look it doesn't register that they're not there, I have to grab and miss before my brain catches up.

I also still frequently reach to adjust the bras I no longer wear simply because of having so many years of having to routinely do that to keep shoulder pain to a minimum and to keep the underwire in the right place. Whenever I get the urge to adjust, my brain is convinced that the breasts are there and I can even feel and 'see' them until I actually do the touching and have the, "...wait a minute..." reaction.

They were pretty large and saggy before, so doing the above was basically a daily routine for a good 20 years; muscle memory coupled with routine is a weird thing.

For me there isn't a letdown, so much as I just feel kind of silly for a few seconds.

aunt_paula

I was going to start a thread on this myself! It's been almost 3 years since my BMX, and a couple of weeks ago I was having phantom pain daily for about a week--my nipples, especially on the left side, were killing me! I was confused, then my period started, and I'm wondering if anyone has experienced phantom premenstrual breast pain.(It feels absolutely silly to even type that, but that's exactly what it felt like.)

tangandchris

I thought I'd responded to this earlier...guess it didnt go thru!

I was just going to say that Aunt Paula you dont sound silly. It's very strange how this stuff works! I don't have my period anymore, but my pain had some similar feelings to that as well.