Mastectomy scar tissue and tightness - can it be prevented?

Anonymous

Mastectomy scar tissue and tightness - can it be prevented?

Icantri

I am sorry to long timers who may feel like the same issues keep coming up, but I haven't been able to figure out if the stretching and exercises will help prevent scar tissue causing tightness, or is it a remedy to help ease it once it has happened? Both?

I thought all of us are tight after surgery, hence the limited range of motion. So when is it supposed to loosen up? How do we know when it I see time to say it is a problem?

I am at 3 weeks post-op and am definitely still tight. Certain stretches feel good, but other places I can't seem to get loosened.

I can feel hard bumpy scar tissue already, does that just eventually resolve itself? Is it too early to know if this is a problem?

chiefswife

I wish I could tell you something positive but not now I can't. It will be a year on Dec 22 that I had my diep, oh boy, it still feels awful, just downright awful. It feels as if I am standing right up next to a 2x4 piece of wood and someone is pressing me against it as hard as they can. I have this hard, tight feeling all across the front of me and into both armpits. I was kind of thinking about going back into surgery one more time to make my right breast appear more normal, (kind of strange looking) but heck no, I've had enough surgery to last me a lifetime. I still have hard things in my right breast that I can feel, they feel like the size of grapes but aren't squishy, no they are hard. Hate everything about it. I'm done, hopefully as time passes things might go back to what it was before but I doubt that. I hate for my husband to touch any parts of the front of me, down below everything feels numb. I feel like there is a plate of armour under my skin. I hate all this, would I do it again just for the new boobs.............................who knows.

ravzari

My PS told me to start massaging the scar itself with firm, upward, circular motions at week 2, but I couldn't because the feeling of the stitches still in there creeped me out too much.

I did, however, start (I use either emu or almond oil when doing it) after the stitches were out and it seemed to help, along with doing stretches. Word of warning though, you probably have some internal stitches as well, still hanging around at week 3, and you may feel them start to pop as you massage the scars. It's unnerving but harmless.

I should also note that I did NOT have reconstruction; if you had immediate reconstruction, I'd recommend talking to your doctor about what kind of scar/tissue massage is safe to do as I don't have an answer for that as I didn't go through that experience.

barbe1958

I didn't have recon and started to massage my chest after week one with this small battery operated bug-like thing with wooden legs. I'd sit for hours reading or watching TV with it going. The point is you don't want your skin to fuse to your chest wall or it'll be tight.

Reaching for things right now feels tight because of internal stitches. You don't want to rip them out so be gentle. I didn't get stretching exercises but just used common sense to gently work the skin and muscles so they didn't seize up.

Icantri

I did not have reconstruction. I breezed through the first two weeks noticing significant improvements very quickly and that has slowed up to where I don't know if it is normal or a problem.

So you think this is normal tightness because of internal stitches?

I understand about not wanting the scar tissue to stick to the skin. My tightness feels deeper so the internal stitches explanatmakes sense.

I don't know why but feeling the bumpy parts gives me the creeps when I try massaging them. I am usually niot weirded out by stuff like this. I like the idea of the little massager.

Thank you. I will try to be patient. At least until I am 6 weeks post op.

grandma3X

Lcantri - ask your surgeon for an order for PT. I'm fairly active and had pretty good range of motion after my MX in Jan. but I thought I'd give PT a try anyway. I was amazed at how much it helped.

Icantri

grandma3x -- when did you start PT? I went to occupational therapist at 2 weeks postop and she took baseline measurements for lymphedema and showed a couple things, one was for balance, not healing related. She was very vague about healing issues and she even told me that she doesn't normally see people this early. She talked about massage but said we'd do that next time, which she asked me to schedule in 4 weeks which would be 6 weeks postop.

So that is why I am wondering if maybe the healing just goes as it will, and we deal with any issues later, after mostly healed?

and/or they don't really don't know exactly why it sometimes over-heals or causes the tightening from too much scar tissue?

my breast care team is pretty loosey goosey and restrictions/instructions have been minimal so that also makes me feel like I should just use common sense and hope for the best. Like it doesn't much matter, either it will heal well or it won't but it isn't something that is much in my control.


Does anyone really know? Everything about this cancer journey seems like a test of faith to me. A lesson in letting go and learning to accept that there are many unknowns.

barbe1958

I didn't get any instructions at all so you're not he only one. I'm thinking the bumpy parts inside would be the internal stitches. They will dissolve. You're doing great even asking about stuff! The next thing will be the zaps as the nerves start regenerating. Annoying but a good sign.

rnbsns58

I am 3 weeks post op. Had bilateral mastectomies and a right axillary node dissection. I too got very little information about doing anything post op. i am scheduled to see a Physical therapist who is trained in lymphedema Jan. 4th. In the mean time I'm supposed to return to work the 1st of Jan. My arm is stiff- incisions are ok but the skin around is so sensitive everything that touches me feels like sandpaper.I feel like my skin is so tight I can hardly stand it. Just want to know if this is norma.l

mustlovepoodles

At 3 weeks post-op, I still had considerable tightness and pain, especially on my sternum and the hard swollen areas at my bra line. I had these giant fat balls, big as kitten heads under my arms too, so I was just in a big mess. I had some PT with a lymphedema specialist, which was good because she was able to do some manual lymphatic drainage and that helped the tightness (I did not have lymphedema, though.)  Eventually, my scar settled down and stopped being so painful and tight, but it was at least 4-5 months. Then I got pretty bad cording, for which I had myo-fascial release for about 2-3 months and that worked very well. At this ppoint, I'm 10 months post-op and I have no pain. The fat pads under my arms have softened, as well as the hard ridges at my bra line.

Best of luck to you, and don't give up hope. I really thought my scars would never feel better but they do.

Goincrzy8

Poodles I have that same fat pad. Had Left MX and drain was just removed and I am 2 weeks PO tomorrow. That fat pad scared me and I was wondering if its swelling or????? Does icing help or no?

tlgio17

Hi goincrzy8, i have the same fat pad as well and tightness still. My BS said it should soften up, so looking forward to that! What a journey this all is!

Goincrzy8

Good to hear Tigio hard to know what is good, what is not good. Nice to know we are not alone.

quaydvt

I'm looking for the same answers about the fat pad/tightness combination. I was wondering if it was a mild lymphedema on the right side. I also noted that the area going down the side in the region of the drain lines and scars is another place that needs to consciously be worked. Just saw my BS today for a rechceck & she told me to keep stretching, as far as i can and not to worry - I won't tear anything! Even though it FEELS like something might give way - that's the stretches doing what they are supposed to do. I'm 4 weeks post-op now, very good RoM in both arms, but more tightness on the right than the left (sentinel node biopsy on that side). I am told that those stretches are supposed to hurt. If it isn't somewhat painful (I just hold and breathe through it) then I'm not stretching far enough. I go to where it hurts and then a bit more. So... I will keep it up. It does get better very quickly

When I look at the area just around the armpit in a pre-op picture (yeah, I took one - they said i should), I can see that I was already a little "fatty" in that region before surgery. Now that the skin is taut across the chest, that chubbiness is restricted to a ball in my armpit. Time should hopefully release more of the skin and then allow that fat to fall a little more naturally. I am actually looking for things to reach for at home - top shelf, reaching back & over the shoulder a bit to hit the snooze button, any normal activity that pushes the envelope a bit more.

Thanks for the suggestion of the little massager. I may just pick one up for times I'm settled into an hour of Netflix