Shoulder and arm pain

Jennj99738

I had BMX with tissue expander placement and 2 nodes removed on each side on October 12th. I had the nerve pain in the foobs and down the arms. That has subsided but in the last few weeks I have developed a constant ache in the back of my neck especially when turning my head all the way. I also have muscle pain in both upper arms down to my elbows. I have been trying to do exercises but it doesn't help at all. The pain is nearly constant except when I am sitting still and not using my arms at all. I am having lymphatic therapy but she does mostly massage for lymph drainage. This doesn't seem to be helping.

The pain is really exhausting. My doctors seem to not understand this pain and don't recognize it as being related to the mastectomy but it clearly is. I've never had pain like this that is constant.

I wonder if I overdid it when I went back to work with lifting things or walking my not so well-trained dogs who pull on their leashes but I would have thought it would have gone away by now.

Oh, and I had an ulcer a couple of years ago so I can't be on NSAIDS for any length of time.

Any insight or advice? Thank you.

gracie22

Jenn, the link below is to a very helpful thread on Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome. Your doctors should be more knowledgeable as PMPS has been recognized for a long time, but unfortunately they are often not up the particulars of many post op issues such as PMPS and LE. I assume that you have not had exchange surgery yet; if not, perhaps that will help with the pain if the tissue expanders are part of the problem.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/136/topics/747016?page=51#post_4862791

gracie22

Jenn, here is another link; this one on TE issues. Some posters report the same type of pain you are experiencing. https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/771702?page=1

Jennj99738

Thank you for your posts, gracie22. I did read about PMPS but didn't think it was what I have because I don't have much pain, if at all, in the implant area. It's all about the muscle pain in my upper arms, neck and shoulders. Not really nerve pain but a constant ache. I'll look more into that long thread, though, and see if there is more about it and how to try to alleviate it.

gracie22

Jenn, so many nerves/muscles are affected by the surgery that pain in arms, back, neck and other places is not uncommon. I had shoulder and arm pain that began a few months post-op, worse on one side. It took a few months, but I found that mild exercise (especially shoulder rolls), lots of hot showers, limiting the amount of weight I picked up helped. I used Salon Pas patches on my back, shoulder and upper arm at night for months. I too did not have what I understand to be "nerve pain"--it felt muscular to me. I am now nearly 2 years out and pain free. I had a BMX direct to implants.

nihahi

It could also be (UNDERSTANDABLY!!) muscle tension do to stress, changes in your posture and the fact that your TE's can have lasting impact on surrounding musculature. You could ask your dr. for some muscle relaxant meds. The areas that you mention, are very often where people carry "stress", and over a period of time, that can really sink in and knot up your muscles. You can have significant muscle tension without realizing it.

I don't know if you would be a candidate for massage (muscular, not just lymph drainage) but you could ask about that too. Having your physio assess your posture, and trying to be aware of how you are "holding yourself" throughout the day is important! Heat is often useful to relax your muscles, but ice is a much better pain and inflammation treatment. Have you tried accessing some gentle "relaxation/restorative" yoga classes? If you are still doing things that put strain on those areas, like heavy lifting and controlling energetic doggies, you need to stop doing that until you have resolved this.

Constant tension that takes hold of muscles, from whatever the cause, is insidious and needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later. Hope you find some things that work for you.

Jennj99738

Thank you so much for the advice. I will ask my MO for a muscle relaxant to see if that will help at night. It's hard not to do stuff because I live alone. I actually had less muscle pain 3 weeks after the surgery than I do now. I will also ask about massage. I don't know about any yoga classes that you mentioned. I will look online and see if I can find so videos through Amazon. I did do some yoga stretching but it hurt.

nihahi

Yoga done correctly and as appropriate can be wonderful. Yoga done without good understanding and guidance can be very unhelpful. Try googling restorative yoga classes for where you live.

Have you tried any guided relaxation techniques to help you recognize and release muscle tension....that could be very helpful.

Along with the muscle relaxant, ask for a Physio referral for more than the lymph drainage.

Don't despair . ...there are answers out there for you.

Jennj99738

Thanks, nihari, for your posts. I will look for those yoga classes. Unfortunately, with my schedule, there just isn't a lot available. I did go back for the lymph therapy yesterday and it did help a bit more than the previous visit so I'm hopeful. I would love to get a massage, too. I will ask my MO if that's ok tomorrow when I go back for my last Herceptin treatment (hopefully!).

nihahi

Good luck, and that's wonderful news about the (hopefully) LAST herceptin!!!!!