Serious relief from my lumpectomy burning pain...

Dustien

A lot to read, but the following definitely cut my pain to a manageable level.

Hi all! I'm nearly 3 weeks out from post op and for the last two of those i've endured increasing burning pain in my chest. At first I assumed it was coming from the incisions, one below my armpit for the sentinel node, and the one at 6:00 below my breast for tumor removal. Finally, I called the Surgeon's nurse and she explained that it was, most likely, nerve awakening and it can be having around for awhile! Ouch! Bummer! This pain was definitely interfering with my life, no doubt! OK...so not a lot I can do about it medically. So I began observing, to try to figure out if there was something I could do to help my bodies pain. I noticed that, at home, when I get up to walk around, if I cradle my breast in my hand and lift it, the pain is lessened. Problem was, I needed two hands for most things, and I can't be carrying my boob around when I was out and about!

So, being a firm believer that you can find anything on the net, I searched for a "breast sling" and, sure enough, there is one out there. It's called the "control sling" and was made to relieve pain during radiation from what I read. Problem was the price. It's 25.00, when you include shipping, for a single sling. It looks to me that it should costs a whole heck of a lot less to make, as there's not that much to it. The mark up must be 500%. That urks me and I refused to buy one (I know, we live in a capitalistic society and should get used to being taken advantage of for "medical" supplies but that's the subject for another thread).I knew if I put my head to it, I should be able to come up with something just as helpful for a lot less money! So I went to work. I tried a number of different ideas and finally found one that helped so well so felt I had to share it here!

I took a well fitting soft athletic bra (one that had straps going over the shoulder rather then meeting up in the back), put it on and while wearing it, cut a hole in the cup to allow the the nipple and aureola to poke out. Then I took a soft round piece of fleece, about 7" in diameter, and tucked it into the bra to cover the nipple. The bra keeps the fleece from moving around and protects the nipple being rubbed against by your moving blouse.

Then, to give even more "lift" I created a sling using safety pins and a regular ace bandage (not the big one from surgery) and slipped it over my head over the bra and under my breast (as if it were a broken arm). I had to adjust it a few times to fit the way I wanted it but the bottom line is....

IT WORKS! My pain has been cut by nearly half. It's at least allowed me to get out of the house and get things done much more comfortably! Now I'm heading out to buy some Vagisil and give it a try (a suggestion posted in this thread). Should help too, since it has 20% benzocaine, a local anesthetic that works by causing temporary numbness.* I'm feeling confident now that I'm on the way to at least getting a handle on my pain.

GOOD LUCK...HOPE THIS WORKS FOR YOU TOO!

*The piece of fleece cam from from when I cut a head whole out of a soft fleecy throw blanket a poncho out of...perfect for wearing around the house with no bra on...To make yourself a poncho just fold one of those fleecy lap blankes in half (leave one side a little longer for the back side to cover your butt.) and cut an oblong hole about 7" in diameter with a short slit on either side. That way the opening will not be to large but will still accommodate your head. I've made myself two of them so I always have one to wear when one is in the laundry. The flannel you cut from for the poncho hole is perfect for the nipple cover inside the bra.

* Be sure to always read the instruction before using any over the counter medication on to self-treat.

Dustien

I had written a long post here and went to edit it and it all disappeared! Grrrrr... One tip...when posting in this forum, highlight and copy often in case your post disappears and undo won't get it back!

I was explaining how I created a "sling" for my injured breast when it began burning from reawakening nerves (according to my Surgeon's nurse who also said it could last for sometime...maybe even weeks more). I noticed the pain was less when I cupped my breast with my hand, but that wasn't useful in public and used a hand I needed to have free! So I set out to figure out how to "cup" my breast some other way. I ended up using an athletic bra, cutting a hole for the nipple and areola area to come through, as well as created an additional sling out of a regular ace bandage and put it under my breast and over my shoulder (like my breast was a broken arm). This "cradled' my breast and kept my nipple from being rubbed by my bra which would cause pain. I discovered this worked well, as the burn pain on an average day was greatly reduced. I've not worn it out on a busy day though, or a day when the pain was more severe.

You can purchase a "comfort sling" for your breast on the net (do a goggle search), but I think they are rather pricey at 25.00 (that includes shipping). I'll continue to use mine as long as it keeps the pain at bay. If it doesn't work on bad days, I might give in and pay for the comfort sling. If I do I'll post here what I think. If you do, how about posting what you think! It's all about trying to control the pain rather then letting the pain control you