Post radiation skin issues-away from site?

ctmbsikia

A nurse mentioned to me during my treatment (which was completed in May 2018) that I should not offer my treated side (left) for anything, so much as even a blood pressure cuff.  Well, I failed at this instruction.  In June at my MO visit I let them do a blood draw on my left arm as they could not get a vein on my right.  I now have what looks like poison ivy that runs from where the tourniquet was down to my forearm. I am also "broken out"  around my collar bone and upper chest treated side.  Right after treatment I had this "rash" on the under side (you know the flabby part!)  of my upper left arm, however this area has resolved and looks OK now.    I am still buying and using the cortisone cream.  I'm annoyed with this, and it itches!  

I haven't really seen others that may have had this?    I am not really understanding why these things have happened when I was not treated here.  My left breast is doing just great, it healed quickly.  Why do these skin rashes take longer to go away?  How long until they go away?  Hope it doesn't leave a mark/scar from scratching!  Oh my, thanks for letting me post and vent this.  My RO visit is going to be just lovely in a couple weeks.  I would love to hear if anyone else had this and can tell me it's just a SE and will go away in time.  Thanks!

gb2115

Sorry to hear of your troubles. For about a year or so after surgery (and radiation), I had a lot of problems with sensitive skin. I reacted to pretty much everything that touched my body, and I still can't wear most jewelry. I developed an allergy to the radiation lotion. It was like allergy overdrive. During radiation, I itched so bad in the treated area (from the lotion) that my earlobes started itching and turning rashy. I had to get a steroid shot from a dermatologist to calm it down. I was never like that before surgery, and I haven't had problems within the past year (I use hypoallergenic everything).

I have no idea what's going on with you, but I feel your pain because i remember that awful itching.

Do you have any swelling of your left limb, or only the rash? Have you tried something like a Zyrtec?

ctmbsikia

No swelling, and no Zyrtec.  I'm glad to hear you are doing better.  I hope this will just go away in time and in the meantime, no needles on that arm.  I am looking forward to end of summer as well since sweating makes me itch!  Thanks for your reply.

lg10

I am 7 months post surgery and my skin is still very sensitive. I am going through radiation right now and I have noticed that I get a rash on my arm after a shower or if it touches anything too long. I think it may be severely dry skin/dehydration. I keep thinking I am going to get lymphedema or that it is the beginning signs of that, but I have no swelling and I really think it's just sensitive skin. So itchy!!

gb2115

Feel better soon!!

ctmbsikia

Well I'm not finding any answers.  Both the nurse and the RO say the rash on my LEFT arm can not be from radiation at my follow up appt.  I just want to stop itching and breaking out in different places.  I really don't want to add yet ANOTHER dr. to the mix (dermatologist) but I guess I will if this doesn't go away with the change in the seasons.  Humidity and sweating seem to make me itch worse of course.  I will also show my primary if it doesn't go away in the next couple of weeks before I see him.  Cortisone is my new best friend!

ksusan

I became reactive to chlorhexidine, a frequently used skin disinfectant, simply from the mastectomy surgery. I don't have too much reaction on my arms, but put a little on my chest and I'll be covered with welts within an hour.

missmelissa90

ctmbsikia-

I came across your post after searching for content related to itchy skin and I am happy to have found a page with several people in a similar predicament as me! Like ksusan, I developed a rash post mastectomy, but mine was under the bandages on my back and it was so bad it would wake me up at night and I had to use an ice-pack to try and deal with it. I contacted the surgeon's office and after describing the issue the nurse had me come in to take them off, but the itching stayed around for weeks afterwards. Since then I've had random rashes break out on my belly, groin, side and middle of my back and recently they seem to be popping up in areas where my skin is exposed to heat/moisture. I've been to the Drs. office six times - each time was when the rash becomes unbearable and didn't seem to get better with OTC (benedryl and cortaid) remedies. My latest one popped up the day after I went on a 2-mile walk in mild weather, but the rash corresponded to the places where my camisole straps touched my back! My personal Dr, my OC, and all of the other Drs and nurses I've seen at urgent care have no explanation, but my OC did say that one of the side effects of Arimidex was a rash. Since these rashes were occurring prior to me starting Arimidex and then didn't start again until after a month of taking it, I'm thinking that whatever they used during surgery must have done something to my skin and maybe the Arimidex has contributed to it? I have heard of too many women talking about similar itching to take them off before I was scheduled for my post-surgery check. I definitely have a visible raised rash on my side, but the spots on my back that really itch don't appear until I take a shower and then I can see red spots that correspond directly to the itchy spots. I've done two rounds of prednisone and that helped kick it way down, and I've been using a prescribed cortizone cream on the visible rash and that has been getting less noticeable, but the itching on my back and now my lower legs is just as bad as ever.

At this point, I'm thinking that standard western medicine can't help me, but I still haven't yet seen a dermatologist, so I'm thinking that might be the next step before I go to a naturopath or maybe I will do it simultaneously because this is driving me nuts! Maybe we should start a forum (if it doesn't exist already) regarding this issue?

ctmbsikia

Hope you get some relief soon Melissa.  Thanks for sharing

I still have this rash on my left arm that started after a blood draw back in June.  That was the same day I started the AI so I doubt it is the medication. I really thought it had something to do with being radiated but the RO says no.  So I just summarize that since having BC I now have sensitive skin and  now react to rubber or needles, or something.