Excisional breast biopsy not what I expected

MaryT103

I had a mammogram, which was followed up with an ultrasound due to a "suspicious area" found in the left breast. Later, the radiologist called me in to tell me the results were still a little questionable, and I should have a needle biopsy. I had that procedure (which was not pleasant) and was told there was no sign of cancer. He said the mass was about 1.2 cm, a little smaller than a dime. He explained that, although it was not emergent, I may want to think about having it removed, as these things can eventually turn cancerous. I opted to have the "excisional breast biopsy" which he indicated would be a fairly simple, outpatient surgery. He said they would insert a wire leading to the suspicious area, and a small metal chip would also be inserted, showing a more definitive target for the surgeon. The surgeon said, there would be a small incision; the growth would be removed and I may be left with a "dimple", which would eventually fill back in. After the surgery I was horrified to see an incision about a 3 inch long . Not only that, about 1/4 of my breast was gone. According to the post surgical pathology report the sample they received was 9 cm X 6 cm (250% larger than original cyst size) and classified it as "Sclerosing Papilloma". I went back to the surgeon twice after the surgery to tell him my breast was hurting. He said it was just scar tissue and could take 6 months to heal. It's now been 10 months and the pain keeps getting worse. My left underarm is swollen and incredibly sore. I have a constant tingling in the fingers of my left hand (like when you fall asleep on your hand and get that "pins and needles" feeling). Ironically, the pain is now spreading to the right side. (?) My primary care doctor suspects a condition called "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome". Apparently, this is a result of nerve trauma. I have an appointment with a Pain Management doctor later this week. Also, I'm scheduled to have a breast MRI later in the month. There is no way I could possibly have a mammogram done. I can't even stand for the shower to hit that left breast area. Has anyone else had this experience with this type of surgical procedure?

Moderators

Dear MaryT103,

We are so sorry for the pain you are having. It sounds terribly debilitating. We see that you have not had any responses here. You may want to try out the search function on the blue tool bar. You can enter multiple words but put them in parentheses like" Post excisional biopsy pain". Such will lead you to similar posts or posts using those words. They may be from older threads but may offer others to whom you can send a private message.

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