Post Mastectomy pain
My mastectomy was in late February and the area seems to have healed well. However, I'm having a lot of pain as the nerves regenerate and the skin and muscles stretch. Also feel like the back and underarm areas are "sunburned". (I didn't have radiation or chemo so I know it's the nerves.) The three areas where the drains were inserted are most sensitive. Anyone else have this problem, and if so, how are you treating it? I use anti-inflamatories, ice bags and warm compresses. Nothing seems to work. I would appreciate some advice.
Comments
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After my bilateral mastectomy, the area of the (two) drain incisions were the most problematic--soreness and sensitivity. i had the mastectomy 7 months ago, and those two areas are still very sensitive. i did not experience any feelings of being "sunburned." Once my oncologist okayed it, I kept the scar tissue and drain incision areas heavily moisturized, and I think that helped with the healing. I never used ice bags or compresses, although I think that would have helped. I started chemo two months after the mastectomy, so I was on pain meds, so maybe that's why I didn't feel much pain as a result of the surgery.
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I experienced that burning sensation mid chest over the sternum and found light stroking with my fingertips most effective as soon as I could tolerate touching it. I did it as often as needed, sticking my hand under my shirt when ever I felt it start. The sooner I started the stroking, the sooner it went away and I tried to catch it right away before it got intense. Sometimes I just held my hand spread out over the area, too. Nothing else except vicodan helped it. I started touching and stroking my entire chest and under arms regularly once I realized it helped. Currently, at 3 months after bilat mast on 3/26, have no nerve regeneration pain at all. I still get sore and achy and that responds well to tylenol. I was most surprised at how long I could not tolerate anything touching my chest except a very soft fuzzy bedjacket a friend gave me which I still sleep with. I didn't have radiation or chemo either and I wonder how women who have to do that manage.
Good luck. I hope stroking works as well for you as it did for me. -
traveller63,
I have the exact same pain. My shouler blades feel like they are on fire from a sunburn. I hate the feeling. I have tried having my husband massage the area, but maybe not consistantly enough to see any improvement. In fact, it has gotten worse over the last few weeks. I also have sensitivity in the area where the drains were, one side worse than the other. I am anxious to see what replies you get. By the way, my BM was 4/1/09.
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I am going into hospital on Wednesday for a bilateral mastectomy and reading all your comments is putting me off.I was expecting to be over the worst after a couple of weeks,if this is what I have got to look forward to I am dreading it.Maybe you can all tell me in great detail what your experiences were regarding post op pain and how long it took you to be doing normal things around the home,also how long before you were driving again?
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homealone - i know everyone is different, but i want to tell you that my surgery was extremely easy and pain-free. i have documentd my entire experience on my blog, www.ddlatt.blogspot.com. i had the surgery at 2 p.m. and was home by noon the next day because i had no problems at all. i had bilateral mastectomy with no reconstruction, and the surgery only took an hour and a half, including sentinal node biopsy (two nodes removed, both negative). in three days i was driving, back at work, and feeling wonderful. i had my drains in for a little over a week and had no problems with them. i took lortab pain meds and never had any pain. I had full range of arm motion within only a few days, and never had any problems reaching up to kitchen cabinets, for example, even right after surgery. i know many, many women who have had the same experience as mine - very easy surgery and back to "regular life" in only a matter of days.
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HOMEALONE, I agree with ddlatt in that everyone is different. The recovery from my BM was not too bad. The pain was minimal. I did have reconstruction via tissue expanders. Those were the things that caused me the biggest pain. It is the pain that I am having from the nerves regeneration that is bothering me right now. Don't get me wrong. It is not the type of pain that is inhibiting my life. I am doing everything today that I did pre-mastectomy. It is just something that is always there. Many women have it, but it is not something that they tell you about pre-surgery. At least they didn't in my case. I think that you will find that most women say that the pain from the mastectomy was better than anticipated. Just remember that no matter what issues pop up for you, you can always turn to these boards for answers and support. Good luck to you.
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Thank you verymuch for your encouraging words.Having read the previous posts I thought I was doomed to having pain and discomfort for months afterwards.I am not familiar with the drug lortab as I am in the UK and often the same drugs as the US are under a different name here.I am assuming they are over the counter analgesics.Thank you also for answering my posting on the recurrence board.I think that was probably the wrong forum to use as technically this is a second primary and will be treated just like the first cancer.This is the reason I have chosen bilateral mastectomies,I have a family history although I do not carry the BRACA 1 OR 2 gene,and this is my second breast cancer in 5 years despite taking Tamoxifen.
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4greatkids
Thank you also for coming back with reassurance.I just feel numbed about the whole situation.It just seems alien to feel so well and have to go into hospital and made to feel sick,and then the thought of a long recovery is even more off putting.I am not having any reconstruction as the thought of further surgeries is just too much for me.Fortunately I am passed the age of worrying about my figure,I am small breasted so I am sure no one will notice any difference!!
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homealone - lortab is a prescription drug. i didn't take any over-the-counter meds for pain.
i chose bilateral also because my mother and grandmother both died of breast cancer and also because i'm triple negative and my cancer was grade 3. but i have always wanted a flat chest, and i love my new body!!! no bras!!!
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To homealone:
I don't mean to scare you, BUT everyone is being honest here and nobody told me the intense pain that i would have in the recovery room waking up from Bilateral Mx. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, i was a 12! I kid you not! And I've endured two vaginal deliveries and I thought this was worse than that. However, I will be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of pain and the hosptal staff had the pain under control in a short amount of time. I did undergo reconstruction at the same time as my MX so I was in surgery for 6 hours. That might have something to do with the pain that I felt. As far as post surgery pain and activity, the worst for me was those darn tissue expanders that were place for my reconstruction. I just got those out last week and I DO NOT MISS THEM ONE BIT! I was back to work FULL TIME in less than 3 weeks which I felt was remarkable. I then had 12 weeks of chemo and again worked full time the entire time.
People have commented how well they think I'm handling this whole ordeal. I had decided early that this whole thing is a MIND SET game! Alot of it is having a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE and not letting this thing beat you! A dear lady comes to mind that I know that was diagnosed with cancer well over 30 years ago. At time of diagnosis the drs. told her she maybe had 6 mos to live. SHE SAID, NO WAY! I'M GOING TO PROVE THEM WRONG! AND SHE'S STILL ALIVE TODAY! She is my inspiration! AND I REFUSE TO LET THIS THING BEAT ME!
Good luck with your surgery. Have faith and trust in your doctors and believe in yourself! You are capeable of handling way more than you think. I have surprised my hubby of 16 years! He told me today how impressed he has been with how I've managed my surgeries and coping with a cancer diagnosis. Good vibes are being sent your way!
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Thank you all very much for your responses you have made me feel a little better about the situation
I don't know what time it is in your part of the world but it is 3am here so I am going back to bed to try and get some sleep.I have suffered with difficulty sleeping at night ever since taking Tamoxifen,although my five years were up in Jan 09 and I have since stopped taking it I still cannot sleep at the right times.I can always manage to sleep when everyone else is getting up.Hope you all have a great day.
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Homealone, Just checked the postings after having been gone for awhile. Hope by now you have had your surgery and are feeling better. As you can tell from the responses, everyone is different in their experiences with surgeries and post op. I'm taking arimidex and have the same problem with sleeping at night. I have a perscription to help me and it works very well. I don't want to take it forever, but for the time being, it does the job. Are you able to get perscription pain meds in the UK? If you can manage the pain after surgery long enough to get your strength back, you will recover sooner. After a month, you will find you don't need it quite so much. I'm not having reconstruction since I'm tired of having pain. I still have one breast and need to wear a bra with a prosthesis. Once the nerve pain is gone, I don't want to go through it again. I'll pray for you.
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I'm almost two weeks out of mastectomy with tissue expander. I was not nearly as bad as I thought. I, too, have had the sunburned feeling, electrical shocks and some phantom pain, but it seems to be decreasing. I take it as a good sign that the nerves are regenerating and am optimistic that things will continue to settle down soon (they already are). These symptoms were irritating for the most part, but not debilitating. I stopped pain meds after the first five days and have been taking only Motrin since then. Hang tough--it is really not bad at all, particularly once the drains come out (mine were in for almost two weeks!).
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I see where this was last discussed in 2009, but I just started with these symptoms. Thank you ladies for discussing this topic. I feel a lot better knowing what I am experiencing
Best of health to you all!Suzanne
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61linda - I have the same burning feeling on my skin also. Sometimes can't stand for anything to be touching it. I am 4 week past bilateral mastectomy with immediate recon and found massaging helps relieve the pain some. I've been on Tylenol 650mg the entire 4 weeks which makes me nervous. Don't want liver damage! Switched to ibuprofen & it is helping some. It's been awhile since you posted - do you remember how long it took for the sun burn feeling to go away? My pain is the worst at night - around midnight & also my breasts swell up. Sometimes the muscles at the top of my chest & just under my armpits will twitch uncontrollably and the sun burn feeling runs down my arms. . I sure do hope this gets better!
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If you have had a mastectomy and reconstruction, we'd greatly appreciate you taking this survey about pain management for women over the age of 20 who have had a mastectomy with reconstruction. Many thanks!
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