pls need advice still pain after treatment

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zohra
zohra Member Posts: 197

Hello

Its  almost one year my mom is under treatment .She just  done with her radiation. She had chemo for six month (TAC) and then BMX. After her first surgery the surgen found out there were some pectoralis muscle were involed.

So , she had another surgery  with then radiation. Its almost one month ago she done with her radiation. Now  , she feel very tightness in her chest. She has pain in her chest , and her right side ribs and back . Is that normal? Do I have to talk with her oncologist or radialogist. Any information will be helpfull.

God bless

Zohra

Comments

  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited January 2014

    and i am sure that more women will come to answer your question too!

  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited January 2014

    sorry, my original post got lost somehow. pain is entirely normal. vitamin b6 was recommended to me today, my neurologist, helps to heal the nerve damage from treatments.

  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited January 2014

    Yeah, I'm sorry to say it's very normal and I remember the tightness.  After my BMX it felt like at times my muscle was doing a "flip" for lack of a better word for a few months.  And right now if I rub my arm near my armpit I feel it on my chest.  Lots of nerves get damaged during rads and surgery and some never repair and the ones that do take a long time.  Mine got better with time but it's still early for your mom.

  • ziggypop
    ziggypop Member Posts: 1,071
    edited January 2014

    Unfortunately there can be pain for a long time following the BMX and rads often leads to further problems that don't arise until months after the rads is complete. 

    Your mother's body has been through hell in the last year (I too had TAC, a UMX and RADS and an AND - that is a lot of trauma on the body). That doesn't mean just ignore the pain - speak to your mom's onc about PT as well as a muscle relaxer, also ask the PS about whether your mom might be developing capsular constriction (if she has implants) and/or what she can be doing to massage & loosen the scars in that area. Your mom needs to treat her pain - untreated pain is likely to get worse as it makes us do things like walk funny which then pulls other muscles etc out of line. Warm baths & light massage with some unscented lotion helped me as well, but PT is really the most important to my mind. 

  • lkc
    lkc Member Posts: 1,203
    edited January 2014

    Zohra, yes tightness is normal. Warm baths, light massage gentle stretching exercises daily will help. If pain increases or becomes more severe she should be seen by her dr.

  • Kathleen26
    Kathleen26 Member Posts: 210
    edited January 2014

    One month after radiation isn't really that long, so it's not surprising that she's not totally over the side effects.  I agree with Ziggypop that it would be a good idea for your mother to speak to her doctor about Physical Therapy.    I had a lot of pain and tightness in the same areas as your mom.   I still have some occasionally but the PT really helped a lot.   

    A few months after I finished treatment, I also started doing gentle yoga which also helped.   I don't know where you are in VA, but in many of the good-sized cities you can find yoga for people with physical ailments, or just for older folks.

  • pupfoster1
    pupfoster1 Member Posts: 1,484
    edited January 2014

    Hi Zohra,

    Yes, as the others have said, I too believe this is normal considering the amount of surgeries and radiation she's had.  She needs time to heal now.  If it really is bothering her though, or she's stressed out about it, of course make an appointment with her onc just for the peace of mind.

    Take care,

    Sharon

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