DCIS-How long after surgery/radiation should there be pain?

Of course I would ask your docs, but I was told in my radiation info that there could be aches and pains in the breast off and on, sometimes for always.  I also know nerve regeneration sometime awhile after surgery can cause pain, but as yours was December, it seems a bit long for that, though I've heard of all different experiences here.  I have just enjoyed a bit of "radiation recall" already, even though I only finished 6 weeks ago.  For me, this came as being all healed well, and then a couple of weeks after that spontaneously having very itchy and a bit bumpy skin on the breast as I did at points during rads.  I've heard this happens, too, but I did ask my doc, and I do think any pain, etc., should always be checked, or at least asked about in an email to your physician.  Best - P.

Not sure exactly what type of "bad pain" you're having, but I had occasional shooting pains (I've heard them described as "zingers") for at least 6-9 months afterwards.  They were intense but very short lived.

I've also had swelling with tenderness off and on and still get it though it's been over a year.   My RO said it could "wax and wane" as he put it for at least 2 years.  I will say it's less frequent than it was at first, but it still happens.    It's very similar to the fibrocystic pain I've always had, but now it's just in the one boob (tamoxifen seems to have gotten rid of it in the other one).

Neither of those types of pain are what I would call "bad", but then again, I never experienced "bad" pain except maybe the first 24 hours after surgery.

Call your doc (whichever you feel would be most responsive - in my case it would be my RO) and ask - or if you have a nurse navigator, you could ask them as well.