Aching pain Left arm for past month, on bc side, worried.

macb04
macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
edited January 2016 in Pain

Initially I had a pain at the top of my arm, just below my shoulder. It hurt with external rotation of my arm, worse in the morning with clicking of my shoulder. If I didn't move my arm it didn't hurt. Now for the past few days it has moved to an achy feeling in my whole arm. It was a sharper pain before, but was confined to my upper arm. Now it is bugging my arm, like when I type or when I hold my phone. Feels like my grip is not as strong, not much, but enough that I notice. I am swimming and exercising more lately after not exercising following my nipple reconstruction surgery with fat grafting on December 3rd. My shoulder is stiff and slightly painful when I first start using my arm. Gets a bit better when I stretch my arm and shoulder.

Perhaps my arm is having a little swelling which is painful (noticed ring was tight), feels better for a while after swimming. Perhaps this will go away. Want this ache going away to be my Christmas gift.

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Comments

  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited December 2015

    You may want to see a PT in case you're aggravating a rotator cuff problem or some other issue. It's not uncommon to have pain after surgery. It may be calming to think of it as "the surgery side" rather than "the cancer side."

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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited December 2015

    Good point thinking of it as surgery side. Don't know if I can afford to see PT at the moment, as I have about $2000 in medical bills not covered by insurance. New yearly deductible of $4500 starts in January, unfortunately.

    Thanks for responding. Have a great Holiday.

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  • Momine
    Momine Member Posts: 7,859
    edited December 2015

    That sounds like the beginning of lymphedema. Getting PT ASAP can reverse it. I speak from personal experience. Call your surgeon, stat.

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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited December 2015

    Thank Momine, thats what I was wondering too. I have an appt to see a Manual Lymphatic Massage Therapy trained massage therapist on Monday. I have been doing Self Lymphatic Massage every day as they showed me initially at the PT visits. It is very worrisome because I don't want to be stuck with a sleeve. It doesn't look different, just feels different. I am bummedby the cost of everything. I am just barely getting out from the costs notcovered by HBOT from this early spring. When I ask my husband to help pay for things we get in an argument over money. I hate the fighting so instead I just try to pay things off myself, over time from my part time job's pay. Unfortunately they want all the money at once so now I am in collections for it. I anticipate being mostly paid off for this bill by January. My other big bill is to my Naturopath who gives me the IV Vitamin C, they are willing to let me pay in installments, much kinder people than the heartless bureaucrats at UW here in Seattle.

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  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited December 2015

    You might also want to rule out cervical-spine arthritis or bone spurs, which can cause neuropathy radiating down the shoulder into the arm.

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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited December 2015

    Thanks, I will be staring to look into this more in the coming weeks.


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  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 1,455
    edited December 2015

    Your husband won't help you pay for treatment? Doesn't he realize that if your bills are in collections, this affects his credit rating too? These are hardly optional expenses. So sorry you have to deal with in addition to BC.

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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited December 2015

    Hi Doxie, he would pay for treatment, but he thinks I should never get any supplements/alternative care or even organic food. He feels that those things are bogus and that I should put my pay toward essentials like paying bills. I don't agree that supplements /alternative and Organic food is optional for me., I know that the IV Vitamin C has helped me ward off infections the last three reconstruction surgeries I have had. I had two really bad infections last year and was desperate to avoid that happening again. We just don't see eye to eye over what is important for my health, and I hate the arguing. If I wasn't working I would bug him for the money to pay, but since I am working I will take care of it soon. Just want my arm to feel better and stop worrying me.

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  • wirdgirl118
    wirdgirl118 Member Posts: 231
    edited January 2016

    did you also have radiation therapy on the surgery side

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  • macb04
    macb04 Member Posts: 1,433
    edited January 2016

    Yes I had lots of Rads damage, you can see my post in Deep regret did rads. I had 120 sessions of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, my skin improved after that, but still have residual tightness of my arm/shoulder.

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