Bi-lat mastectomy & upper back pain?

I am a breast cancer survivor with upper middle back pain between the shoulder blades.  Had partial mast in 2006 and developed breast cancer in the other breast and had the mastect again.  Developed upper middle back pain a little before the first mastect.  I can relate to all of you.  I too, am concerned however I know that my posture was altered considerably after having this.  I used to have quite large breasts and feel that my balance has been thrown off with this thing.  I go to the doctor on the 27th and will definitely express my concerns regarding this.  At this point it's just aggravating.  I'll let everyone know how it turned out. 

Hello.. I too am currently experiencing upper back pain. I was diagnosed in April 2009, had my 1st mastectomy in Nov09, my second mastectomy in Nov2010, and I've had radiation and chemo. I'm not sure why my back is sore and I do get mild pain around the scar area. I'm hoping it's because my body is adjusting to not having breasts or my posture. I'm going to take up yoga and see my doc and try physical therapy. It could also be the way I sleep or my bed just sucks. Anyways, I hope it goes away as its intermittent right now. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you... ..-Mesheyl

Hello Ladies,

I know this post is from 2007 but unfortunately, I know many more women will continue to ask  this question as they too embark on this part of the journey. Thus, I'm posting my experience to see if it will be of help for those seeking information on timing, onset and possible solutions. I had a bi-lat. mx  in May 2011, the severe upper back pain started in Nov 2012 (after chemo, 1 yr of Herceptin treatment and all the reconstructuve surgeries completed). The pain is very similar to those described by others on this post. It originates behind my left shoulder blade (this is where the largest tumor was removed), travels between the blades up towards my neck. It starts out as a sharp pain that is tolerable for me (of note, I have a high pain tolerance) but if left untreated, my entire back starts to hurt and spasm (due to compensation from other parts of my back). Like many of you, I automatically assumed the worse and asked my oncologist to order a chest CT, X-ray and bone scan. All came back negative. I saw a Physical therapist and a chiropractor. Both seemed to help with pain management but the source of the problem is still there as I still have flare ups. With pain medication and muscle relaxers, you can manage the pain as well and hope that it goes away. However, I've had enough flare ups to know that I need to get at the root of the problem. I'm currently seeking help from a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) to find a permanent solution. They are trained in osteopathic manipulation techniques that can either resolve the scar tissue that is causing the misalignment of my ribs or they can pop your ribs back in place when it does happen to circumvent the downstream impacts like chronic back pain and muscle spasms (which not all chiropractors are trained to do). I will re-post to give an update once I've explored a couple of options. Good luck ladies and if you've successfully found a solution, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you=) 

Happy, I do not have what you describe, but the back edge of my armpit feels a bit funky, numb, tingly etc. The other day I was lightly massaging the area and there was one spot that was downright painful when pressed, like a muscle pain. So I started pressing and poking it, and when pressed a certain way, it triggered a very sharp pain near my spine, similar to what you describe. I am thinking it must be, as others have said, from nerves getting cut and rearranged.

I find that regular exercise, including some light weight work, is the only thing that keeps my back and shoulders relatively pain free. 

I had a bilateral mastectomy in may. Had radiation July thru august. I've been under going reconstruction since then. Once I hit 500cc in the expander I have had a hard time breathing and the back pain in unbearable. Only on radiated side. Percocet and muscle relaxers not helping. I feel like going crazy. I can't sleep. What did you do

Hi Allmostdone-

Welcome to BCO! We hope you find your time here to be supportive and informative.

You may want to head over to our Reconstruction forum. This is an old thread, so you likely won't get a response here, but if you're wondering about back pain after recon (in reference to Elizabeth's post above yours), you'll definitely get some answer in the recon forum!

The Mods

i have the same issue. I had a pet scan when I complained about it and it was clear thank god . I haven't had my reconstruction yet so I wonder if they didn't move me alot during my surgery.