Tingling almost 3 years after mastectomy

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jmb5
jmb5 Member Posts: 532
edited December 2016 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

I was hoping others who have had mastectomies awhile back could give me some input. I had a BMX with immediate DIEP reconstruction almost 3 years ago. I had the sentinel node on each side removed. This fall I had something new start happening... tingling under my left armpit and on the side of my breast. It feels kind of like when your foot falls asleep. It comes and goes. Some days it happens a few times. Some days (today) it comes and goes off and on all day long. It doesn't hurt, but it is sooo annoying. Any clue what it isand why on earth it started so long after surgery??

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  • Freya244117
    Freya244117 Member Posts: 603
    edited December 2016

    Hi jmb, I had a mastectomy in early 2009, no reconstruction though. I still get feeling occasionally. As you said, it's not painful, but annoying. Because I am still numb in some places, it's like an itch you can't scratch. I have never bothered to ask my MO about it, I just assumed it was nerves regenerating, having little spasms or whatever. What has helped me relieve it a little, is rubbing the area with a rough cloth.

    Good luck :)

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited December 2016

    This doesn't feel like an itch, although I get that too. And you're right, since there are areas that are still numb, you can't really get much relief when you scratch. Lol. It's weird for sure. This is the same tingling feeling as when your foot falls asleep

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  • Freya244117
    Freya244117 Member Posts: 603
    edited December 2016

    I probably wasn't very clear in my post, I get the same tingling feeling you are describing. The itch thing was an analogy, as it's hard to get any relief from it :)

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  • nihahi
    nihahi Member Posts: 3,841
    edited December 2016

    It is nerve regeneration. That is a process that is incredibly slow.....years....not months. Sometimes the nerve gets caught up in scar tissue and has to work it's way through, too. Massage might help, but really, it's nothing to be concerned about.

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited December 2016

    nihahi, I wondered about that. I felt nerve regeneration early on, I would describe it more of a shooting instead of tingling, and it was all through both breasts. It stopped after about a year.

    Thanks for the info ladies. I wasn't worried, just surprised that something new started 3 years later. I had a biopsy in the area of the tingling. Thought that might have had something to do with it too. I felt a lump last summer that turned out to be fat necrosis.

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  • obsolete
    obsolete Member Posts: 466
    edited February 2017

    I've had that same feeling also, every so often since my BMX. I found that wearing only 100% natural fibers against the skin helped, such as cotton, rayon or silk. Also not keeping my cell phone against my body ... Coincidence maybe?

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  • hugz4u
    hugz4u Member Posts: 2,781
    edited December 2016

    Hi girls. While it could be nerve regeneration it also could be lymphedema. Even though you may have had only one node out it could be lymphedema although docs will generally deny this.

    Go onto the lymphedema thread here and learn about it and ask questions there. I had a feeling like a light beesting also my armpit area. My arm got more tired when working with it than the other. It was early stage lymphedema at that time of diagnosis not nerve regeneration.

    A full heavy,tingly,itchy,stingy arm can be some of the early signs of LE (lymphedema) you can get LE whenever in your lifetime. Always a risk

    Early intervention of LE is reversible in most cases late stage is NOT! Take care.

    Knowledge is power.

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  • Freya244117
    Freya244117 Member Posts: 603
    edited December 2016

    Good advice hugz. I have had LE in my arm for years, another BC bonus. My chest thing is just nerves, but for others it's good to be aware that it could be LE.

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited December 2016

    hugz, lymphodema crossed my mind since the tingling is also felt under my armpit and down the underside of my arm sometimes. I think I didn't want to say that out loud though. I have my yearly checkup in a couple weeks and will ask about it then. Thank you.

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited December 2016

    Hi, Freya,

    I wonder if you've considered truncal lymphedema as a possible reason for the sensations you're feeling? It, too, can be treated (and if it is truncal LE, it should be treated specifically, as untreated LE causes tissue changes inside that are eventually irreversible). If you have a well-trained LE therapist, you could bring it up with him/her. Here's more information about it:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/breast_chest_trunck...

    Be well!
    Binney

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  • jmb5
    jmb5 Member Posts: 532
    edited December 2016

    Thanks, Binney. I will share this info with my doctor, as it seems they aren't quick to diagnose this. I just have this feeling it's more than just nerves regenerating. This is a brand new symptom that I've never felt before, almost 3 years after my BMX.

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