Subpectoral implants impairing shoulder mobility?

Thanks for sharing your experience - I'm so sorry you've been thru so much w/the surgeries and then the shoulder . . . and now a potential rupture. This is truly the gift that keeps on giving, no? Ugh. I hope it turns out to be not such a big deal. So I got in touch w/an old breast PT of mine, a woman who nursed me back to physical activity after my mastectomies. She assured me too that this is indeed "a thing" and that it's likely that all my chronic shoulder issues in the last few years are due to tightness of the pecs. I'm trying to get an appt. w/a PT at the hospital where I was treated, so I can get treatment covered by insurance. If I can't, then I'll private pay. She said that she's gotten many women better enough that they decide not to have their implants removed - so there is hope! You've given me hope too. I'm just so tired of chronic issues and of this acute pain I'm in now! Thanks again and good luck w/your current implant issues . . . .

Hello! Your pain sounds pretty identical to mine. No improvement here, unfortunately. I just got in to see my plastic surgeon on Wed., she insisted that the pain has nothing to do w/the implants, never hears complaints from patients re this, apparently. She told me that prepec placement is not an option for me b/c my "skin is too thin" - I did have nipple sparing mastectomies, did you? She said that it wouldn't be able to support the implant. I asked her about pulling the implants out altogether, just to explore all possibilities and she said that would be an awful cosmetic result b/c the lower part of the pec has been released to slide the implant underneath - it'd basically wad up and be an unsightly little lump on my chest on both sides. So, I'm stuck w/what I've got. Meanwhile, I've been seeing my hospital's lymphedema specialist who also knows about soft tissue work for people like us. She's helped a bit, but isn't helping all that much - my pain goes into my back, down my lats and stops just about my hip - she really only works on the pecs, little bit on the scap, today she kneaded my lats but it really didn't relieve any discomfort.

Interesting thing - big hospital PT says that the only thing they discourage post-MX women NOT to do is overhead work. All pec stuff is a-OK in her book. Plastic surgeon reiterated to me that NOTHING was off the table, movement-wise. But my gut is that this latest flare (almost 2 mos. now) was brought on by a new kettlebell program w/increased pressing. I know of a lot of women who have been told NO PEC WORK post-MX. You seem to say that you think your pain has been triggered by chest emphasis in your Crossfit workouts . . . I'm tempted to lay off pressing once I'm back at my workouts and see if that makes a difference in how long I can go w/o stressing my shoulders . . . .

This is so long, I'm sorry - last thing: If you can get your implants re-arranged, I think it's a really great option. I'm fairly certain at this point that that's what I'd elect to do, may explore more and get a second opinion for myself. I would also, though, encourage you to find a PT - I have a shoulder guy I've gone to for YEARS now w/these issues, he's amazing, I saw him later in the day today and he at least got me relief in my lat & hip on the one side that were screaming at me. He's private pay though - not a cheap move, but has been keeping my shoulder afloat for years and is so much more effective. A great PT is such an ally for this and lots of other junk that crops up when you're active! If you can find one who takes your insurance, you've hit the jackpot.

Keep me posted - as you said, it's really hard to find info out there . . . I just don't think there are that many of us who're super active who've had this surgery.

Hi again, everyone - sorry to have posted and then gone dark for so long. I've been continuing w/PT and will start with a Feldenkrais practitioner this coming Friday to get some help with movement dysfunction. But I'm not getting any better. I called my oncologist this week to get the ball rolling on some imaging - hoping for an MRI of at least my implants/chest b/c the right-side implant is REALLY migrating toward my armpit and it's super constricted and painful. He wants me to have a bone scan b/c the pain is shoulder/rib/spine/hip and I guess he's nerved up about bone mets, even though I have no symptoms of bone mets. I will jump thru this hoop, he's been practicing for years and I do trust him. That will happen this coming Wed., 5/1. I'm of course totally nervous about it, as we all know you never know . . . I did talk to my PCP though, yesterday, and he wants to help me "run this to the ground," firmly believes that it is related to my implants, and said he will order an MRI for me for sure. So I'll see him in the next week or so and head in that direction. Feels good to have someone on my side. @Crescent5 - I'm so excited for you! I hope the change in placement clears up the majority of your issues! I put a call into another plastic surgeon to get a second opinion - haven't heard back yet. This guy I was referred to has done pre-pec on women w/thin & prior-irradiated skin. Whether it's a good idea for me remains to be seen, but yes, at least I'll give it a go.

I've also been seriously considering just getting my implants removed, additional skin removed (I had nipple-sparing mastectomies) and going flat. There is a Facebook group I've found helpful for all this - called "Breast Implant Illness and Healing by Nicole" - although I have no auto-immune/etc. symptoms, I have MANY of the physical dysfunction and pain symptoms women in the group describe. There are a lot of women in there who've gotten implants due to mastectomies - and there is another group, more newly-formed called "fierce flat forward" that's full of post-mx women who've chosen not to have reconstruction or chosen to be explanted for various reasons. Just in case anyone wants to check those out . . . .

I still don't know exactly what's going on, or what I'm going to try, but I do know that I can't go on this way - I'm getting more debilitated as time goes on, not less - this after enjoying full physical freedom and joy in moving my body. It's so incredibly depressing to be living in chronic pain and with the inability to do anything to alleviate it! I'm still interested in hearing from anyone here, and new women, about what you're experiencing, options you're considering, etc. My greatest insights have always come from others in similar positions!

Here's to us all feeling better . . . .

Hi everyone! @Mantra I must've missed the BC.org notice that you posted - I'm so sorry to have never replied! SummerRain and exercise_guru . . . hi! Mantra - what did you end up doing? Anything yet? SummerRain - Feldenkrais was helpful, to a point. As with all the other therapies I've been trying, I get some relief, it lasts a little while (sometimes a day, sometimes I start feeling overall better for a few days) but then I hit the wall. It's like the implants are a roadblock to doing anything meaningful with my body to correct my movement dysfunction, help me return to normal activity, etc. exercise_guru - where are you located? You'll see why I ask when you read my update below.

So I have been actively pursuing explant with flat closure for the last several months. I have traveled to the midwest to consult with plastic surgeons, met with surgeons here in Boston, consulted by telephone and email with surgeons as far away as California and Washington DC. It is hard to find a surgeon who'll explant you and seek to remove the capsules that surround the implants, and then also who feels comfortable working on prior-irradiated skin (for me that's from cancer number 1) AND who's comfortable with flat closure. I'm narrowing things down at this point. Happy to share specific experiences w/specific people if folks are interested. I'm super active in the Fierce, Flat & Forward Facebook group, the Flat & Fabulous FB group and to a lesser extent the Breast Implant Illness group on FB - the last one is primarily post-augmentation women, though there are a bunch of post-mastectomy people there too, our issues are just so different in so many ways, it's hard to relate and support in the same way there.

Anyway. Finding a surgeon is like finding the right house. Or the right life-partner. No one person is perfect - they all have different styles, techniques, they're in different locations, they might or might take your insurance (or any insurance), some believe in BII, some don't (less important to me, honestly), some have experience removing capsule material, some don't, some are dead-set against flat closure, if you can believe it. Deciding what you're going to live with and put up with and what's most important is hard b/c there are a lot of gray areas.

For me, it's a no-brainer to have them out - despite all my efforts, my body is deteriorating - I have been unable to walk much since the beginning of June - have had severe foot & leg pain that appears to be coming from an irritated nerve in my low-back. There is some slight disc herniation but not much and none of my symptoms are consistent w/the herniation that's shown. It's all so fishy and my fervent belief is that it's all stemming from shoulder/thoracic movement dysfunction which has resulted in dysfunction and pain into my back and hip on the right side.

Hope this helps, is not too long or crazy! I'm happy to chat w/anyone if she wants more info. One thing I hope comes out of this is that I can somehow short-cut the process for another woman . . . she sees a post, gets help more easily and/or more quickly, loses less of her life to this junk than I have!!

Hugs to all.