Underarm and chest pain with new doctor

KitKat67
KitKat67 Member Posts: 4
edited July 2019 in Pain

I'm new to this forum and have a bit of a unique situation because I had a lumpectomy in March and radiation in April for DCIS. As I was finishing up my radiation, I was also being seen for chronic lower back pain and had bloodwork during that last week of treatments. To make an extremely long story short, I was sent results and a new cancer diagnosis that turned out to not be mine. They sent me someone else's results and after contacting the hospital, these mistakes, instead of stopping, have continued. Since the end of April, I've received multiple test results and been told I have both breast cancer on the left side and rectal cancer as well - but neither of those were correct. I'm currently still trying to get the person at the hospital who is in charge of compliance to get this fixed but am still dealing with both the stress and paperwork that has been ridiculous. I just received 2 more charges that my insurance paid for this other patient and am now trying to get that straightened out. With all that, I've had to switch doctors in the hopes that seeing a completely new provider might alleviate these continued mistakes. Now, I find myself seeing a completely new doctor for my follow up care that has never treated me and I'm not really comfortable that I'm going to receive the correct care. I'm currently having quite a bit of pain in my underarm and side of breast when I raise my arm or even touch that area - it feels like a deep bruise. I'm pretty sure it's been long enough and that this is too much pain to be surgically related. I don't really want to call this new doctor and hoped someone who's had this might know if this is normal pain or something I need to have looked at. I'm a teacher and worked in my classroom getting ready for the start of school last week and have barely been able to move for three days with my back pain and wondered if maybe I just hurt myself by doing too much.

Comments

  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited July 2019

    The pain from the node excision is the gift that keeps giving. My surgery was last July and it still gets that sandpaper jab sometimes, especially if my sleep positions are off.

    Good luck with that hospital/insurance mix-up; it sounds like a real nightmare.

  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited July 2019

    I would follow up on this asap since pain that lingers more than 2 weeks was what my MO insisted I report to him....

  • KitKat67
    KitKat67 Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2019

    Thanks, I figure I’ll see if this disappears in the next couple of days. My sleep position has definitely been off because my back pain keeps waking me up. Maybe I’ve just slept on it wrong This pain is definitely the “gift that keeps on giving!”

  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited July 2019

    KitKat67, one night recently I woke up thinking I was having a heart attack. I was in agony on my left side from my neck to my fingertips. But I recognized that sandpaper feel underneath the other pain, and found my sleep tee sleeve was wadded up in my armpit. As soon as I loosened it, the pain receded. A few fist open-close movements, and I was fine. But that pain can be a bugger.

  • edwards750
    edwards750 Member Posts: 3,761
    edited July 2019

    My MO told me the same thing santabarbarian.

    Diane

  • KitKat67
    KitKat67 Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2019

    Thanks for the replies, Ladies. I’m seriously exhausted with this, but I know it could be worse. The “wrong” diagnoses I was given were devastating and I went through thinking I was going to have to go through surgery and treatments again. At least that’s not the case. Unfortunately, that’s the journey someone else is on though, so I think of that quite often. If I can get this pain under control, I’ll be fine. Hope you all are doing well!

  • cassiecanada
    cassiecanada Member Posts: 166
    edited July 2019

    Random question- did any of you ladies have armpit pain in the non cancer side? i figure its my sleeping pattern- since
    i have an old sports injury in shoulder
    and noticed i favour lying on that arm at nite- comes and goes- right now nothing-
    but i still check for swelling etc fearing
    cancer of lymph node- i cant run to
    dictor for every little pain- i see/ feel
    nothing right now- after durgery in february is when it started-
    strange as i have had zero issues
    on surgery side- my only issue
    is a mild annoying wave of pain
    in the non cancer side- which was, by the
    way, clear on the mammogram.-
  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited July 2019

    My MO said, "if there's anything unusual that does not go away inside 2 weeks, I want you to tell me about it."

    It's ok to be careful and attentive and report it....

  • AliceBastable
    AliceBastable Member Posts: 3,461
    edited July 2019

    Cassiecanada, I started having problems with my right shoulder and arm early on during radiation. I wondered if it was cumulative from the positioning during surgery, because I'd had three back to back in as many months. I thought the radiation positioning perhaps made it worse. I still have shoulder aches, and the arm goes numb and achy a lot. My primary care doctor said torn rotator cuff when I mentioned it to her, but I haven't followed through. And she's been wrong so many times.

  • santabarbarian
    santabarbarian Member Posts: 3,085
    edited July 2019

    Alice if it does not resolve, check the brachial plexus/ brachail plexopathy.

  • cassiecanada
    cassiecanada Member Posts: 166
    edited July 2019

    all very interesting! i def think, now, that

    arm position has something to do with this- as an experiment i slept with arm

    out of tshirt- like forced it to stay at my side- while other free ranged- i noticed

    less shooting stabs next day

  • KitKat67
    KitKat67 Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2019

    Sorry, I just now saw your question as I’ve not checked my email for a while and it’s funny because I was just talking about that earlier with someone else. The only time I’ve noticed pain on the opposite side was when I started water therapy for my back and figured it was part of that because I was using that arm more/differently. I’m currently still having issues with the surgery side and just noticed earlier that I have puffiness down below my armpit into my side. I figured I’m going to have to have it looked at if it’s still like this tomorrow.

Categories