“Skin” pain 2 weeks post-mastectomy

cake8icing
cake8icing Member Posts: 58
edited December 2020 in Pain

Hi all: I had nothing that I would consider pain right after my left MX on March 20. I only took Diclofenac and Tylenol for 4 days and that was it. But the pulling and tugging and strange skin pain ever since has been crazy for me. My skin, on the whole, is super-sensitve(I'm the one who cringes when a bandaid is pulled off). And I had to ask my surgeon, when do I remove the steri-strips? Because steri-strips, on me, NEVER just “fall off in the shower" like for other people. I have always(during my 3 previous non-cancer related surgeries where they were used) had to manually remove the steri-strips. I removed them today and it took 30 minutes in the shower to remove them gently, one by one.

The skin around my chest feels like when you have a bad sunburn and have to wear clothes over it. You know that horrible scratchy/pins and needles/irritatedfeeling? Are there others who have felt this? I feel like a wuss asking about it, since I had no “real" post-surgery pain. But I'm wondering when my skin will calm down!

Any comments are much appreciated!

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Comments

  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited April 2020

    I never had the kind of skin sensitivity that you describe but I've seen it mentioned by many women who've had mastectomies. So I think it's pretty common and in most cases resolves on it's own.

    My issue has been itching - an itch that feels like it's on the inside and that just can't be scratched.

    All these wonderful side effects from MX surgery that no one tells us about in advance!

    Hope your skin irritation resolves soon.

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  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited April 2020

    I had similar during first rads. I found an aloe gel with lidocaine at Walmart that really helped with the itchiness. Numbed the skin.

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  • cake8icing
    cake8icing Member Posts: 58
    edited April 2020

    Thanks, Spookiesmom! I will look for it.

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  • cake8icing
    cake8icing Member Posts: 58
    edited April 2020

    Thanks, Beesie, for sharing the wisdom of your years on the boards.

    I am sorry for your “inside-out” itching! That sounds awful.

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  • mightlybird01
    mightlybird01 Member Posts: 217
    edited April 2020

    It is hard to compare severity of skin pain, but yes, skin pain was my only symptom after mastectomy. It is very common and will resolve on its own. I am 5 months out from right MX and had skin pain for around 3 months. Maybe not quite as severe as yours sound, but it is hard to compare. I never took any pain medication. In fact, I only saw some improvement on that after 3-4 weeks post mastectomy. It took quite a long time to even begin to get better. Now at 5 months it is totally gone. You are very early in your recovery. Give it 3-5 months and you should be good to go :-)!

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  • Magari
    Magari Member Posts: 354
    edited April 2020

    Yes, I had this exact "sunburn" pain post-mastectomy! It lasted for several weeks and was extremely uncomfortable. I had to delay the start date for my PT as a result.

    The good news is that this is likely nerve regeneration. I ended up with excellent sensation following my bilateral nipple-sparing mastectomy, which is not the case for everyone.

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  • cake8icing
    cake8icing Member Posts: 58
    edited April 2020

    Thank you, MightyBird01 and Magari, for sharing your experiences with me. It is very encouraging to think it is due to nerve regeneration....wow, maybe it means I’ll regain some sensation in my chest area. I am a patient woman and agree, I am very early in my recovery, and your letting me know this happened to you is so, so comforting to me to know that this is part of some women’s normal recovery. Much appreciated!

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  • cake8icing
    cake8icing Member Posts: 58
    edited May 2020

    Hi all, thought I should post a follow up to say that the skin pain DID resolve by about the 6 week mark. And at that same time, I have been getting treatment with a PT to massage the scar tissue, and her help has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE! Now, at 10 weeks post surgery, I feel really good(other than whenever I do have to wear a bra, I cannot wait to get home and take it off!). Thank you to all of your ladies for your comforting words of experience that helped me get through a difficult time.

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  • KE1986
    KE1986 Member Posts: 2
    edited December 2020

    I had a Double mastectomy on 12/9. All went well the doctors said. I felt I was doing good but over the last few days I have been having the burning /raw skin pain as well. I am glad to hear it might mean nerve regeneration but to think that it might last for months is a little scary. It hurts to move at all. I can’t spend the next 3-6 months sitting still. I like to be active. Is there medicine that can help with the pain? I see my PS on Wednesday and will discuss with him but would like to know what may have worked for others.

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  • cake8icing
    cake8icing Member Posts: 58
    edited December 2020

    Hi KE: I am sorry to hear about your skin pain. Mine was really bad for about 6 weeks and then got rapidly better. Now I am 9 months out from surgery and am happy to report that I have gained back A LOT of sensation; just a very thin line of numbness along the scar. As for drug treatments; maybe ask your doc about Galapentin? My brother suffers from an intense itch on his arms and his doc recently prescribed this drug that is used for Shingles, at a low dose, and completely resolved his itch. He had been suffering for years before getting on this medication. Here is a link with info. Anyway, it would require a doc and pharmacist to look at contraindications and willingness to prescribe off the intended purpose, but if it could solve my brother’s intractable itch, maybe it would work for this?https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-14208-8217/gabapentin-oral/gabapentin-oral/details

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  • Blue1002
    Blue1002 Member Posts: 12
    edited December 2020

    I am two weeks post BMX and the skin sensitivity is driving me crazy so I'm very relieved to hear that it is indeed temporary from those who have been through it. I am on Gabapentin three times a day and it does help... sometimes. I notice it tends to help for an hour or two and then the skin sensitivity comes roaring back. But it does help some. Icing my chest also helps me feel better, at least temporarily.

    Thanks for giving me hope that this too shall pass!

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