Pain under lumpectomy incision normal?

My scar area is sore to the touch but I don't notice it unless I poke at it. Surgery was in 2016 and it's been like that all along.

Jons - When I was 19 I had a lumpectomy for what turned out to be a "benign fibroadenoma". Over the years I would feel pain and general "weirdness" at the scar site. When I got mammograms or expressed any concern about the area I was always told that it was just "nerve damage" or "scar tissue" from that surgery that was bothering me and that it was nothing to worry about. Gradually, I quit worrying about it and stopped getting mammograms because I was always told the same thing about that area, and because I started to have concerns about all of the radiation I would be getting from the mammograms, the risks of false positives, etc. I never noticed anything else wrong with any other area on either of my breasts, so continued to believe that I was OK and that the weird things that went on with that lumpectomy location were just "nerve damage" "scar tissue" and then "normal aginig", e.g. changes from age related "sagging", etc.

Well, 49 years after that lumpectomy, I experienced some slightly different "hardness" under my scar and it changed it's "look" a bit. I continued to think that it was just that old location being weird and pretty much ignored it until it got so changed I felt that I had to go see someone. Even then, I fully expected them to tell me that it was the old surgical area doing something weird and that it wasn't malignant (I was originally told that what was there was "benign"). Turned out that I had a large malignant tumor in that very spot; that the medical people considered "neglected" and now here I am. I ultimately had a mastectomy, chemo, surgery, radiation, now the hormone pill, and I watch and wait. There's no question I should have done more, in spite of my fears of radiation, false positives, etc.

You need to do what you need to do, but after my experience I would strongly suggest you get the MRI. I think that the fears of the damage that can be done by the treatments are well justified but at the same time, I think it is possible to "over do" that and wind up in an even bigger mess. I still approach all of these treatments with extreme caution and read up on as much as I can, and look for the least damaging options, but you can reach a tipping point where the downsides of the treatments really do outweigh the justifiable caution against them. I think what Beesie has said makes a lot of sense.

Good luck and I hope with all my heart that you are just experiencing some sort of "nerve damage" or scar tissue "weirdness" issue, but if it were me now, I would get it fully checked out.

I've read about the gadolinium but don't think about it much. I had my 1st MRI during the diagnostic phase and was told I would be alternating mammo/MRI every 6 months. I thought, is that a bit much? Turns out maybe not. I had some pain, hit my breast once with a weight and had some pain in treated breast so one MRI came back a birads 3. The follow up in 6 months was a 4, so I had a biopsy. I have fat necrosis there, so mine is scar tissue, and was even called giant cell reaction since my body doesn't like these little clip markers inside my breasts. What's one more clip? Glad you are considering an MRI.

I actually had to go back and look. The LCIS was diagnosed because of the persistence of my surgeon and another Doc at the radiology center. My 1st MRI shows a birads 2 for my right side. I was new patient with no prior imaging. The day I went in for the right side biopsy, that Doc read my reports, saw something else, called my surgeon and they ordered another biopsy. I had 2 biopsies that day. I felt blind sided and cried but I am grateful for their thoroughness. This is what the report said:

CLINICAL INDICATION: 56-year-old female who presented with a palpable lump in her left breast last month. On mammography, there was a suspicious mass in this area which later underwent ultrasound-guided core biopsy, which was positive for malignancy. In

the contralateral right breast, a probably benign circumscribed mass was seen in the lower outer quadrant, which could not be seen on sonography; 6 month follow-up was recommended. Her surgeon has requested stereotactic biopsy first tissue diagnosis.

Additionally, the patient has subsequently undergone bilateral breast MRI, which does reveal this mass in the lower outer right breast which has imaging features suggestive of an intramammary lymph node.

Comparison: Mammogram on 12/7/2017 and breast MRI 12/28/2017.

The 1st biopsy was fibroadenoma. The 2nd one was LCIS. At my pre op visit my surgeon also decided to do a surgical excision of this mass on my right side, pathology also indicated LCIS. My latest MRI for my right side says there is no dominant mass or distortion.

So, without the MRI I don't think they would have found it. I am lucky that the biopsy's were even ordered given the birads score of 2. They are two wonderful doctors that read more into those images.

The MRI didn't actually see LCIS, that ultimately can only be diagnosed with a biopsy of the breast tissue, but those images saw a mass, although not labeled suspicious (birads4), it was enough to prompt a biopsy.

Let us know how yours goes if you do it.