Overview:
lumpectomy in right breast 15mm tumour, triple negative
12 nodes removed, 11 ok, 1 not but removed
3 FEC, 3 TAX
15 + 5 Boosters radiotherapy and now 8 weeks post all treatment ending.
I now categorise ‘odd feelings’ 3 ways…pain, ache and soreness.
I have developed soreness to the skin around the whole right breast, underneath my arm and down my ribcage and along my back where my bra sits (I do wear underwired bras). I have no noticeable swelling in any of these areas and my arm doesn’t look like it is swollen. The skin looks normal too. This has been going on for a couple of weeks now and I am worried it could be the start of lymphoedema in breast and chest area. My right elbow is sore but I have suffered from tennis elbow for a couple of years although the pain has gone worse recently. I have a tight feeling in my neck area at the front and although this has been attributed to stress I am now wondering if it is my lymph nodes in that area not draining properly.
I only saw my onc last week and mentioned that it was a little sore around the breast area but I had put that down to radiotherapy so am a little nervous in asking for an appointment with her and looking stupid/neurotic.
Has anyone had these ‘feelings’ and been dx with lymphoedema?
It doesn’t sound very lymphoedema like, but it’s probably best to get it checked out. What about speaking to your bcn asap? How about wearing a non underwired bra for a bit and seeing if that helps, too. If your bra straps are very tight/narrow, they can interfere with lymph flow, too.
You could also take some measurements around both arms and repeat them a week or so later, to give your self (and bcn/onc )a rough idea if anything is happening. I would take them at the same time each day, as we all swell up naturally as the day goes on.
I’ve got tennis elbow as well as lymphoedema, so you have my sympathies - it’s a right royal pain - they seem to aggravate each other. Have you got some good anti-inflammatories?
I think I will go and get myself measured again for new bras as this is possibly what is doing it although I did take to wearing cropped tops at the weekend as my it did cross my mind that it was them being the culprit.
As for my BCN… I have not had much contact with her over the last 8 months and to have only seen her once! I haven’t got the confidence (with her) or the inclination to get her involved. I have got all my support through this site and the lovely people who are on this forum.
I will probably go and see my own doctor if after getting new bras it doesn’t clear up.
I suffer in silence with my tennis elbow as anti inflams just hurt my stomach too much (had duedenal ulcer) and just before I was dx with BC I had a cortisone injection into the elbow which cured it for a time but not allowed any of them now.
looks like chemo and the rest of it has triggered it back off. Ho hum…grit the teeth and ignore it!
I have been dx with lympho on my chest and back it is mostly under control but it doesn’t feel like you describe. Mine feels like I am wearing a tight elastic bands under my arm and across my chest on my affected side.
Rather uncomfortable today as I overdid the exercise this morning.
Sorry you haven’t had much support from your bcn Anita - it does sound as tho’ your GP is a more promising option.
I’m having chemo at the moment and I’m sure you’re right - it targets any lingering soft tissue injuries we may have - my tennis elbow and lymphoedema have both become much worse. What a nuisance you are so limited on what pain killers you can take. Is diclofenac a ‘no-no’?, too. Has your GP got any suggestions?
I’ve found ice-packs help a bit, bit’s sometimes hard to find the right spot! Wearing the lymphoedema sleeves makes the tennis elbow much more painful, but I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with that one. At the moment I’m typing this without sleeves, but I’ll have to go and put them on when I’m doing something more strenuous…
I’ve found that I have to prioritise and get the tennis elbow under control first When I do that, the lymphoedema improves as a consequence.
Like you, I can’t have a cortisone injection, so I’ve settled for rest (as much as possible, anyway), ice packs and painkillers. It works, but it takes AGES and then if I’m not careful, it flares up again.
I finished chemo 29/7/08 and radio 16/9/08 and am triple negative so don’t need tamoxifen or herceptin. I understand ‘us’ triple negs are a bit more high risk of it returning but I take every day as it comes and try not to think ‘what if’.
Diclofenac is a no-no and other ibuprofens are out as it easier to put up with the elbow rather than the stomach! I usually take some paracetamol if it is really painul and supplement that with an anti inflamatory gel which I rub over the elbow. I try and cut back on the carrying/hoovering/lifting using my arm but as it is my right one and I am right handed sometimes it is hard to do!
I hope you are doing well on your chemo and that you haven’t too many to do. I can assure you that time will swiftly pass once you have finishhed it but it sure feels like a drag when half way there! To me radiotherapy was a breeze but everyone is different.
I am now back at work full time and enjoying the ‘normality’ of it all! Although I get tired it is a real pleasure being in work and it taking my mind off the C word!
Can you take ‘co-codamol’? That’s got more of a punch than paracetamol (only available on prescription, tho’ I think).
Diclofenac (not an option for you, I know) plus co-codamol are my preferred painkiller combo for tennis elbow, but I’ve had to scrap the co-codamol (and use paracetamol) because it can make you constipated at the best of times and because I’m on chemotherapy, I’ve already got problems in that department! By the way, I HATED radiotherapy (4+ years ago - given the choice of chemo for the rest of my life or 6 weeks radiotherapy, I’d have gone for the chemo every time!), but, as you say, we’re all different!
It’s terrible when it’s in your dominant arm, isn’t it? I’ve gradually trained myself to iron and hoover with both and alternate at regular intervals, but it’s taken quite a while. I can ‘mouse’ with either arm, too. Have you considered an ‘ergonomic’ mouse for your PC?- they are supposed to be a real help for tennis elbow.
I had lumpectomy and lymph glad removal on the right side in April.
recently both my feet, ankles and lower legs started to swell up and then go back to normal.
I started rads on the Mon 24th and since then i have had pain in my right arm. the pain is in my shoulder and goes down my arm to my fingers. The pain is dull, i move my arm quite freely and even to the point of being able to sratch my back so i have full movement, no restrictions there. I did mention this to the radiographers and they told me to do my excersies that i was given after surgery. I have been doing them but it is not stopping the pain. I told my bcn and again i was told to just exercise. this only started when i got my first rads, is there a connection and could it be lymphoedema, i frightened that is and is being missed.
Sorry to hear you are in so much pain from the radiotherapy. I’ve had shoulder pain since rads (the muscles seized up) and when it was really bad it went right down my arm, too. It has got better, but it’s never gone away (they told me it was nerve pain) - probably because of the lymphoedema. And, like you, my mobility wasn’t affected. It’s strange, isn’t it, they always want to know if you can move your arm properly, but are never very interested in how painful it is!
I suppose it’s a good thing to exercise, but it’s also a good thing not to be in pain! I suggest painkillers (prescription strength if necessary from your GP - as you can see from the above I take diclofenac + co-codamol when it gets really bad) and maybe a hot water bottle filled with cool/chilled water to rest against your shoulder. You could also try asking for some physio, altho’ they might want to wait until after the rads have finished.
It could be the start of lymphoedema, but with the big L I think your arm is more likely to ache, tingle and feel heavy (not to mention swell, of course). How about taking some ‘baseline’ measurements around both arms and then repeating them on your ‘ar risk’ arm about a fortnight later and seeing if there’s any difference?
You mentioned your feet, ankles, etc swelling, too. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? And is there a history of this kind of leg swelling in your family?
This rads-related shoulder and arm pain is really depressing, so don’t be fobbed off, do get some help. Hope you are soon feeling better.
i am 40. No history of swelling in family that i know of.
radiographers told me that my probs are not rads related but i can’t understand why i have only developed these probs since starting rads - no probs with arm and shoulder before then.
I have just started my 2nd week in rads. Thanks for that info. I see the onc today or tomorrow. It a bit of a pain in the butt as i strip for rads then get dressed only to go to another room and strip again for the onc.