After having spent the last two weeks practically hysterical the whole time, I got through my first annual check up and everything was fine - which is great.
However, the mammograms, particuarly on the side that had the tumour, where much more painful than I remember from last time.
Is that a tamoxifen coupled with bad PMT & radiotheraphy side effect? I have to say that both my breasts are quite sore at the moment and although I know nothing sinister is going on I am curious to know whether this is going to keep happening each month (periods have only just restarted after chemo).
I think it is probably a combination of scar tissue and the rads; the latter make the breast tissue quite hard. I am 3 years down the line from rads now and the tissue is still hard and dense underneath my breast. I loathe having my yearly mammo on the side where I had surgery as it aches for days afterwards.
First and foremost, glad to hear that you passed your 1st MOT … it’s always a relief when you get it out of the way and nothing sinister shows up.
I agreed with cherbus… I had 6 weeks worth of rads and my 1st mammo afterwards (1 year check-up) was worse than I had remembered. My rads team said the internal tissue damage done by rads could take a good 12-18 months to be fully repaired and the scar tissue following the surgery obviously is going to be a life long issue.
As for the painful boobs on monthly cycle, I still get pre-menstrul symptoms (sore boobs, crampy stomach and hormone headache) around about the time I think I would have been due a period. I was 40 at dx and am 2 years since dx so am still of pre-monpausal age, no periods due to either mirena coil and/or tamofixen but it took a good while for them to give up and as I say I still get the symptoms.