Increasing pain after mastectomy

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Hi there,

I’m new to the forum and hope you can help. I had a mastectomy on 17 December and SNB. It’s now 12 Jan. I won’t have the pathology results for four more days. Since the operation I have had my seroma drained twice. After the second time, I noticed the pain in the breast increase until it now feels like someone is rubbing the wound with sandpaper! I take a codeine before bed (the tablets make me very sleepy) and generally get by with paracetamol otherwise, but I’m finding doing anything difficult as I can’t concentrate due to the pain. I’m otherwise pretty fit and responded well after the op: I was prepping for Xmas and feeling minimal pain, I was walking, moving my arms etc. and the nurses commented I was healing well. I don’t know what’s gone wrong. I will ask my consultant on Friday but wondering if you can offer some reassurance to get me through till then thank you!

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Hi @genegenie sorry you find yourself in the club no one wants to be in but I’ve found this website and forum to be so helpful, I hope you do too.

Do the painkillers relieve the pain at all? I ask because when you say it feels like sandpaper on the wound, it sounds like it could be nerve pain. If it is, it’s very common especially after they take lymph nodes. It usually does settle after a while as well. I had it quite bad on the underside of my arm and found putting a cushion in my armpit and holding it still there stopped my clothes rubbing and making it feel worse.

I hope the consultant can shed some light for you on Friday though and that your results go as well as they can. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Hi Kazaroo,

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’ve phoned the breast nurse team and I’ve sent a few photos of my wound as a new swelling has developed and I just wanted to check it didn’t need draining again before Friday. And thanks for your tips…it’s such a roller coaster of emotions and sensations, but very comforting to hear how others are coping. I think, after a great start, the pain and uncertainty was beginning to wear me down but I’ve bounced back after reading a few other posts and reassuring myself as far as poss that it’s all ‘normal’…Here’s to Friday - and thank you again.

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Hello genegenie,

Thank you for posting.

After surgery for breast cancer and in the weeks and months that follow, it’s common to feel some pain and discomfort .You may experience different sensations, for example some people may describe it as a burning feeling, a stinging sensation or numbness in the scar area and under the arm.

Having a seroma is common after a mastectomy and can cause increased discomfort for a short period, as @kazaroo says, it could be nerve pain as the seroma can cause pressure on the nerve endings. As healing takes place, these effects usually subside. For most people this happens within a few months. However, for some, they can persist, and we know this can affect quality of life.

Having pain may make it more difficult to do arm exercises and maintain a good range of movement. It’s good to hear you have contacted your breast care nurse about this and your consultant will be able to assess you at your upcoming appointment.

We offer a range of free supportive services which you may be interested in. They include face to face and online courses and events.

Talking to someone who has had a similar experience can often be helpful. Our Someone Like Me service can match you with a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. You can be in touch with your volunteer by phone or email and they can share their personal experiences to help answer your questions, offer support and listen to how you are feeling.

You can ring the Someone Like Me team on 0800 138 6551 or email them at someone.likeme@breastcancernow.org, so they can then match you to your volunteer.

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Best wishes,

Helen

Breast Care Nurse

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