Hi
Can anyone help?
I had a WLE on January 31 with 4 node thingy under the arm. I was doing well till last night when my boob just ached all night and every time I turned over it woke me up. All day today it’s been ‘dragging’ down one side and sort of tingling. Has anyone had similar? My armpit has been swollen over the weekend but seems to have gone down a bit. Is it the nerves ‘knitting’? I wish they told us what to expect!
Thanks in advance.
Lynne
Dear Lynne
Breast Cancer Care have written a booklet called ‘Your operation and recovery’ which you may find hepful to read as it contains information about what to expect following surgery, you can read it via the following link:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/your_op_and_recovery_07_web_0.pdf
If you have any further queries or concerns or wish to speak to someone in confidence, please call our helpline on 0808 800 6000 which opens Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hi Lynne
I had my surgery in January 07 and still have a numbing feeling and i feel sometimes i have a heaviness in my boob, spoke to BC nurse and was told that this is perfectly normal but doesnt stop my mind working overime. Hope your well.
Allison x
Thanks for your reply Allison. You had surgery a year ago and still get numbness? They don’t tell us the full story, do they? It’s very disconcerting to be doing ok then after a week feel as though you’ve gone in to reverse! My skin feels very tender down my arm and on the outside of my boob so suspect it is nerve stuff but it would have been good to know.
I’ve checked out the link that Lucy posted and found that helpful. I always seem to be on the back foot so to speak rather than one step ahead, which is where I prefer to be!
It’s ‘meet the consultant’ time tomorrow for my post-op results. I’m hoping he’ll say ‘got the b***er!’ when I ask but … It’s the waiting, isn’t it?
Hope you’ve enjoyed some sunshine.
Lynne x
Hello Lynne
I had WLE and lymph node removal in Dec 06 and I still have pain sometimes both in my breast and arm. The surgeon and oncologist both say this is normal and not to worry about it.
take care
Anthi x
Hi Lynne
Like Anthi I had WLE and SNB (only a few nodes taken) in Dec 06. I still sometimes get pain in my breast, under my arm and in the ribs under my breast. My consultant says this is perfectly normal and it will get 90% better over 5 years and the rest will always stay and there will always be a little discomfort! Great!! At least its supposedly normal though.
Take care
Shorty x
Righty oh, Shorty - so 2013 should see me 90% sorted then ;o) !!
Another new thing that’s arrived today is a thin vein like chord running from my axilla scar down the inside of my arm a bit. I can see it when I put my arm up. I’ve read about ‘chording’ but I thought that was a sensation not an actual ‘thing’. Have I developed a ‘chord’? Anyone else got/had that?
Cheers in advance.
Lynne x
Hi Lynne
It’s me again Shorty - sorry about the 2013 thing, but as long as everythings ok I suppose I can put up with a few pains. I had cording a few weeks after op and yes just like you I could see a thin cord / vein running from armpit to elbow. Consultant looked at it and told me to continue with exercises which I did - the best one was standing sideways to wall or door and walking fingers up as far as I could from shoulder height to above head. This got higher each time and eventually the cording went.
I’m sure your arm will gradually get better - we’re just not always told about these things!
Take care
Shorty x
Hi Lynne -
I had a WLE and sample node removal Feb 2003, total axillary removal March 2003, but still get pain in my right boob and down my right arm. The cording was quite visible. The area under my top arm is still numb and I can’t even begin to touch the armpit …it is still tender after 5 yrs. My bc nurse told me this would happen, so I am not concerned.
I had a big problem with cording, ended up using my left hand to pick anything up - indeed, one day when I went into the bc clinic my nurse saw me holding my arm at right angles and shouted at me: “Liz if you don’t do your exercises you will end up with a permanently bent and shortened arm!” Quite frightened the life out of me, and probably startled all the other ladies in the clinic, but it did make me “walk the wall”. Very painful at the time, and often in tears, but I have full movement of that arm now, and no lymphoedema. Truly, there is no solution other than doing the exercises. Did they give you a leaflet with diagrams on exercises? We had to do them on the ward after my two surgeries, and I used to start singing, getting the elderly ladies to chime in whilst we did the exercises, made it fun rather than torture… Problem is I am tone deaf! We all had a lot of laughs. I’m surprised the nurses didn’t call in a psychiatrist to see me.
Take care…and DO your exercises!
Hugs,
Liz.
Thanks Liz and Shorty for your replies.
Was typing ‘2013’ with grin, Shorty, no worries.
I have been doing my exercises - rather religiously, so thought I’d maybe over done it! Will try to be a bit more controlled about it. I didn’t want to lose any mobility so have ‘gone for it’ a bit. It’s difficult to get the balance, isn’t it?
Lovely day here in Derbyshire so I’m off to see some snowdrops before my appointment this afternoon. Need to keep busy!!
Take care
Lynne x
Hi Lynne
The cording did take some time to go but it did disappear gradually. Enjoy the snowdrops - my parents have taken their friends into Derbyshire today to see the snowdrops - near Carsington Water I think!
Hope all goes well with your appointment and you get the ‘best’ (if we can call it that) set of results out of this.
Take care
Shorty x
Hi Lynne
I saw your other thread but thought I’d reply on this one. The cording will disappear I’m sure, I still have some nearly 3 months later but I will stress that you need to keep up the exercises. I have developed a very mild lymphoedema now but it is really mild and I’m having Manual Lymphatic Drainage tomorrow which hopefully will help.
I’m up in Derbyshire for the weekend! So look forward to seeing those lovely snowdrops. There were some near my Mum’s house in Bristol the other week… really pretty.
Cecelia. x