Hi there - I had a therapeutic mammoplasty in Nov 24 which healed up great, no pain at all and I had a full range of movement. However, since having radiotherapy last month (finished just over a month ago) I’ve been getting stabbing pains and the last few nights it has been REALLY painful when I turn over in bed. Doesn’t matter which way I am turning, whether it’s onto that side or away from it, or onto my back, it causes pain in my breast. This is in the area where I had the surgery and RT boost. I’m assuming it’s because the weight in my breast is shifting but it really hurts.
Is this normal, particularly for it to get suddenly worse after being fine for so long after surgery?
So sorry to read you are feel uncomfortable and in pain, I’m not medically trained to give advice, I think it would be a good idea to call your breast cancer team for a chat. They will able to advise you, or you can call our nurses on this site on 0808 800 6000.
Please don’t sit worrying about this, please call for a chat, you will feel much better.
I agree with @Tili to call your breast team or BCN nurses. I think for me it would be better to have a medical professional talk it through and maybe even physically check.
Soreness and lumps and bumps have been ongoing for me as well as chest wall pain and I was referred to a cancer physio who said I should have been massaging my boobs after my lumpectomy but I wasn’t told. They think my issues are post radiotherapy that can cause fibrosis. The massaging definitely help me. There is also The Breast Cancer Physio Jen McKenzie on YouTube who posts really helpful videos. So one on this forum suggested her and I have found her information really useful. I’m still seeing my cancer physio and have mentioned the YouTube and she was going to look at them.
I agree you should get it checked out professionally. I started having pains when I stretched my arm out, and sometimes when I turned over in bed just recently, yet my treatment was 10 years ago. I got it checked out and the specialist said that pains can start at any time post radiotherapy, and they don’t really know why, just that it is a consequence of having had the treatment. I hope you get some answers soon, but do get it checked out.
I’ll fly a flag for breast massage, Ive been doing it religiously, twice a day since I noticed I was getting lumpy after radiotherapy. It does smoothe it out, but returns a bit by morning. I also recommend a crop top or other close fitting wireless bra that has no seams at all ( as they cause indentation and more lumpiness) to wear at night for support. Sometimes I wear my sports bra at work when feeling particularly lumpy. And no, I wasn’t told this either, just worked it out for myself.
However, this week, I’m wondering if the fluid I move by massage just ends up going as far as my armpit nodes and gets stuck, as I now have more armpit tenderness on streaching after massage. All this after 1 seninel node out only - but lots of rads to my breast as had boosters too - so 19 in all. I’m 7 months down the line, and finding new symptoms from week to week still.
Today’s new one is a sudden stabbing sensation in my armpit that came and went in seconds. I’m expecting I’m in for a long haul dealing with it. It can be years - hopefully not.
The tingly nerve shoots that were initially in my boob, did calm down after about 4-5 months, however.
Thank you all for replying and particularly for the advice on breast massage - I wasn’t told about doing this either and have had a go this morning and it actually felt better to raise my arm straight away.
I have also come to the same conclusion about wearing a sports bra at night @entropy and gave it a go last night. Still a little bit of pain but nothing half as bad as without support. It must be something to do with lying down for a long time though as I don’t get the pain at all if I’m doing say pilates and lying on my back then on my side.
I have a hospital appointment tomorrow so I will ask about it then. I’ve reported shooting/stabbing pains before and they were not concerned whatsoever and just told me to take paracetamol. I haven’t taken any pain relief as the pains come and go so quickly it’s not worth it.
I saw a consultant from the Radiotherapy late effects team last week, and she showed me how to massage but also to do the Funky Chicken (flapping like a chicken with both arms!!) both before and after massager- before to stimulate the lymphatic system and after to “empty the bucket”. She also suggested wearing a sports bra every day. Hope you get it checked and some advice from your team
I have a daft image of doing the funky chicken, but I think I’ll give ita a go after massage as I do feel like the lymph might need ‘emptying’ from the place I shifted it to. Thanks for the tip @gromit12 .
Forgive me if you’ve tried something similar already but I’m a side sleeper and have been having some sort of pillow or small cushion under my arm to sleep for a long time now. Most recently I’ve been using a pregnancy pillow - not behind me to help stay on your side which it’s designed for but the long straight bit goes between my legs to support my hip and the shorter section goes under my upper arm which supports that arm but also seems to take the weight off my lower arm and shoulders a bit as well. When I turn it moves with me and I seem to be able to shunt it under the other arm without even waking now . I would also advocate having support for your breasts while you are sleeping - a couple of months after I finished radiotherapy I had got a bit blase about wearing support bras but then was told by my BCN that my breast was swollen (which I hadn’t really noticed) and that I should go back to having plenty of support all the time.
