ongoing breast pain
ongoing breast pain I finished my rads in Jan 06 but am still in a lot of pain, it almost
seem like mastitus, the breast feels hot all the time and on the
bra line (underneath breast) it feels really hard. I have visited
my breastcare nurse and am currently under treatment for
breast lymphodema and both parties have told me all symtems
are normal and can take months to improve, has anyone else
had this problem. Would welcome your advices.
thanks gill
Snap! We have the same problem! Hello Gillya
Me too!! I have the same problem as you - as you will see from my other ‘thread’.
I have lymphodema of the breast which feels like mastitus continuously and have had it for months. What I also have is continuous infections and have to have antibiotics all the time. The lymphodema clinic will not massage the area whilst I still have infections so it is ‘catch 22’!
I am surprised you have not yet had any replies so it would appear that this condition is not that common after all.
I do hope there are others out there who can give us both some advice.
The only positive thing I can say is that my surgeon and the lymphodema clinic say I must give it more time.
I will keep watching this thread with interest.
Love Christiane
You are scaring me Hi girls
I have had the op and chemo and begin rads soon. Since my lumpectomy in March 06 my breast has been red. My surgeon and several onco 's have looked at this and seemed unconcerned. They have not explained the redness by diagnosis so I don’t know why it’s red.
More worrying is the fact that I seem to be getting more frequent stabbing pains in this breast and so I’m worried about the effect that the rads will have!
I’m not having any further treatment after rads as I was negative for the hormones and Herceptin so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how things go.
I’ll keep posting over the coming months and I hope you girls get some advice from people who have had this pain but who are clear of it now.
It will be interesting to know how long these symptoms can last and how best to cope with them.
Love
Ali
me too im a year post diagnosis, had lumpectomy WLE last oct then 5 weeks of rads.still have bad breast pains and some heat and swelling. just had yearly check up and mammogram which was clear. oncologist was unconcened said there is no time limit to these symptoms so basically live with it!!
sorry to sound blunt but at least we know we are not alone in these symptoms.
i find wearing a good support bra a help
all my best
ann
I know what you mean… Hi Gillya
I too have a serious amount of pain in my breast, ribcage, arm some swelling too - have done since rads in March 06. I can’t seem to get any ideas from BC nurse or GP, though I have a regular 6 monthly onc appt in a fortnight.
I took it upon myself to go privately for MLD once a week. This really seems to help both swelling and pain. Are you able to access this through your lymphoedema clinic? The therapist has shown me a few simple self-massages and exercises that keep things under control.
I am really hoping that the hospital appointment will result in a referral to the lymphoedema clinic and some well-rounded advice & support…and a bit of a break from paying for the MLD.
Hope this helps.
all the best,
Kim
Thanks ann It is good to know that even after a year the specialist are unconcerned which tells me that we have nothing to worry about…
O K so we’d rather not have the pain and discomfort but clearly it will get better with time.
Just after my op in March when the readness was remarked upon by the surgeon I had worried that I might need a mastectomy. I have not been reasured until now that this is an irrational fear. So after rads I can expect the pain to continue but it will go away with time.
This is good news to me and I hope it reassures everyone on this thread.
So Thanks again
Love Ali
I had my mastectomy in January and rads in May with chemo either side. I was on antibiotics fo the whole of August mainly in hospital. Now Im on herceptin and arimadex, PHEW!. Ok now I feel that Ive taken a step back as my breast area has gone all hard and numb again and I can feel my nack area feeling funny like it did during the rads. Apart from that I have the other efects of chemo, herceptin ets. Is this fairly normal and to be expected.
Louisexx
breast pain thanks so much to all who emailed re breast pain, it is good to feel
that we are not alone with these symptons, i just wish someone
would be able to say, yes in 12 months everything will be back to
normal, wishful thinking on my part i think.
I have my 2nd check up in december and a hoping i will not need
a mammogram as the pain will be awful, still i will cross that bridge
when i get to it. Thank god for this site where we can all moan and
groan and still get lovely replies from other ladies.
all the very best to everyone
love gilly
ongoing breast pain Since my last email I have been to see my consultant who advises
that all the symtons i am feeling are normal and does not want
to see me until next april, at the time i came away feeling positive
but the last couple of days the pain has been so bad that i actually
cried (which is unlikeme) i feel such a wimp, but at the back of my
mind i keep wondering if they have made a mistake and that it
is something to worry about how stupid is that. I have a doctors
appointment today and hopefully she will prescribe some super
duper pain killers. I feel that the pain seems to restrict everything
i do and that i try to keep my arm as immobile as possible to
reduce the pain level…as i mentioned previously the scar underneath
my arm is so tight that my shoulder feels permantly frozen, i hope
the doc will refer me for physio.
sorry for such a miserable read, hopefully a doctors visit will
put me back on track
regards gill.
me too Hi Gill,
I read this thread with interest as I too have ongoing breast/arm pain. I had WLE/node clearance in March, from which I recovered really well, followed by rads in June/July and since then have never been pain free. The pain was so bad a couple of weeks after the rads finished I went back to the hospital who told me that it was due to nerve damage from the surgery that the rads had aggravated. At my post rads check and separate 6 month check up with the surgeon last month, I mentioned that I am still in a lot of pain to be told on both occasions that it will improve in time. However, the last couple of weeks it has got worse and I ended up phoning my bc nurse who has got me an appointment with the consultant tomorrow. I cant turn on my side in bed, wearing a bra hurts, moving my arm hurts, the worst time is getting moving in the morning as the skin feels so tight at the side of the breast and under the arm,I get a really sharp pain that feels like the skin is going to tear. Like you I have cried with frustration as I just want to get back to normal. If people ask how I am I just say “fine”, as I think now the treatment has finished I am expected to be. It feels like one step forward two steps back all the time. I got over the op so well, I really didn’t expect this level of pain at this time. I try to be cheerful, like you its not “me” to complain, I’m just fed up with it. Sorry for moaning when I know others have so much more to moan about. Hope you feel better after your visit to the docs,
Take care,
Love Nicky x