Pain in the arm!
Pain in the arm! HI, this is my first post to the site although I have been going into it for a month now since my diagnosis for breast cancer. I had surgery on 8th May WLE with lymph glands taken. Results showed grade1 invasive cacinoma with DCIS but no node involvement, so feel very lucky and positive. My concern is the pain and discomfort in my arm it feels like a razor is being run down the upper arm and a lump under the arm although there is’nt one.
I am used to discomfort as I am disabled with osteoarthritis and arachnoiditis+++. The surgery I have had with my many skeletal problems have always gone forward but I feel I am taking steps backwards, especially, after a bad night, with the spasms in legs and unable to lay on my left side due to my arm.
Has anyone experienced similar and found any help or is it just another discomfort I need to adapt to?
I need to get ‘fit’ as my husband goes into hospital on Monday for three stents into his heart.
Thank you in anticipation for your advice.
eileenmary
Hi Eileenmary,
Sorry to hear you have had ‘BC’, like you i had a WLE on the 29th march with removal of 10 lymph nodes. As the weeks after surgey progressed the scars were slowly starting to heal but I got terrible pains up an down my arms and had to on my back with a pillow underneath my arm. Still now my top arm feels numb and i get tingles in that area and I can move around more freely. I am sure your pains are pretty normal as the nerves are getting back in sync with each other after being moved around and taken out, although you should take to your bc nurse.
Hope this helps, good luck with the rest of your treatment
Love Nadiaxx
hello Hello Eileen Mary,
I had exactly the same diagnosis and treatment as you fourteen months ago and remember well the arm pain, which was much worse than the breast pain following the surgery. It is only two weeks since your op and there has been a lot of damage to the nerves in your arm that need to heal. It is important to try and do the exercises they show you even though it hurts, as they do help. I used to take painkillers half an hour before. I still get shooting pains sometimes even now and the area is still quite numb but a lot better than it was.
I do feel for you with your other problems, which I was fortunate not to have to contend with as well, and naturally you are also worried about your husband. Do you have any family or friends that can help you, as you need to give yourself time to recover?
Wishing you both all the best,
Nicky x
Hi Eileenmary
I had a lumpectomy and node removal in November, and still have pain in my arm and numbness. Quite a weird feeling really, especially if some one touches me on the upper arm it can feel quite painful. I also remember feeling that there was a lump in my armpit, and being told by nurse this is a normal feeling to have. I will say however that I did end up having to have fluid drain from the site.
Hope that has put your mind at rest
Sarah
Pain in arm! Thank you all for replying, although not good to hear others have had and still have discomfort it is a relief to know that it is all part of the process. I suppose we are all anxious to get back to normal and was suggested it is giving your body time.
Thank you again
Eileenmary
I had a lumpectomy and 10 nodes removed two years ago last March. The pain in my arm has got much less but it still bothers me especially at night. I have been doing the exercises and use my arm as much as possible. I also had a mastectomy just two years ago and that was not a problem at all! I had no pain afterwards and the scar healed beautifully.
Still I was lucky that the nodes were clear and I am fine. Well as fine as can be, I am alive. I have lost a lot of strength and muscle and get very tired.
I feel that the HRT which I had to give up kept me going. I was on Tamoxifen for two years and now I am on Aromasin.
Re the “Pain in the arm!”…I’ve had the same problem and have been prescribed AMITRIPTYLINE for neuropathic pain… Normal painkillers didn’t seem to have any effect at all, so this was suggested as an alternative as it specifically targets nerve pain.
I was a bit unsure a first, because it can be prescribed as an anti-depressive (which I don’t need)… but then the leaflet also says it can also be prescribed for bed-wetting in children!! Another side effect is that it may cause drowsiness, but then I see that could be a good thing, as I haven’t been sleeping well… so it may ensure a better night’s sleep!! I’ve only been taking it for a few days, so can’t comment yet on its effectiveness… worth a try…