Rib pain and tightness after breast cancer – has anyone else experienced this?

Going through breast cancer treatment Hormone therapy
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Rib pain and tightness after breast cancer – has anyone else experienced this?

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone might recognise what I’m experiencing.

I was treated for breast cancer in 2023 and had lymph nodes removed on the affected side. Since then I’ve developed cording and also have arthritis in the shoulder on the same side.

A recent PET scan didn’t show anything concerning, which I’m incredibly grateful for, but I’m still struggling with a horrible tightness around my rib cage on my cancer side. It feels as though everything is constricted and sore.

The worst part is when I’m constipated. If I have to strain on the toilet, I get an excruciating stabbing pain in my rib cage that literally makes me jump up. It’s so severe that I have to stop and try to relax before I can continue. The area remains very tender afterwards.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of rib or chest wall pain after breast cancer surgery or lymph node removal? Did anyone find out what was causing it, or find anything that helped?

I know everyone’s experience is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had something similar.

Thank you so much.

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Hi NicsB

I had a double mastectomy (without any reconstruction) in 2022 re a different cancer in each breast simultaneously (which I insisted on, as strong family history, so thought - let’s just get rid).

I had axillary clearance on left side that showed one positive node severely affected - again, my choice given the option of that or just radiotherapy and again thought, get rid. Went on to develop lymphoedema :roll_eyes:

Anyway, with surgery over and wounds healed, I managed to completely resolve the cording I developed along both arms with diligently doing the recommended ‘cording’ exercises.

Thereafter, I have always had a tender left rib (just the one, I think), sometimes painful upon turning in bed and rising which then eases off (although whenever I palpate to check, residual tenderness is always present). I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve raised this with oncologist, breast care nurses, doctors. I’ve had bone scans, ultrasound and a CT scan since which showed nothing sinister but have been refused an MRI multiple times as being an inappropriate monitoring tool. What else is there to check for soft tissue mets in a targeted area, when mammograms are no longer an option, obviously (which in any case, failed annually - as did ultrasounds - to detect my cancers)?

I’m always told it is just scar tissue or possibly bone damage from left chest wall radiotherapy (so they don’t know for sure, then). Of course I continuously worry that I’m missing my chance to halt something developing when I could have caught it early. Then again, I could just be a worrywart and (hopefully) never develop any cancers again.

I also developed thick keloid scarring at the chest/armpit margins each side which often feels tight until I give them a bit of a massage.

My chest skin in general remains taut and sensitive because there is very little else around my bones, since I requested the surgeon remove every scrap of breast tissue he could reach !

I hope you find my experience of interest (I can’t say reassuring, since I have no definitive answer as to the cause, nor any resolution).

Hope yours either wears off eventually, or you get a clear answer.

Good luck :hugs: (gently)

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Thank you MistyK, it’s kind of you to share your story and it certainly helps me not feel quite so alone with these symptoms. AS for being a ‘worrywart’, I think we have earned that right frankly! We just need to help keep it at bay I guess and not at the forefront of every niggle. I wondered if you might share what specific stretches you were given for cording please? I did not receive any other than to stretch my arm in the shower and run my hand across the wall as if it were a windscreen wiper! Thank you again and I wish you great health on all accounts!:slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi again, NicsB.

(Sorry for delay - been away on holiday.)

I looked online for video demos of cording exercises - they’re on YouTube. The people whose cording exercises I followed were Jen McKenzie (The Breast Cancer Physio), a gentle-natured Australian woman who’s posted many videos on various aspects of breast cancer recovery and explains things really fully and clearly. She has several on cording exercises.

Also St Margaret’s Hospice Care (don’t be put off by the ‘h’ word) have posted many videos for various cording exercises (search for: St Margaret’s Hospice cording exercises).

I’ve just checked and they are all still available. I followed some of these for a short while and they did the trick. Hope they work for you too.

In the UK, the NHS routinely issue a booklet from Breast Cancer Care called “Exercises After Breast Cancer Surgery” to regain general mobility, which can be started gently once drains have been removed. I diligently continued those for many, many weeks and even now occasionally run through a session.

Thank you for your good wishes - same to you x

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Thank you so much!!! Very useful. I hope you had the best holiday!!

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Hi NicsB

You’re very welcome; glad to help.

I went to the Brecon Beacons (Wales) for a spot of stargazing in the Dark Skies area. Of course, I forgot that at this time of year the deep darkness of the night lasts all of 5 minutes … at about 2am :roll_eyes: Also, the heat dictated how much hill walking in the beating sun was wise :hot_face: … and the spectacular waterfalls had reduced to a trickle.

Never mind, it was a lovely break ‘out in Nature’ amongst sheep, cows, chickens, 2 black lab puppies and a large ‘flock’? of gliding red kites hovering low above me, not to mention the host of chirruping, squeaking creatures calling to each other in the trees every night (invisible and unidentifiable). I’m convinced they were NOT the bats we were watching - much too loud, or any birds - I checked the sound of all night bird calls. A maddening mystery! Another highlight was the day I caught up with friends (who live near to where I was staying) who I met 32 years ago in Tunisia ! :people_hugging: :tada: :mosque:

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I had a L side mastectomy and full axillary clearance last September, followed by a week’s radioT in January. I’ve been on Letrozole and then Arimidex (couldn’t cope with Letrozole). I’m 76. I had a clear CT scan and a clear PET scan in the last couple of months, but I’ve also been suffering from pain in my lower left rib cage whenever I (try to) sleep on my L side (as well as some general twinges in the same area). But when I turn over the pain goes away. I saw my oncologist last week and asked him about it. He said it was caused by the radioT, which weakens the bones. I was a bit surprised cos I thought the RadiioT was higher up than where I’m feeling the ache, which is definitely the lower part of the rib cage. Don’t know if this helps… xx

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Hi NicsB

Your story sounds familiar, I experienced similar stabbing pains etc a couple of years after after mastectomy and axillary clearance. CT with contrast showed nothing and the general advice was “radiotherapy scarring” which made little sense to me as it was outside the x-ray target zone.

Importantly, what helped the pain to DISAPPEAR! was gentle stretching exercises coupled with massage using one of those prickly rubber balls which, I imagine, helped to break apart/dissolve the “adhesions” that had formed post-surgery. I never got an official diagnosis but my surgeon nodded agreement with my theory at my 3-year checkup last month, which is good enough for me!

Wishing you all the best x