Tenderness still - cause for concern?
Tenderness still - cause for concern? Hi all
Hope you are well. I’ve not been here for a while, as trying to get life back on track (and coping with family influx at christmas - just about recovered from that one!!).
I’m doing well. Have had physio for my cording, which has been excellent - cording gone and almost more flexible now than pre-op!! And she’s booked me 6 gym sessions to ‘help me realise my lmitations and strengths (have been told off for overdoing it as I painted 3 doors, did Chrismas shopping and put outdoor lights & indoor decs up all in one day), and to increase my arm and upper body strength’!! Am now looking forward to a toned bod courtesy of the nhs, it seems!!
HOWEVER… I have a niggly concern. I still lightly massage my scar areas (lumpectomy and anc sites), to try to avoid hardening, but I am still rather tender - almost like its bruised under the surface still. Its been almost 5 months now. Anyone else been this tender for so long?
Best wishes
Tigerlily
Tigerlilly I can second that my WLE was a year ago now and the area and the auxilla is still very tender and sore to touch, my auxilla ound reopened lots of times and I did have brachy in Oct so I would say that did not help. When I had my scans in Nov they said there where little pockets of fluids there that could cause discomfort and it should pass in time but I would b keen to see if we are alone ??
me too I had WLE/ANC at the end of March last year and the whole breast and axilla is still really painful-it got much worse a few weeks after rads had finished and was more tender even than initially after surgery. I contacted my bc nurse, who got me an appointment with the surgeon. He referred me for an ultrasound. The radiologist was very informative while she was doing the scan and told me that the area is still traumatised from the surgery and rads, there is extensive scarring in the tissues and the circulation in some areas is quite poor. She referred to it as “radiation mastitis.” There are also pockets of fliud trapped in the area and I was referred to the lymphoedema nurse who has taught me simple massage and drainage techniques-I also have to wear a compression sleeve due to swelling in the affected arm. She recommended swimming or aquarobics as helpful, so I am doing that too. I have been told it will improve with time, but may take a while.
Best wishes to all,
Nicky x
reassuring Hi Nicky,
I have a heavy dragging feeling in my breast and I said to my hubby last night it felt like when I had mastitis. That reassures me a bit more now. I have my first mammo in two weeks. Can’t wait.
Sonya
4 years ago Don’t know if this helps but my chest is still tender, and I had my mastectomy, chemo and radiotherapy 4 years ago. I have been told that the damage caused by surgery and radiotherapy is extensive and that such sensations are normal. It feels like a bad bruise to me too!
It helps Hi
It does help…wow 4 years. Do you feel anymore confident after 4 years???
Sonya
confident - h’mm! Well, the years have flown by, but the experience of having breast cancer has become part of me. It’s hard to explain; I don’t dwell on it but it’s always there. I am so glad to be alive, especially knowing that, if I hadn’t found the lump and had all the treatment, I might not be! Since having cancer and dealing with it I have had a much more positive attitude towards life. Maybe having had a life-threatening illness, and one that could come back, makes me appreciate life far more than I used to. I suppose the appreciation of being alive outweighs any fear that the cancer might return, and maybe quality of life is more important than the length of one’s life?
I didn’t expect to still be feeling aches and pains in my chest and armpit though!! I do worry about that sometimes but my consultant has several times assured me that it is a normal consequence of damage to the nerves and muscles.
Apart from that, though, I do feel great - I have got fit again by swimming and yoga, and I think I feel better now than I ever did when I was younger!!
Best wishes to you.
Jan
Hi Jan & Sonya Sonya-nice to hear from you after a while! I don’t know whether you remember me but we both used to post last summer - I am in North Wales too! Like many others I don’t come on here so often now as things get back to “normal”-whatever that is! I too have my first mammogram in a couple of weeks and am not looking forward to being squished at all as it’s still so sore.
Jan- it was reassuring that this seems to be normal but I was a bit dismayed to think that four years down the line I could still be in pain!
I totally echo what you have said about the way you feel now, I too appreciate life far more than I used to and trivial things don’t get me down the way they did. I am much more laid back, I live for now and try not worry about the future, I don’t put off doing anything I want to do now.
Best wishes to you both for continued good health and lots of happiness,
Nicky x
pain I get fed up too! I never dreamt that I would still be feeling pain or discomfort all this time later. But at least I feel really well apart from that, most of the time- I don’t think it would have been so bad if I’d been told by anyone that this could happen, but it was just a different consultant that I had for my last review who said it was perfectly normal and explained why it happens. I had mentioned it at every other review and although they always noted it down they never tried to explain anything - sometimes I’m not overly impressed with their communication skills!
Jan
Hi there Hi Nicky and Jan
Great to hear from you Nicky.
I’ve not been on for ages so it is great to hear from the oldies, but also I can’t believe how many new faces are now in the other forums too.
Jan thanks for sharing that with us. I could quite happily cope with a little lumpiness and tenderness long term if I know it is normal. At the moment I suppose I’m still living one month at a time. Find it difficult to plan long term things at the moment. But I think once my mammo is out of the way next week I will be able to take that next step.
I am enjoying being alive of course, but I also feel frustrated cos there is now so much I want to do, like see the world and have fab experiences. But then I have to blimmen work, to get the money, to see the world. It’s the mundain working, eating, sleeping that frustrates me at the moment. I used to be really passionate about my work, but now it’s a means to an end.
I suppose I feel a little lost and undirected at the moment . But I am being patient with myself.
Sonya
Hi all
Thanks for the replies on this. I am much re-assured to know i’m not the only one with pain. Am also seeing my consultant for a follow-up next week.
I also felt lost, lacking in direction, and an urgent need to plan the rest of my life, before Christmas. Have settled down a bit now, but its certainly shaken up my perspective.
Your penultimate paragraph Sonya, re: the world/work/money, I could have written myself word for word. After years of hard work with no holidays, i currently have the following planned for this year so far: Bath Spa end of January, Brussels in March, Greece in June, and a once-in-a-lifetime trip round Canada in September. Making up for lost time! Now all i have to do is get enough work to pay for it!!
Tigerlily
Hi Tigerlily
I had a wide-excision lumpectomy in June 2005 and am coming up to my 21-month check-up. My scar and boob still feel tender and sore, although they have improved slowly all the time. I work out three times a week and have found getting much fitter has helped me physically and mentally. It’s given me much greater confidence in dating too!!
I think the trauma to the breast tissue (and additionally the radiation) is considerable, but not a sinister sign. My radiologist showed me all the pockets of breast fluid that has built up after radiation, but these look different from anything cancerous, so are something to work round and not worry about.
I still can’t sleep on my scar!!
Tina x
Tiger Lilly Tiger Lily … wow you go girl!
Once my mammo is out of the way I’ll be going for it too!
Sonya
Tenderness Hi there
I had a lumpectomy and lymph node removal in November 2005. I get pain and discomfort regularly - sometimes they are shooting pains and other times jjust discomfort.
I mentioned this to the Oncologist when I saw him on Tuesday and he said it was common and would probably continue for a few years to come!
It’s not nice knowing that this will continue but I’m pleased to hear it’s nothing to worry about.
Best wishes
Sandra