Hi
I was dx with BC in May had lumpectomy WLE and SNB.My tumor was 8mm nodes clear.I had 15 rounds of rads and have been finished treatment for 7 weeks now.I still get a warm boob… sometimes it actually feels hot and tender like its still radiating (if thats the right word) my nipple is also very sensitive and can feel very uncomfortable at times.Can anyone tell me if this is normal …I know its still very early days but just wanted to ask someone else further down the line. I have my first post treatment onc appointmnet in a couple of weeks so I will obviously mention all this to him then.
Thank you
Kate x
Hi Kate,
I think it’s perfectly OK. I finished my rads at the end of June 2011 (15 rads + 4 boosters to the WLE area) and I’m sure my nuked boob is still several degrees warmer than the other one and it’s also darker in colour. It also has some very visible dark pores that the BCN gave a name to when she examined me a couple of weeks ago. I can’t remember what it was but they’re normal too, and are a result of rads.
I’m still tender on that side, especially on my ribs where they were caught by the rads and although it’s a lot less often now, I do still occasionally get an electric shock feeling through my nipple. My WLE was just below the nipple so that area had the booster dose of rads, so it’s not reallyh surprising that it’s had a lasting effect.
Do speak to your onc if you’re concerned, but I’m sure what you describe is all normal.
Jane xxx
thankyou Jane…I feel a bit better now.I think I had started to think too much Im really good at that.I have noticed somedays it feels quite soft then other days can feel full and heavy and harder…its strange isn’t it? I will ask my onc for sure…thanks again
Take Care
Kate x
Hi Kate,
I also think it’s normal, I was very red for a long time and incredibly itchy, my nipple stayed a different colour for months and actually peeled!! You get lots of odd feelings, sometimes a tightness, sometimes a jabbing pain. It’s so hard not to worry…if you are worried speak to your BCN, phone her today, anything to put your mind at rest, hugs to you xx
hi Kate,
my boob felt quite warm for a good 2-3 years after rads and probably took this time too to soften up again, not often but occasionally it now still feels a little warmer than ok one and i am now 5 years post rads.
Annie
thanks ladies for your comments it means a lot…where would we be without this site:)
have a good day everyone xx
Hi Kate, I’m 5 1/2 years beyond radiotherapy now and my breast is still a different shade to the other one, some days it’s a kind of mottled salmon pink. During all the treatments it went like a very leather brown colour. I also had a very hard, dense feeling breast for a long time afterwards. It gets better over time, but I still have a bit of a hard area underneath. I think it proabaly depends on how sensitive you are etc - I’m very fair skinned and have to be well covered up on holiday as I don’t do well in the sun.
Hi Cherub wow 5 1/2 years well done!! everything you have described is me…It mainly feels hard around my nipple makining it very sensitive which is strange as my WLE was just under my arm…but I did have blue dye injected in my nipple.I am very fair too and burn easy so it probably is radiation after effects isn’t it.Thank you for your comment Cherub for the first time in a while I feel a bit normal 
Take care
Kate x
Yes I agree with all of that - I am 8 years post rads and still have some pinkness on the skin - the rest has been removed following a second diagnosis last year.
I was told at some point that the after effects can persist for many years. But dont worry about it. As long as you are comfortable. I was actually quite badly burned and was given some silicone gel dressings which I kept in the fridge. Bliss.
J
ouch! that sounds sore Jen.I saw my Onc last week and she said I was still a bit swollen so like you say as long as your comfortable it’s going to take a while and will never be how it was before normal! NORMAL WHATS THAT ?!?!?! lol Thanks for your comments
Kate x