Hi there everyone has been such a long time since I posted, was trying to go it alone but that doesnt seem to have worked.
I was dx October '06 in Wolverhampton had a WLE but then had to go back for wider margins, which went horribly wrong first off the anesthetist put the drip in my left arm even after been told not to, then during surgery the surgeon didnt seal the blood vessels so when I came round I was bleeding inside my breast the incision burst and I was left applying my own pressure dressing for 6 hrs until they could get me back into theatre.
A drain was added when they took me back but when I came round it wasnt working so for the next 24 hrs the drain was drained manually.
Sorry to go on but think these details might have relevence.
I then went on to have radio which finished in Feb '07also I take Tamoxifen for 5 yrs.
At the time was a single parent but in April last year I met a wonderful man and moved to Plymouth in Devon.
Since moving Ive seen a consultant twice and had a mammo, on my final visit was told I was discharged and just to come every two years for a mammo as my cancer was “only” 7mm, which just sort of negates it, my point being it was only that small because I was lucky and found it early on.
Since my surgery Ive suffered pain in my left arm and shoulder, also my breast, my hand is partially numb and can only grip things or carry things if I really concentrate on it, Ive been to my new GP about the pain and shall we say she was less than sympathetic, prescribed me anti depressants and basically told me was all in my mind.
I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem? with their arm I mean.
Jeez if youve read this far thank you, and Im so sorry to dump this here.
There are no BC nurses here and I dont really have anyone to turn to.
Any comments would be appreciated
Sharon
Hi Sharon
What a terribly traumatic experience your second surgery must have been for you. It sounds horrendous and I am sure it is something that you go over and over in your mind. Wonderful that you have a lovely man in your life, but not that you are feeling medically unsupported and don’t have a BCN or sympathetic GP. If you are no longer to see a consultant I think it makes it all the more important that you can find a GP that you feel more comfortable with. Are there any options? Perhaps you can ask around a bit and see who has a good name. Specifically about the pain you are suffering - which I am sure is very real and debilitating - it sounds very likely that this is nerve pain as a result of the surgery. The good news is that one of the treatments for this is often anti-depressants, but given because they have an effect on nerve pain. It may be that this is what the GP was thinking and why she gave them to you, although that doesn’t tally with telling you it was all in your mind. I wonder how long you have been taking the anti-depressants for? Often they can take up to three weeks to reach a therapeutic level in your blood. So it might well be worth perservering with them and seeing whether they help. The numbness and lack of grip may be more difficult - if it really bothers you perhaps you could be asked to be referred to a neurologist? Also, do call the nurses here on the Breast Cancer Care site, they are really supportive and helpful and may make up for you not having a BCN locally. I would be surprised if there is no support group somewhere in Plymouth that would help you - could you find out about this? Or even start your own? The very best of luck and hope things will improve for you - and do keep posting here, you will always be among friends. Sarah
Hi Sharon
I had similar problems to those you describe, and I found the pain excruciating and got very fed up being told it was nerve pain, referred pain, muscle spasm or goodness knows what depending on who I was seeing about it! I was in tears, though sometimes, with it. It still flares up from time to time. After pressurising my GP a bit, I got some NHS physio for it, which helped a little. I found I had to top it up with private physio as well, tho’ to make a real difference. Anti-inflammatories helped too, but co-codamol (I found diclofenac far better) is nasty stuff and you can’t really drink when taking it! I did actually find that a moderate amount of alchohol helped - my private physio said this was because it relaxes the muscles! Also found a ‘hot’ water bottle filled with cool (not chilled) water helped to ease the pain a bit.
Hope this helps…
S