After Radiation
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And the beat goes on....as usual.
Beacher---I hope you did some homework on that US.I never heard of that either
Chevy---missed ya.Dont even mention the word bras.I HATE ALL OF THEM....one day they are wonderful and the next day the same bra is killing me...now im down to lite sports bras.no support whatsoever...but the bs said wear whats comfortable....
Sat is my GS engagement party...please GOD let me find ONE bra that will not kill me for 1 nite.
hugggggggggggs to all my sistas.God bless Kantalope
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granny I went out and bought the 18 bra I heard some one the forum talk about. The first day it was a bit tight, but strectch and doing good now.
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I swear Gina im not buying one more bra to add to this collection.really...I just dont understand why the bras fit so good for a while than BAM its too uncomfortable....just think its this crazy body healing its usual crazy way...Ill make one of them work for my GS engagement party or ill go BRALESS..yeah right with this 34DD.ha.0
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I really don't want to join your nerve damage club. I'm hoping the neuropathy in my hands and feet is temporary. Seems I have trouble typing now. Can't feel the keys is my excuse for all the typos but really I can't seem to type like I used to. I'm not used to having to proof read everything I do.
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janinn if you did chemo you could very well have neuropathy in your hands a feet. I hear of that happening alot. Are you taking anything for it?
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I feel like I'm falling apart! I had a BMX and lots of nodes removed in December. I did chemo, exchange surgery and just finished radiation about 8 weeks ago. Starting on Saturday I noticed some numbness in my thumb. Later than night my arm started feeling tight and heavy - no swelling though. Yesterday I was diagnosed with a capsular contraction of my right implant, but now I'm wondering if all of these new symptoms might be early signs of LE. Which of my many doctors do I call? The BS? The MO? The RO?
I have a sleeve that I got for a vacation. Should I wear it until I can get into the doctor? Do you sleep in it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.0 -
sundermom~ I call my MO she's the one I trust the most to listen to me.
janinn~ chemo did the typing thing to me in the brain! I had a hard time putting apostrophes where they belong - knew where they went but it's like the fingers don't listen to the brain....I had such arm and finger trouble before chemo, I can't tell if the numbness is worse...
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Do far the MO just has me taking B6 for the nueropathy. The NP suggested accupunture. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm thinking about asking my case manager with my insurance if she can get it covered for me. If the numbness hasn't improved by the time I see the MO the end of this month he'll try something stronger than the B6.
Sundermom- What you described sounds like some of what the LE Therapist told me to watch out for. My RO was the one who seemed the most concerned about LE.
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Sundermom...........it was my RO that sent me immediately to a LE specialist when I mentioned my arm felt heavy...........she measured me, said yes your larger in the right arm, and then it began.....went to the LE person, and the rest is history.........I would not hesitate to ask......
I also had the numb...no feeling in my thumb on the right hand......that was my BC side.......then it went into a tingling sensation, and now it is fine...................I still have numbness in my underarm, and the backside of my arm.............hopefully that might go away, but I'm not planning on it, since I hear many say it never went away for them..........I can handle that.....
I would not put the sleeve on until I saw someone........a sleeve that isn't fitting well, is worse then no sleeve at all................Just don't wait.........the sooner your seen the better........good luck.
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Sundermom--have you gone on the I hate the LE thread...as the sistas know the white coats do not make a big deal out of LE.most of them dont even know much about it.You have to do the research...right Ducky!!!!!0
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Hello everyone!
This is a long thread so I apologize if this has been discussed, although,I did read the first ten and the last ten pages. I think someone mentioned a stabbing pain under the ribcage. I'm a couple months past my last radiation treatment...and I've felt a pain (read: stabbing!) under my ribs on the radiation side. So I'm guessing this is normal. And I also feel like I've pulled a muscle on the radiation side because I have pain (read: throbbing) in my shoulder/underarm area. Which, of course, fuels my fears of cancer running rampant all over my body. LOL Has anyone had that before? Because it's the arm where the lymph nodes were removed, I'm very careful not to overdo it or lift anything really heavy. I'm just at loss for the soreness in that area. And it's been feeling like this for about a week.
Thanks for any imput.
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IllinoisNative - Welcome - on this thread you will learn to just jump in at any given time - don't worry if something has already been discussed. Each one of us is different so problems and solutions will vary a bit. In answer to your question, I had a burning/stabbing pain on my BC side that started about a month after I finished rads. About 5 months later I finally went to a pain specialist. My BS had been trying to get me to go to one much earlier. Anyway, it turns out I have permanent nerve damage from rads and now am on a medication for the rest of my life. Some ROs will deny there are any SEs from rads but in reality there are SEs. I would discuss the concern with my MO and see what he/she says. Perhaps a referral to a pain specialist is in order.
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Illinoisnative:
I finished rads in May, and have that same pain. I have not seen a pain specialist, but was referred to physical therapy for the beginnings of axillary web syndrome, and will ask them about this pain as well. I think it may be the same as what Jo is describing
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Thanks, guys (gals!).
I guess I wasn't thinking nerve damage from radiation. I have some chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy in my fingers, pads of my feet...but the radiation nerve damage didn't even occur to me! Oh, boy.
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Stick with us IllinoiseNative----we have lots of info for you.the good,the bad,and the UGLY...
Welcome newbees......your gonna be just fine...wait and see....the worst is really over...just keep asking all the questions you need answered and someone will have/find the answer......congrats on finishing the rads.let the healing begin.huggggs K
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illinoisnat- I too felt pain under my rib cage ...from december after radiation to july actually....went to a massage therapist who specializes in lymph dfrainage and not only did the pain go away but the swelling did too and magically, I had a smaller breast that did not end up with indents from my bras at the end of the day.....also doing physio exercizes and paddling really helped stretch out my arm and ribcage.It WILL get better...you can still do weights, according to my female surgeon, just do more repetitions with lighter weights. As frustrating as that sounded and felt to me, it worked...
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IllinoisNative - Why would anyone think of rads nerve damage - most ROs will deny it. It takes a good pain specialist to prove they are wrong. Amitriptyline may also be good for your neuropathy. You never know. Worth checking into.
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Illinoisnative-I also have the nerve damage from rads. My rads side pec muscle have been very tight and I finished rads the end of Jan. My RO said rads really messes with these muscles and it takes about 3 years for them to calm down. PT is good but I am active in yoga and he felt that as long as I kept up my yoga practice that it would be better than PT. I have been having more pain in the last month and will see my pain Dr. on Oct 7th and discuss it with him. I am sure he will adjust my medication. Today I went to the PS and I have only gained 1 pound in the last three months. Not good he said at this rate I can have my BMX and reconstruction in 2020. I am now ordered to drink milk shakes every night. I do not have enough fat any where else to use. But I do have enough for one breast so if I were to have a recurrence and had to move forward with a MX at least I know I can get one reconstructed. When I told him about the pain and he asked lots of questions about how it hurts etc. He said that it is very common to have nerve damage after rads. He said that our breast have the surgical changes which creates scar tissue and then rads creates scar tissue inside out breast and then rads make our tissue shrink up which then pulls against the scar tissue etc and that is why we have all the pain that we do. He is glad mine is not down in my arm so the MX should take care of my pain once I have it done. He said what women are not told is how damaged their breast will be after rads. He said they think they are saving them but they are destroying them all the same. He is not much of an advocate of rads. he said it is needed at times but too many times women think they are saving their breast to just end up destroying all the tissue and they don't really understand that going into rads. I was thinking no kidding no one explained that to me.
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No one explained that to me either. It does explain the pain and tightness I've been feeling. A bit depressing...
The more that I find out what none of the doctors told me, the more nervous I get about the thought of starting tamoxifen in a few weeks.
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I am going to see my BS in October for my first mammo or MRI can't remember which. I will discuss with her the pain I am having. Not only the stabbing but also itching and nipple pain. I have noticed that it increases with stress or when I work to hard. Have any of you noticed that? It seems since my surgery the stress can't seem to pile on high enough. I also have the bra dents. That's annoying. I want to wake up and just feel normal or sleep through the night, feel pretty again. My prayers are with all you wonderful ladies and thank you so much for the responses. It means a lot to me to know I'm not alone. 0
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Thanks, again, everyone! I'm actually more relieved to know it's normal because my mind has been racing thinking the cancer has returned. I will check out a massage therapist that specializes in lymph drainage first. If that doesn't work, I'll make an appointment with a pain specialist.
Barb, I understand about the fear of Tamoxifin. I filled my prescription two weeks ago and have yet to take it.
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I was tired last night but the other thing the PS said is that when the scar tissue develops after rads it can rap around the nerves in the breast so when the scar tissue pulls it is pulling on your nerves so that is why it is so painful. I have been usuing a como Vitamin E oil and coconut oil on my breast and the skin feels pretty good considering everything it went through. But he said that even though the outside looks good he said the inside of the skin is like leather and it is caused from the fact the rads destroys some out blood vessels in our breast and we do not have the blood flow that we should. That is why many rads breast will shrink up in time because of lack of blood flow to the tissues. With the MX he will recreate my blood flow and he said the cells will soften the leather skin tissue underneath and my breast will be soft like it was before instead of this hard lump of scar tissue I have now. Now if I can just gain some weight!!!!
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Sherry - I am so glad you are sharing this information. I learn something new from you all the time. Too bad ROs don't tell us the damage rads does to our bodies. I know mine would deny everything so there is no point in even letting him know about my nerve damage - so I don't waste my time or energy. Besides, if I did call him all it would do is raise my blood pressure.
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Jo we certainly do not want to raise your blood pressure. Stay as far away from that RO as you can. LOL
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Sherry - I would hate it when I go get my lab results tomorrow - I find out that my blood pressure meds need to be increased. That would make me want to slap my RO all the way back to Mexico. Actually, the border is not that far from here so I wouldn't have to exert too much energy. LOL!
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Sherry----what a wealth of info you gave the sistas.AS USUAL...remember when we first started this thread how little we knew....all i was thinkin was parabins.ha.Thank you for the details we would never ever hear from most of our drs.
It does get betta...it will get betta...damn it ....IT BETTER GET BETTER!!!!!!!
hugggggs to all you great ladies who suffered throu the rads.K
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yes granny if it were not for all my problems and having to go to the pain Dr. and the plastic surgeon I would never know this information either. It is amazing what the other Dr's will tell you. Because they are the ones trying to deal with our after the fact issues. My PS firmly believes that everyone should have a PS consult before doing surgery and making decisions. Now I see why.
And you are right it is going to get better. Even though I have had more pain lately I know that end the end when I finally get to do my BMX with reconstruction my pain days will be over and I so look forward to that day.
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Hip pain doesn't have anything to do with radiation does it? I feel like a walking hypochondriac...something I never was before this. But one of my dogs kept scratching at my left breast months before I had a lump. And how he won't quit sniffing my left hip...which has twinges of pain that the other side doesn't have.
If someone can just tell me they had hip pain, for whatever reason, I'd appreciate it. lol
Sherry - thanks for sharing that information with us!
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Sherry- I hear you re. the muscle tightening etc. Doing trigger point massage on the scar tissue really works to help loosen it up. I press in and count to twenty and then move along my breast and find a new spot that hurts...strangely enough, it doesn't hurt much any more as a result. But I sire look odd sitting at a traffic light with my hand on my left breast
Granny - it DOES get better...it does
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Illinois Native, I have hip pain...mine started up in chemo, some days are better then others even now....Ive met a couple people though whose started during radiation but their MO said you can get joint pain from rads as well.
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