Post mastectomy pain after starting tx for mets

Hi, this is my first post. I was first diagnosed 6 years ago, had a mastectomy and took 5 tamoxifen for 5 years, finished last April. I was diagnosed with stage 4 in November, extensive mets to bones and liver. I've been taking femara and kisqali for a month now. It's been a hard adjustment.

I have had significant discomfort at mastectomy site since the surgery, but it has increased considerably in the last 2 weeks, to the point where i thought i had a broken rib (which of course freaked me out - thankfully scans refuted this) . My oncologist suggested that PMPS may have been triggered from either the mets or the treatment. Wondering if any of you have thoughts or experience with this.

Thanks for any input

Comments

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,647

    @rachelmg we're really sorry to hear all you have been going through That's a tough one to understand, with the pain to your mastectomy side. We hope that others may chime in with some thoughts. Might even be worth a second opinion from another medical oncologist? Glad you found us here, and hope we can be a support for you.

  • snm
    snm Member Posts: 128

    Sorry to hear about your rib pain. I had rib pain twice post BMX and both times it was doe to superficial thrombophlebitis. The pain came first 1-2 weeks before I actually saw cording of the vein. Aspirin, heat packs, and topical NSAID cream did the trick.

  • maggie15
    maggie15 Member Posts: 1,385

    While many pain management clinics focus on the spine they also deal with post mastectomy pain. My problem is nerve damage due to radiation (not surgery) but neurologists can locate the source of the pain and provide temporary or, if necessary, permanent nerve blocks. I finally had a temporary intercostal nerve block which is currently wearing off. While the radiation field is still painful (but controlled at night by gabapentin) I can finally breathe without feeling like my ribs are broken. If things don’t improve that might be something to explore. I hope you can get some relief.