Post mastectomy finger tingling and numbness
Has anyone experienced hand/finger numbness and tingling after mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy? I had mastectomy about six weeks ago. No chemo or radiation. My pinky and ring fingers experience numbness from time to time. I understand numbness in the armpit or chest area is normal. What about numbness in the hands and fingers? Does the numbness eventually go away and how long does it take?
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I had exactly what you are describing: numbness and tingling in the pinky and ring finger on the cancer side. I also had joint pain in those fingers. I am two years post-surgery and the situation only resolved a few months ago- same with the numbness on the back of my arm.
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Yes, my pinky and ring finger were numb off and on about a month after mx. I went to physical therapy for help with range of motion, but they said the numbness was from ulnar nerve entrapment and not related to the surgery. But they have your body in such weird positions during that, especially if you’re having a Diep recon, plus limiting what you can do early in recovery, that it really could be related. Consistent stretching and yoga alleviated it for me, but took over six months.
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My symptoms are definitely related to my surgery. I had zero symptoms prior to my surgery. The symptoms only showed up after my mastectomy. Glad your symptoms were finally alleviated.
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Thank you for chiming in. Did you do anything to get the symptoms resolved or did the symptoms just gone after those many months?
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I will just speak on numbness. I had a lot on my side with the breast that had a tumor. 3 sentinel lobes were taken out with no cancer. But the entire surgery did cause numbness. In my armpit and the whole area there. I had the surgery in Feb of 2022. Just in the last few months most of the numbness is gone. Seeing my breast surgeon this month, she said sometimes it is possible that it remains long term. All our bodies are different, so you will never know.
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Thank you for sharing. Numbness in armpit area is very common after lymph nodes removal. . I experienced a lot numbness in my armpit immediately after my surgery. After six weeks, the numbness is mostly gone. However, the numbness and tingling I feel in my hands and fingers seem to be less common. That’s why I am concerned.
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Let your medical team know if occupational therapy might help. I had that done after the opposite sides surgery with the frozen shoulder and trigger finger i developed.
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had mastectomy August this year I have numbness tingling pain if you like under arm and in fingers contacted care nurses was just advised to do exercises but it’s driving me mad
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@lyllafrecks we're sorry you're going through this. Yes, it can make you crazy, for sure! It is a common side effect that can occur when nerves are damaged during surgery. These symptoms usually improve over time, though for some they never completely resolve. Have you tried mild pain relievers? Also, a physical therapist could provide you with the exercises that could be helpful. A physiotherapist can give you exercises that may help. Hopefully you could get a referral from your treatment team for PT?!
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