Post mastectomy nerve pain
OMG!!!! Does anyone else have shooting pains and your boobs feel like they are on fire? I'm a week post double mastectomy and the shooting pain and the feeling that my right breast is still there is not something to joke about. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain. I cooked supper two days post pop and have resumed most of my pre surgery activities, I'm careful of course and can't reach the high stuff but doing great. These shooters literally take my breath and my right non-existent nipple gets hard and it's like a wave of fire. Is anyone else out there experiencing anything like this. My surgeon said it's normal and doesn't believe in pain meds so I don't know what the heck I'm going to do. I can't handle living like this forever! My skin is so sensitive my clothes drive me nuts!
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Hi @scchick, I'm sorry about your post surgery nerve pain. I have nerve pain from radiation and my PCP prescribes gabapentin for it. That might be an avenue to try, at least until the nerves heal some. I "tent" my blankets so they don't touch me. I bought some cheap too big flowy tops to wear to help reduce the pressure from clothes, too. I hope you can find something to help you get through those shooters.
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Gabapentin helped my nerve pain. Be assertive, and if your surgeon really won’t help, contact your primary care provider. You don’t have to take it continuously. Also check if you can lightly brush the surrounding area with a soft cloth to help the nerves get reorganized. I think it starts settling down after a couple of weeks but you don’t need to suffer.
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Thank you so much for your kind words and great ideas. I've been wearing the softest pajamas I have and it's been okay. Even the air going over my skin triggers the waves. My breast coordinator reached out to me earlier and is going to see what she can do. It will be okay either way, but wow I wish it would just calm down. I'm praying for you guys and I really do appreciate the support 🙏 💘
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my nerve pain was more in my belly area (I had immediate DIEP recon when I had my BMX then needed a revision to that area due to a wound healing issue that made the skin tighter there and had intense nerve pain). Gabapentin didn’t work for me. What helped was first seeing a pain management doctor who ordered a compounded cream of ketamine and lidocaine. I was then able to progress to desensitization training of the area - brushing different fabrics and shower sprays on it for a few sessions each day. The pain went away after 4 months or so thankfully and hopefully your pain will abate sooner than that.
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Yes @scchick I have same discomfort of fantom chest/nipple nerve pain. I was prescribed lyrica 25mg, only relieved pain for few hours. Woke up each night. At 1 week visit was prescribed flexeril, muscle relaxer, helped with pain and aided with sleep. I'm hoping sensations lessen over time? BXM 2/7/2025
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