Torso sensitivity
I posted about this 5 years ago, and never received a response from anyone who could relate. I hoped I'd "outgrow" this sensation, but that's not the case. So I'm circling back now, after discussing this at my annual check-up.
Has anyone experienced hyper-sensitivity after a double mastectomy? Specifically, along the bra line. While I no longer wear a bra, I have a difficult time finding a bathing suit with no seam/bra line. Even tops with a built-in bra are bothersome to me, but I can avoid them. I'm struggling during the summer months/swimsuit season.
Any suggestions or direction you can provide?
Comments
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After lumpectomy, radiation and a thermal burn my right breast is still very painful due to nerve damage. For swimming I wear a practice competition style swimsuit which has no built in bra (Speedo, Tyr, Dolfin.) The practice suits are thicker (not as aerodynamic as ones meant for racing) to stand up to the chlorine. My practice suit is two to three sizes larger than what I wore during my competition days so that it is not too tight but doesn’t fall off (no more racing starts either.) I might not be the most stylish person at the pool but I can swim. A tank top without a shelf bra under a blouson bathing suit top and a separate bottom might work for sunning and lounging in the water. I hope you can find something that works for you.
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I am a swimmer and I use TYR practice swimsuits, the ones made of polyester (rather than lycra) since they are thicker and hold their shape longer. They have no seam or bra line and they are very comfortable in the chest area. I use the "diamondfit" cut which covers everything better.
Something like this:
I am also sensitive around the chest area and only wear the softest seamless bras.
Hope this helps!
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I am six years post op this month, and I have ongoing nerve pain, numbness and sensitivity around my scar - sometimes feels like red hot creepy crawlies zooming back and forth. It's really unpleasant and the best I can do is put my left hand across the right sided scar and press firmly till it passes. I'm still using my post-op squishie in my mastectomy bra because the prosthetic is too heavy and too uncomfortable - I'd rather wear a one sided bra to support my surviving breast while leaving the other side flat and not irritated but I can't find any! I love swimming but I've been put off due to the sensation of lycra against this part of my chest, so thanks for a great question and some brilliant suggestions.
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Hi @bloominell, It’s difficult to live with persistent post surgical pain. I have had four years of continuous nerve pain since radiation after a lumpectomy so while I'm not in the very same situation, this is what I have done. I have a prescription for gabapentin which I take at night so that I can sleep some. I tent my blankets and sleep on my side so nothing comes in contact with the affected breast. I did several months of acupuncture which helped even though it was not a complete cure. When I had post surgical underarm nerve pain I used desensitization nerve therapy (often presecribed by hand surgeons) to help control the pain. There are physical therapists trained in post cancer rehabilitation so a referral to one of them might be useful.
AnaOno is an online post surgical bra company. Their Rachel unilateral molded one cup bra sounds like what you may be looking for. I swim wearing an oversized non-lycra practice suit (check out Tyr, Speedo and Dolphin online.) While that worked for me I though about getting a suit with a blouson top from somewhere like Lands End and cutting the bra out.
I hope you can get some relief.
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That's great advice, thank you! It's an outcome I was emotionally unprepared for - I was told about it by the surgeon and nurses, and accepted it on an intellectual level, but it's hard to understand what it's like until you experience it as a permanent issue. Extra thanks for the bra company - I'll check them out. Until this post I hadn't considered there might be better swimsuits, shows how coddled my head is now (another legacy, I think).
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No need to apologize. Many people return to their pre bc lives or put up with SEs from estrogen blockers knowing they'll be able to stop them in five years. Permanent pain and other SEs from surgery, chemo and rads can really change your QOL for the worse. Medical professionals don't like to hear about it since they can't fix it and they don't want to put other people off the toxic treatments needed to kill cancer. Intellectually you know that you signed off on the possibility of one of those terrible rare side effects listed on the permission to treat forms but you never expect to become one of the fine print people. Cancer can't be ignored but it's hard not to wish to go back in time and change the treatment you agreed to. We just have to put up with it and keep going forward. Knowing you are not alone helps. I hope you can find something to lessen your pain.
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