Arm and shoulder pain after Mastectomy and Reconstruction

Hello, my own thoughts on this.... a year is not a long time in the scale of what you have gone through.  I had a lumpectomy and had a very hard area along the line of my incision - I was concerned about this.  I spoke with my Consultant and was told this is normal, it is scar tissue and would eventually breakdown .... it has over the course of a few years (wow how this time has flown).  The hardness is hardly there and over time my body has filled the space that was left from the tissue was removed from.

Over the last few months I have felt that my shoulder/arm have 'tightened up' - I seem to have restricted movement 'if I want to hold my arm above my head' - this is something I don't do very often hence why I have noticed it and the pain that comes with it - my thoughts are... I need to do more movements that involve holding my arm above my head - I think it is lack of movement that it has tightened/locked up - I could be wrong.  I will try to add more movement above my head to see if this helps with more movement and easing the pain at the same time.

You have had a lot of surgery and only a short time ago - all this could be down to you needing to give yourself time to heal. 

If you are having pain at all times then I think a phone call to the BCNurse would be a good idea - they can explain the type of things you could be feeling or going thought at this time.

Please don't suffer in silence xxx

I had the ld flap/recon 8 months ago. Like you had pain etc, I'm on Gabapentin for nerve pain which helps. Other pain killers dont even touch that pain.  Ended up having 5 surgeries due to complications.

Nerve pain can be sharp, stabbing, burning, electric shock type pain, constant or intermittent. And can be very intense. So codeine based drugs or anti inflammatory drugs don't normally help. So things like Pregabalin or Gabapentin maybe of use, but doesn't always suit everyone. Naproxen or other inflammatory drugs should only be taken short term, or longer if you have another drug to protect your stomach. 

However I got back in touch with my physio who showed me different exercises to gently stretch and strengthen that side. I know when I don't keep up the stretches. I do however still have restricted movement.

My surgeon said the breast reconstruction will naturally drop over time. 

The hardness and tightness may be contracture. My own physio ruled that out for me. So it may be worth discussing with them or BC nurse. 

If it's hardness around scar tissue this is natural and will eventually break down. Massaging may help. 

As a nurse I get frustrated that I'm not moving on physically as I like. My healthcare team are constantly telling me that I'm expecting too much too soon. Everyone is different, their journey slightly differs. Im my own worst enemy. I've had to stop comparing myself to others who had ld flap recons and let my body do what it needs to do. Whether it takes a hell of lot longer, so be it. 

I had alot of complications with wound healing, ended up having vacuum dressings etc .. I thought it would never heal. My nipple died and had to have that removed, i never needed it anyway, but I digress xx I'm also trained in tissue viability, but you know having all the knowledge goes out the window when it comes to my own rational thinking.

You just want to be healed so you can move on. Hope my babbling on has helped a little.