Nerve ending pain

Hi  and a very warm welcome to the online community

I haven't had the same operation as you but did have a wide local excision on my arm along with a sentinel lymph node biopsy in my armpit 4 years ago and don't experience any pain from either of those areas.

Do you still have a BCN? If so, it may be an idea to give her a call today and talk through your problem. If you've been discharged maybe speak to your GP.

You could also post your question in the Ask a Nurse section of the community and the nurse may be able to give you some advice.

I hope you get this sorted soon

x

Hi Minniesmum, I hope you are well and the pain you are experiencing is easing a little. I am new to the website and forum but saw your post and i have the exact same problem.

I too had breast cancer in 2014, and had a reconstruction with my back muscle (lat dorsi) the scar is approximately 6 inch across the left side of my back.

Just like you i have over the last few years had intermittent pain in the form of burning sensation, the area hot to touch, sometime reddens and is slightly swollen along with tightness and general discomfort.

Because it seems a long time ago we had surgery i guess you would think that it should be sorted and never to cause issues again , but i have come to the acceptance that due to the amount of surgery and the fact that we now in theory have half a back muscle on one side we may always get some niggles.

I don't know if you or anyone else has then had a knock on effect on how this effects your moods but i sometimes get quite low, i usually manage it well but sometimes have a 'blip' i think just because it reminds you f the actual initial event and it is scary, it just brings back bad memories as the scars and sometimes pain never quite lets you forget the event!

However i do keep in regular contact with my doctor and occupational health at work who always manage to bring me round from a bad patch and low mood :-)

Massage is great for the pain you may be experiencing i have had sessions of this before and it does help, because the scars are on our back it is a pain to get to .. i don't know about you but i am bendy ish .. but can't quite get to it properly to massage it well myself, so i try to book in for one when time, cost allows and when it doesn't i try stretches and a back roller - like the foam ones you can pick up for about £10, sometimes this helps to ease it too.

After a few years of recovery from surgeries and chemo radio etc i decided to get back to some sort of fitness and have ever since been using weights to re-build my back muscle and strength .. it does also help but do it steady away and start with small weights and build up to a little more as and when you feel you can, again .. i personally found this does really help.

I hope this has helped a little and you are no alone in your experience.. if you ever want to chat i am here :-) sending hugs and keep doing what you are doing.. well done for being another strong lady :-) x

Thankyou for all your replies on my problem, the pain seems to have stopped hurting all the time...but for how long I will never know.  I've been massaging the area more often..so maybe that helps a lot.

Hi, as a retired Occupational Therapist I agree, massaging, even this late on after the surgery, is beneficial. It stimulates nerve endings which presumably are trying to decide where to try to grow, and tells them to stop irritating. It’s the same for any surgery, nerve endings have been cut and may or may not grow back, some people find it difficult to touch numb areas but although it may feel odd, regular massage can really help even those areas, it keeps the skin healthy. 
Hugs xxx