5 months after radiotherapy

Maybe ask your GP to arrange some blood tests to see if any other issues.  I was diagnosed type 2 diabetes just a year after finishing radiotherapy.  This explained the excessive tiredness I was struggling with.

So sorry to hear that you are dealing with an infection now.  That is a pain for sure.  Did they mention you had some fibrosis in your breast?  That could be the cause of hard areas.  I would think the main thing right now is to clear up the infection and see if the redness and hard areas improve.  
The stabbing type pain could be from the infection or the nerves still regenerating.  
My radiation oncologist had me doing breast massage starting 3 weeks after finishing radiation and I never had any zinger type nerve pain once I started it.  Saw them for 6 month follow up and all is well but still want me to do daily breast massage for another 6 months.  
I would ask them what you can do once infection is cleared up. They should have a plan for you.  
I read somewhere where radiation is the gift that keeps on giving but not always good things.  Sometimes no matter what we do side effects can occur.
I hope you feel better as having a hurting breast is awful.

Barbara

Hi Jaxs 

I don't have a breast but 5 months after finishing am still experiencing tightness, discomfort and tenderness along scar. I guess it is different for each of us but I wasn't expecting this so late in the day. I am massaging and exercising as it does seem to help. I guess it will pass in time trying not to dwell on it but it's hard when we have been through so much. Take care hope you get some relief soon xx

Hi. I had mine 8 months ago and I'm still experiencing itching in the area that was affected during the radiotherapy and also some pain at times. I saw the breast consultant last week and he confirmed it's the damage the radiotherapy causes and the rash in particular is likely to never go away. Apparently it takes all the cells a long time to heal so some discomfort at times can be normal. The stabbing pains seemed to take a while to go, i remember them well.

Hi there. I had my radiotherapy at the beginning of September, and thought everything was okay, but the past few days I'm getting a lot of discomfort. I know they did say that some changes could take place down the line, but I never thought I'd feel pain after the fact. Feels bigger and heavier than the other breast, whereas it was the same size before. Also, noticing some colour changes in my nipple, starting to worry me a bit, so I'm currently waiting on the hospital getting back to me. I returned to work recently as well :(

Hi Colette, definitely get it checked out but thought I’d share my experience in the meantime. I had a post rads oncology check up after it finished. I asked why the treated, scooped out breast was bigger than the other. Also any seams on bras or soft crop tops would leave ‘pitting’ marks on that breast but not on the other. I was given a course of antibiotics as they thought it felt warmer so could have underlying infection. They also referred me back to the breast clinic as well as to my local lymphoedema service. My nipple had also been painful for months and had gone pretty much black. Fast forward a few weeks…. When moisturising the whole breast, as I’d done during rads, a huge scab fell off the nipple (sorry tmi!!!). It felt better once I’d got over the shock, and had realised that it was’just’ a scab and not the actual nipple! The breast clinic doctor acknowledged that my breast really hadn’t liked the radiotherapy but that it was impossible to predict who’d have side effects. And I’d still have had it anyway. The lympheodema nurse confirmed that I have it in the breast. It’s a lesser known side effect of rads. She advised: more supportive bra, showed me simple massage, and prescribed Nordic walking and/ or aqua aerobics. I chose the Nordic walking and am still doing it 3 years later! It’s improved it a lot and maintains it ‘under control’. 
And re nipple colour, after scab gate it was very pale and is also now inverted. The colour is gradually coming back and the nipple is a bit less inverted but noticeably different to the other. And I’m over 4 years post surgery! 
Hope you get some reassurance soon, definitely get seen and probably worth asking re lympheodema. Love and hugs, HFxx 

Thanks for that, I feel like I'm sometimes looking for things to worry about, or that I'm imagining things, but definitely noticing a difference. I'm still wearing the post op bras (no idea if I'm meant to still be, ops were in Jan) and I'd been wearing them through the night too. I can't stand how it feels without a bra on, but with it feeling heavier lately, it's more painful without a bra. Feel like I should allow a bit of air in overnight though... On hormone therapy now too, so getting flushes. Still haven't had a call back yet, but would rather they checked it out. Hope you're okay now, sounds like you had a scary experience

Oh, meant to say I've got hillwalking poles, though not been up big hills lately... Working my way up to them again!

I had radiotherapy last March and still get stabbing pains and soreness from the lymph node site.  I find it more comfortable not to wear a bra personally.  I wear a thick cotton vest top under my jumpers and a scarf to cover my breasts if needed.  Paracetamol can help with the pain if needed.