Arm pain after lymph node removal and lumpectomy - advice??

Hi Anna,

The tramadol is helping a bit more thanks.  

You need to talk to your doctor about pain relief hun.  i also take other tablets due to having a heart attach 5 years ago this month (life certainly likes testing me....it better be worth it!) and my BP goes very low at times.  While I was in hospital my SATS also dropped due to the anaesthetic and drugs, but fortunately I'm ok (I think) at the moment.

The waiting is the worst part of it all, I think, but at least you don't have much longer to wait til Monday and then you will have a plan of action!!!!!

Good luck and keep in touch.  Where do you live?

Love and best wishes

Dianne

I will talk to the doctor again about some pain meds, have had a very teary day today.  think because I am not sleeping well and the pain being so constant.  Shall wash my face and put my strong face back on in a bit.  I come under Southend-On-Sea Essex hospital and live a few towns away from there in Rayleigh.  I think everything will feel better once I know what is going to happen next.  Hope you are starting to feel better.  Good Luck to you too.

Hi ladies.....I just had a lumpectomy done on Sept. 8 with 8 lymphnodes removed 4 being malignant.  I'm 83 years old and trying to deal with all this.  The underarm pain I'm having is unbelievable and was never mentioned by my surgeon as to this might happen after surgery.  Some of you have mentioned exercises, who prescribed that for you and does Medicare pay for that service or were you given a list of exercises to do by your oncologist.  I was also prescribed to take hydrocodone for pain which doesn't help much unless one takes 2 tablets daily of 1000 mg.  I just feel overwhelmed by all of this. I've been told I need to take radiation every day for a month and than daily hormones.  I'm afraid to take radiation which can cause even more permanent pain.  I appreciate any suggestions you ladies who have been through this same kind of surgery as not to feel I'm alone in all this. Especially this underarm pain.  God bless all you ladies.  Thank you....

Hi 

Yes mine was same, I'm 5 weeks in now and it's not as sore xx

Good morning.....

I also found the pain from the node removal worse than any healing from the lumpectomy.  I wasn't given many exercises to follow either. I think those tend to go with the mastectomy. However, I did see my surgeon after 15 days and he told me the node pain usually disappears around six weeks . He recommended ordinary painkillers if I found the arm pain too much and a simple exercise of lifting and lowering my arm regularly thoughout the day. I won't pretend there weren't days when my arm pain was terrible and I wondered if it would ever go but one day.....I had just begun chemo the same week....I thought...I have no pain and counting back.....it was exactly six weeks! I may have had the odd twinge after and I did only have the sentinel node removed but I hope this will reassure you that the pain does go.

As far as radiotherapy  goes....don't worry too much. The machinery has improved so much and recently. If you follow your centre's cleaning and creaming instructions....you should get no pain or burning. I didn't and neither did any of the others I met daily at the centre. I had 33 sessions.

Hope all goes well for you. At least you now don't have cancer.....treatment now will prevent it returning. 

Love Karen

1. Hi I had mastectomy/reconstruction and lymph node removal last week, the back of my upper arm going around to my rear armpit area was completely numb at first, but gradually getting a bit of feeling back, I could hardly move my shoulder for days it was so painful.  I was given a leaflet showing some gentle exercises to do the day after surgery and onwards, you do them every day, three times a day.  Just things like shrugging your shoulders, circling your shoulders, elbow lifts, reaching for your shoulder blade, standing next to a wall and letting your fingers climb up the wall as far as you can and leave there for ten seconds etc. Just gentle stretching exercises to get your shoulder/arm moving again. Since I've started doing them it's made a big difference as a lot of the pain is caused by the stiffness and non movement after surgery. The more you don't move it, the stiffer it gets and more painful it is when you do. Hope this helps and wishing you a speedy recovery.

The only good pain killer is pregablin ive had breast cancer and bowel cancer it works for me i