nerve damage

sthacker
sthacker Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
My sister had a mastectomy twenty years ago followed by radiation treatments. She has lymphedema and has worn a sleeve since shortly after her surgery. For the past few years she has been having numbnessin her hand and arm along with other symtoms and it is getting worse. She has seen a Dr. and has been told it is nerve damage from the radiation and nothing can be done. Has anyone else experienced this problem? She plays the piano and is having more difficulty when playing and can not do handwork anymore.If anyone can shed any light on this please contact me or my sister. Her e-mail address is ccmiilu@hotmail.com. Thank you so much.

Comments

  • mjdp2
    mjdp2 Member Posts: 133
    #2
    Is the numbness on one or both sides. My friend developed numbness in her right arm. She did not have mastectomy nor lumpectomy. CAT discovered metastasis to brain. She aready had bone mets. Can she go to another doctor to get a second opinion? What is her present followup schedule. Is it just a yearly mammogram? Margaret
  • sthacker
    sthacker Member Posts: 2
    #3
    mjdp2 said:

    Is the numbness on one or both sides. My friend developed numbness in her right arm. She did not have mastectomy nor lumpectomy. CAT discovered metastasis to brain. She aready had bone mets. Can she go to another doctor to get a second opinion? What is her present followup schedule. Is it just a yearly mammogram? Margaret

    The numbness is on the one side, the side of the mastectomy. She has had a follow-up every year and the Drs. haven't really shown much concern. She just had an MRI and that is when she was told it was nerve damage and nothing could be done. She plans to see another Dr. but was wondering if anyone else has had this same experience.
  • mjdp2
    mjdp2 Member Posts: 133
    #4
    sthacker said:

    The numbness is on the one side, the side of the mastectomy. She has had a follow-up every year and the Drs. haven't really shown much concern. She just had an MRI and that is when she was told it was nerve damage and nothing could be done. She plans to see another Dr. but was wondering if anyone else has had this same experience.

    I have nerve damage from chemo and a year later developed pain in the index finger of the hand that received the chemo. Don't know if your mom had any chemo but this arthritic condition has been common in women in my support group. Another cause is repetitive use of my right hand on a computer mouse leading to carpel tunnel. The only way for me to get rid of the numbness and pain is to give my right hand a rest and use my left. I've read some info regarding taking glucosamine chondrotin but have not tried it myself. My doctors thought I might be developing arthritis. I blame all of my nerve problems on the Taxol I had to stop taking. Margaret
  • pamtriggs
    pamtriggs Member Posts: 386
    #5
    If I were her I would be checked for bone mets in spine. This sounds like nerve incolvement from a spinal tumor. I am having this at the moment from my spinal mets. A CT or bone scan seems to be in order here. I was 20 years on before bone & lung mets were discovered by a diligant doctor. Love Pam
  • gottod
    gottod Member Posts: 37
    #6
    pamtriggs said:

    If I were her I would be checked for bone mets in spine. This sounds like nerve incolvement from a spinal tumor. I am having this at the moment from my spinal mets. A CT or bone scan seems to be in order here. I was 20 years on before bone & lung mets were discovered by a diligant doctor. Love Pam

    Pam, do you mean that you had breast cancer 20 yr ago and no problem until recently and now you have bone and lung cancer? how are you feeling?? what is treatment for you ?? i have live and bone mets after 2 1/2 yr after lumpectomy anf chemo and rradiation. hugs donna gotto

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