Shoulder/arm/neck pain

rizzo15
rizzo15 Member Posts: 153 Member
edited January 2023 in Breast Cancer #1
Maybe this is not surprising to others on this list, but 6 weeks after I finished all my scheduled treatment (4 rounds A/C, mastectomy, 4 rounds Taxotere, 28 radiation sessions), I suddenly developed a moderately frozen shoulder within a period of 2 weeks. I am so glad that I went to physical therapy yesterday to find out why my range of motion decreased and the pain in my arm increased so suddenly. I have been faithfully doing my 1/2 hour of "active" exercises from the surgeon's office every single night for close to 8 months. Little did I know that once the frozen shoulder symptoms start, active exercises do nothing but make the condition worse and worse. Now I am doing "inactive/passive" stretching exercises. No more half-hour exercise sessions. No hand weights. My physical therapist kept saying that he is always surprised how few breast cancer patients come to physical therapy as the mastectomy surgery involves many of the same nerves and muscles as a major sports injury. Hope this info. will be helpful to someone else.

Comments

  • wingingit
    wingingit Member Posts: 48
    #2
    Glad to hear you got some advice from a physical therapist and hope you will be finding relief from your pain. I have only had one experience with a physical therapist and it was an exellent one. I can still remember and continue exercises I was taught from over 10 years ago. But I am curious: did you have the sentinel lymph node dissection or the axillary lymph node dissection?
  • rizzo15
    rizzo15 Member Posts: 153 Member
    #3
    wingingit said:

    Glad to hear you got some advice from a physical therapist and hope you will be finding relief from your pain. I have only had one experience with a physical therapist and it was an exellent one. I can still remember and continue exercises I was taught from over 10 years ago. But I am curious: did you have the sentinel lymph node dissection or the axillary lymph node dissection?

    wingingit. I had the axillary lymph node dissection. 7 of 13 nodes had cancer in them.
  • wingingit
    wingingit Member Posts: 48
    #4
    rizzo15 said:

    wingingit. I had the axillary lymph node dissection. 7 of 13 nodes had cancer in them.

    Thanks, rizzo15, for sharing. I had a mastectomy with a sentinel node dissection. I have pain in my lower arm and hand that are constant. I am thinking it is not associated with the mastectomy--may tendonitis or carpal tunnel. I will not see my oncologist for several months but I am going to see my PCP this week so maybe she can help me resolve this.
  • may162022
    may162022 Member Posts: 1 *
    #5

    Hello , I had a right side mastectomy with a sentinel lymph node biopsy resulting in 5 lymph nodes being removed on June 21, then had to go back in for a re-incision and an axillary lymph node dissection removing 1 more. I have been trying everything I can to loosen up my arm and decrease the horrible pain under my armpit. Has anyone else have this issue along with your armpit feeling like it’s sticking together when you go to lift it? If you have and found some solutions and could share would be great. Not scheduled to see PT for another 2 weeks at which this will be 6 weeks after 2nd surgery.

  • HydrangeaBlue
    HydrangeaBlue Member Posts: 8 Member
    #6

    Rizzo . . . I have 19 lymph nodes removed, 4 were cancerous. I was able to regain rage of motion pretty quickly, however, I had a previous injury to that arm in a car accident years ago and had PT for 'nerve impingement' before. I had a VNLT transfer of Lymph nodes to my right arm a year ago and had to hold that arm in odd position for 4 days. They told me that I may well have to have PT again, and within a few months, I was back at PT for 'nerve impingement'. PT was VERY helpful. I went for one month, each time, and the symptoms were greatly lessened and by the 6-8 week mark were gone.

    The PT did advise that if using hand weights to keep with very low level weights so that the rotator cuff (where the nerve impingement was) would not be "annoyed". I continue to exercise with care to use correct form, correct weights etc. It has been very successful.

    My biggest issues following mastectomy and lymph node removal has been lymphedema. It is the "gift" that keeps on "giving" sadly!

  • Resort
    Resort Member Posts: 4 *
    #7
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1699237#Comment_1699237

    How soon did they schedule you for the 2nd surgery. I might face the same problem. They removed my sentinel node during the surgery and said it’s negative thus they didn’t remove any anxillary lymph node. Now the pathology report came out saying sentinel node had micromestatatas so I might go back for a 2nd surgery to remove anxillary nodes.

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