pain after radiation

Christmas Girl

Thymelesstreasures said:

sharp shooting pains, hardness in breast
Hi, I have just completed 6 weeks of rads, post lumpectomy. In the last few days I have had small twisting twitches of pain that stop when I grab my breast (very hard to manage that in public), and I have sharp shooting pains that don't last long but enough to make my nerves jump up and notice! I also have hardness in the breast similar to when your milk comes in after having a baby. Ibuprofen helps but, Is this normal. All the posts have been comforting that I'm not alone. Also, I felt good over the weekend and now 5 days after finishing I am soooo wiped. Any comments about fatigue, whether ice or hot would help the lumps? Thanks

Welcome, Thymelesstreasures
We're all here to support and encourage each other. Glad you found us.

Congrats for completion of your rads. I believe your discomfort and "hardness" of the breast are probably not unusual. Best to check with your rad onc/onc. And "rads fatigue" is cumulative, and doesn't end when treatment does. Take good care of yourself, rest when you're tired.

Amongst us here, you are certainly not alone.

Kylez

Christmas Girl said:

Congrats for completing your rads, Neda
The pain you're experiencing could be tissue and muscle now having the chance to heal in earnest since completion of rads. During rads, much happens underneath the skin which we cannot see.

I'm 5+ years out from my own treatment. To this day, if I "twist" my upper body in a certain way, etc. - I get a "pulling" sort of sharp pain, which doesn't last long. Whether it's residual from rads, scar tissue from surgery, not sure. But, it is there.

I'll be hoping that your own discomfort passes soon; or, at the very least, diminishes greatly with time.

My rads oncologist says pain
My rads oncologist says pain is just your body healing from the rads. You just need to give it time.

Akiss4me

Thymelesstreasures said:

sharp shooting pains, hardness in breast
Hi, I have just completed 6 weeks of rads, post lumpectomy. In the last few days I have had small twisting twitches of pain that stop when I grab my breast (very hard to manage that in public), and I have sharp shooting pains that don't last long but enough to make my nerves jump up and notice! I also have hardness in the breast similar to when your milk comes in after having a baby. Ibuprofen helps but, Is this normal. All the posts have been comforting that I'm not alone. Also, I felt good over the weekend and now 5 days after finishing I am soooo wiped. Any comments about fatigue, whether ice or hot would help the lumps? Thanks

Welcome Thyme...
I was told that Rads will make my breast peramently firmer and put in place (will not droop as much)over the non-radiated breast. He calls it my NEW breast of 2009 frozen in place!! We have even discussed when we are done to correct the other one to match. This is normal. The pain twinges may be from tissue pulling away when you move a certain way. That is the reason that when you grab yourself, immobilizing the breast, it feels better. I do not know if this will get better with time. After my first surgery, it went away after about 2 years. Pammy

DianeBC

Akiss4me said:

Welcome Thyme...
I was told that Rads will make my breast peramently firmer and put in place (will not droop as much)over the non-radiated breast. He calls it my NEW breast of 2009 frozen in place!! We have even discussed when we are done to correct the other one to match. This is normal. The pain twinges may be from tissue pulling away when you move a certain way. That is the reason that when you grab yourself, immobilizing the breast, it feels better. I do not know if this will get better with time. After my first surgery, it went away after about 2 years. Pammy

Rads can make your breast
Rads can make your breast firmer or it can make it smaller. Everyone is different. And, there is no way to tell which way yours will go. And, those effects go away after time, either way too.

The pain from rads is normal. Mine is more from my ribs. Rads can actually crack or break you ribs, but, I assume that is rare. Mine are just still sore, but, I am still having boosters, but, almost done!

Talk to your radiation oncologist. They will help you to understand this so much more.

survivorbc09

CR1954 said:

Hi Neda.......
I did and still do, at times, get short jabs of pain at my mastectomy site, after finishing rads. I finished in February. It started at about 6 weeks after.
But it has become less and less frequent now.

CR

Hi Neda. I have pain from
Hi Neda. I have pain from rads, but, I also am burnt. My radiation oncologist said that after I am done, there might be some pain, but, that it is normal. It is the healing process. So don't worry.