swelling and pain after lumpectomy, chemo, rads and now on tamoxifen!!!

Taina
Taina Member Posts: 166
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello ladies,
I had my lumpectomy in July 2009.
4 chemo treatments last one Sept 21st
30 rads last one Nov 21st
5 wks on Tamoxifen
This week i have notice my breast and under arm swelling
with pain even my chest area. I know it could be because
of the radiation but it wasn't this painful before...
is also iching some....lifting my arm hurts too.....
i can tolerate the pain but i'm concern....do i call my
radiation oncologist or my sugent???
anyone with the same situation???
thanks!!!!!

Comments

  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #2
    Hey Taina
    Just got your private message a minute ago. Sounds like we are pretty much on the same track. I had my mastectomy in May, finihed chemo in Sept. and finished rads. in Nov. Now on Arimidex. I too have noticed more pain in the same area. I didn't know whether to attribute it to the rads, the arimidex , or the extremely cold weather...I still have an expander under the muscle of the mastec.site though, waiting for reconstruction...and it is this muscle that hurts like heck now. I'm seeing the rad.onc and the reconstructive surgeon on Monday so I hope to get some answers. Great photo by the way! You look great with the "Julius Caesar" hair. Mine's about that length now too, but doesn't look that cute.
    Dee
  • Taina
    Taina Member Posts: 166
    #3
    dyaneb123 said:

    Hey Taina
    Just got your private message a minute ago. Sounds like we are pretty much on the same track. I had my mastectomy in May, finihed chemo in Sept. and finished rads. in Nov. Now on Arimidex. I too have noticed more pain in the same area. I didn't know whether to attribute it to the rads, the arimidex , or the extremely cold weather...I still have an expander under the muscle of the mastec.site though, waiting for reconstruction...and it is this muscle that hurts like heck now. I'm seeing the rad.onc and the reconstructive surgeon on Monday so I hope to get some answers. Great photo by the way! You look great with the "Julius Caesar" hair. Mine's about that length now too, but doesn't look that cute.
    Dee

    thanks
    Dee, thanks...
    I hope you feel better soon too....
  • crselby
    crselby Member Posts: 441 Member
    #4
    spread the knowledge
    Hey, Girl. I had my lumpectomy in July, accelerated rads (5 days) in early September. No chemo, no reconstruction. Like you, I am now experiencing some odd, new things. I have a hard, sore lump under the scar area, within the deep breast tissue, maybe in the cavity. That has been within the last 2 weeks.

    Prior to that, though, like a few weeks post-rads, I got chest-muscle tightness and a sore lump under my arm. Now, my DCIS was assumed to have no lymph node involvement so none were tested. The medical onc was the last to feel it at the end of November and he assumed it was from radiation. That underarm lump eventually elongated, is still sore, and now I have the lump in the cavity. So, when you find out something from your docs, will you please post it? I know we're all different but I'd like to hear what they tell you. Thanks.
    ~~Connie~~
  • Taina
    Taina Member Posts: 166
    #5
    crselby said:

    spread the knowledge
    Hey, Girl. I had my lumpectomy in July, accelerated rads (5 days) in early September. No chemo, no reconstruction. Like you, I am now experiencing some odd, new things. I have a hard, sore lump under the scar area, within the deep breast tissue, maybe in the cavity. That has been within the last 2 weeks.

    Prior to that, though, like a few weeks post-rads, I got chest-muscle tightness and a sore lump under my arm. Now, my DCIS was assumed to have no lymph node involvement so none were tested. The medical onc was the last to feel it at the end of November and he assumed it was from radiation. That underarm lump eventually elongated, is still sore, and now I have the lump in the cavity. So, when you find out something from your docs, will you please post it? I know we're all different but I'd like to hear what they tell you. Thanks.
    ~~Connie~~

    i will
    Hello, Connie....
    as soon as i find something from my doctor i will let you know....
    I hope you feel better soon....
  • Megan M
    Megan M Member Posts: 3,000
    #6
    Taina said:

    i will
    Hello, Connie....
    as soon as i find something from my doctor i will let you know....
    I hope you feel better soon....

    I seem to have something, I
    I seem to have something, I assume scar tissue, that is under my lumpectomy scar. It feels really hard. It is just in one place. Is this normal?

    Megan
  • teresa41
    teresa41 Member Posts: 471
    #7
    Megan M said:

    I seem to have something, I
    I seem to have something, I assume scar tissue, that is under my lumpectomy scar. It feels really hard. It is just in one place. Is this normal?

    Megan

    me to
    i finished chemo in september radiation in november and started tamoxifen in december and i have a lot of pain also and my underarm hurts but is numb to. when i reach up to get something out of the cabinet it feels like i have pulled something. im not sure what to do either. i had my lumpectomy in may 2009.

    :0) teresa
  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #8
    teresa41 said:

    me to
    i finished chemo in september radiation in november and started tamoxifen in december and i have a lot of pain also and my underarm hurts but is numb to. when i reach up to get something out of the cabinet it feels like i have pulled something. im not sure what to do either. i had my lumpectomy in may 2009.

    :0) teresa

    Sorry
    Call breast surgeon, radiation and Chemo oncologist, Do not be surprised if you get different answers.
    Tamoxifen does cause swelling. I think it is cumulative effect from all your treatments. I would see everyone of them plus lymphedema specialist.
    keep us posted
    new flower
  • terri805
    terri805 Member Posts: 122
    #9
    New Flower said:

    Sorry
    Call breast surgeon, radiation and Chemo oncologist, Do not be surprised if you get different answers.
    Tamoxifen does cause swelling. I think it is cumulative effect from all your treatments. I would see everyone of them plus lymphedema specialist.
    keep us posted
    new flower

    Swelling and pain after lumpectomy
    I had a lumpectomy 3 weeks ago and everything seemed ok until about a week ago and I had soreness in my nipple and my breast has been quite swollen with some redness. This happened 2 weeks after surgery. I went to the dr yesterday and he said it did not appear to be infection but put me on keflex just in case. He said that it was swelling from the fluid from the lymphatic (sp) system due to the large amount of tissue that was removed and that it would take some time for it to restructure. He advised me to wear a very supportive bra because I am large chested and that the gravity was causing the fluid swelling and redness. Has anyone heard of this? I did notice that when I first get up in the morning there is little to no redness but after being up awhile with no bra on the breast in the area where tissue was removed becomes red.
  • Taina
    Taina Member Posts: 166
    #10
    back from my doctor
    hello ladies....
    I called my radiation oncologist which told me to see my surgent...
    I saw my surgent today and she said it was side effects from the
    lumpectomy and radiation....she said it could take a year or longer
    in some cases for the breast to be normal....

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