Got cortisone shot in surgery arm...

JuJuBeez
JuJuBeez Member Posts: 332
in Breast Cancer #1
I've been having a LOT of pain in my left shoulder all the way to my fingertips. Had lumpectomy and sentinel node biopsy in May 2010. Went to ortho consult yesterday and he believes the shoulder and finger tip issues are two separate things. I told him of my radiation treatments and how by the end of the week, I couldn' lift my arm after the treatment was over. We talked about lymphedema and the PT sessions I had after radiation. When he offered the shot, all I could think about was not being in pain any more.

When I picked up my daughter (9 yrs old)from daycare and told her about the shot, she was very upset. "MOMMY! You know you aren't supposed to get needle sticks in that arm! Do I need to start going to your dr appointments with you?" Well, evidently she does. I didn't give it one thought. I have been so good about no blood pressure or blood draws from that arm. But offer me a big needle with a steroid, and I jump all over it. DUH! I don't have any effects of the shot yet, thank goodness.

Have any of you needed to have something injected or drawn from your surgery arm? Is it just luck of the draw, pardon the pun, if you have any issues from it? One more thing for me to be paranoid over. Am I going to wake up tomorrow with my left arm looking like Popeye's? :-p

Comments

  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #2
    some people just don't have problems
    We are careful of that arm as a precaution. Does not mean every time will have a side effect. Some people just have more trouble than others. As a precaution I also don't overtire that arm or lift heavy objects. If it starts feeling 'funny' I sit with it up. Maybe it doesn't matter what we do but I'll continue to take precautions anyway. What's done is done. Don't worry about it.
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #3
    Marcia527 said:

    some people just don't have problems
    We are careful of that arm as a precaution. Does not mean every time will have a side effect. Some people just have more trouble than others. As a precaution I also don't overtire that arm or lift heavy objects. If it starts feeling 'funny' I sit with it up. Maybe it doesn't matter what we do but I'll continue to take precautions anyway. What's done is done. Don't worry about it.

    I agree with Marcia
    Try not to worry about it--we girls with a lot of nodes removed do the best we can with these arms. Sometimes in the future, we might forget and get a BP or bloodwork on that side. And most times, that will be okay. For the most part, however, we're careful to try to avoid any complications.

    You're going to be fine, and I hope that shoulder pain clears. I had a cortisone injection in my shoulder before bc for a frayed rotator cuff and it did wonders.

    Hugs, Renee

    P.S. How adorable--your daughter being the mom. She sounds like a special girl.
  • Cinkal
    Cinkal Member Posts: 161
    #4
    That E is one smart little
    That E is one smart little cookie! Sorry to hear you are having pain. Hopefully the shot will help and no harm was done to the arm.
    I have pain on and off under my arm and sometimes in the top part of my lower arm. It feels a little like a nerve on the lower arm. The radiologist said the pain under the arm is from the surgery and radiation. It seems worse when I do too much repetition. It flared up around the holidays because I did too much stirring when baking .
    I guess it is just something we have to live with, it sucks! I have been doing some light weight training at the Y and it seems to be helping.
    Good luck with your arm

    Cindy
  • smilingdeb
    smilingdeb Member Posts: 50
    #5
    I am left handed
    and that is also my surgery side. Due to my hearing impairment, chemo brain and having to read lips I get side track very easy. One day at my appt for lab work I put out my left arm and thank goodness I caught it in time. Since then I got myself an ID braclet from TLC and feel so much better having one. I hope you are doing okay and your daughter is a real sweetheart for looking after you. You are so bless to have a wonderful daughter that watch over you. Let us know how you are doing.

    Deb
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #6
    Two Cortisone Shots!
    Dear JuJu,

    I had 2 lymph nodes dissections. First one was with mastectomy removing level 1 nodes, second with recurrence to remove tumor and all level 2 & some of level 3 nodes. I had 4 bouts of cellulitis (bad enough for hospitalization), radiation, a tear in the supraspinatus tendon of the rotator cuff, chronic bursitis and on going neuropathy in the left arm, axilla and shoulder.

    I thought very hard about the cortisone shot, I wanted to try it. The first one helped for a month. The second didn't do anything at all. I don't plan on having another cortisone shot again.

    There is pain in that shoulder area and upper arm even though I wear a fentanyl patch, take many pills of gabapentin. I am trying to learn to live with it.

    Never developed lymphedema. From what I read, there is no way of knowing who will have the condition and who won't. I should be a perfect candidate.

    I do hope you won't wake up with an arm like Popeye. More than likely you won't. I do hope the shot works. Do let me know.

    Hope the long saga of my troubled arm, helped!

    Best to you,

    Doris
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #7
    SIROD said:

    Two Cortisone Shots!
    Dear JuJu,

    I had 2 lymph nodes dissections. First one was with mastectomy removing level 1 nodes, second with recurrence to remove tumor and all level 2 & some of level 3 nodes. I had 4 bouts of cellulitis (bad enough for hospitalization), radiation, a tear in the supraspinatus tendon of the rotator cuff, chronic bursitis and on going neuropathy in the left arm, axilla and shoulder.

    I thought very hard about the cortisone shot, I wanted to try it. The first one helped for a month. The second didn't do anything at all. I don't plan on having another cortisone shot again.

    There is pain in that shoulder area and upper arm even though I wear a fentanyl patch, take many pills of gabapentin. I am trying to learn to live with it.

    Never developed lymphedema. From what I read, there is no way of knowing who will have the condition and who won't. I should be a perfect candidate.

    I do hope you won't wake up with an arm like Popeye. More than likely you won't. I do hope the shot works. Do let me know.

    Hope the long saga of my troubled arm, helped!

    Best to you,

    Doris

    Had ...
    I had a cortisone injection in my right elbow in Nov. forr tendinitis..had lived with it for months...it is the same side as lumpectomy and node removal...finally I said ENOUGH...went and had the injection....finally relief...been fine ever since....at some point one has to take the bull by the horns and go for it! To do what is you feel is best for you...regardless of what you've been told...

    Hugs, Nancy
  • JuJuBeez
    JuJuBeez Member Posts: 332
    #8
    Thank you all so much! I
    Thank you all so much! I appreciate hearing your stories! So far, so good. I don't look like Popeye, and I didn't have to use pain med yesterday. YAY! The small wins are still wins!

    Thanks Ladies! You're the best! :-)
  • JuJuBeez
    JuJuBeez Member Posts: 332
    #9
    JuJuBeez said:

    Thank you all so much! I
    Thank you all so much! I appreciate hearing your stories! So far, so good. I don't look like Popeye, and I didn't have to use pain med yesterday. YAY! The small wins are still wins!

    Thanks Ladies! You're the best! :-)

    And YES, my girl is awesome.
    And YES, my girl is awesome. She's been so helpful through all this craziness. She was only 7 when I was dx. She helped me after my surgery, and that helped her deal. She would get the frozen peas to put on my incision, help with bandages, get me my tea, read to me. She is really a great little person. I'm so lucky to have her. She said she picked me to be her mommy when she was still a baby angel. Cute, huh? (Tito, hand me a tissue...) BUT, I will say I'm still dealing with the 'velcro' issue. She will NOT leave me for a second. It's worse than when she was a toddler. Has anyone had that issue with their kids after dx?
  • Frankie Shannon
    Frankie Shannon Member Posts: 457
    #10
    Yes i had 2 shots of
    Yes i had 2 shots of cortisone after my mastectomy as i had pain in the right shoulder it helped a lot still have a little bit of pain but not bad,i also do not have lymphedema.My Dr.said we could do an MRI to see if there is a tear in the rotater cuff but if it stays like it is i won't do any thing more.I remember when i had my left shoulder repaired it hurt like heck so won't do this one if i can help it.

    Hugs Frankie
  • cinnamonsmile
    cinnamonsmile Member Posts: 1,187 Member
    #11
    Some times we do what we
    Some times we do what we have to do. I had nodes removed on both sides. I have no certified LE therapists in my area. The OT I saw says I am borderline LE.

    Last summer I showed up in the ER with a treble fishing hook shoved deep in my finger and the end of the hook didn't come out. I told the staff no blood pressures or needles in my arms/hands while I stood there with the hook in my finger! I had to get two shots of lidocaine in the finger.

    I get all my ivs, and blood draws in the hands, usually the left.
    I have been lucky so far not to have LE.

    I have severe cronic PMPS, and I have gotten shots and ivs for the pain.
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #12
    MAJW said:

    Had ...
    I had a cortisone injection in my right elbow in Nov. forr tendinitis..had lived with it for months...it is the same side as lumpectomy and node removal...finally I said ENOUGH...went and had the injection....finally relief...been fine ever since....at some point one has to take the bull by the horns and go for it! To do what is you feel is best for you...regardless of what you've been told...

    Hugs, Nancy

    I was told also to never
    I was told also to never have my blood pressure taken, blood drawn or shots in my arm. I do admit that once, I had my blood pressure drawn from that side as I had an IV in my good arm. Sometimes we just do what we have to do.


    Hugs, Leeza
  • Noel
    Noel Member Posts: 3,095 Member
    #13
    JuJuBeez said:

    And YES, my girl is awesome.
    And YES, my girl is awesome. She's been so helpful through all this craziness. She was only 7 when I was dx. She helped me after my surgery, and that helped her deal. She would get the frozen peas to put on my incision, help with bandages, get me my tea, read to me. She is really a great little person. I'm so lucky to have her. She said she picked me to be her mommy when she was still a baby angel. Cute, huh? (Tito, hand me a tissue...) BUT, I will say I'm still dealing with the 'velcro' issue. She will NOT leave me for a second. It's worse than when she was a toddler. Has anyone had that issue with their kids after dx?

    What a sweet daughter! It's
    What a sweet daughter! It's understandable that she wants to always be with you I think. She is scared, scared of losing you. But, she won't!


    You take care of yourself and give your sweet daughter a big hug from me!


    Hugs, Noel
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #14
    JuJuBeez said:

    Thank you all so much! I
    Thank you all so much! I appreciate hearing your stories! So far, so good. I don't look like Popeye, and I didn't have to use pain med yesterday. YAY! The small wins are still wins!

    Thanks Ladies! You're the best! :-)

    Just Checking
    JuJuBeez,

    How is your arm doing?

    Hoping it continues to be ok. Always worrisome, even after many, many years.

    Your daughter is a cutie and may she always look after her mother.

    Best,

    Doris
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #15
    cinnamonsmile said:

    Some times we do what we
    Some times we do what we have to do. I had nodes removed on both sides. I have no certified LE therapists in my area. The OT I saw says I am borderline LE.

    Last summer I showed up in the ER with a treble fishing hook shoved deep in my finger and the end of the hook didn't come out. I told the staff no blood pressures or needles in my arms/hands while I stood there with the hook in my finger! I had to get two shots of lidocaine in the finger.

    I get all my ivs, and blood draws in the hands, usually the left.
    I have been lucky so far not to have LE.

    I have severe cronic PMPS, and I have gotten shots and ivs for the pain.

    JuJu .. Thinking about you .. the needle, your pain...
    and your daughter. We do what we have to, in order to do what we want to -- as Chenheart
    states --.

    Hoping you are doing well -- and things are better.

    Strength, Courage and HOPE for a Cure.


    Vicki Sam

Discussion Boards