Pain meds post mastectomy

khill72
khill72 Member Posts: 6 ✭
in General discussion
Hi everyone, I’m 2 weeks post mastectomy and wondering how long you needed your pain meds for? I’m still taking 2 Panadol & 1 Neurofen every 8 hours & still getting pain/tightness in arm/chest is this normal or should the pain be easing off now? I have my follow up appointment with surgeon tomorrow 
Tagged:

Comments

  • Julez1958
    Julez1958 Member Posts: 1,267 ✭
    Hi @khill72
    I had to take pain meds for 6 weeks after my mastectomy , initially was in endone then moved to panadine forte then finally Panadol.
    i don’t normally take painkillers but my pain was bad.
    i actually got quite down about it at the time but now its just a distant memory.
  • iserbrown
    iserbrown Member Posts: 5,764 ✭
    Your question is probably a little difficult to answer as we all react differently. 
    As @Julez1958 said she struggled, I remember it at the time and finally came good and as she said now a distant memory.  Me, personally I had no issue and only had the occasional panadol when I came home.  I stayed in Hospital for 6 days and had the drains removed before leaving.
    Hopefully it has calmed down for you now and you have had your follow-up appointment with your surgeon.
    Take care and Best wishes
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,197 ✭
    edited November 29
    Yep, as @iserbrown says, Everyone's pain threshold is different  - so while some may not be on pain meds for very long, others can be on for many weeks.  The main factor, is the amount of surgery that has been done.  You don't want to come off them too early, as @Julez1958 says, consistent pain can really make you 'feel quite down' and your recovery may be affected (plus sleeping!) 

    All the best for your appt with the surgeon today.  You'll have a much better idea of your 'treatment game plan' xx
  • Mez_BCNA
    Mez_BCNA Administrator, Staff, Member, Moderator Posts: 1,144 ✭
    @khill72 you may also like to check out our website page on the topic of 'Managing pain related to breast cancer treatment':

    https://www.bcna.org.au/resource-hub/articles/managing-pain-related-to-breast-cancer-treatment/

    Heal well.

    BCNA Helpline team
    1800 500 258

Categories