Scar Tissue

jenott

Hello Members, I am new here. I had bc in my left breast in 2018. After 18 rounds of radiation I was all clear. 

I am just wondering whether anyone else here has pain that radiates from under their ribs up to under their breast. This started for me about 8 months after radiation with just a stabbing pain in my upper belly under my ribs if I deep laughed. It has now progressed and when I get the pain it moves from the upper belly up to the breast. 

I have had X-ray, ultrasound which were all clear and the GP thinks it is scar tissue. 

Has anyone else had treatment for this?

Your feed back/thoughts would be appreciated. 

cranky_granny

@jenott thats a good question.
I had 25 rounds of rads
 I get what feels like a stitch just under my treated breast still get them. I always put it down to moving the wrong way or having done too much lifting or stretching up, I can usually massage it away. Now though I’ve been getting it on both sides Its not debilitating but annoying and painful.  at one stage I had an uncertain area come up on a ct near my sternum and as it was tender and it could be felt. biopsy was ordered by Oncologist. Turned out to be scar tissue the Radiologist took quite a lot of it out in the biopsy as it had penetrated my chest wall. After that the bulk of the pain has gone from that area just get twinges every now and then as there is still scar tissue in there. The other thing he biopsied was my calcifying  seroma which never dissolved. Nothing has shown up in the chest area where I get the twinges 

I think with everything we’ve gone through we tend to be more concerned about our bodies. For me I prefer to ask & get whatever it is checked out. If I hadn’t mentioned back ache and leg pain My Mets would have been missed it was picked up early as it was it just happens it started pressing on my sciatic nerve. Nothing showed on xray it was picked up with CT and Pet scan and the blood test showed my markers started going up
this of course is what has  happened to me and not necessarily what could be causing your pains

Better to find out for sure then be left to worry. Hope you find an answer to what is causing your issue. 

jenott

Thank you for your reply cranky_granny.

”stitch” is a good description of the pain, yes I agree it isn’t debilitating, just annoying. 

I am sorry to hear you are going through it again. 

Julez1958

Hi @jenott
I had some physiotherapy  after my mastectomy and radiotherapy 4 years ago.
I had treatment by a physiotherapist who specialised in breast cancer patients and with  a combination of massage, laser and exercises I got it sorted.
I got the recommendation from my McGrath breast care nurse at the time.
I see you are in Penrith and the physio I used was in Bondi Junction so probably not convenient .
Also I saw her as a private patient.
Anyway , I mention this as it worked for me.
Also agree with other comments worth getting new and unusual aches and pains checked out as could be possibly a recurrence.

jenott

Thank you Julez1958 I will research a local physiotherapist. I’m happy to hear the treatment helped you. 

Tri

Hi @jenott I am sorry to hear about the ongoing discomfort and I echo @Julez1958 on the benefits of a breast specialist physio. 

My left breast was/still sensitive (after a lumpectomy and 15 radiation treatments) and I had twinges and had to brace myself for ultrasounds in the area for heart and breast checks and my 3D mammogram. 

My oncologist has always said tell me when or if you notice pain- ie  @cranky_granny approach and so I did. She referred me to the specialist breast physio and even though I went privately initially, the GP indicated that I could also access a care plan which provided a subsidised rate for the physio.
 I’d never imagined there was laser treatment and together with massage and stretching it has helped. 

Having said all that I am conscious it’s only 9 months since the end of my chemo and immunotherapy and it’s just over a year since I finished radiation therapy. You’ve been putting up with something for a while so sending you good wishes for some relief. 

jenott

hi @Tri thanks for the reply. I will be seeking out treatment by a physiotherapist thanks to the comments I’ve been receiving. Good luck with your continued healing/recovery. 

cranky_granny

@jenott just got home from clinic. They do feel that the stitch/ cramp is related to scar tissue and makes sense to me because it generally happens around scar area. 

Particularly if I’ve been a little to energetic/enthusiastic when doing something that involves lifting or stretching even if its not heavy

Locksley

Yes I get terrible pain on my left breast / chest wall where I had a mastectomy and loads of radiation. If I twist or bend too fast the pain almost feels like what I imagine the start of a heart attack could possibly feel like.  It takes my breath away and stops me in my tracks. Can happen if I roll the wrong way in bed too. 

I've had all the heart tests to be sure and everyone comes back with scar tissue moving around.

jenott

cranky_granny yes it does make sense doesn’t it. Hopefully I haven’t left it too long. 

jenott

@Locksley you described the pain so much better than me. I’m exactly the same it begins like a stitch then moves up to the chest and feels like a heart attack. I am so happy i found this forum ❤️

Locksley

@jenott this forum is so very helpful with members sharing their knowledge.   I have made life long friends.