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Kez_Za's avatar
Kez_Za
Member
11 years ago

Radiation and chest tightness

Hi there,

I have just completed 20 days of radiation yesterday and wondering if anyone else has had experience with chest tightness? 

It is not soreness, or shooting pains or an ache in the breast which I am familiar with but a tightness.  I have rung the doctor who has said that this would have nothing to do with radiation...

Just seeing if anyone else has had experience with this.

Kindest, Kerin

  • I think you will find that radiation definitely effects the chest muscles. I know my radiation was to the chest wall and the doctor told me that what we see on the surface, skin wise, is happening inside but even worse. I also had radiation to the axillary area and my neck. I have a lot of tighness in all of these areas and find I need to do a lot of stretching to keep it all operational. I actually got cording a few weeks after radiation finished and had to do a lot of stretching and massage to fix this. My radiation finished mid November last year. :) Deanne xxx
  • I also completed my 20 days of radiation last week and I also have been having some chest tightness this week especially. I have seen the radiotherapy nurses this week and asked about it but they said to speak to the doctors, although apparently it seems a normal thing that can occur after radiation.I will see my doctor next week and look into this further. I spoke to another patient there at the hospital yesterday and she said that exercising and massaging helped her tightness in the chest and armpit. My concern and question to the doctor next week will be can radiation cause scarring of chest muscles and tightening.?  If so, what can we do to make it better.?  

    Take care

    Ronnie xx

     

  • I don't have tightness in my chest as such, but I do have tense shoulders, tight neck, knots in my shoulders and the muscles in my back cramp up a lot. This started during rads and got worse. I am having regular massages to try and relax, call me a work in progress. :)