For a couple of weeks after surgery, the burning pain was so bad that I was convinced I was blistering and bleeding. I couldn't believe that there was not even a sign of redness under my arm. My GP gave me some soft wadding (the kind they put under casts, etc) which I taped in place so that it covered the entire area and stopped any skin to skin contact. That helped a little. Mostly, it's a matter of time. Two and a half years later, the area is still numb and occasionally fires with random sensations but I'm more used to it. Keep up your exercises.