Jenny

I have had something similar happen to me. My story it is a bit different, but it makes me wonder. I had lupus for years before I got cancer and the lupus caused me to have several bouts of shingles. For the past year or so before cancer diagnosis...I have had a pain under left arm (same side as breast cancer) especially when wearing bra. The pain then started moving around to back and under shoulder blade. I was told this pain was caused by shingles post herpatic nerve pain and could go on forever. it was livable because when at home I took bra off and it didn't hurt as badly.

After my cancer diagnosis I was worried sick the pain had been related all along, but I have been reassured over and over it isn't related. Oddly after my double mastectomy the whole area was numb and the burning pain mostly went away. It was there, but not anything like before. I had really quick expansions...like done in 5 weeks after surgery. My last expansion was Monday before this last. The next day I woke up with that area literally on fire. It felt like I was being burned by scalding water. It did that for several days and is still to some extent, but not nearly as bad. I am not seeing the plastic surgeon for 6 more weeks since he is done with my expansions but I started chemo yesterday and asked my oncologist about it. She said it was probably nerves regenerating and that the shingles nerve pain may be returning. She is afraid I will get another bout of shingles from the chemo stress so she put me on Valtrex and prescribed numbing patches. Drug store was out of the patches, but I have started Valtrex. She said if this doesn't work she will try Lyrica or another nerve medication.

I didn't realize that nerve regeneration could cause such burning pain so maybe mine is not totally related to shingles. It just seemed coincidental that it was in the same exact area it was before I had surgery. 

Best wishes to you and I hope you can find some relief.