How bad is the pain after breast and tummy surgery?
It is estimated that between 10% and 30% of patients will suffer persistent pain after breast surgery, There are few studies on long-term side-effects from surgery. Typically, a surgeon does not track the patient’s condition post-operation for more than a few weeks. While any given surgeon may or may not know about this syndrome, it is clearly the responsibility of the ordinary oncology team to be prepared to treat such a patient’s pain. What is known is that patients often experience burning pains in the chest wall, arm and underarm, and an accompanying sense of tightness, like a swelling no one else can feel. Approximately 40% of postmastectomy patients find their pain significantly worsened by mere movement. They may experience sharp pains radiating around the rib area, underneath the bra line, or sometimes shooting pains or numbness in their arms and hands. Such pain naturally causes one to restrict arm activity, but this creates the risk of having a paralyzed or frozen shoulder. P
